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

[Misty Gray]

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

Trevor Stewart
​

Trevor continued to take quick drags from his cigarette as he listened as May told him how things had been good for a time after Jensen had been born. That felt all too familiar from when he and Laura had tried to make things work when Spencer was born, and then when Alex and Billy were each born. The fact she spoke about always having some belief Christian had felt trapped seem like a glaringly obvious red flag to Trevor, but he wasn't about to point that out now, so many years down the line when it was too late to change the past. His daughter then expressed that it felt like they were going through the motions and her niggling thoughts were stronger than ever now.

May then told him she still loved Christian, prompting Trevor to gaze down to the floor for a time. Despite the arguments, at times emotional distance, and even her knowing of his repeated adultery, Laura had always said she still loved Trevor. Of course, he'd taken advantage of that to keep Laura on side, but by now Trevor knew how terrible his behaviour had been and that he should have let her go long before he walked out on her. "You shouldn't both have to find a way to be happy. If it ain't there, then why force it? Just because he was the first bloke you had feelings for, it doesn't mean he's the only one you can love. And you can't take all the responsibility for this. You both entered into this marriage and you're both responsible for whether or not it fails." Trevor pinched the bridge of his nose. Perhaps it was the stress of everything else he was carrying on his shoulders these days or the fact the answer seemed glaringly obvious to him, but he didn't have it in him to coddle May and to give in to the self-pity she was currently displaying. "Listen to me. We all make mistakes and we get tied up in dysfunctional shit. Some of it can't be fixed or reversed, but... May, your marriage isn't working. I didn't want to say anything on the basis of only what I've observed, but the things you just said are all the convincing I need. You're not going to be happy if you keep forcing it to work. You still have a life ahead of you and your kids will know things ain't right. The best thing you can do for yourself and the kids is to admit it's not working and get a divorce. Now I'm sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but it's what you need to be told. Take if from the bloke who fucked about for most of his life and messed up his kids' lives in the process."

Trevor softened a little as he looked to his daughter's face. "Listen," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "at least consider it. You can still be happy, even if it's not with who you always thought it would've been with."

BasDorcha (May, Jensen)

 

[BasDorcha]

Alex King's Family Home

~Bethnal Green, London~​

Maeve and Jensen Brooks

Maeve listened as her father spoke, finding it harder to keep the tears in but able to hold back the audible noise that went with it. It shattered the bit of hope she held in her heart to acknowledge everything he said sounded to truthful. She turned the words over in her head and played them back on repeat. Denial tried to kick in, and she swallowed hard, trying to write it off as he didn't fully understand the situation. "Yeah.. Maybe you're right. I just can't give up that easily though, Da'. Twelve years… I just c-can't see to throw it all away." She sighed, staring out into the street beyond them as she focused on stemming the flow of tears so she could go back inside and collect the rest of her immediate family.

Wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt, she stood there in comfortable but strained silence with him for a few minutes. When his hand touched her shoulder, she turned to look at him with saddened eyes, the rose colored glasses she normally wore gone completely. She leaned into the hand slightly, lifting her own to cover it and squeeze. "I'll think on it, but I also haven't given up that there still a way to fix this. It can't be over as simple as all that… And who knows, I may be the only one really feeling like this. Maybe… I don't know, maybe we can still save this. Still, I'll think about it…" Though everything felt worse now than it did before, talking with her father in any sense always made her feel better. It was the oddest sense of conflicting emotions one could feel at the same time.

Moving closer to Trevor, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight, her head going to his shoulder to rest for a moment. His other kids, they never knew what it was like to have no father at all. They never knew what it was like to just want so badly to do what she was doing now because even when they didn't have Trevor, they had Bruce. May had a father, for a short time, but he left when she was barely old enough to remember him, and for years had felt the burning desire to know a father figure that would be there. Trevor hadn't been perfect, but in her mind he had done enough to make up for it. The hug came to an end and she stepped back, wiping at her face one last time. "I promise, I'll think about what you said." The smile she gave him was not super bright, but it was better than before.

"Thanks, Da'. I know you are only trying to look out for me. I've really got to get the kids home, school is going to start early tomorrow. I love you, thank you, I'll see you around, okay?" Her voice had a soft grief to it, that gentleness that always smoothed any rough edges taking affect. Once goodbyes were done, she went in, collecting Jensen, Chloe and Christian, saying another round of farewells and a few minutes later they were out the door. The ride home was quiet, the air thick, only broken by the occasional conversation with the kids. May carefully kept from making eye contact with her husband, attempting to limit the chances he might have to see she'd been crying. As they arrived home, she had much more on her mind to consider, and some serious thinking to do.

Misty Gray - Christan , Trevor, Chloe

 

[Misty Gray]

Chapter 2: London's Burning
Monday 22nd September 1997
...15 days later...
London: Early Evening - Cool, Clear Skies

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"The Big House" - Upstairs Study
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Spencer King and Adam Harper
Charlotte King​

The two weeks since Wesley had shown up on their Scottish doorstep had been difficult ones. For Spencer, the decision to return to London was clear cut. For the last 12 years, he'd wanted to return to his real home, to see his family and friends, and now there was a huge possibility that was going to happen, assuming those people he missed had also opted in. He knew it was all only possible under the requirement for him to help Interpol take down the Carters. He knew already such a mission would come with danger and stress, as his life had been up to 1985, but seeing the rest of his surviving family again outweighed it al.

The hardest part of it all was how the upheaval would affect his wife and children, who of course he was considering even if his desire to to see the rest of their family in London made it seem otherwise. Shona was of course anxious and had doubts about the whole thing, concerned Wesley and the rest of Interpol were lying to him and would trap him into fulfilling the mission at hand. It was a concern of his own and as a man who didn't accept orders from anyone, he wasn't going to let his guard down where they were concerned and would maintain the suspicious mindset he tended to carry towards most people. All he knew for sure, was that opting out of the agreement and staying in Scotland could prove more risky if other members of his family had agreed and were then poking the Carters nest. Were any of their enemies to find Spencer and his family lived alone in Fort William, he wasn't sure he could protect everyone by himself. In London, he had more power, ammunition and the strength in number to fight back. Both paths offered risks, but the decision to opt in was the one Spencer believed gave him the most power and control to protect his wife and children. After sleeping on Wesley's proposal, Shona had agreed to sign the contract, keeping them together and giving them chance to see the rest of their family again. Spencer knew Shona had taken a big sacrifice in agreeing to return to London, and so he'd spent the last two weeks reassuring her. Not only that he would still be the husband and father he'd been for the last 12 years, but also that he would be careful. Whilst in 1985 he'd have jumped head first into danger and taken on any enemy no matter how outnumbered he may have been, he assured her he would be approaching things more level-headed and calculated this time around. He would do everything in his power to make sure he always returned home to his wife and children.

After coming to a decision with Shona, it was then time to tell Eddie and Lottie the truth. They'd always told their children that their aunts, uncles, and other family members had died in an accident. It had been a story that had still allowed their children to know the names and faces of their lost loved ones - the siblings and other family members Spencer had been forced apart from. So last week they'd told them the truth, about how their family was still alive but they'd all been separated by Interpol due to their past crimes. Of course, the full nature of the Kings' past crimes had to be sugarcoated for Lottie in particular, telling her how they'd been thieves and got into big fights, but stopping short of going into the murder and drugs. Spencer strongly asserted how bad his actions had been, that the kids should never think it was something to be proud of, and how lucky he was not to be in prison. He explained to them how there was now a very dangerous group of people in London and Interpol needed him to help stop those bad guys - people who were hurting innocents in the city. Spencer had let them get any questions out of the system. Once Lottie had gone off to bed, Spencer had spoken directly with Eddie, knowing his son was smart and more able to handle the truth than Lottie was. He knew at some point the truth could come out and that it would be hard to deny it to Eddie, so he admitted to his son that he had killed people in the past.

Lottie had seemed to grasp that her father had done bad things before she was born, a little like she'd found out last year that Logan had been in prison for a time. She understood that what Spencer had done was wrong and he had been punished for his crimes, learning to be good, as had Logan. She now understood he was going to London to help stop bad guys from hurting people in his family's home, London, and she saw that as him making up for his past crimes. Of course, she'd had to be carefully assured that she should never steal or lie, even if she might be able to make up for it later in life. She knew her father had done some very bad things, even if him killing people had never crossed her mind, but he was her dad and she loved him no matter what. As long as he was good to her and him moving to London to help the police didn't mean he'd stop spending time with her, she was content. Besides that, she was very excited to meet her aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as to see the palaces and other landmarks that up until now she'd only seen in books or on television.

Logan, who had managed to stumble on the truth rather than being told by Spencer and Shona, had initially been angry to learn the people he'd grown to look on as family had been lying to him the whole time. However, after being sat down and had explained to him why Spencer and Shona had to lie to him, he calmed down enough to think about things clearly. He hadn't been too bothered to learn of Spencer's criminal past, given he'd spent time in prison himself and that he'd been fully compliant in helping Spencer with the odd low-level crime over recent years. It was the dishonesty that had hurt, but he soon came to understand they'd had no choice in the matter, that their lives and freedom were at risk if the truth had been known. So after a night to sleep on it, Logan had returned to the pub to speak with Spencer and Shona. Spencer had been glad that the younger man was understanding as the last thing he wanted was to end things on bad terms and to lose someone he now considered family. Even better was that Logan expressed his desire to join them in London. Logan had already expressed his intention to leave Fort William and the bad memories he associated with the place, which had left Spencer and Shona sad to learn he'd be moving away from them. But the move to London would not only ensure Logan could remain with them but he could also have a fresh start away from the place where he'd lost so much and tried to end his own life. Spencer hadn't resisted Logan's request to join them in London, but he had warned him he had to follow the rules and not take any stupid risks, not even to protect him and Shona.

With the decision made, Spencer had to make last minute plans to remove him and his family from Fort William. He'd informed the school, football team, and the gym he helped out at that the family had to return to London for personal, family matters. He'd also left Fiona in charge of the pub, giving her the same reasons. He didn't expect to return to Fort William, but for now, it was easier to say a family emergency had come up and to make things more final later so as to avoid any unwanted questions.

******​

The family had made it to the outskirts of London a couple of days earlier, being put up in a hotel for the time-being, so not going near the city yet. It was there that Spencer and Shona had finally been able to see Bruce, Alex and Billy again. Spencer was even now still trying to convince himself it was all real, that they weren't suddenly about to be torn apart again. It made it difficult to fully open up and commit to feeling emotional about the reunion he'd been waiting 12 years for. He could at least take warmth from seeing Eddie and Lottie finally getting to meet their cousins. Other than Callum and briefly meeting baby Charlie, Spencer found himself having to get used to meeting his nieces and nephews for the first time, and he was aware he had a couple more to meet where May was concerned.

Today, they'd been driven from the hotel to the Interpol safe house on the outskirts of London, where the heads of both the Kings and Porters were to meet, along with other meetings going on between various gang members. There was some time to spare before the meetings began and Spencer spent most of it close to Shona, reassuring her he was going to keep his head switched on and make sure they weren't committing to some kind of suicide mission.

As he was about to head to the meeting room, Lottie approached him, rubbing at her head in an irritated manner. When she reached him, she looked up to him and he could immediately see looked overwhelmed. Despite up until that point being happily working the floor chatting to her various cousins and eagerly trying to find out if any of them liked the same music as she did, it had clearly suddenly caught up to her that a lot was going on. Sitting on the nearby chair so he was more on her level, be beckoned her to standing facing him. "Listen, Lottie. I need to go to an important meeting now. The boring kind," he said, making sure she knew she couldn't join him. "What are you going to do while I'm in the meeting?" he firmly asked her, giving her the chance to decide before he decided for her. Whilst there were times he needed to treat her more gently than he would Eddie, Spencer believed in being firm for the most part.

"I don't know. There's too many people around and it's giving me headache. And you said I couldn't go run around outside," she complained.

"You remember what Bucky looks like, don't you?" Spencer asked, to which she nodded. He then pointed in the direction he'd last seen his nephew in. "If you head that way, I think he found a quiet place to read his book. You could go there and play on your Gameboy. Maybe you'll both even feel like talking. If you go take a break there, I'll come find you after my meeting." When his daughter nodded in understanding, he gently squeezed her shoulder before she headed off to find her cousin. Spencer had spoken with Bucky already, but he'd yet to properly catch up with Jeremy since getting to the safe house. Something about losing Harper during the time the family was split made it seem harder, as if spending time with Jeremy was going to drag up the grief he'd locked away some time ago. That, and perhaps the fact the man was working on Interpol's side of the arrangement created an unspoken barrier too. Would they even know each other at all now?

Spencer had to push aside any personal feelings and put his head back into business as he approached the upstairs study - the makeshift meeting room - slowing down as he noticed Bruce and Alex making their way there too. "Just like old times, huh?" he flatly greeted his uncle and brother as they headed into a business meeting - something they hadn't done together since 1985. When they entered the room, Spencer nodded in Klaus' direction. "Evening," he greeted the meeting's host. As far as Interpol agents went, Klaus was the one Spencer held some respect for, which had been the case since the man first reached out to him when Lottie had been born. Shona had checked into a psychiatric hospital and his premature daughter's life had been hanging in the balance. Klaus had provided Spencer with much needed assistance to get through those tough days.

When the three Porters entered, Spencer studied them for a moment. Shortly before everyone had been shipped off and separated by Interpol. the Kings and Sullivans had formed a truce. That trust would surely work favourably now, especially as Spencer saw Syd entering the room with Adam and Roxie. Before any awkwardness could infect the air, Adam stepped forward and firmly shook Spencer's hand, then moving to do the same with Bruce and Alex. "You're all looking fit and well. And I know which of us have been out in the sun," he commented, pointing to Bruce who was looking the most tanned of the Cockney bunch. "Alex, how's the kid doing? I suppose Callum's not much of a kid by now, though..." he trailed off, having last seen Callum when the boy was four.

"Oh yeah, some of us weren't sent to the beach," Spencer sarcastically joked, as he pointed between Bruce and Adam, who had both been lucky enough to have been living in warm countries for the last decade or so. He then turned to Syd and Roxie, reaching out to shake each of their hands. As far as he was concerned, they'd left on good terms in 1985 and now more than ever they all needed to strengthen that if they were going to be working together against the Carters. "Are you both well?" he asked knowingly asked them, figuring they all had the effects of Interpol in common over the last 12 years. He then moved to take his seat at the table, with Bruce to his left and presumably Alex at sitting at their uncle's other side. Waiting for the Porters to do the same, Spencer wanted to address what was immediately on his mind. "Ain't Conor joining us then?" he asked of the former mob boss. It was said in a curious, perhaps concerned way, rather than in any kind of negative sense. The pair had rarely seen eye-to-eye back in the day, but Spencer had been up for making sure he and Conor had put all of that behind them now they were fighting the same battle.

Bellz (Klaus, Roxie) Pyroclast (Syd, Bruce) Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

Arthur's Steakhouse
~ Hackney, London ~

Zachary Costa​

The white van, carrying the emblem of an electrical repairs company, pulled up a few buildings before the intended location on the quiet street. The driver remained in the vehicle whilst the five masked and armed figures climbed out from the rear of the vehicle. Amongst the group were Zachary, Jake and Julia, along with two additional gang members - one of which carrying a jerry can whilst the other an holdall containing further ammunition. In the darkness of the evening, they rushed towards the steakhouse that was attached to the three-storey building that housed around 30 hotel rooms. The hotel and restaurant both belonged to Noel Farringdon, the man who was the main target of the night's mission. They'd been given the order to kill Farringdon and all of his family at the table celebrating his birthday that evening. Once the targets were taken out, they'd been told to set fire to the restaurant, to remind any other competitors of the Carters to back down. Posing as one of the regular diners, they'd had a man on the inside who confirmed moments earlier that all targets were in place around a large round table.

As they'd rushed into the restaurant, one of the gang members bolted the exit shut and maintained his position in front of it, whilst the other guard blocked the second exit. Before anyone had even spoken up, fearful screams and chatter began to fill the room. "Everyone! Be quiet and remain in your seats!" Zachary's voice boomed out beneath his mask." All the while, his eyes were fixed at the table, noticing Noel's brother stand up whilst reaching for his own handgun. Without hesitation, Zachary fired two bullets into the Farringdon sibling's skull from his AR-15. This caused more screams, especially from the children in the restaurant. The innocent diners weren't on Zachary's hitlist, so he wasn't about to start gunning them down, not when he had a table ahead of him with 15 members of Farringdon's family and close advisers to put down. As he counted the heads, noting Noel's wife, young adult sons, remaining brother, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and close advisers, it soon became apparent that Noel himself was no longer at the table, with the empty spot being the dead giveaway.

Zachary lightly shook his head before turning to Jake. "Check the kitchen and make sure all of the staff are brought out here where we can see them," he instructed his close friend. He then turned to Julia and nodded for her to prepare to use her own weapon. "For every minute Noel Farringdon doesn't show his face, a member of his family will be killed," Zachary informed everyone, expecting wherever Noel was, he could hear them. He wasn't about to start checking under table for him. Despite the fact all around the table would be getting killed that night, Zachary decided to use them as leverage for the time-being. "His cowardice will cost the lives of his loved ones." He then pointed to the large gold clock on the wall. "It's already been a minute," he added, expecting Julia to take her first shot.

Bellz (Julia) neverbackdown (Jake)

The Laundrette
~ Hackney, London ~

Daisy Richardson and Damian Nicolosi
Justin Richardson​

Since Zachary had visited her two weeks ago and passed on a warning from Ezekiel about not getting in his way, Daisy had refused to back down. Victoria was her friend and she didn't like to think of her as being abused or taken advantage of. Despite her best efforts to give her friend plenty of shifts so she didn't have to sell her body, Victoria had told her it wasn't enough to survive. So when one of Ezekiel's men showed up at the club last night and commanded Victoria to take the job that she'd been requested for, the escort didn't put up a fight. Daisy had protested on her friend's behalf, but in the end had no choice but to back down.

Tonight, Daisy wanted to switch off from work and from the drama the night before. She and Jakob had gone to her club to start out with before no doubt moving onto a club she didn't own. Standing next to her boyfriend at the bar, she took a drink of her Mojito before setting it down and looking at him. "You're looking hot tonight," she told him before moving in to kiss him. "You know. I was thinking, maybe you could take me for a spin in your car. Get the adrenaline going for the both of us," she suggestively told him. "Plenty more time afterwards for drinking."

Regardless of her answer, Daisy cleared her throat and turned serious for a moment. "Oh, and just a heads up... Your mum and me got into another slanging match today. She got wind that some of the Carter guys had been in and out of this place lately then told me not to go letting Cassie drink here if that's the case. Well, I told her Cassie is old enough to make her own decisions and it kind of blew up from there. She was so pissed off," Daisy admitted, but let out a laugh nonetheless. By now it was nothing new, but she was aware it put Jakob in an uncomfortable position at times. "I swear I won't drag it out too long this time, but it would be great if she apologised first this time."

Before they could do much else, a heavy set man in leather jacket approached them. Daisy recognised him as one of the Carter-affiliated thugs she'd seen around the area many times before. "You two need to come with me." As Daisy defiantly folded her arms, the man drew both of their attention to the gun he had holstered at his waist. "This doesn't have to get messy. It's just to talk and then you're free to continue with the rest of the night. I'll follow you both out of here and you'll both get into the back of the car that's parked out front. No funny business. Are we clear?" he asked, looking to Jakob as he hoped at least one of the couple would be cooperative.

*****​

In the late afternoon, Ezekiel and Abel had met at the construction site where the new research lab was going to be built. He wanted to go through the plans whilst on site. The meeting had gone well, with Ezekiel happy with the paperwork and floorplans so far. Granted, the schedule he had set would have come across as strict to Abel, but Ezekiel was very firm in his timescales and his expectations Abel would make it work.

After the meeting, Ezekiel had Abel join him in the back of his car so they could presumably return to the city centre where their meeting had begun before Ezekiel insisted on conducting their discussions on site. With the driver and a member of security in the front of the vehicle, Ezekiel continued speaking with Abel during the drive. Although it was dark outside, it would soon become apparent that they weren't heading back towards Carter Technologies, but instead into Hackney. The car eventually pulled into an empty parking spot outside a row of small shops and businesses that looked to have closed for the day.

"There's someone inside who I need you to go speak with," he said, pointing to the laundrette. Usually, that business would likely still be open, but this evening the metal shutters were down, covering to front window. Regardless of Abel's response, the guard from the front passenger seat had already climbed out of the car and had opened his door for Abel to get out. "I'll check in with you tomorrow," Ezekiel told the young man, making it clear he had no choice but to accompany the guard into the laundrette.

Entering through the side door, the armed guard motioned for Abel to sit on one of the plastic chairs that was lined up in front of the blocked out window. With the guard standing by the door to keep it secure, a dark-haired man, dressed all in black, stepped into view from the back room. Tapping the round glass window of each washing machine as he passed them by, Damian soon stopped in front of Abel and sent him a bright, yet sinister, smile. "Abel Stewart. I've seen you around but we've never spoken," he said, his voice calm yet calculated. "Have you built anything worthwhile lately?" he said, visibly rolling his eyes as if his own small talk was bothering him. He then made a point of looking at his watch. "Your brother and that girlfriend of his should be here any minute. Then we can get this chat over quickly and I can enjoy the rest of my night."

Melanin-Gxdess (Jakob) BasDorcha (Abel)

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

 

[Bellz]

Chapter 2: London's Burning
Monday 22nd September 1997
...15 days later...
London: Early Evening - Cool, Clear Skies
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The 3rd Degree Nightclub
~ London, England ~

Jolene Foley
(Jeanie Porter)​

Pulling into the lot of the club, Jeanie's bike skidded to a halt as she squeezed the brake handle with her left handle, causing her to propel forward in her seat just a bit. Usually, the stop would have been much smoother given her years of riding experience under her belt but she'd been...distracted today. Removing her helmet, she moved off her bike and hung it on the handlebar before unzipping her bike jacket. 3 years she'd been in London and she'd made quite the life for herself. Friends who...she somewhat trusted, a for the most part, steady job that brought in enough money to keep a roof over her head and food on the table...at least for Norma, her cat. Her family, as she wanted them to be, had become a thing of the past along with all the trauma and heartache they brought with them. But there was a sinking feeling that she'd had in the pit of her stomach lately. Call it guilt? No...it wasn't that. She never felt guilt about anything.

Jeanie was thinking about them more often than not recently, especially Jane, her twin sister. The uninviting crushing weight of her family came crashing back down on her like a ton of bricks every time her eyes closed and her sweet sister's face popped into her head right before she slept, or tried to sleep...it was all such a grey area these days. Sometimes she wished the lack of sleep and the crushing weight would kill her. Other times, she didn't know what she wished for anymore.

Some days were much harder than others, she wanted to pick up her house phone that no longer worked due to her unpaid bills, and call them. It stared at her, and sometimes she could hear their voices...or swore she did when she was high out of her mind with Jess, on the other line...even though the phone didn't work. The urge to call them was great those days. But then she came to her fucking senses. It was in her moments of deep weakness when she was easily overwhelmed when her anxiety crept inside, choking the life out of her and making her feel like two separate beings that she wished to call them. That other person clearly didn't know the problems that her family brought with them. They brought anxiety, death, despair...abandonment. All while under some grand delusion that they were still holding it together. Ha.

Jeanie had once felt she could fall for such delusions. But she had to be stronger. Still, life tested her and she made mistakes that should have been easy to avoid. But in her pre-manic breakdowns before she would just vanish like some cheap magician she'd accidentally walk by that pizza parlor down the street, get a nice whiff of fresh dough, and be sent running for the nearest garbage bin. That was just one of many. She tried to tell herself she was past her trauma, past her past. But moments when a car would simply backfire would make her leap out of her skin, covering her head, and dip to the ground...even if she was out in public with people she called friends. Those were the days that made her want to drop everything and call her sister, hell, she'd even talk to her parents.

But those little mistakes, those fear responses were so Jeanie Porter. Those were moments when Jeanie seeped through the cracks Jolene Foley had cemented shut so long ago. That Jeanie was desperate to confront her trauma. Jolene was happy to run from it. She had none in London. After leaving Germany, all the trauma was gone...the problem or problems, she tried to convince herself, was left there to rot. Delusions. If her parents could have them, so could she.

Well, for someone who convinced herself of such things...all the responses to such traumas still remained. Jolene never shopped at the same store in one month, always switching. Same with eating out and partying, never the same place in the same month. Driven by the paranoia of both being found out by those her family had wrong all of her life and her own loved ones, she was determined to remain under the radar. She couldn't change her name, it had already been changed once. But this had worked for 3 years now. The only consistency she had was her home and her job. Both of which made her nervous. On top of it, her manic episodes were getting worse. The locks she'd placed on her own door to keep herself inside did hinder her from getting out some of the time but...most of the time it didn't. She heard from Jess, or Jess' friends what she'd done over the days when she was unavailable even in her own head if she stuck around. Or, she didn't know what she did during those blank periods because no one could find her.

Finally working up the energy to walk towards the club, Jeanie showed her I.D. to the bouncer at the door and gave him a slow nod. This club would be checked off her list once she was done at the end of the night, whatever time that was. She wasn't really sure why she was here, to begin with. Normally, when she was in a rotten mood, as she was now Jeanie didn't leave her house. After seeing that man staring at her at the market she went to for cat food earlier in the day, she was paranoid...on edge. Jess was in here somewhere, along with others. Jess was the only reason she was here. And while they were friends and neighbors, when Jeanie was paranoid it was barely a reason to leave her house. The young woman looked around, taking in the club from every possible angle she could. It was one she was familiar with, having visited it in the previous months before. But there were too many fucking people here. Now to find the people she was looking for. Jess was the only one she knew well, and if Bex was with her then Bex was too. It wasn't too hard to continue to fake the total American accent she had going with them all. The lie she painted over the past 3 years was as easy as breathing and so believable that she was starting to buy into it herself. But after seeing that man...she couldn't help but feel like something would blow it all to shit. Her carefully placed veil over her past life, her nirvana in London would come to a full. stop.

A low hum sounded in her ears above the loud music, her eyes looking around the club in a more frantic way now briefly forgetting who she was even looking for. In her left front pants pocket, her left hand slowly reached to feel for her switchblade which weighed down heavily at her side. In her right pocket, a hole had been cut into it and she could easily access the small pistol strapped against her thigh. Nothing fancy, but nothing that couldn't send the right message if it needed to be used. The humming in her ears only got louder, sounding like a swarm of bees until she could no longer hear the music. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

Setting her jaw, she realized her nerves were getting the best of her. Deciding to get a drink first, Jeanie headed to the bar and ordered a whiskey neat. Once in her hands, she threw it back, adjusting her blazer and a short black top that revealed far too much of her abdomen. Not that she cared. Jeanie liked a certain kind of attention on her, the kind that she could see from her peripherals as she pretended to pay attention to her empty glass, attempting to steel her nerves. This attention she could control. Not like that man staring at her for no reason in the market. Unless he knew her...or recognized her. Or worse.

A deep frown played on her dark brown painted lips, whipping towards the bar once more, she knocked on the wood and demanded the tender pour her another glass and keep her tab wide open. Once her drink was poured, she grabbed her glass and headed towards the crowd, eyes searching for Jess. When she finally found her, the smallest of smirks formed on her lips. It was all she could manage with the way she was feeling, "You know trying to find you, it's like trying to find the right needle in a needle stack. So, what's the damage tonight? What do you got? I'm itchin' for something different." Jeanie said over the music, no hello or how are you, just ready to party and do whatever drugs it took to get rid of her nerves. They were neighbors and friends, they said hello and how are you plenty.
with: Jess + May + Bohemia BasDorcha ; Bex neverbackdown
mentions: Jane Pyroclast

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Downstairs Dining Room
~ Tottenham, London~
Wesley Roberts ​

Honestly, Wesley didn't think they would make it here. To London, at this very moment. Waiting at the safe house for the families to arrive so they could get the meetings underway. It all felt very...surreal. There was immense pushback from some people and others were just so happy to be seeing their family again, feelings were heavy, emotions would no doubt be high and Wesley was on edge. Sleep had evaded him since he arrived home from Dublin. That had been two weeks ago. Micro-naps were his only saving grace and he didn't go to sleep with intent, his brain just managed to shut off for a while like a computer. Klaus was on his billionth lecture about how he needed to get more sleep when people started to really file in. "I know, I know...ye are soundin' like a broken record, Klaus. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Give it a rest, yea?" He asked and the German gave him a look, "Pun intended." Wesley said with a delay before shooing him away, wanting him to deal with everyone else so he could get some peace and quiet. Truth be told. Wesley was irritated with him, and Rory was back. Klaus didn't bother to tell him or even warn him. She'd shown up in his temporary living quarters saying she wanted to talk to him. That was the absolute last thing he wanted. "Rory, leave. I don't care what ye are doing here or why. If you are here for the mission, fine. But leave." It had been hard to even get that out of his mouth when all he really wanted to do was hold her...but she left without much of a fuss.

Now he was here, with a mixture of people who either loved him, liked him, or hated his guts and he just felt overwhelmed. But he had to keep his head in the game. He had to stay on track. Jeremy was assigned to this group with him, basically going over the rules of what was allowed and what wasn't by those who decided to join back in the gangs. Some of them were old blood, and some of them were new. Some of them had no fucking idea what they were getting themselves into, but Wesley had to make sure they understood that just because Interpol was on their side...it didn't mean it was a bloody free-for-all. They could get them out of a lot of things, that much was true. But they weren't immortal. While the heads of the families or the prospective heads were meeting, those who were willing to listen that wished to be involved in the gang could listen to the meeting Wesley led. Jeremy would be there to answer any questions Wesley couldn't, from a much more realistic standpoint considering he'd been in the gang before the raid in 1985. There were just some things that Wesley didn't have a lot of knowledge on. He would happily let Jeremy answer those questions, especially for the newbies. And...especially since his head wasn't really in it at the moment. With his arms crossed, he stood over near the whiteboard in one of the many lounge rooms in the safe house. One side said "do," and the other side said "don't," with a list already written on each side. Easy enough. Didn't have to be a genius to figure out that you shouldn't draw unwanted attention to yourself with a weapon in public. That you should always assess situations before entering them and always call for backup. Easy. But, Klaus, ever the planner deemed it necessary along with the rest of Interpol to have this meeting so Wesley would go over every single one on the board as if it were rocket science that needed to be spelled out.

Wesley turned to Jeremy, taking in his expression to try and get a good read on him before other people took up his attention. "Is Buck happy to be in London?" He asked lightly, making small talk though he steered clear of asking how Jeremy specifically felt about being in London. Wesley figured that might be a bit of a sore subject. Real sore subject. Kids made topics lighter. "Little unnerving not havin' people speakin' German to me constantly but I think I'll manage. Wonder if everyone thinks we all have an accent now. Well...a German one." Wesley reached a hand behind his neck to rub at it lightly before letting out a light laugh. When it faded, the Northern Irishman sighed, shaking his head before saying, "I'll let ye handle the more complicated questions regarding gang shite. Copper like me can't answer those questions. Some of these people have no experience in this stuff and need to know what they are getting themselves into before they get into it. Ya, ya, little late. I can hear you thinkin' that but we can always give them simpler assignments. More honest ye are with them the better." When it was time for people to start filing into the lounge they were in Wesley tried his best to put on a friendly smile.

"Aye, don't be shy. Come on in. I don't bite. Can't say the same for the man next to me but hey, ye aren't afraid of danger if yer here hmm?" The mischievous grin was well played, completely faked but his usual one. He just wasn't feeling like himself today, not with Rory on his mind. Wesley left himself open for people to introduce themselves and when they were seated he looked around. "Alright, this looks like enough people to get started. Names Agent Wesley Roberts. I don't do that Last name shite, so just call me Wesley. That there," He pointed to Jeremy, "Is Jeremy Gray. Yer Gang Liaison if ye will. He knows London better than I do so any questions regarding the area ye can direct them towards him. I do have some information but it's more along the lines of our mission etc. So direct those questions my way. Anything before we get started?"
with: Jeremy BasDorcha ; Logan Misty Gray ; Natalie neverbackdown ; Leo Melanin-Gxdess ; Thomas (Myself)

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Front Lounge
~ Tottenham, London ~

J.J. Porter​

J.J. wasn't normally someone who was known for being on edge. But right now, he really felt like he needed a drink and a smoke. His knee was bouncing nervously in the car ride over to the safe house, his eyes taking in every building, every street sign they passed until the city turned into farmland and it was getting harder to keep track of where they were. It was all ironically familiar, reminding him of the raid in 1985. Except his dad wasn't screaming his head off right before Interpol used a tranquilizer on him. No...this car ride was just as quiet as the aftermath of that. That was because most of the screaming had either been done in Germany or on the plane. These hills were not the rolling hills of Ireland. They were in unfamiliar territory. J.J. was excited to see family, whoever was going to be there. Whoever wanted to dive back into the left that they had been granted an escape from...but he'd come to love his life in Germany. Even if he missed his friends and family. But, he would be loyal to his parents, who gave him absolutely everything they could even with their own mounting issues. And he would remain a stable presence for his mother, something he knew she needed as he'd watched his father's emotions go up and down since being informed of the option to return to his old life, to have his family name returned to him. While J.J. hadn't said much about it all, he'd been observant of both of his parent's reactions. Syd, his father, was always an outwardly expressive man...it was hard for him to hide anything he was feeling so it was easy to tell that he was both excited and cautious about it all, confused and just over the top elated. A whirlwind of emotions, a force to be reckoned with. That force was normally maintained by Roxie, who was much more reserved in expressing emotions.

The night before they were to leave for London, J.J. had found his mother up late...packing excess things. J.J. caught her looking around the room she was in, seeming to take it all in. "Penny for your thoughts?" He'd asked at the time and Roxie jumped ever so slightly, turning to look at her son as he leaned against the doorway to the lounge. "Despite having been forced to live here and all, Germany has been good to us. Quiet. Well, as quiet as living in this house can get, I suppose. I just thought for a little while that maybe this would be the house we would stay in for the rest of it, you know?" His mother had admitted and J.J.'s brows furrowed, "The rest of it?" He asked, clearly wanting clarification. "Our lives. Your father and I's. See Lucia and Sebastian through until they turned 18 in this house as we did with you and your sisters. I have all of your heights on the door over there. Even Ari's." Roxie had pointed to the doorway that led towards the dining room. "It's a dumb thought, I just...wasn't sure what the future held, so I figured I'd just run with the fact that maybe we'd spend the rest of our lives here. When you move so many times...it starts to feel like your heart never really settles. But it was kind of nice to think it could settle here." The room was silent for a moment, J.J. had a lot on his mind, things he wanted to say but he just wasn't sure how to say it. Roxie didn't seem to notice as she continued to pack up a bag, offering her eldest son a smile, "But hey, we need our family back and your father needs this..."

J.J.'s head turned from the window to look towards his mother, who took notice of his staring and smiled lightly at him in the car just as they were pulling up to the safe house. The smile that he returned was natural but his eyes were a bit sad despite the fact that he knew he was about to see people he missed dearly. That conversation was just one of many that stayed in his head. It made him wonder if they were doing this for the right reasons. If his mother agreed for the right reasons. But then again, who was he to question? His parents had made their relationship work for so long and the love was so clearly there. He was just protective of her more often than not these days because it just seemed like she was tired more often than not. Turning to Ari, J.J. took in her expression for a long moment before finally asking, "Holding up okay?" After traveling with his family, he'd been worried for her. Sure they had a few quiet moments the day before after being in the hotel but all of it had been messy. The only three people who hadn't been having some sort of a mental breakdown in the family were Roxie, himself, and Lucia, and the only other person who really was of age to be more on the fussy side was Sebastian at 5. Couldn't imagine having to sit still for so long on a plane ride but he cried here and there, even in the midst of all the chaos their father brought with them. And then there was Ari, who J.J.'s deepest insecurity was telling him she was starting to regret agreeing to come with him. The safe house was an unassuming farmhouse, large in comparison to most but it looked just like any other property in the area. It was hard to see in the blanket of darkness but it looked old and beautiful. J.J. looked around as they were ushered inside, taking in everything as he tried to steel his nerves that were uncharacteristically acting up, and in doing so, he took Ari's hand out to keep her close.

His parents were soon asked to head into a meeting with Klaus, which he was prepared for but he was reluctant to let them leave so soon. Still, he offered them an easygoing smile and let them go before going to find the others. It would seem he would have a chance for a reunion before his parents so he wasn't going to miss out on that opportunity. After making sure Jane and Lucia were okay with Sebastian, J.J. separated from them to explore a bit with Ari. Needing some air and space from his family. Once they were far enough away, J.J. turned to Ari, an apologetic look on his face as he searched her eyes with his own, "I'm...really really sorry for all of that. The plane ride...all of it. This is all just a really triggering time for my dad I think, same with my sister and well Sebastian just wants to scream just to scream." He then realized his hand was still in hers and slowly pulled it away, his cheeks turning a light pink color as he gave her a shy smile. "You're not having second thoughts are you?"
with: Arabella Melanin-Gxdess

***
"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Front Lounge
~ Tottenham, London ~

Collin McCarthy​

Collin was on Cloud 9. Maybe even 10 or 11 at this point. Michael was back in his arms, secretly, of course. And to top it all off, Interpol had come to his family in Cuba two weeks ago with a proposition. They could have their identities back, and walk as free men and women again if they helped fight alongside law enforcement against some powerful family in London. Adam and Blake had talked it over, as did Chase and Jasmine and Thomas and Elena, and well...they all were back, baby. Collin had never been to London before but he had the feeling he was absolutely going to love it especially since he had the most lovely and handsome man in the world on his arm again. Everything was right in the world. Sure, was he a closeted gay? Yea. Was he trying to figure out what the fuck he did to deserve Michael's love again? Yep. But all of that was on the back burner with Michael right beside him, whether that be when they were out in public just pretending to be nothing more than friends or when he was in his bed. Collin was writing more songs than ever before, singing more than ever, and playing the piano more than ever. All because of Michael. And they were going to be with their family again. He was going to see his sister again! His mom was absolutely thrilled about that part and so was Collin.

Collin was basically bouncing with excitement the entire car ride over to the Interpol safe house, hardly able to contain himself. "Kid, you are going to break the suspension in the car." Blake said from her seat with a small laugh, looking back at her son who was seated next to Michael. While she was just as excited to see her daughter, who she thought had been dead and then was told was alive, she knew this all entailed much more serious things. Blake wouldn't spoil Collin's excitement though. She hadn't seen him smile this much in forever. "Sorry, mam, just ready to see everyone again." Collin hummed, thinking of all his cousins and friends before his mind went to Lucas. He would be lying if he denied thinking about him. Lucas had been on his mind several times throughout the entire process of making their way from Cuba to London. But, with Michael back in the picture, Collin was trying to think about Lucas as his friend more than the crush he had been hung up on forever. His first crush. He had been both. Collin turned to steal a glance at Michael, his bouncing slowly fading. He knew that Michael had been anxious about all of this and while Collin was really excited to see everyone, he was also very anxious. They both knew what their families returning to London meant. Both of them knew what their families were risking. Reaching up, Collin lightly brushed a hand over the chain of a necklace Michael had given him a while back when they first started dating. It had a pendant with a musical note on it that hung in the center of his chest out of sight. Offering Michael a small smile, his eyes watched him as he held the chain of his necklace for a long moment before letting it go, saying all that he needed to without saying anything at all...like they used to.

The car taking them to the safe house had finally pulled up in the driveway and everyone had been ushered inside. Blake and Adam were told that Klaus wanted to meet with them upstairs and that the rest could do as they like until after that meeting was settled. Collin looked at Michael and smiled, "That's our cue to ditch everyone else." He teased, winking at the adults before grabbing Michael's hand and pulling him forward. Normally, he would have been more skittish about how it would have been perceived by others around them, but he was so excited he didn't care. As they were walking around the large house, Collin's eyes caught a familiar yet unfamiliar face talking to a smaller unfamiliar woman, he raised his brows and came to a stop to try and suss out if the person before him was who he thought it was. "J.J. Porter?" He asked and the tall, dark-haired man turned to look at the person calling his name, his vibrant blue eyes squinting at Michael and Collin for a moment. "Would that be Collin McCarthy asking?" J.J. asked in return, a devious smile forming on his lips and Collin smiled, letting go of Michael's hand as J.J. came up to give him a hug first. "It's so good to see you, man!" J.J. said, laughing before turning to Michael and giving him a hug too, " And Michael, how the hell are you?!"

"Look at you guys! Damn, last time I saw you two we could all hit the high notes in church choir." J.J. chuckled and Collin rolled his eyes, "Not to brag or anythin' but I probably still can. Not that I go to church these days." He then realized that probably sounded bad given Michael still went to church so he looked at his boyfriend with a small sympathetic glance. "But hey, church ain't so bad when you got good company. You guys were the best company there." While that comment was for the group, Collin looked at Michael as he said it, giving him a soft grin. J.J. looked between the two of them for a moment, immediately sensing something. A slight brow raised and J.J.'s smile widened but he didn't say anything, eyes just flickering between them both. He wouldn't let on anything, but he could sense something was going on there. Realizing that he'd yet to introduce Ari, J.J. turned to her and beckoned her forward. "Collin, Michael this is my best friend Arabella. We met in Germany." He said, his voice sounding like it was laced with pride to be introducing her with a large smile on his face. Collin broke out of his trance from Michael and reached his hand forward to shake Ari's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Arabella. Any friend of J.J.'s is a friend of ours. And hell, since you decided to come with him on this crazy ass adventurer you are basically family now too I'd say!" From the corner of his eye, Collin caught a few other familiar faces walking towards them but didn't stray away from the conversation, allowing whoever it was to walk up.
with: Arabella Melanin-Gxdess ; Michael Pyroclast ; Lucas + Liam Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

"The Big House" - Front Lounge
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Lucas Sullivan and Liam Callahan
ft. Emery Callahan and Callum King​

Liam had been living in London for almost four months. He shared his studio apartment with his Siberian Husky, Anakin. Whilst he loved the peace of his apartment, he also couldn't get enough of living in the city. Despite being an introvert, something about the fast-moving, busy atmosphere of the city suited him more than the quiet, slow speed of the Lake District. Perhaps it was because he could blend in and go about his day without people noticing him amongst the crowd that drew him into London. Whatever it was, he'd settled in well, even if Emery had been visiting of the last few weeks and trying to drag him out to the rowdy nightclubs.

it was because of Emery that he now found himself at the safe house in Tottenham. As excited as he was to meet the cousins and friends he'd last seen in 1985, he wasn't sure he'd have ended up where he was tonight if it wasn't for Emery dragging him along. Whilst most of the Kings and Sullivans were inside, Liam had gone out for some air along with Emery and Callum. As his sister smoked her cigarette, it was hard to ignore the look in her eyes and the subtle smirk resting on her lips. Whilst he looked to war and violence as terrible things, he could see his sister thrived on the thrill of it at all. "If you're going to keep living in London, you need to know the score, Liam," Emery said as she blew out some smoke then took another quick drag. "It pays to have your head in the game and if you really wanted to avoid our family's fights, then move to Australia or some shit."

"I shouldn't have to," Liam simply replied. He then watched his sister hand the half smoked cigarette to their nephew, who proceeded to smoke the rest. "You know Mam and Sav will go mad if they find out you're giving Callum cigs to smoke. Not that I'll snitch or anything."

"Lighten up, Liam. He's 16 - old enough to go out and buy his own if he wanted to. He's all grown up now," Emery said, playfully ruffling the teenager's hair.

"I think me having a crafty smoke is the least of everyone's worries, Liam. Your side of the family and my dad's lot have got more important shit to concern themselves with. Anyway, aren't you planning on joining the fight?" Callum asked his uncle, flashing a mischievous smile.

Before Liam could respond, a wide smile formed on his lips as Lucas joined them outside. It was the first time in 12 years he'd seen his cousin but he recognised him straight away. "Lucas, mate!" he greeted him before the two hugged, mostly instigated by the more open Lucas, of course. Lucas then broke away to give Emery a hug too, then sent Callum a small wave as it took a moment for him to realise who he was now he was no longer a small child.

"Damn, it's been a while!" Lucas said, unable to hide the happiness from his bright smile. "Where did you all end up, then? I've been in Gran Canaria, partying most nights," he said with a small chuckle. "My dads have stayed there but I've come back with Uncle Conor and the rest."

"Lucky little..." Emery grumbled, wishing she'd been sent somewhere with a nightlife!

"We stayed in Dublin a bit until Sav and Danny recovered from what happened to them at that Halloween party. Then we had to move to the Lake District. I went of to study in Manchester for a few years and then I moved to London a few months ago," Liam explained.

"That sounds pretty awesome, Liam. I'm glad your sister and Danny got through all that." After a brief silence, Lucas remembered why he'd been seeking his cousin to begin with. "Hey, listen. I was thinking we could go find the others," he suggested, figuring he'd know he meant J.J., Collin, Michael and anyone else from their old friend group. "Wanna join me?" he asked. Secretly, Lucas was hoping to have Liam with him to buffer any awkwardness he might express upon seeing Collin for the first time after so many years. He liked to think he'd had long enough to get over him by now, but he fully aware he wasn't the best at hiding how he was feeling from his face. He was too open for his own good at times!

"Yeah, I'm up for that," Liam said, his usual brooding nod underplaying how happy he really was to be seeing everyone at last. "You two stay out of trouble," he playfully warned Emery and Callum as he returned indoors with Lucas. "So, how are Finn and George doing? My Mam misses them like crazy."

"They're doing great," Lucas said, holding the door open for his cousin. The decision to come to London so he could see the rest of his family and friends again had been a relatively easy one, especially following his admission to her fathers about how he was struggling living in Gran Canaria. As much as he enjoyed partying every night and working at the beach, it hadn't been difficult to leave it all behind; after all, there were plenty of clubs in London to explore and he was sure it wouldn't take him long to find the best ones. What had been difficult was leaving Finn and George behind, but at least this time he knew he could still keep in touch with them - he intended on calling them as often as he could. He hoped he'd be able to reconnect with Melissa and Robert now he wasn't living a fake life, then he could tell them their fathers were both doing well.

Lucas had been about to start grilling Liam about the places he should know about in London, but he stopped in his tracks as he saw the group up ahead inside the front lounge. Liam smiled as he recognised the three young men, albeit with a young woman he wasn't familiar with. Usually more introverted and reserved in social situations, Liam surprised even himself by moving into the group before Lucas. "Well... This is something, huh?" he said, flashing a boyish smile. He then moved forward and stopping short of hugging, he first clasped his cousin's shoulder. "J.J., how are you doing?" He then did the same for Collin and then Michael, who he went on to also pat on the back. "Oh man. How have you been? It's been so long," he told his former best friend. He wasn't naive enough to think they could just pick up where they left off as far as being best friends was, but he never could forget the friendship they'd had and the shared experiences with not only religion, but Father Healey too.

Lucas, meanwhile, had uncharacteristically held back for the moment, grateful Liam had been surprisingly forward in joining the group ahead of him. Seeing Collin now had made him realise how badly he had failed at letting go of the crush he'd had 12 years ago. He was mentally berating himself for being so childish about it all. Not only had he never had real reason to think Collin was gay, but he knew it was dumb of him to think he could have shared his feelings for him. And he told himself again - it was 12 years ago. But damn, he couldn't deny how attractive Collin was to him now they were both grown adults. Forcing himself to act normal - Lucas normal - before people noticed he was stuck in his head, he reminded himself of the fact he was finally seeing all of the family and friends he'd missed for so long.

"Holy shit! Get a load of you lot," he happily spoke up, unable to hide the huge smile from his face. Unlike Liam, he was much more forward and open with his greeting, moving in to hug J.J., Michael, and then Collin. "It's so good to finally see you all again," he said, his gaze lingering on Collin a little longer but likely not enough for others to notice. Looking to Arabella, he sent her a friendly smile, not wanting to be rude to the stranger. "Hey, I'm Lucas Sullivan. Liam's and J.J.'s cousin, and friend of these two fine fellas," he said, pointing to Michael and Collin. "So, come on. Where did you all end up and what have you been doing in all this time?" he asked, figuring they all had so much to catch up on.

Liam watched on, silently amused and impressed at the same time at how upbeat and confident Lucas still was. They always had been quite the opposite personality-wise. He took a moment to introduce himself to Arabella. "I'm Liam Callahan... and Lucas basically summarised the rest for me," he drily remarked to her, but smiled nontheless.

Melanin-Gxdess (Arabella) Pyroclast (Michael) Bellz (J.J., Collin)

 

[BasDorcha]

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Downstairs Dining Room

~ Tottenham, London~​

Jeremy Gray

When the news came in about London, Jeremy had immediately been thrown into a dark place in his mind. Going back to London meant facing a lot of demons, demons specifically centered around the biggest loss of his life, Harper. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that being there would bring back every memory he ever had of her, of their life before she disappeared, and for a few days, he had reclused from the world, barely showing up as even a father. He didn't have a choice, this was his job. A job he took for Harper. A job he still kept as an excuse to keep looking for her, at least that's what he told himself. Breaking the news to Bucky that his family, the family they had told him for so long was deceased, had been even harder to do. It meant admitted they had lied to him, that his mother had lied to him and explaining why. Thankfully the boy was smart as a whip, and it didn't take much explaining to make him understand that the family, almost all of them, had done some bad things in the past and everyone had gone into hiding for their own good. They had kept the story about their cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, being gone to make it easier to move on in life. Now, they were all going back to their home grounds, he'd get to meet them, and Bucky seemed happy to know he could start knowing his family.

The nights leading up to the trip, Jeremy had barely slept. He packed their things, shuttered the house, and wondered if he'd ever return. So much of Harper was being left there, he couldn't take it all. As they left, he stood outside the door, looking at the front of the building in silent prayer. He had never been much for praying, didn't really believe in religion, but just this once, if someone was out there listening, he wanted them to know how much he hoped to see all this again one day even if it was just to move it somewhere new. Now back in London, though still on the outskirts of the city at some hotel they had put them up at, Jeremy had spent the morning pacing the floor. It would be the first time he was even near his estranged family in over a decade. The years of separation had been soul breaking at first. He had missed every one of them as if they really had died and his heart had to learn to heal from it. Now, being back around them, it gave him anxiety he had never know except for when dealing with Harper. Would things ever be the same again? Could they even begin to hope for that? Some things, once broken, could never be fixed again and he knew that better than most.

Once at the safe house, Jeremy had hung back outside for a while as Bucky had gone in, eager to meet his cousins. From a bit of a distance, he had watched as some familiar and some unfamiliar faces filtered through the door. He was sure he caught a glimpse of Spencer, and Billy, and even Adam Harper. Finally he shook himself out of his nerves and headed in, catching Wesley in the lower hall. They had once been on opposite sides of the line, with Jeremy specifically disliking him due to his constant flirting with Harper. Then, somewhere along the way, they had started becoming friends. That came to a crashing halt when Wesley was with Harper the day she disappeared. It had taken a long time for him to move past that, to forgive the man and understand that Harper had been doing a job and anything could have happened. These days the two were closer, though it always seemed to Jeremy that the memory of Harper remained a thin wall between them. Outwardly, he had moved on, let it go, but a deep part of his heart still held blame for his missing wife. Another part was angry that everyone seemed to accept she had died and moved on, when he knew he could still feel her out there in the world somewhere.

"Aye, Bucky is enjoying London, and will more so enjoy meeting his cousins." Jeremy stated, though his voice had a flatness to it that didn't support the statement. Truth was, since Harper had been declared MIA, he had become a lot of the man he had been before her. Stoic, unflinching. He'd put himself in dangerous situation after dangerous situation and always seemed to come back, though for a long time he wasn't sure that's what he had wanted to do. The skills he once had in the gang came into use, and his emotional side had been locked down with all but his son. He didn't bother to respond to the comment about accents, merely shrugging. He had no way to tell. As Wesley continued on, he nodded, understanding what Wes was saying, and acknowledging the man's assumption had been correct - it was too late for any of them to back out at this point. If Wes needed him to put some fear in them, then that's exactly what he was going to do. Gang life wasn't some dream walk in the park, it was filled with danger, terror, and doing things you never thought you'd do. It meant blood on your hands, the safety of your family constantly being at risk, and you never knowing when it would be your turn to be on the end of a hot barrel loaded with lead.

"Understood. I'll not be sugar coatin' nothing. Let's get this over with." He stood beside Wesley with his arms crossed over his body, an emotionless look on his face, eyes peering into each set that passed him. He did give a smirk at the joke about him biting, only because out of the two, Jeremy really was the most likely to do so. The only two faces he recognized were Leo and Thomas - both of which he knew from Dublin encounters. He gave them a nod, shaking hands should any of them offer. When Wesley started up again, he kept his stance loose but somehow still seemed to radiate a fierceness. He tipped his head when he was introduced, staring down each of the younger group before him. "Aye, I have something to say. If you lot think this is going to be like some movie where everything always works out, you need to think again. This is real life, there are consequences to yer actions, and this whole business is going to be hard work. Ye'll do things you never thought you would, and you need to consider the marks it will leave behind, because let me tell ya somethin, it don't just go away. Listen carefully to what Wesley says, it will protect you more oft than not. Any silly ideas you have will hopefully be dispelled before this is over, and if you aint got the stomach for it after this, you need to speak honestly. This aint for the faint of heart." He looked specifically at Thomas and Leo. "You two should know."

Bellz - Thomas/Wesley
neverbackdown - Natalie
Melanin-Gxdess - Leo
Misty Gray - Logan

 

[Bellz]

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Upstairs Study
~ Tottenham, London~

Roxie Porter
Klaus Jäger
​

After Roxie had smiled at J.J. in the car, she returned her attention to the road ahead. The last couple weeks had been once again, the longest of her life. It was funny. Any time she thought that there always seemed to be another catastrophic event that topped it, taking its place and crown for that title. After being presented with the contracts and the opportunity to return to normal life with their identities returned and the bonus opportunity to see their family again...Syd had been, well, as chaotic as expected. Klaus had clued her in about what was to come only a few weeks prior to the contracts being presented to her, and that was because he had asked for legal advice. While she wasn't a whiz in International law, she did know some things and was willing to help. All in exchange for some time to prepare for what she knew would come from her husband. Keeping secrets from her family had become uncomfortably easy but it unfortunately came in her DNA. After she lied about Jeanie's whereabouts in 1994, about bailing her out constantly, and about the money she gave to her, Roxie promised him that she would never do it again.

That was after Jeanie had ratted her out and left the entire family to figuratively burn in Germany, running away from the dumpster fire she created. Syd had tried to kill himself and Roxie had stopped him, with false promises of never lying to him again and here she was...lying. About her health, and about what Klaus would come forward to them with.

She hadn't known the exact details, didn't know what would be on the table, on the line. Karma had a funny way of either dealing out its hand sooner or later and in Roxie's case it dealt it out fairly quickly once she realized that the opportunity was more dangerous than she thought it would be. Besides the few pieces of advice she'd given Klaus, most of what was in the contracts was sparkling new and airtight. Not a loophole in sight. At first, the conversation between Syd and her had been fairly logical, and practical and she thought it was headed in a positive direction. As much as she wanted to see the family. They would be putting themselves at risk, their kids at risk. The reason Klaus put them in hiding was that Interpol had wanted them dead and suddenly now they were useful to the organization to fight off this family in London. A family they had nothing to do with. Syd couldn't be toyed with like that and Roxie was protective of him and his mental status. She wanted to reason as best she could that perhaps they should continue to think on it until the end of the week they were given. Hoping that maybe he'd decide on his own that they should stay in Germany. As much as she wanted him to be with his family again...she didn't want him or their kids to watch their family get tortured, mangled, or worse...not again. Especially because Interpol saw them as useful pawns. But, unsurprisingly, Syd fixated on the contracts, reading them over and over. He would sway between excitement and anxiety, keeping Roxie on her toes and her fragile blood pressure on the rise.

She'd been able to maintain her composure where her nerves and health were concerned, even after they made the decision to go to London. Taking her medication as prescribed in secret and just breathed through what she could. Telling Lucia the truth was difficult, but she was a smart girl and while she had a lot of questions, Roxie had been happy to answer them. Packing up and boarding the house that they lived in for the last 12 years had been...unexpectedly emotional for Roxie. Maybe it was because she'd seen all of her eldest kids through to adulthood in that house, raised Lucia in that very house. Found out about her pregnancy with Sebastian and built a new life with Syd in that house. And Lucy...Lucy's final years were in there along with the memories. But Roxie had been able to handle it all...until the plane ride.

J.J. and Lucia had handled themselves well. Jane was trying her best given the situation with Syd who was asking Roxie question after question, questioning the validity of everything including the air stewards' identities. Sebastian was still young, so he cried the minute he sensed a panic. The panic in Syd's voice, when it raised, started to turn heads and soon he had been on his feet. The staff on the plane tried to tell him to sit down and Roxie was trying to explain to them that they couldn't crowd him, that she needed to get to him. Of course, no one understood Syd like she did, what he was going through and soon he had to be restrained, which brought her to tears but there was nothing she could do but watch and reassure him that she was right there. When he was sedated on the plane, Roxie insisted on sitting next to him in the back of the plane where they would leave him alone, leaving J.J. to be with Jane and the others. The rest of the flight she'd been stuck with black dots floating in her vision, her ears ringing and her skin feeling hot to the touch. With Syd under control, she tried to focus on her breathing, if only to make sure that when they landed she could continue to support him and her family.

They were in a hotel outside of London for a day or two before the meeting, giving them time to decompress from the horrible flight. Roxie had been on edge the entire time, not getting any sleep. Realizing her attention had been so focused on the thoughts of the last couple of weeks, she barely noticed their car had come to a stop in front of a large farmhouse. It was a safe house Interpol had, where they would be holding the meeting with the others, reuniting with family, and getting down to business. Roxie had done her best to be attentive most of the car ride for Syd but she was so tired that she'd zoned out the last few minutes thinking back on the chaos they had been through.

Once they had separated from the kids, Roxie had seen a few familiar faces but remained silent, wondering what Syd thought of seeing them. She knew that in his head, reality could be perceived to be the opposite but the familiar faces were very much real. Especially if she was seeing them. One familiar face she had yet to see was Thomas Porter. A face she was actually dreading to see. Not because she didn't want to see her brother-in-law, but with Lucy having passed...Syd was going to have to break that to him. Olivia and Syd had been there with Lucy in Germany when she'd gone, but Thomas was separated from the bunch with Elena. Roxie knew Syd felt anxious and torn over it, not just telling his brother, but everyone who loved Lucy. "Think the meeting room is upstairs." Roxie told her husband gently, nodding her head towards the staircase. At the end of the upstairs hall, they found Adam and Roxie's face melted into a small smile, "Well, someone's looking tan." She commented before moving to give him a hug. Stepping back, she looked to Syd, hoping he could ease up a little now that she confirmed that someone was actually standing in front of him whom they knew from 12 years ago and cared about deeply. Even if he was tanned up from the beach and looking older. It was still Adam Harper.

Once they all three stepped inside the study, Roxie couldn't help but notice she was the only woman in the room. Some things never really changed. But you'd think by 1997 they would have. She knew her reasoning for being in the mix and while some would have been offended, she took her job as being supportive of Syd's well-being very seriously. She'd been doing it on and off for the past 25 years. Roxie glanced at Bruce, Spencer, and Alex and her mind immediately went to Harper. A woman who...while she graced her thoughts from time to time, hadn't popped up so fiercely in a minute or two. They must have all known by now. At least she hoped. She briefly glanced at Klaus who nodded his head politely at her. Roxie was grateful for Adam taking the initiative on breaking the ice, knowing Syd most likely wouldn't do it in his state. She looked to her husband as pleasantries between Adam, Spencer, Bruce, and Alex were exchanged before Spencer turned to both Syd and herself. Roxie took his hand first, giving it a firm shake and offering him a smile. "As well as the chill in Germany could treat us." She said gently, before allowing Syd to shake Spencer's hand if he would do so. Roxie then moved to shake Bruce's hand and Alex's, asking them both how they were before looking at Syd and moving to take a seat. She would take a seat on Syd's right, with him in the middle and Adam on his left. While it seemed like everyone was in attendance, Roxie noticed someone missing and Spencer seemed to as well. He asked before she could.

Klaus had watched everyone file into the meeting room, greeted them politely, and let them find their seats on their own. He wasn't about to tell a bunch of gangsters to take a seat like children. He knew how to work the system. Big egos need to be coddled, former big egos or otherwise. Old habits died hard. Syd seemed on edge, but he had already been informed of the plane ride by one of his agents. In fact, he'd been informed of everyone's travel and how they'd been adjusting so far. While he couldn't and wouldn't prevent any unwanted decisions from being made in this room, this was certainly going to be a very interesting meeting. This would be the first test of how well these two families could work together.

When everyone was seated, Spencer asked where Conor was and Klaus knew that he wouldn't have been able to avoid that elephant in the room for very long. "Ah, he's here but...he has made it clear that he will no longer be in charge of your business." He turned to look at Adam, Syd, and Roxie. "He is willing to help with advice and the like, but on a part-time basis, for health reasons, he cannot lead again. So, the hard conversation to start is. Which one of you will do it?" Klaus looked between Adam and Syd. " Or, who would you recommend if neither of you wants to? Because in order for this to work, we need to have a full set here. A gang without a boss...well that just doesn't work out, now does it?" Roxie was as straight as a board in her seat as she looked at Klaus, hanging on every word. "Did you know this before or after your agent came to us?" Roxie asked, her tone slightly accusing but then she bit her tongue, knowing that what she said and how she said it could set her husband off. "It's just...a heads up on this would have been nice." Klaus nodded his head, offering her a sympathetic look. "Trust me, I would have liked to give you one but the information we give out could be used against us, this conversation is safest in here. You all will be working together, if that makes any difference in the decision. It is imperative that whoever is at the top is willing to be open-minded about sharing the responsibility with the Kings."
with:
Bruce + Syd Pyroclast
Spencer + Adam Misty Gray
Alex Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Arthur's Steakhouse
~ Hackney, London ~

Julia Avvocata ​

Julia looked down at her perfectly manicured fingernails underneath her mask as the van taking them to their desired location came to a stop. They'd been over the plan a million times. Now they'd be able to deal some carnage out, something she'd been craving as of late. A stark difference from who she had been 12 years prior but hey, people changed. Adapted to their shit-show surroundings. After losing Ricky, Julia had expected to be able to go home to New York to at least find her friends there. People who she could grieve him with. Anyone would know him and at least respected him only a little or pretend to.

The van doors open, causing Julia's head to snap up. The three of them, Julia, Zachary, and Jake rushed out along with two others who as far as she was concerned weren't important enough to mention by name, even in her own twisted head. They were headed towards the steakhouse, which was attached to the hotel. The steak wasn't on the menu for the 5 masked men and women. Noel Farringdon was. Preferably with a bullet between his eyes. As well as everyone in his family. Just the kind of carnage and bloodshed Julia needed. Once the job was finished, they'd light the place up like a barbecue to remind others in competition with Carter to back the fuck down. Colorful message. Julia liked the way the man thought.

But it had been a similar scenario when she'd returned to New York after a year of hiding out in London, with a new name after having escaped Interpol's grasp in a holding cell on the outskirts of London. She had been captured by them at the Halloween Party attack in Dublin in 1985. Where Ricky died. Where she was forced to leave his body. Roxie Carriveau liked to send a colorful message it seemed because upon returning to New York, Julia found out that Roxie had the most prominent members in her business, which she had been feuding with Ricky over, murdered in cold blood. Those who were loyal to her had carried out the job and went into hiding soon after. All but one, who Julia had finished off after getting information out of him. And boy, had that been messy. Julia was never able to find the rest. Friends of Julia's were murdered. Their families had no explanation as to what happened. It was all for the public to see, a bloody show as Roxie tanked all of her family's business, liquidating the legitimate side of it and anything left behind was left to the dogs. Just to save her own ass and then she disappeared with her family, Interpol took them out...or at least Julia assumed. Before Julia could get to her. Lucky Roxie. After Julia was left with a dead boyfriend and best friend and friends who were her only family at that point...she fled New York heading back to London. After she was sure Interpol was off her back, Julia returned to her old namesake, finding unexpected work with the Carter family which was a long story, and reuniting with Damian which was an even longer one.

Julia rushed inside the restaurant with the others, two steps behind Zachary as she made sure her weapon was properly loaded, listening as his voice boomed above the screams and chatter. Beneath her mask, her face remained unfazed by it all not even flinching when Zachary put two bullets into one of the family members' skull. The screams from the innocent people who had just been eating did cause her to briefly look around. Just checking to see if anyone was going to try and interfere. Couldn't have someone trying to be a hero. Heroes always lost. Nothing good ever came from trying to help someone who couldn't be saved. Ricky should have known that. She should have known that with him. Blinking, she turned to one of the family members who was shuffling a little too close from the edge of their seat, "Don't fuckin' MOVE!" She hissed out, pointing her gun at them. They sat back in their seat and Julia smirked under her mask before looking around the table.

The man of the hour was nowhere in sight. What a coward. Julia watched as Zachary instructed Jake to check the kitchen for staff members and to bring them out. When he turned to her and nodded, she nodded in return, raising her gun at no one in particular in the group of family members. He informed them that for every minute that the man didn't show, someone would die. Quite the showman. Julia just waited for her cue, and when Zachary pointed to the gold clock on the wall. He explained that it already had been a minute. Without taking any stance, Julia shot towards one of the younger adult sons, hitting him in the shoulder, "Tick!" She said, listening as he and the others cried out. Zachary said they would die, he didn't say they had to die quickly. Julia fired again, hitting him in the arm. "Tock!" She hissed, listening as his mother begged for his life. "SHUT UP!" Julia hissed, turning the gun towards her now as the woman clammed up. The young man cried, clearly in pain and Julia figured he'd let him bleed out and cry in agony long enough. "Time's up!" She fired a bullet into his skull and watched his head hit the table with a satisfying slap, right onto his plate. "Way to ruin a good steak, huh?"

"Who's next?" She asked, turning her gun around a bit erratically at the family, having fun as she watched them duck their heads.
with: Zachary Misty Gray ; Jake neverbackdown

 

[Pyroclast]

"The Big House" - Upstairs Study
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Syd Porter and Bruce King​

The past fortnight had been a struggle for Syd to get his head around. Berlin had been extremely hard for him to settle down in after having to resettle there against his will, losing contact with most of his family in the process. But over time, it became a critical place in his life. It was where he became friends with Harper King, and Erik and Wesley. It was where Roxie proposed to him, where they got married, where Sebastian was born. It was where his mother died, and where he had navigated both her death and Harper’s. He had almost ended his life in Berlin. His desire to return to Dublin had never left, but he had spent twelve years adjusting to his new reality and so to suddenly be getting ready to leave Berlin disturbed him.

Syd had uprooted his life a number of times and it never got any easier. If anything, it got harder each time. After some deep discussion, he and Roxie had agreed to move to London to help Interpol take down the Carter business in exchange for a chance to reunite with the rest of their family. If they chose to opt in to the agreement, too, then they would get to see everyone again, like he had always wanted. However, as the days leading up to the move progressed, the excitement transformed into agitation and anxiety. He lost sleep over the uncertainty of what they were about to face - not just in terms of what Interpol were asking them to do, but also what they had missed. Lucy had passed away since he had last seen everyone, and nobody outside of their unit in Germany was even aware. Syd was going to have to break the news to poor Thomas and all their uncles and aunts and cousins. But what if, when he got to London, he was to find out that somebody else hadn’t made it? Such worries consumed him and the anxiety began to take control.

Having never been the best at travelling, it was on the journey home that it all came to a head. Once in the air, there was no going back. Confined in a tight space thousands of miles off the ground, surrounded by strangers and with no escape, Syd began to question their decision. In taking the chance to reunite with his family, he had gambled his family’s safety and future by accepting an offer from an organisation who had, until recently, believed them to all be dead. Why should he trust them not to betray them when they landed? Could he even say for sure where they were being taken, or that he wasn’t going to be arrested or killed or separated from his children? For all he knew, the agreement could be made up, just a nasty trick to lure them out of hiding so that Interpol could do with them what they intended to in the first place back in 1985.

The more he panicked, the more people stared, which only fed his paranoia. His mind was on a rapid downward spiral and though Roxie was trying her best to control the situation, it wasn’t long before Syd was on his feet, shouting desperately over to the kids, pacing frantically up and down the aisle and screaming at air stewards. Their response reminded him of the nurses at psychiatric hospitals, how they would start by observing him, then order him to calm down, then close in, grab him, restrain him - until eventually, he was bound to a seat at the back of the plane, with some kind of tranquiliser pulling him under…

Ever since landing on British soil, Syd had been stuck in a state of delirium and uncertainty. Fortunately for him and the whole family, they were put up in a hotel in London for a couple of days to decompress, which was sorely needed by them all after the nightmare journey and the move in general. Still, even once they were taken to the large farm house in Tottenham where everyone else was to meet, Syd hadn’t rushed to reunite with all his family as he was still too overwhelmed to deal with too much at once. For now, he was just taking it slow, and would socialise more when he was ready. There was, however, an important meeting with all those most involved in the running of the family businesses, both the Sullivans and the Kings, and Syd felt a duty to attend. Roxie went with him, which he was glad about - in such a strange and unsettling time, he wasn’t all that comfortable being apart from her.

On their way to the upstairs study, they found themselves face to face with Adam Harper. Syd watched as his wife went to give him a hug, just taking in the sight of him. He looked somehow more rugged than before, and very tanned - he must have been somewhere sunny. It was so odd to see him again that Syd couldn’t think what to say. In an attempt to greet him he somehow managed to muddle the words ‘Hello’, ‘Hi’, and ‘Hey’ together, before he gave up and just reached out to touch his arm. Once that connection had allowed enough familiarity to return to him, Syd slowly pulled Adam in for an affirming hug and squeezed him tight.

One down. He could get to the others later.



Bruce had been on cloud nine since returning to London. He had come to love his retired life in the picturesque seaside town of Cagnes-sur-Mer with his loving wife, Darcey, and Raphael. The young man had come to be something of a son to him, helping to fill the hole that his nephews and niece had left. However, since all three of them came over together and he didn’t have to leave any of them behind, Bruce was happy to exchange his peaceful, sunny lifestyle in southern France for his hometown of London. Reuniting with his nephews had been emotional, particularly since it brought attention to Harper’s absence. Ultimately, however, he was thrilled to see them again, each of them older and wiser, and parents to such sweet children. That euphoric feeling hadn’t left him, and so as he sat in on the meeting in the study, rather than being weighed down by the gravity of what they were all being called to do, he felt simply grateful to be back at his nephews’ sides again, working together.

It wasn’t long before Adam, Syd and Roxie joined them. Bruce recognised all three of them immediately, particularly the serious expression on Syd’s face. It reminded him of a time when they had been enemies, when Syd to him was the wild animal that had beaten Spencer up. He thought he could still see that wildness in his eyes, but maybe he was just wired after the journey. After all, the two families had come to a truce in the end, and no longer had reason to turn on each other. While Syd’s greeting was somewhat aloof, Roxie and Adam were perfectly amicable, with Adam even mentioning Bruce’s tan. Bruce chuckled as he shook the man’s hand and pointed back at him. “So do I, mate,” he noted, instantly noticing how tanned Adam was, too. “Let’s see how long it lasts now we’re back in rainy old London, eh?”



People were extending their hands to Syd in turn, and he found himself shaking them against his will each time. It wasn’t that he meant to be rude - it was just all very overstimulating and he could have done without the physical touch. Spencer asked if they were well, and thankfully Roxie answered for the both of them so Syd didn’t feel like he had to. He just gave the man a nod and tried to smile.

Once all the greetings were out of the way and everyone was seated, Klaus explained that, for health reasons, Conor had chosen to step down from the business and was only willing to advise from the sidelines. Syd glanced at Adam, wondering if he knew anything about his uncle’s health. Before he could begin to worry, however, Klaus jumped out with the question of who was going to take Conor’s place as boss. Roxie instantly challenged him on why this was the first time they had heard about it, and alarm bells started going off in Syd’s head that they had in fact been tricked. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to stop the paranoid thoughts before they could get out of hand.

“If we’re all working together, aren’t we already a ‘full set’?” Syd asked, fixing his eyes on Klaus. Over the years, Syd had come to be friends with Klaus and Wesley, with both of them being part of their small family unit in Berlin. However, Klaus’ decision to give up their false identities to the rest of Interpol in order to help their case against the Carters made Syd question where the man’s loyalties lay. “You’ve got us all here - both families working together on the same mission. So what, you want two bosses, or one?” The anxiety which had previously held his tongue had now helped him find his voice, and once he started he found it hard to stop. “And how much authority do we even have here?” he asked. “You’re the ones who called us back. You’re the ones who want the Carters gone. So what are you in all this, huh? You asked for our help because you’re failing to handle this lawfully and you don’t wanna get your own hands dirty, so you get us to do it for you? What assurance do we have that you won’t stab us in the back when it’s done?” A strained laugh escaped him and he shook his head, bringing his elbows up onto the table and bringing his hands to his mouth. “That still leaves all the power on your side, man. I’d lead my family anywhere if I could keep them all together, but I won’t lead them into a trap.” He turned to look at Roxie with an anxious look in his eyes, chewing on his thumbnail, and whispered, “Maybe we made a mistake, Rox’.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer, Adam
Bellz Klaus, Roxie
Melanin-Gxdess Alex

 

[neverbackdown]

Arthur's Steakhouse
~ Hackney, London ~

Jake Hunter
​

The plan was simple, kill the family, burn the building. Simple yet effective in sending a message to anyone else who dared to mess with the Carters. The journey to the restaurant was silent and Jake took the time to go over the plan in his head, they had already been over it a million times, sussed out all the potential dangers but it didn't hurt to go over it all one more time, one can never be too prepared in this line of work.

"Did anyone bring marshmallows for smores" Jake asked as the van came to an abrupt stop. He could tell by the silence his joke hadn't gone down too well but Jake always tried to make light of a situation, everyone had their own ways of coping with the horrible deeds they do in this line of work and humor was Jakes. He shrugged mostly to himself, a smirk present on his lips beneath his mask before taking his gun in his hand and following Zach and Julia out of the van. He purposely made sure that Julia was between him and Zach, not that she needed protection, Jake was certain that she could kill him before he even time to blink, and would do so if she became aware of his tactical move but he couldn't help it, he was brought up to be a gentleman and even in this line of work he couldn't shake that side of his personality.

Jake entered the building behind Julia as Zach's voice took over the restaurant demanding everyone to be quiet and not move. A fairly simple instruction and yet it seemed people always went against the orders.

Maybe if he said "Simon Says" people would listen better

It was no surprise when the sound of gunshots filled the room and Jake was unphased by the entire ordeal, it was expected to be honest, someone always tries to be the hero and they always end up dead after all someone has to "take one for the team" and show the seriousness of your captures and in this instance Farringdon's brother took it upon himself to be the sacrificial lamb. The subsequent screams of innocent diners caused Jake to look around at them, praying silently that none of them tried to be a hero themselves, they weren't the target, they would be safe once they do as their told, he just hoped they realised that but panic and fear can cause people to do stupid things and he couldn't shake the feeling that this could get messy.

Zach's voice pulled Jake back into the room and he gave a nod along with a small salut before making his way into the kitchen. Kicking the door open excessively before walking in with his gun in front of him "Right you lot out you come". The sight he was greeted with made him stop in his steps but he quickly put up his cold front as he looked around at the staff shaking and pleading for their lives. " Get up and in a line slowly go out there" a rare serious tone could be heard in Jake's voice as he motioned towards the main room with his gun "Listen to what i say or ..." before he could finish his sentence, the sound of gunshots could be heard once again and Jake couldn't help the smirk and shake of his head at the incredible timing.

As the staff moved into a line, Jake took a quick walk and look around the kitchen to make sure that it was clear. Biting his lip, he turned and walked back into the main room followed by the staff. "It's clear" he confirmed before looking at the table of their VIP guests "Where is he?" he asked to noone in particular "no point in loyalty if he's letting you all die here on his behalf"



With: Misty Gray (Zachary) & Bellz (Julia)

 

[neverbackdown]

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Downstairs Dining Room
~ Tottenham, London~

Natalie Smyth
​

Natalie was unsure as to why she had been chosen to attend such an important meeting on behalf of the Kings. She just couldn't shake the feeling that a mistake had been made because she clearly wasn't important enough for this. The mentality of an abused child was something that she still struggled with from time to time and the ideal of "being enough" was still so foreign to her but she was trying to heal, trying to feel enough in her own skin. Trauma is a tricky road and unfortunately Natalie found out the hard way that it is not something that just disappears, but that wasn't going to stop her from ignoring her issues and pushing them down hidden from the world and herself. So for now, she pushed all her insecurities down and adopted the calm and collected persona she was known for.

As she pulled up to the safe house, Natalie's mind wandered back to that morning where Kerry had introduced her to Spencer and Logan, two of the many that had gone into hiding around 12 years ago when shit hit the fan. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something big was brewing and from the intel she gathered they weren't the only two people returning to London, nonetheless meeting the two of them prior to the meeting gave Natalie the boost she needed to get through this. As the car came to a stop, Natalie instinctively checked her waistband to ensure her gun was there before stepping out and walking slowly towards the house, she knew that this was a friendly meeting but it was always good to be prepared incase things went south.

Nat's eyes scanned the people around her as they slowly approached the house, some familiar faces stuck out but the new faces seemed to outweigh the known and it was the new faces that she couldn't help but be skeptical off. It took a while for Natalie to warm up to new people and so being surrounded by a lot of unfamiliar faces rubbed her the wrong way leaving her to be a little more on guard that was probably necessary in the circumstances. With a calm expression on her facial features, Natalie kept an eye on her surroundings as they moved towards the house.

"So do you know many here?" she asked Logan curiously. It seemed the majority of people were greeting old friends and family and Nat felt slightly out of place with the somewhat emotional greetings. She understood that some of these people hadn't been in contact in years but there was a time and place for that and right now just didn't seem right after all they were here for business purposes.

Natalie stepped into the dining room just in time for Wesley to start speaking. She moved a bit deeper into the room nodding at those familiar to her and side eyeing those that weren't all the while taking in her surroundings and making mental notes of doors, windows and escape routes. Crossing her arms, Natalie leaned against a wall, keeping her expression blank as she listened to the two men talk.

With: Misty Gray (Logan) Bellz (Thomas/Wesley) Melanin-Gxdess (Leo) & BasDorcha (Jeremy)

 

[BasDorcha]

Carter Industries

~London~​

Maeve Brooks and Bohemia Carter

May had been in a mood since meeting with her sister-in-law and long lost mother a few days prior. All the bad things she had run to London to get away from - including her mother blaming her for her step father leaving - had come flooding back. The final conversation she had with her mother before she left Dublin played over and over and over in her head.

"You're selfish, May, you always have been. All you care about is yourself. If you cared about me, your brothers, you wouldn't leave." Kathleen stated in a haughty tone. May was busy shoving her few personal belongings into a carryon bag and a suitcase, ticket in hand that she had saved for over the last year.

"No, Mam, you're the selfish one. You spend all your time at the bar, drunk, high, sleeping with whatever man you think will support you this time, while I raised Tommy and Alfie. You didn't make sure they went to school, you barely cared if they were fed, and most of the time you weren't even sober enough to know where we were. From the time Da' left, you became useless." May stopped, turning to face her mother with tears running from her eyes. She knew, at the end of the day, that all Kathleen cared about was the next moment she could kiss sobriety goodbye. Her words must have hit home though because as she stared her down, Kathleen's aloof and better-than-you attitude turned to anger before her eyes.

"You impudent bitch. You wouldn't even be alive if I hadn't gotten knocked up with you! I could have just as easily not had you, you know! Guess that was my mistake. I should have had some back street doctor rip you out of me!" She hissed, her hand reaching out to slap May across the face, only to be stopped by Maeve's raised hand, blocking it from landing. It wasn't the first time that Kathleen had slapped her, but it would be the last.

"You will never touch me again." May said, calm and quiet but with a voice of venom. Normally May was quiet, withdrawn, not one to stand up for herself to her mother no matter how well she could fake it in front of the public but out of nowhere she suddenly found all the backbone she needed. Maybe it was the fact she knew that once she stepped out that door, she'd never have to face another day with the woman who loathed her just for birthing her or that she had finally just had enough and snapped, but she would not take it a moment more. Kathleen glared at her in both rage and shock to see that May had stopped the hit before it landed. Recovering herself, she huffed, straightening her stained shirt before waving a threatening finger at her daughter.

"You leave, Maeve Thatcher, you can never come back. Don't even think of asking to darken my door again, I won't allow it! You can forget seeing your brothers too! They'll never have anything to do with you once I tell them how you treated me!" Spinning on her heel and storming off, that was the last time May had seen her mother before making her escape to London.

Sighing, she shut off the computer on her desk, stretching in her seat. The work day was over and it was time to head home, home to the normal every day of her life - tending children, cleaning, cooking, then two or three drinks to help her go to sleep if Christian wasn't home at a decent time tonight. If he was home, she would toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep until weariness finally wore her out. Most days she wouldn't know until Christian called if he would be home or working late, and with the way things had been tense since the last dinner at Alex's, she tried not to bother him much. For a moment, tears filled her eyes, a single one sliding down each cheek before she swiped at her face and brushed it away. Picking up the phone, she called the neighbor who acted as a fill in baby sitter when May had to unexpectedly work late or needed to run errands before coming home. After a brief conversation with a made up lie about a last minute deadline someone had dropped the ball on, May decided to take some time or herself.

As she headed to the exit, a voice called out behind her. "May! Wait up!" Immediately she recognized the voice of Bohemia, a coworker in the same department as her. Bo had come to work at her father's company during summer break and part time during school to pay for her own place and learn more about business. If there was one thing that Bohemia knew, it was that her father probably had more knowledge about politics and business than anyone else she had ever met. Sure, working in the secretarial department of her father's business was not world changing, or going to make her father love her more than her siblings, it wouldn't even get her ahead in the family as favorite child, but it was a start. Her first priority was finishing her law degree since all she had left to complete was the law specific courses - the basics had been finished during the time she was unsure what she wanted to do. Then, after that, she would use her new degree to move up in her father's business, to show him she could do more, be more, and learn more, before asking her father to help her launch a political career.

Already she had started getting involved locally, learning the ropes volunteering where she could to get her experience in. Tonight though, she wanted to have some fun. She had her one truly free day this week tomorrow, so she had every intention of going out tonight and enjoying herself before jumping back into work on Wednesday and class later that evening. Spotting May looking sad, as she often did, she decided to extend an invitation for her to join her. Normally, May shot down any invites for after work drinks from, well, anyone, so when May suddenly perked up Bo was caught off guard, hesitating to ask. They talked often in the break room, in passing each other's desk, and any time they were near each other but had never connected on a non-work level.

"Hey Bo, how are things?" May was glad for the company, anything to shake her out of how she was feeling.

"Getting ready to head to Third Degree for a few drinks with my friend Jess, do you want to come with?" Bo smiled and nudged May, winking as May returned the grinned and for once nodded in agreement.

***************************​

3rd Degree

~London, England~​

Jess Blaque

The music swayed around them as her and Bex relaxed in a back corner booth, partly hidden from sight of the main space in the room. She had pulled her girlfriends legs across her lap some time ago, head rolled back on the booth as literal ecstasy rolled through her body, sending thrums of pleasure and bliss through her. They had been there for a while, hanging out and Jess making her normal sales. Earlier in the day, Bohemia had called her pager to let her know where she'd be tonight, Jess had just beat her there. Along the way, she invited her neighbor and friend Jolene to come hang out with them - it could be a girls night and shit. It was one of Jess's regular sale spots, not that Jolene came out here often with her never visiting the same place twice in one month.

Looking at her beautiful girlfriend, Jess couldn't help but smile. Years before in a shared foster home the two had become as close as two souls could be. Inseparable, joined at the hips and totally in love until an incident arose that got Bex removed to another home and drove the two apart. Jess missed her for years, before finally moving on. Days turned to months, and years, and Jess grew up. Fast forward to a few months before when Jess ran into Bex again at another local club. As the time started to fly by it wasn't long until they were back together. Now Jess, a normally detached and carefree person, had something she truly cared about and was ready to give her everything too. She hadn't told the woman yet, she wasn’t ready for that level of vulnerability so fast but anyone could see how much she had changed since the two started talking.

As Jolene showed up with her drink in hand, Jess smiled and stood, moving around enough to give her friend a spot next to her. "That's how I like it too. Don't need to be found, 'cept when I want too." Jess pulled a small leather pouch around from her back to her chest, taking out a baggy of cocaine, a bottle of pills, a few joints, and a pack of cigarettes. "Well, what are you feeling? I have blow if you want to go up, I have 'x' if you want to buzz, and a few joints if you want to chill out." She'd let her friend take her pick, before putting away the pills and weed. A few moments later, she scooped a small pile of white powder onto the back of her hand, snorting it as a new rush her heart flooded her body. She offered some to Jolene before putting it away too. Just as she slid the pack close and around her body again, another body approached the table followed by a second form close behind. As Bohemia slid into her seat followed by a pretty woman with auburn hair, Jess perked her eyebrow questioningly.

"Hey Jess. This is May, a friend of mine from work that could really use a night out if you know what I mean. I hope you don't mind me bringing her, but if anyone could use a girls night, it's this girl. May, Jess and Bex, otherwise known as the girls."





Mentions:
Misty Gray - Christian
Interactions:
Bellz - Jolene \ neverbackdown - Bex

 

[Misty Gray]

"The Big House" - Downstairs Dining Room
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Logan Thomson​

It had been two weeks since Logan had overheard the truth, learning that Spencer and Shona had been lying to him about who they were the whole time he'd known them. He'd stormed into the room, angry with them for keeping the truth from him. However, after speaking with Wesley who told him why it had been so important for them to keep their secret, he eventually came around. He understood that their lives and freedom depended on them maintaining their fake identities, as well as realising Eddie and Lottie could have suffered in the process. Given how much Shona and Spencer had done for him, Logan couldn't stay mad for long and he soon went back to speak with them. After clearing the air, Logan told them he wanted to move to London too. He'd been about to leave Fort William on his own before the truth came out, so going to London meant he could leave his past traumas behind whilst also continuing to live close to Spencer and Shona who were family to him now.

Much of the journey to London had been filled with Spencer talking about his family and the past; things which up until then he'd had to keep quiet about or at least never go into much detail. By the time they arrived in Tottenham, Logan had a good idea of the King family and their friends. He'd learned of siblings he had, though one of them, Harper had died. The uncle who had raised the King siblings. The briefest mention of Trevor, who Spencer didn't touch on much as he figured the man would have left London long ago. Although part of him was nervous, Logan was also excited to meet the people Spencer and Shona clearly cared about. Logan wasn't sure if they'd welcome him into the family, but seeing how highly Spencer spoke of his loved ones was refreshing. It was clear his mentor was happy with the idea of potentially see them again and he was sure Spencer must have struggled for all of those years unable to talk about the family he'd been separated from.

Earlier, Kerry had introduced Logan and Spencer to Natalie, a gang member who had been working for Alex in London whilst everyone else had been separated. With Spencer attending a meeting with the family heads, Logan had been told to head to a meeting in the dining room, between some Kings gang members and some of the Sullivans. He understood it was to get them to work together and set out the rules. Logan found Natalie on the way to the meeting so walked there with her. When asked if he knew many people there, Logan quickly shook his head. "Nah. I only know Spencer, Shona, and their kids, from living in Scotland." Entering the room, Logan caught Wesley's smile and sent him an amicable nod. "And I know him too," he quietly added. "How about you?"

After greeting the others who joined and introducing himself, Logan pulled out a chair and sat down. He folded his arms on the table and listened as Wesley fully introduced himself. When the agent then pointed to the man next to him and introduced him as Jeremy Gray, Logan raised an eyebrow as he recalled Spencer had mentioned that name as belonging to his friend and brother-in-law. With all of the friends and social circles they'd had in Fort William, it still felt strange to think Spencer had once had another life in London and with other people he called friends. Logan didn't think on it for too long as Wesley continued, explaining that questions about London could be directed to Jeremy.

Jeremy then took centre stage on Wesley's cue. The man's body language seemed stand-offish, almost as if he didn't want to be there or that he didn't want them there with him. Logan chose to ignore it, figuring it was the gravity of the situation weighing down on him. Jeremy started by telling them not everything would work out like in the movies, that it was going to be hard work and if they didn't have the stomach for the mission then they needed to speak up. Logan barely held in a scoff when told it wasn't for the faint of heart. Throughout his lifetime, Logan had learned things rarely went his way and that he should always expect the worst. Growing up in an abusive household until the day his father murdered his step-mother, Logan had known pain and suffering since he was a child. Having spent 18 months in prison from the age of eighteen, he'd grown used to deprivation and beatings at the hands of the prison officers. Then later in his life, his wife and unborn child were killed in a car accident, which eventually led to him attempting suicide, stopped only because Spencer had walked in on him. Logan believed he already knew the score and he was willing to put himself in the line of fire, especially if it helped those he cared about. Logan felt he had nothing to lose, whilst Spencer and Shona needed to be kept safe, for their children and other family members. Of course, Spencer had already warned him against doing anything stupid and to follow the orders he was given. In fact, now Logan thought about it, he'd already heard this kind of lecture from Spencer and he only accepted it then because he cared about him - respected him. He didn't know Jeremy yet, so he wasn't so open to hearing it again from a stranger. "Damn. I'm sure Spencer said this was going to be all parties and chilling," he drily joked, but figured if any of them knew Spencer enough they'd know the typically serious man would say no such thing.

Melanin-Gxdess (Leo) Bellz (Wesley, Thomas) BasDorcha (Jeremy) neverbackdown (Natalie)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Chapter 2: London's Burning
Monday 22nd September 1997
...15 days later...
London: Early Evening - Cool, Clear Skies

​

The Interpol raid of 1985 played on a loop in Alex's head every day for 3 years. The shooting. Explosions. The sound of metal crashing against each other and sirens in the distance. Each time he thought about it he'd remember a new detail. The look on Kerry's face when they realized what was happening. The way the burnt rubber smelled and burnt his nose hours later. The officer's voice when he told them his entire family was dead; the solemn look in his eyes when he did. He hated thinking about it and wished he could stop, but it was always there. One second he had his family and they were happy and headed in a good direction and the next? For 9 years he had learned to exist without them. Moved on and grew and started a family without them. Had it not been for Kerry and the kids he wasn't sure he'd have made it. His family meant everything to him and after just getting them back he'd lost them again. Having Trevor and May around only did so much. It wasn't until recently that he'd felt close to either one of them - especially Trevor. But these days he'd found himself closer and with a better relationship than he ever thought.

Alex hadn't thought about the raid as much as he had 9 years ago. But the day an Interpol agent by the name of Klaus showed up, it all came flooding back. Alex was full of different emotions, nearly passing out when the words, "Your family is alive," slipped past the man's lips. He was full of so many questions like, "How?" and "Where have they been?" followed by, "You German son of a bitch!" The only thing that stopped Alex then from punching Klaus directly in the face had been the promise of seeing his family again; and soon. That alone kept Alex on his best behavior but once he'd seen them? "I'm still gonna punch him in the face," he told Kerry. Two weeks was a long time but he was a more patient man now; he could wait. However, waiting to see his family? That was something he was patient for. So many questions swirled in his head every single day. Are they married? Do they have kids? Was time kind to them? Did Interpol have them stashed somewhere nice? What went on and so forth? Every minute felt like agony - like a kid waiting for Christmas to arrive. He'd never cared so much about his family's life than he did now and for good reason.

The only caveat to this whole thing, Klaus informed him, was that the King family would be back in business, so to speak. It was the only part about the interaction he didn't particularly care for if he were being honest. He'd grown accustomed to living a semi-legal life. One where he didn't have to look over his shoulder all the time wondering if and when he would be caught and arrested. While there were still illegal activities being committed they weren't on the huge scale they used to be. He was flying under the radar thanks to the new crime leader of London, Ezekiel Carter. Regardless, Alex had been a continuously active father in his children's lives for the past 12 years and he didn't want anything to change that; especially when it came to Callum. However, it was the only way the King family would be able to get back together. Plus, this time around, they were on the side of the law... Technically. So really, he wouldn't be waiting for the day silver bracelets were slapped onto his wrists because he would have immunity. It only took about half an hour for him to make up his mind and once he had he was able to finally see his family.

Spencer, Bruce, and Billy were the first he got to see. It was more than an overwhelming reunion as Alex let the tears stream down his face. The emotions he felt then were hard to explain but he wasn't even about to try. It was something he would experience and hold near and dear to his heart. His uncle seemed to be doing well for his age. His tanned skin almost made Alex jealous that he didn't get chosen to move to such a tropical paradise. His uncle sounded older, wiser - a lot less stressed than he had been over a decade ago. Alex supposed that was a good thing! The man was able to rest and relax and not worry too much about his niece and nephews. Hearing that he and Darcey had lived the life of their dreams filled him with relief. Knowing that the strain of the raid didn't tear them apart made his heart swell. If anyone deserved to be happy, he thought, it was his uncle. The man had been through so much in his life that peace and serenity was well deserved. He couldn't wait to see Darcey and hear all the things she'd been up to as well. While Bruce had updated him on things, he still wanted to hear it all from her herself.

Spencer also seemed to have gotten older and wiser during their time apart. He'd gone and grown his beard out and was wearing glasses - a pair nearly identical to the ones he wore when reading documents. Alex of course couldn't help but tease his older brother about him getting old only to remember so was he. The man was doing well for himself; had had more kids and they were growing up so fast. Alex couldn't believe how big Eddie had gotten and that's when the remorse was beginning to settle in. He wasn't able to watch his nephew grow up with Callum or his niece with Lizzie. There was so much lost time they'd never be able to get back, but now they were able to make up for it. It was the only thought able to keep him from suddenly bursting into tears the moment he thought about it. For years he thought about his family and what their lives would've been like had they not been dead. And hearing Spencer fill him in on things he found that he wasn't that far off.

Billy had been the person he wanted to see the most, surprisingly. He wanted to know how he and Erik fared and what sort of life they lived themselves. He wanted to know more about Charlie and the sort of kid he turned out to be; a poindexter like his father, Alex joked. However, when Billy began to explain things Alex's heart again broke. Erik and Billy never made it to their destination together. For the past 12 years they were also split apart and weren't able to communicate whatsoever. Though things were rocky with the two of them toward the end, they had made up and were headed toward their happy ending. Interpol ruined more than just their family but what could've been between Erik and Billy. The only silver lining had been the man Billy found himself with instead. He hadn't been lonely all that time, struggling to take care of his son. He had someone supportive by his side and tending to him carefully. Alex couldn't wait to meet this mystery person and only hoped he liked him.

***

In the days leading up to the meeting Alex was actually able to think about the decision he had made. It was risky and it meant putting his life - and maybe even his the safety of his family - on the line. And while it was the only way to secure his family back, was it worth the risk? Was it a selfish move to make? He thought about this on the way to the meeting as he stared out the window. Just exactly what did they want him and his family to do? Resume business as usual? There were points Alex were going to bring up and information to share. As the only person with experience with the Carter family, he felt he had a bit more knowledge. Granted there were still things he didn't know but he a helluva lot more than Klaus and his merry men. The job they'd been tasked with wasn't about to be easy; even with his father on the inside. Alex seemed to arrive at the same time as Bruce, the two walking inside together. Moments later his brother appeared. "Only, we were working against coppers, right?" He shoved his hands into his pockets and followed the man inside copying his greeting.

His attention was then grabbed by Adam, who'd asked about Callum. For a moment he just stared. The last time he'd seen the man had been during the peace meeting. It been 12 years since then and really there was no need to hold a grudge - they were all starting anew. So instead of a childish comment as the old Alex would have, he gave him a friendly smile. "He's a pain in my ass," he joked, taking a seat. "In that rebellious teen stage and knowing him it's only about to get worse." He then turned his attention to both Roxie and Syd offering handshakes just as his brother had. Another pair of people he could no longer hold grudges against. He took his seat next to his uncle and his knee began to bounce underneath the table. Alex was nervous. Not because he still wasn't used to being on the same side as the Sullivans, but because he didn't know what to expect next. Would they be able to work properly together? What was in it for the Sullivans? Why were they needed in the first place? So many questions swirled in his head and he tried his best to calm down the thoughts. For support, he reasoned. The Carters were a huge, influential family; the Kings were going to need all the help they could get in order to take them down.

Conor was brought up and Alex's leg immediately stopped bouncing. He wasn't where to start when it came to his relationship with Conor. With so much bad blood between the two of them personally, he wasn't sure how they would move forward. The room had gotten quiet for a moment before Klaus spoke up. At first, he thought he was hearing things. "Sorry, what?" The idea of Conor not leading the family business sounded crazy - was crazy. The man had been in charge for so long that he couldn't imagine anyone else doing the job. He glance at his uncle and brother before listening to the remainder of what Klaus had to say. It was up to Roxie, Syd, and Adam to decide who the job would go to, something Alex found intriguing. He wanted to know, too. Surely it wouldn't be Syd, he thought. From what he knew of him he'd be far too unstable. Every decision made based more on emotion than logic. He'd end up getting them all killed. Roxie or Adam would be suited - but then Conor's son, Leo popped into his head. He'd passed by the grown man as he walked to a separate meeting and he wondered if he was ready for such a responsibility. In typical situations like this, it was always the eldest son, right? Alex scratched his head in thought while waiting in anticipation of what the answer would be.

Which, he didn't get right away. The Porters seemed to be upset with Klaus for his lack of information beforehand. It left him wondering just what kind of relationship the man had with them. He understood they were all in Germany together and he couldn't help but feel... Suspicious about the whole thing. What if at the end of this, he and his family were locked up while the Sullivans were allowed to roam free? To take what belonged to the Kings? The nervous bouncing got a bit more ferocious and he began tapping his fingers on the table. He listened to the back and forth between Klaus and Syd and it seemed like the latter was just as suspicious about the arrangement as he was. It calmed his nerves a bit to know he wasn't the only one who felt they couldn't trust the Feds, but not enough that he wasn't suspicious altogether. This could be an act they were putting on. "While this whole bosses thing is important too, I think I should ask - how exactly do you think we're about to take down the Carters?" He paused, eyes dragging themselves to look at Klaus. "It ain't gonna be pretty."

 

[Misty Gray]

"The Big House" - Upstairs Study
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Spencer King and Adam Harper​

Like his uncle, Spencer hadn't been oblivious to the look on Syd's face and in his eyes. The man was clearly still going through some kind of mental instabilities, but given the gravity of the situation, he figured it was to be expected. He himself had alarm bells sounding; suspicions and frustrations spinning around inside his head, but he'd become adept at hiding it most of the time. Since a young age, Spencer had been a stoic person, but his short temper and aggression had often allowed his emotions to break out when triggered. With more years now on him and the time away from London, he'd been allowed to let go of his painful memories which had often been a catalyst for his short fuse. Laura and Harper never left his mind, but he'd become better at handling his grief. He knew everyone was programmed differently and unlike Syd, he didn't have particular mental obstacles to contend with in his path.

Hearing Conor was no longer going to be in charge of the Irish Mob was a surprise and suddenly did cause Spencer to form questions as to whether this was going to work. Right now, Syd didn't look like he wanted be taking on the leadership position, which led him to wonder if Roxie or Adam was there to lead instead. Hearing Conor had stepped down to something of an advisor due to health reasons was interesting to him. Spencer had always known Conor to be almost indestructible - someone who took on every punch and never stayed down. The first sign of cracks in that impression had been when he'd set out to kill Conor. Whilst Spencer had failed in his attempt, Conor had gone down and stayed down for weeks, hospitalised and forced to slow down. Really, when he thought about it, it was no surprise Conor had stepped down now. The bigger surprise was that Syd, Adam and Roxie only now seemed to have been informed of the former boss' decision. Klaus was correct that a gang needed a boss to function, but Spencer sent the man something of a dumbfounded expression, surprised the Irish lot hadn't been given the heads up sooner. He subtly nodded along as Roxie questioned Klaus, pointing out they could have been told before now. Klaus went on to explain why Interpol had to keep quiet on the information and that the conversation was safer had now. Spencer chose not to question it, believing it was the Irish lot's position to argue it if they wished to. Still, he would keep in mind that there was every chance Interpol would always be keeping something from them in the name of supposed safety. With the mention that whoever did lead the Irish would have to be willing to work with the Kings, Spencer briefly turned to Bruce to try read his uncle, before turning back to share his focus between Syd, Adam and Roxie. Since the truce 12 years ago and then them all having been forced away from their businesses, Spencer liked to think they were all now capable of working together.

The revelation that Conor wasn't leading the family caused Adam to return Syd's glance, lightly shaking his head to confirm he hadn't heard before now. Whilst the default assumption since two weeks ago had been that he'd be going to London to work for Conor again, Adam did have doubts. The Sullivan boss had never wanted to be in charge, even if he took it on and did the best he could in the position. Part of Adam had wondered if Conor would choose to stay wherever he was and live a life without the responsibility he'd been born into rather than chose to lead. The reason given for Conor stepping down was in fact his health, which concerned Adam and he made a mental note to find Conor later to see how he was. It then dawned on Adam that people may have been looking at him as a potential replacement for Conor. Whilst Adam didn't believe someone born into the position, like Conor, should be expected or burdened with the duty to lead the Irish Mob, part of him still believed it naturally did fall to a member of Conor's and James' family. He hadn't spoken with Leo yet, but his lack of presence in this meeting lead him to think that was because he had no intention of replacing his father. But Syd was sitting next to him and James had been training his son since he was a teenager and priming him for the potential of one day being the head of the family. Present anxious state or not, Adam believed this was Syd's position to take or refuse. If he did refuse, there was then Roxie seated on Syd's other side. A woman who had led the Biancardi family and was now an official part of the Porters with her marriage to Syd. Whilst Adam had worked for the family for all of his adult life, serving close to the top for Liam Sullivan, James Porter and then Conor Sullivan, he didn't think he naturally fit into the leadership position. He'd amassed a whole multitude of knowledge and experience but he wasn't sure he'd be best placed as the boss.

Adam's strategic mind had already been forming plans and demands just from walking around the safe house observing everyone present. He'd seen people who appeared physically fit and had clearly been working out, but he'd also seen others who looked out of shape and needed some rigorous training if they were expecting to fight on the front lines. And even those who were looking beefed up and in great shape needed to be in the right frame of mind. Whether they were new to this business or rusty having been away for 12 years, Adam believed many of them weren't ready to fight this kind of war yet. He'd be putting this forward when the opportunity arose. In Dublin, he'd had his own gym and now they were all in London, they would need a secure place to train - Sullivans and Kings alike.

Syd was clearly concerned that they hadn't been told about Conor sooner and Roxie questioned Klaus on it, to which the man answered. Adam was about to question Klaus further, but Syd spoke up and raised his many concerns, prompting Adam to sit back so he could study Klaus' reaction to them.

Although he left it to the Irish to question why they'd only just been told about Conor, their questions soon covered matters that affected the Kings too, prompting Spencer sit forward. "Both of our families are going to work together, so we need to keep our own bosses in place. My family, our friends and employees, they'll not want to answer to whoever your boss is," he began, looking to the three Irish, "Bruce here is the boss my lot will want to be working for," he pointed out, believing his uncle had returned to continue leading the Kings. "And I say that without not offence intended, as I imagine your family wouldn't be happy with a King running your business either." Adam nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure how many of the Irish Mob had returned, but he could think of many people who would resist answering to the Kings, regardless of the truce and now working together.

"I think you got it in one, Syd," Spencer said, wanting to reinforce the Irishman's concerns rather than leave him to grow anxious thinking he was the only one with such suspicions. "They can't handle the Carters so they need us to come and do it for them. I too would like some assurance that when - if - we all solve your London problem, that your lot won't fuck us all over when it's done," he said, looking Klaus in the eyes. He turned back to Syd as the man spoke of leading his family anywhere to keep them together, but not into a trap. He could see the similarities to himself in that moment. They'd both agreed to this deal so they could see their families and have their loved ones brought back together, but both were also suspicious of this being a trap. Despite his concerns about Interpol possibly betraying them at some point, Spencer still didn't think he'd made a mistake. He wasn't sure what life Syd had been living in the last 12 years, nor where, but for himself, Spencer couldn't have stayed in Scotland with his identity no longer protected. For the foreseeable future, returning to London where he had strength in numbers was the less risky option and the one where he felt better equipped to protect Shona and the kids.

Spencer looked at Alex as he spoke up too, asking Klaus the question of how Interpol expected the two families would deal with the Carters. "It's going to be a bloody mess, that's what I told Wesley," Spencer said, looking to Klaus to see if the man knew of what had been said between him and Wesley two weeks ago. "If Ezekiel Carter, who when I last saw him was a charming and successful businessman, is now as dangerous as Interpol says, then we can't take the Carters down by following Interpol's or the coppers' rules. This will be messy, violent and destructive," he said, briefly glancing down as he remembered his nightclub being blown up during the war with the Sullivans. "People will die and a lot of precious laws will be broken. What assurance do Syd and the rest of us have that your lot ain't gonna stab us in the back if we take the necessary measures to fix your problem? And what happens to London, and Dublin," he said, looking to the three on the Irish side when he mentioned their city, "if we successfully remove the Carters?"

Bellz (Klaus, Roxie) Pyroclast (Syd, Bruce) Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

 

[Misty Gray]

"The Big House" - Downstairs Kitchen
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Conor Sullivan and Kerry King​

Since arriving at the safe house, Conor had started out catching up with some family members but after a while he decided to take some time out to sit in peace. He'd not slept much since arriving in London and one of his headaches had kicked in, prompting him to need a quiet spot to close his eyes for a while. His headache had soon eased off and was replaced by hunger, prompting him to get up and seek out food. The kitchen was easy to find and he soon found himself standing in front of the open fridge looking for something to eat. From his spot, he heard voices nearby, but for the moment remained hidden behind the refrigerator door.

Holding Harrison's hand, Kerry stopped in the kitchen doorway as she turned to Callum who had been chewing her ear off about the family he'd been able to meet so far. This was one of the rare times her stepson wasn't being difficult, likely in a good mood given all of the family he thought he'd lost were now suddenly back in his life. "I'm not sure who she is, but I think she's older than you," Kerry told him, as he finished by mentioning how attractive Emilia Zegarra was. When Callum gave a defiant shrug, Kerry shook her head. "And are you forgetting about Tessa? Your girlfriend. She's a nice girl, so don't you be upsetting her."

"Calm down, Kerry. I don't need you telling me what to do. And I can smoke if I want too--"

The fridge door closed, drawing their attention to Conor who had been stood there the whole time. Holding a bar of chocolate in his hand, the man stepped forward to approach Kerry, Callum and Harrison. There was a tension between Conor and Kerry that managed to go unnoticed by Callum and Harrison, but was certainly felt by the affected parties. Ever since her involvement in helping Moretti set the trap that led to Jackson's death, Conor had held something of a grudge against Kerry. It had never been resolved, regardless of Sinead, Savannah, Braden and others coming to her defence. Now when he looked at the woman, that hatred was gone - either that, or he no longer had the energy to pursue such an old grudge. Having already caught up with his nephew earlier, Conor didn't need a renuinion or introduction with him. It also meant he knew Kerry and Alex were now married, making her Callum's stepmother.

"If you've got a girlfriend already, then don't you be looking elsewhere, kid. Treat this girl of yours right, else I'll kick your ass myself," Conor lightly warned his nephew. "And why you wanna smoke is beyond me. It don't make you look cool or anythin'," he assured him. Having never been a smoker himself, Conor felt he could take the high ground without being a hypocrite on this one. Conor's focus soon landed back on Kerry, wondering how many times they would end up in the same room again and whether it would pay to get the air cleared now rather than drag it out.

"Okay, Callum. Take Harrison with you and go find Lizzie. I'll bring some drinks to you guys," Kerry asked her stepson. With a glance to his uncle, Callum decided not to get an attitude with his stepmother and instead he took Harrison's hand so he could lead him out of the room to find Lizzie.

"So you married Alex, huh?" Conor rhetorically asked as he returned to the refrigerator to grab himself a can of Coke. With Kerry following him so she could get some juice for the kids, Conor leaned back against the worktop and looked her in the eyes. Although there was still some apprehension within her, Kerry had long since stopped being scared of Conor and so she wasn't about to cower now. Instead, she looked him back in the eyes as he continued speaking. "I'm not going to start hating on you or anything like that."

"I should hope not," Kerry said, breaking her stare so she could search for some glasses in the unfamiliar cupboards. Conor opened the correct door for her, pointing to the glasses she needed, to which she silently thanked him. "I've explained myself to you and your family enough, so I'm not going to say it again."

"And I don't expect you to," Conor assured her. "I just want to say it's all in the past and I should have put it to rest long ago. I don't want there to be any more bad blood between us. Callum makes us practically family, not to mention our families are going to be working together. What Moretti and his men did to you was appalling. They didn't leave you much of a choice and what happened wasn't your fault, contrary to everything bad I've said to you and all the blame I put on you."

"Thank you, Conor. It's good to hear you say that," Kerry told him. In the years that followed the attack that killed Jackson and other Sullivan gang members Kerry had felt immense guilt and had needed Maddox's counselling to stop her from giving up completely. However, long before 1985, she had stopped blaming herself for being forced to lead them into the trap and she'd stopped accepting that Conor or anyone else had a right to treat her so badly for that. She'd been beaten, tortured and psychologically abused by the monsters Moretti associated with, so Conor or anyone else had no right to paint her as the bad guy. It felt good to finally hear him admit that. She wasn't about to be obnoxious about it though as more than anything she wanted to forget it had ever happened and for the Kings and Sullivans to maintain their truce. She'd built up a strong friendship with the Callahans through Alex and Savannah co-parenting, so she wasn't about to jeopardise that. "Now is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. If our families are working together, then it would be good for us both to be on good terms too," she said as she poured the juice into the three glasses.

"Agreed," Conor said, reaching out for the carton of juice so he could put it away for her. "Let's not speak of it again... As for Callum, I've got a good mind to snitch on him to Sinead. She's very militant when it comes to her distaste for smoking," he remarked.

"Oh, now those are extreme measures you're speaking of," Kerry drily remarked. Gripping the three glasses in both hands, she sent Conor a nod and a smile before excusing herself so she could hunt down her thirsty kids. With the separate dining room out of bounds for the important meeting, she couldn't exactly sit them down around the table.

Having just tackled one of the many issues he'd anticipated would arise from working with the Kings, Conor rewarded himself by finally eating the bar of chocolate he'd found. Once finished, he made his way out of the kitchen to find his daughters. Before he could get far out of the room, he saw Blake walking towards him. A large smile formed on his face as he set eyes on her for the first time in years. "Bloody 'ell, look who it is!" he greeted her, outstretching his arms to pull her in for a tight hug. "Boy have I missed you," he told her. Leading her back into the kitchen so they weren't blocking anyone's path, he took a long drink from his can before setting it down on the worktop. "How the hell have you been? Are you and Adam still together? I've seen him around but he was somehow heading to the grown-ups meeting," he joked. "You look good, love. Ali's gonna be made up to see you again."

Bellz (Blake)

 

[Bellz]

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Upstairs Study
~ Tottenham, London~

Roxie Porter
Klaus Jäger​

Roxie was silently berating herself for coming across so openly aggressive, knowing that it would set Syd off. But it was hard to control her actions and her words when she was so unbelievably tired at this point. Roxie turned to look at him and saw his eyes squeeze shut. "Hey." She said under her breath. The look on his face said it all. Syd's anxiety had two different settings, either he was silent or he was going to find his voice and now that Roxie voiced her concerns, he found his. Roxie's eyes quickly found Klaus's gaze, giving him an apologetic look before turning it to the room but there wasn't much she could do. He needed to get it out. There were things that needed to be said.

If Conor was out, that left two people at this table on their side that would take over. Adam or Syd. Just saying her husband's name in her head as an option sent a chill down her spine and she couldn't help but think about how perfect Karma worked out for her. Roxie watched Klaus, who uncrossed his arms as Syd's wild eyes fixed on him. They had all been friends in Germany, Syd had been trusting enough to let Klaus, Wesley, Erik...nearly all of Interpol in his life...something Roxie never in a million years thought he'd be able to do. Harper had been a part of that progress, Roxie liked to think, and even after she died, Syd kept it up, all those relationships. But now it seemed like it might all come crashing down with the fragile state her husband was in. Klaus let his arms rest at his side, already knowing how to handle Syd's anxiety well enough, trying not to look threatening or like he was in a position of total power here. Regardless of what all of these men thought, he wasn't.

He didn't speak, nor did Roxie, allowing Syd to get all his questions off his chest, which came out in rapid-fire but Klaus was able to keep up. They were all perfectly reasonable ones too, nothing was unanswerable. Even if they were a little aggressive and pointed for his liking, Klaus had come to think they were more on friendly terms now but...he did understand how his trip had gone getting here. He'd excuse it.

Roxie was listening to Syd's questions and watching for any signs of him ready to jump out of his seat like he had on the plane. She hadn't been able to tell the staff there to let him be but she'd be firm in telling the men in this room to do so. The last thing they needed right now was for Syd to hit one of them. They were in a truce, one established back in the 80s and Syd was on edge. Roxie would tell them to back off if he got up and needed space, for his well-being and theirs. The stained laugh that escaped her husband shattered her heart all over again, pulling her lips down into a further frown as he talked about Interpol stabbing them in the back. While Roxie had been surprised twice by Klaus recently, she didn't believe him to be someone who would put them in a position to be stabbed in the back. Not after having put his neck on the line so many times before for them. Not after also having done it for Harper, whose surviving family members were sitting in this very room with them now. Syd might not have realized it, but Klaus and his team were responsible for keeping Syd and Jeanie's behavior under wraps and out of sight...ultimately keeping them safe from themselves. Roxie owed him a lot. The Kings might not have understood but they owed him a lot too. But that debt only went so far.

Spencer spoke up, causing her to look towards him as Klaus seemed to just let it all play out for the moment. Probably wanting everyone to get what they wanted to say or needed to say off their chest before addressing it all. But Klaus was nodding along with Spencer, "Precisely the reason we feel two people in charge are beneficial in your arena of things." He said lightly, and Roxie nodded her head in understanding. That made sense. She knew well enough from past experience the difficulty of power struggles. Her mind only briefly went to her cousin before she squashed that thought. Keeping the two families' leadership separate while allowing them to work together would keep things clean and tidy, twice the brain power, and twice the muscle to keep people in line. It was smart. She just didn't think they would have to choose who that second person would be on their end. Roxie briefly looked at Adam, who had remained silent. She wondered what he thought of this. Perhaps the three of them could speak in private. They would need to if they couldn't come to a decision on anything in this room in terms of leadership.

Rather than call her husband crazy or overly paranoid, which Roxie hoped wouldn't happen given the dire situation, Spencer agreed with Syd, which had her turn to observe the eldest of the King siblings once more. While she didn't want to say she was shocked, she was at the very least pleasantly surprised. Spencer was also looking for some assurance, that if they could solve Interpol's problem...they all wouldn't be fucked over by them in the end. Roxie eyed Klaus, looking for any tell-tale sign of an indication that he was hiding something but the man had an excellent poker face.

“That still leaves all the power on your side, man. I’d lead my family anywhere if I could keep them all together, but I won’t lead them into a trap.” Roxie's head turned to look at Syd just as he turned to look at her, the anxious look in his eyes was one she was all too familiar with. Every word she said she had to choose ever so carefully. Even if she didn't mean them. Even right now, she felt like the last thing they needed to do was lead their family into danger. They didn't have a choice now. That choice was gone once they signed on the dotted line. The contract was airtight. She helped put it into fruition, not write it but gave them the fucking roadmap. And now here her husband was looking at her, with a desperate and anxious look in his eyes, chewing on his thumbnail whispering, “Maybe we made a mistake, Rox’.” Her vision blurred looking at him but there were no tears in her eyes. Her skin felt like it was tingling underneath but she had to fight the stress she was beginning to feel. Her chest tightened slightly and she took a deep breath, unsure of what to tell him. "Syd...we can't go back home now." She whispered back, "These are binding." She tried to explain, reaching out her hand to touch his arm in a soothing manner. "Just slow down the thoughts okay? Not too far ahead." She reminded her husband when Alex spoke up then, asking Klaus how he thought they would take down the Carters, commenting that it wouldn't be pretty.

Klaus was still so quiet, not having said a word. Spencer spoke to his brother, confirming that he knew it would be messy and saying that was what he'd said to Wesley before looking at the German. Klaus nodded his head lightly, he'd spoken with Wesley. Man was not pleased with his visit to Scotland but it had to be done. The German crossed his arms now, listening more intently to Spencer as he once again asked for assurance for the whole table, for their families, and then asked what would happen to London and Dublin if they were to successfully remove the Carters. Roxie's brows furrowed in thought, her hand stroking Syd's arm lightly, continuing to provide him any comfort he needed before asking, "Wouldn't it be rather stupid on your part though Klaus, to stab us in the back like that? If we are working together, if we are a team as you say now. You're in the trenches with us then? If we fail, you go down with us. Because if you couldn't handle Carter on your own, and we can't handle them with you...you're basically..." She looked around at the men at the table for a second, before her eyes landed on Klaus. "You know, fucked?" Klaus nodded his head, "That is the assurance, the loophole within these contracts that are supposedly airtight on paper but in practice as you've just questioned, put Interpol in a bit of a bind which goes further than us just being...f'ed." The German looked to Syd specifically at first.

"My goal and intentions were never to lead your family into danger, or into a trap. I've spent the last 12 years trying to keep all of you off the map. But as the world moves forward, it was getting increasingly harder to do so. Dangerously so. But I digress on that point." He paused, "Interpol has a lot riding on you and your families. We know," He then looked to Spencer and Alex, "how messy this will get. This isn't the first international gang war we've had to infiltrate. Rules are made to be broken, and if they are to be broken to protect the general public then Interpol sees that as a necessity rather than a crime. Think of it as a Robin Hood scenario. He breaks rules to help those in need and that's exactly what my organization is willing to do." Klaus looked to Bruce for a brief moment, then Adam, and then back to Syd, "It was what I was willing to do for you. Even against my own organization at the time."

"That being said, if you go down, we all go down. You hold the power in that respect. We are meant to be a law-abiding International organization. But we are one that has knowingly employed gang members with extensive criminal histories to aid us in breaking more laws in order to take down another gang. While my organization sees this as something that will aid in the overall well-being of the people of London and beyond...The United Nations is not yet on board with our efforts. Damage control, clean up, it all falls into our lap. We will take the ultimate blame for your crimes in the end." Klaus hoped that made sense. Any sense. "In short, you go down at the Carters' hand, you have the power to bring down this whole organization with you. We have no intention of stabbing you in the back with as much as we have to lose here. What we are doing makes us all criminals too....no offense."

Roxie raised her brows, wondering if that was assurance enough for the men at the table. Basically, they had the power to blackmail if they chose to, Klaus just willingly gave them that knowledge. What for? She had no idea. He had a family too. But clearly, this job meant something to him, enough for him to say all of that. She was just glad that she had caught that rhetoric in all this versus the contract. Loopholes could be in more than just the contract, like he said, this one was in practice rather than in writing. "What about the properties, like Spencer asked. London, Dublin...what happens if we are successful?" Klaus smiled then softly, "It was a bit of a tricky deal for some of them, had to pay out a fortune for a good amount but...we have the deeds to your homes ready for you to sign. Another assurance for your efforts with us."
with: Bruce + Syd @ Pyroclast
Spencer + Adam Misty Gray
Alex Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

"The Big House" - Downstairs Kitchen
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~
Blake Harper
​

"What do you mean she's not here?" Blake demanded, speaking to one of the agents who apparently was aware that Natasha was not in London. This was news to her. Where was Leo? Blake had walked around and had yet to see him. "Her husband reported to us that she stayed behind in Dublin with their children." Blake shook her head and scoffed, "But she's meant to be here!" The blonde's eyes narrowed and the agent looked a little helpless on how to help her. "Forget it." She huffed before turning away. They had traveled all this way, all of this way and Natasha just decided not to come along with Leo. Stubborn. Blake wanted to roll her eyes and blame the other half of her genetics but Jackson wasn't nearly as stubborn as Blake could be. God rest his soul. Happily married to Adam, Blake thought about Jackson more as a happy part of her life these days than the love of her life, he was the father of her children and Adam had become the love of her life. Just thinking about Adam brought a smile to her face, even in her irritation as she walked down the hall towards nowhere in particular.

The decision to come to London had been...well, in honesty, a rather easy one for her. She needed her daughter back, and to know her grandchildren. While the risks came with all of this, Blake wasn't going to live in fear anymore and hadn't for a long time thanks to the relaxing 12 years in Cuba. Adam could hold his own and Blake had every faith in him to keep himself safe, she couldn't control everything and she would only make herself sick if she tried. 12 years ago she thought she had done all the growing she could, given she was already in her early 50s. But time had a way of surprising you, growth came at unexpected times. She had become a much stronger person in the silence even if she had to be away from her daughter and the rest of her family for so long. It instilled strength in her that now drove her here. Risks be damned. Blake had a feeling it was the same reason everyone else was here. They were over hiding, over missing their loved ones...even if that meant having to suffer a bit to be with them again. At least they were together again.

"Damn it Natasha, you should be here." She said under her breath, thinking of her daughter and her grandkids before Conor came into view, distracting her from her thoughts immediately. His greeting caused her to smile widely, "Conor!" She greeted him and walked quickly into his arms, hugging him just as tightly in return before placing a kiss on his cheek. "I've missed you too. This place is so big, I swear I was only finding people I didn't know." She said, sounding a bit distraught as he released her and led her back into the kitchen, "Should have known you'd be in here, still got the appetite of your younger self I see." She teased lightly. Blake listened as he asked how she was, if Adam and she were still together, him noting that Adam was somehow heading to the grown-ups' meeting. In all of her excitement, Blake didn't connect that Conor wasn't in that meeting with Adam. Putting a pin in it for the time being, she let laughed at his joke before smiling at his compliment and twirling her hair, "The sun in Cuba has been kind to me fortunately, thought I'd turn into a wrinkly old hag under the rays but it seems I have the skin for warm weather! You look great too! Haven't aged a day! And is Ali here!? God, I missed her, you've been treating my lady well yes? I have faith in you but you know I must ask." She joked, laughing a bit before returning to his previous questions.

"I've been well, it's been a relaxing 12 years. And yes," Blake held up her left ring finger to show her wedding band off, "Adam and I are still together, tied the knot on the beach. He's very good to me so don't you worry. We ended up in Cuba with Thomas and Elena, and their kiddos as well as the Zegarras and of course, Collin. I was hoping to see Natasha here but...apparently, my daughter didn't come with your boy and stayed in Dublin with the kids, vaguely wondering what that's about." She hummed softly, raising a brow suspiciously before shaking her head. "How are you, Con? How's Ali and the girls? How come you aren't in that grown-up meeting with Adam? I thought you were a grown-up and all? Or have you decided to...pass that torch on to someone else?" Blake could only guess that was why he wasn't up there.
with: Conor Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

"The Big House" - Downstairs Kitchen
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Conor Sullivan​

Conor chuckled when Blake mentioned how big the safe house was. "You got that right. I'm seeing lots of people knocking about yet still haven't been able to find many of our lot yet. Tink and Pete's lot are all in the Lakes, except Emmy, so that's them accounted for. But I haven't seen Luce about yet, have you?" he curiously asked. He'd seen Syd and Olivia around, as well as Thomas, but unaware of Lucy's death he was wondering when he'd finally find his older sister. He had picked up in a distraught tone in Blake's voice, but figured it was all the excitement and drama of being back with everyone. When she noted his appetite and of course finding him in kitchen, he grinned at her. "Yeah, this appetite has never left me," he said, patting his somehow still slim stomach.

He nodded along when she told him Cuba's weather had been good to her. "We must be bloody mental swapping Cuba and Spain for the shite weather here," he remarked. On the subject of Aliana, Conor feigned offence. "Blake, how could you even ask such a question? Of course I've been treating her well. Honestly, she's the most spoiled wife in existence," he exaggerated.

Looking at the wedding ring as she held up her hand for him to see, he nodded in approval. "Glad to hear he's been good to you. Between you and me, I saw him knockin' about earlier and he's looking more buff than I remember. I think he could finally beat me, so I don't want to have to be squaring up to him again!" He listened as Blake spoke about Thomas, Elena and the Zegarras joining them in Cuba, smiling to himself at mention of more kids added to the family. "Lucas will be happy to see his mate again," Conor said at mention of Collin, having remembered how much being separated from his friend had affected him 12 years ago and then the times he'd mentioned Collin during the journey back home a couple of days ago.

Conor frowned when Blake pointed out Natasha and the children hadn't come with Leo to the safehouse. It was bugging him too, but he hadn't had chance to question Leo about it in private yet. "I was looking forward to seeing my grandchildren," he admitted, having not see Leo's kids or Michelle's yet. "Leo and Nat have four of them though, so maybe they just decided it was less chaotic to keep them in Dublin for now," he reasoned. Despite thinking logically about not wanting to disrupt the kids and school, he had to wonder what the long-term plans were if Leo was going to be staying in London."

Conor smiled when asked about the girls. "They're all doing good - better now they can finally see Leo again. Rhiannon took it the worst being split up from him," he explained. Blake went on to ask why he wasn't in the meeting with Adam and the others. Conor moved further into the kitchen and leant against the counter as he answered her. "I'm passing the torch on that one. I've got to keep my stress levels down and avoid getting into any fights - I'm probably one concussion away from fucked," he lightly remarked, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "You thought I had mood swings before, but now I get these headaches and have a shorter fuse than I did in the past. So I'm definitely not the right person to be leading this family against those Carter wankers. The Kings bashing me back in the 80s was what brought it all to light just how much damage I'd have done over the years." Despite naming the Kings directly, he didn't put the blame on them. That beating had been the final straw after decades of getting into fights and having repeated blows to the head that he'd always been able to shrug off. "So I'm just here as more of an advisor, to share the knowledge and tactics I've picked up over the years of fighting pricks like Ezekiel Cater. Y'know, from battling Romano, IWU, Moretti... the rest of 'em."

Conor opened the fridge as if it was his own. "Need anything to eat or drink?" he offered her. "So what's your plan now you're back? I don't doubt Adam's here to join this new battle, but what are you going to be doing?" he curiously asked her. It had crossed his mind that if Syd refused the position, then Adam could end up stepping into the role of boss, but he wasn't about to bring that up to Blake if it was going to worry her.

Bellz (Blake)

 

[Misty Gray]

Carter Technologies
~ City of London, London ~

Xavier Carter and Trevor Stewart​

Trevor had chosen to work late at the office this evening. At the moment, there were too many variables in his life that were putting pressure on him and his actual job as the Head of Sales was oddly enough the best cure to distract his mind. Ezekiel was putting pressure onto Trevor's family, especially with his direct threats to Sarah and now dragging Abel directly into the crossfire too. An ominous comment about finally putting Daisy in her place had also managed to pull in Trevor's concern. Then outside of Ezekiel, there was the matter of May and how frustrating it was that he couldn't get her to see the light where Christian was concerned. One of the married couple needed to end things soon, not just to the sake of them and their kids, but also to stop Trevor himself being driven made having to watch the trainwreck unfold. Add that to Anne-Marie laying on the guilt for Trevor not spending enough time with Declan by not letting his kid stay in London, and Trevor was beginning to wonder how he'd managed to stick around in this city for so long. Of course, it was his family and the good days that kept him from relapsing or from escaping it all for a peaceful life to himself. He wouldn't have believed it 12 years ago, but aside from Philip, it was Alex who was causing him the least stress and if anything it was his son's house Trevor would visit to get his head straight, to remember what he'd worked so hard for. However, with Alex, Kerry and the kids deciding to have a few days away, Trevor didn't have them to help distract him. So this evening, the office and finalising his reports seemed to be the cure for his racing thoughts, to keep his mind switched off from his personal worries.

As it happened, Ezekiel had left the building with Abel to visit the building site of the planned research lab. Always the opportunist, Trevor took his chance to make more headway as part of his work with Interpol. It had been a careful and slow process, but over the last year, Trevor had been working on building Xavier's trust and getting to know the youngest of Ezekiel's sons. To do so, Trevor had created the false idea that he didn't have the best of IT skills, despite in reality being quite proficient at what he claimed to know less about.

With his laptop under his arm, Trevor made a beeline to Xavier's office where the young man sat with more computer monitors than most people would know what to do with. Whatever coding the young man was looking at, it genuinely did go over Trevor's head as he entered his office and took a seat beside the Head of IT. Placing the new laptop down on Xavier's desk, Trevor opened it and switched it on. "I was given this by your old man today and told I need to start taking it to meetings with me more than I did my old one. I've managed to get logged into it and everything, but any chance you can set up the files and stuff I normally need?" he asked, expertly faking the tone of a man in need of guidance. "I probably know what to do myself, but let's face it, if your old man sees I've got it set up wrong I don't want to look stupid," he said, feigning an awkward laugh.

Xavier smirked in return, knowing that even if his father was critcising in a humourous way, he still had the ability to cut down someone's confidence. "No problem, Trevor. It'll take me about two minutes for the kind of programs you need," he assured him.

As Xavier focused on the laptop, Trevor looked around at the various computer monitors, seeing if any of them provided anythng of use to him that he could feed back to Interpol. He couldn't help but notice one of the two screens Xavier had been focusing on was a security system control panel. He waited until Xavier finished setting up his laptop before deciding to take advantage of Ezekiel being out of the building. "I couldn't help but notice the security logo on your screen and it leads me into another favour I needed to ask of you."

"I'm not giving you clearance to my dad's office so you can approve your own week off, if that's where you're leading," Xavier joked, playfully laughing with the older man. As far as his father's older employees went, Xavier liked chatting with Trevor as the man always seemed relaxed and down to Earth.

"Ah shit. You got me!" Trevor played along. He then quickly shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. I have a potential buyer enquiring about the security systems we manufacture here and I told him I'd get back to him with more details on what packages we offer."

"I could come along to a meeting with you and explain to them myself," Xavier offered, always keen to promote products he'd played a huge part in developing.

"You know, that sounds like a great idea," Trevor said. Despite speaking so naturally, the interested buyer in question didn't actually exist. "Would you be able to give me an overview beforehand though? The more I know about what I'm selling, the more convincing I can be. We all have these ID cards and PIN codes," he said, tapping the ID card clipped to his shirt pocket. "Does everyone have to change their codes every month like me or can they be setup differently? And how the hell does that elevator know who's permitted to get off on which floors?"

Xavier grinned as he clicked around on the screen to load up a preview of Trevor's record. "All employees have certain levels of clearance programmed to their record and that links to your ID card. Those clearance levels also have their own settings. Whilst you change your PIN every month, people with higher clearance have to change it more frequently. My team creates all these records for new employees or updates existing ones, but me or a couple of other checks and confirms them before they become active. Leaves no room for error or anything like that. I'm not sure how secure your buyer wants to be, but a package like the one we use here would be the high end of the pricing and what we use is tailored to what my dad wants. We do other packages with fewer options at a lower cost. If you find out what they need their systems to do I can help you from there," Xavier told Trevor.

"Christ. I can't believe you can control all of that from this," he said, pointing to Xavier's computer. "And the fact you developed most of this? You know, I bet you could use your skills in some high-level places, y'know. Government, defence, that kind of thing. Your old man must be real proud of you, mate," Trevor told him. Whilst he did believe the kid was gifted, he also got the feeling Ezekiel undervalued his son, so any opportunity he could take to play on that he would.

"I'm happy where I am for now," Xavier told him, but appreciated the comments nonetheless. "Are you around for much longer? I could do with a break and a drink," he suggested, locking his computer as he did. "The coffee shop on the fifth floor is always a good choice." As Xavier stood up, he stumbled a little. Catching Trevor's concern, he shrugged him off. "Happens when I stand up too fast. We're good," Xavier assured him before there was any time for the man to fuss over what was now normal for him having recovered from a brain tumour.

"Of course, lad. Let's get that coffee - I need a break from screens and numbers myself," Trevor said, patting the young man on the shoulder. In the back of his mind, the cogs were turning on how the security system could be manipulated if needed. Preferably, he'd find a way that wouldn't get Xavier into trouble, but if it was going to help take Ezekiel down, then unfortunately the man's son might have to take some heat along the way.

Bellz Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess BasDorcha neverbackdown
[EITHER OPEN FOR INTERACTION]

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Front Lounge
~ Tottenham, London ~


Arabella Bellamy

Arabella Bellamy sat in an armchair with her legs crossed in a house she'd never been to before. Her hands rubbed against her jeans over and over and over again, trying to wipe away the sweat gathering. Nervous and anxious were understatements when it came to how she was feeling just then. Ari wasn't normally someone who was nervous around new people, but she hadn't exactly had time to process everything her best friend had told her a few weeks ago. One moment his entire family is dead and the next... They aren't? And they used to be... Criminals. A part of a criminal enterprise and now the government was asking for their help? "Sounds like a Bond film," she'd told J.J. the day he'd brought it up to her. It was such a ridiculous idea to her that she even laughed at him. Not out of malice or anything of the sort but because she just couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. However, when she saw how serious he was, the smile faded and the laughter stopped as abruptly as it had started. "You've just gotten a lot more interesting to me."

What followed next was the request. The one where he asked her to come to London with him. "What, like a visit?" She was cooking, of course, and he was sitting in his usual spot across the counter. A tower of flour sat in the middle of the counter and she was digging a small divet in the center. "I'd love to visit you in London," she mumbled, pouring the eggs she'd already cracked in the hole. It was silent for a moment while she mixed everything together and when she was able to finally look up at him she paused. "Oh, you- you mean with you to London?" Her face scrunched up immediately to show how crazy she thought it was. Germany was her home and everything she'd ever known was there. The townspeople had become her family, even more so when her parents died. Leaving them all felt... Wrong. What if someone needed her assistance? What if the old man who lived next door needed her to get his medicine again? And Mary-Alice, the single mother who often used Ari as a babysitter under the guise of tutoring. All these people that leaned on her - she couldn't just up and leave. "My sweet, sweet boy," with flour-covered hands she reached forward and patted his cheek. "No." Later that night Ari couldn't sleep. She couldn't help but think that her friend had asked her to come with him for some other reason. Support, maybe? A lot was happening at once and he needed to support his family leaving him without for himself. But, still. Couldn't she support him from Germany?

Arabella was also the type of person to show her emotions on her face and in her body language. So much so that Gertrude, the woman whose cat constantly found his way into Ari's kitchen, picked up on it. Ari told her as much as she could without too many details and the old woman smacked her. "You've lived your entire life in Germany." Ari scoffed and shook her head. "Not true. I lived in Paris for a year!" Granted, it was a very short year but a year nonetheless. "And have been nowhere else! Go to London with that nice young man and his family! Learn new things and finally live your life, okay? You can always send us postcards and come visit!" Gertrude's words echoed in her brain leading up to the day they departed. There was so much she needed to get in order before leaving. Eventually, she decided she would do as much as she could now and come back later to finish the rest. With her suitcase in tow, she surprised J.J. on the tarmac with a mischievous smile. "Couldn't let you go to London alone. Wouldn't survive a day without me."

Now she was in this weird place, standing next to her friend and holding onto his hand; self-conscious about how clammy they must've felt in his. Syd and Roxie soon departed - the others doing the same and leaving Ari and J.J. to figure out something to do with themselves. She followed him outside and felt like she was able to finally breathe, puffing her cheeks out. What the hell did she get herself into? J.J. then turned to her and she narrowed her eyes at him trying to pay attention and process what he was saying. The plane ride. Right. The emotional breakdowns and screaming and crying... Just when she thought she was used to him and his family they showed yet another side of them. She wasn't going to lie and say that she wasn't freaked out either; she wasn't used to something like this. Ari slide her hands in her back pockets as JJ asked if she was having second thoughts. "Oh I was having second thoughts before we took off," she admitted with a straight face. She bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders. "Buuut it's okay. I'm here now and I'm here for you and that's what matters, right?" She opened her mouth to say more before hearing someone call out to him. Two more of what seemed to be family approached and Ari took a step back to give JJ space. The excitement he exuded caused her to smile and for a moment she couldn't help feeling a bit jealous. He had all this family around him now. So many people and memories and relationships... She wished she had even a sliver.

Ari heard the way JJ introduced her and had to bite her tongue from saying anything snarky. Too early for it, she decided. Collin stuck his hand out for her to shake and she wiped her hands on her pants before shaking it. "Sorry," she said, nervously chuckling, "My hands are clammy," she trailed off. "It's really nice to meet you both." She dropped his hand before rubbing at her arm. The number of people she had met in the past couple of days was... A lot. Really she needed a moment to download it all but she was still going to be doing her best. "Family? Oh I-," she was about to protest his statement when more people joined the group. More family members. If she were being honest she was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed but for the sake of her best friend, she was going to hold it in. So many different personalities melding together so quickly. She was usually good at this and not so nervous but... "I'm Arabella. You can call me Ari," she said to Lucas. She then turned her attention to the quieter one, Liam, and returned his smile. While Lucas spoke to the group she quietly asked Liam, "Are they always this energetic?"

 

[Bellz]

"The Big House" - Downstairs Kitchen
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~
Blake Harper
​

Blake wasn't surprised to hear that Sinny and Peter were not in London; she knew how much Sinead didn't like the fighting. And she was sure that Peter had been ready to retire ages ago. Hearing that Conor hadn't seen Lucy around yet was weird; Blake had yet to see her too. Normally, the eldest of the Sullivan siblings found you, one way or another, and was the first to greet you with a huge smile on her face, even if you hadn't seen each other in years. "I haven't seen her. I'm sure she must be catching up with her kids. Strange though, she normally takes up residency in the kitchen trying to make food for someone or everyone. I'm sure she'll find us soon; maybe if we stay in this area, she'll sniff us out." She joked lightly, trying not to feel too unsettled about anything. While the possibility of losing people while they were all separated was clear in her mind during the 12 years, it was something she rather not think about. Plus, it was Lucy. The woman lived through more trauma than most. Fortunately, the conversation moved forward, and Conor confirmed that his appetite never left, causing her to laugh, "Well, I'm glad they have the fridge fully stocked; you have to tell me how your secret though, you look good."

Filling him in on Cuba's weather and joking about him treating Ali right felt so normal like they hadn't even skipped a beat. Like they hadn't missed the last 12 years of each other's lives. It was refreshing to know that things hadn't changed even though they missed so much. "Most spoiled wife in existence, huh? Let's keep it that way, yes? You know I have to check in, best friend duties and all. I may have been gone 12 years, but that doesn't change my status." She remarked in return, grinning from ear to ear.

Telling her about her marriage to Adam felt right, and she felt a swell of pride when talking about it. When he mentioned Adam looking more buff than he remembered, mentioning it staying between the two of them, Blake placed her right index finger to her lips to tell him she'd keep it a secret with a wink. "No squaring up, please! But between you and me, don't sell yourself short, Conor." She reminded him. Informing him about her life in Cuba was nice, and Blake had particularly smiled wider at hearing him mention Lucas being happy to see Collin again. Collin had been excited to see Lucas again, too, nervous even. He was telling her so on the trip over. She had sensed something, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Blake chalked it down to Collin, just fearing that maybe he wouldn't know his friend as well as he used to and vice versa, but Blake just told him to be himself; Collin was a wonderful young man who had charisma and a lively personality...Blake was biased, but she was sure Lucas and Collin would be best friends again in no time.

Conor admitted to wanting to see his grandchildren as well as she talked about Natasha not being in London with the kids. She didn't know how many grandkids she had, but when he mentioned four of them, her heart fluttered with a bit of excitement, "Four? They have four of them?" She asked and then laughed, "I don't know why I thought there might have been less of them. But I could see why she would have wanted to stay with that many little ones. It's crazy that you and I have the same grandchildren, huh?" Still, she hoped that Natasha wasn't permanently staying in Dublin with the kids, four of their grandchildren, and both Conor and she would be able to meet them. If Leo was going to be staying in London, Natasha had to be relocating at some point with him, right?

Blake didn't miss the smile on Conor's face as she asked about the girls; hearing that they were better now that they could see Leo was relieving and understanding. Collin was still itching to see Natasha but was momentarily distracted by seeing the rest of his cousins and friends. Hearing that Rhiannon took it the worst was troubling, but she didn't want to necessarily ask if it was hard to talk about. So she went on to ask about why he wasn't in the meeting, still a hard question, but it was something she had been curious about given Adam was up there now with Syd. Conor moved further into the kitchen, and Blake shuffled slightly further in to follow, briefly looking in the doorway to see if anyone would enter.

Hearing that Conor was indeed passing the torch was troubling at first until he explained why. He needed to keep himself together, keep stress levels down, and avoid any fights. Blake's eyes softened with concern, and her head tilted as she listened intently, her eyes flickering briefly to look at his head as he mentioned it before returning to look into his eyes, giving him her undivided attention as he talked about the mood swings and the headaches. How he wasn't the right person to lead the family against the Carters, a family who Blake had never heard of until now and Adam was probably learning about now. She nodded her head in understanding as he mentioned the Kings beating him back in the 80s, but it was clear in his voice and his stance that he wasn't necessarily putting the blame on them for his condition. Hearing he was here more as an advisor was respectable, and honestly, Blake was happy he decided to be here at all. He didn't have to come, and yet here he was despite all he just told her.

He opened the fridge and asked if she needed anything to eat or drink, "They got a beer in there? Something to take the edge off?" She asked. Blake wouldn't lie to him, just as he didn't lie to her just now. If he wasn't going to be in charge anymore, that only left Adam or Syd; if Syd didn't take it, well..."Maybe they got a liquor cabinet; I'll still take the beer, though." She said, moving to turn to the cabinets to find it. While she busied herself to find something stronger while Conor got her a beer, he asked what her plan was now that she was back. "Uhh...you know, I think I'm just along for the ride at this point. Moral support, emotional support...all of that jazz. God knows you men could use it, eh?" She joked, giving a small laugh as she opened a few cabinets until she found a bottle of Lagavulin in one of them. "Oh, hello." She hummed, grabbing it. "Malt Scotch Whiskey. Not normally my thing, but it'll do for now." Blake then went to go find the glasses.

Once she found one, she looked to Conor, "Want a glass?" If he agreed, she'd grab one out for him as well as herself and pour two glasses on the counter before handing him one and taking her beer which she then opened on the side of the counter, it popping off lightly. Deciding to drink the malt first, she winced at the taste, "The Scottish make a shit whiskey." She commented, looking at the glass before taking another sip and sighing as she leaned against the counter across from Conor. "I made my bed a long time ago in this life with Jackson; I intend to see it through to the end with Adam. Look out for Syd if that kid still needs it. Not much of a kid anymore, though. I have your boy to look after, my boy, and Natasha too if she decides to come to London. And hey, maybe just keep you in line, huh? Make sure you're spoiling Ali. While I spoil her on the side, of course." She took another sip, cringing again at the taste before saying, "And just enjoying the time I have left here, which I'm glad you're making efforts to do for yourself. You and Ali deserve at least 20 more years together, and any less, I'll kick your sorry arse."
with: Conor Misty Gray
mentions: Syd Pyroclast
Leo + Ali Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Downstairs Dining Room
~ Tottenham, London~

​

"Your family is alive," said Agent Walsh. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest with a semi-bored look on her face. She'd made this visit three times already and she wanted so desperately to get out of Dublin. Everywhere she went she was reminded of Wesley - her best friend and probably the love of her life. Ireland was a reminder of what she left behind and what she was about to work so damned hard to fix. But even if she explained all that to Leo he wouldn't be able to hear it. He was stuck in place; elbows leaned forward on the dining room table. His expression remained blank before his eyes narrowed. "Obviously," he sarcastically retorted, "They're upstairs sleepin'." Walsh stared at him with an annoyed grimace. "I was warned you weren't the smartest of the bunch," she grumbled. After a few seconds of ruffling around in her bag, she pulled out a manila folder. The contents spilled out onto the table once she'd tossed it - Leo picking up the first one he saw. A young woman in her early 20's. Smile on her face. Dark hair, big brown eyes. Eyes that he'd recognize anywhere. "Rhi?" In a confused daze Leo set the picture down and reached for another. This one had another young woman in her teens sitting under a tree. Papers were sprawled out underneath her and she was chewing on a pencil. It took him a minute but upon further inspection, he made out that it was Sydney. His chest started to get heavy, mind swirling with thoughts as he continued to look through all the pictures and when he stumbled upon one with both of his parents he lost it. Tears began to pour as he looked up at the Interpol Agent. "H-How is this possible?" Walsh had sat back in her seat after helping herself to some bourbon. "Oh, I can tell you. But that's when the bargaining begins.

Now here he was. Sitting in a room full of people he once wanted to kill - specifically, Jeremy. Twelve years ago the man had been involved with beating his father senseless. Putting his old man in the hospital with a life-long brain injury. He dreamt of the day he'd be able to exact revenge on him but since the peace treaty over a decade ago, there was no way he would be allowed to. Leo shifted in his seat next to Thomas, happy the man was there. Ever since last night the two of them had been catching up and filling each other in on their lives. While it was clear the two of them were different, to Leo it felt like no time had passed whatsoever. Leo's attention was then grabbed by Agent Roberts - no, Wesley. He didn't like formalities which was perfect considering he probably wasn't about to use them anyway. As far as Leo cared Wesley and his little Interpol buddies were the reasons they were in the mess. Even if they were the ones helping them get out of it. Wesley then introduced Jeremy as their 'gang liaison' for London. Leo had to bite his tongue not to say anything snarky about it just then and managed. Wesley named himself the man with all the answers and Leo took note - he had a ton of questions to ask and he wanted the proper person to answer all of them.

Jeremy then went on to give his own speech and truly Leo wasn't going to say anything smart. He had been running his own little group of criminals in Dublin and even before that had been on missions where he nearly lost his life. He didn't need Jeremy telling him how difficult this was all going to be nor that he needed to take it seriously. He opened his mouth for a retort when he heard someone scoff. After scanning the room he noticed it had been Logan, who also had a smart comment of his own. Leo couldn't help but smirk and lean back in his seat. "Hey, that's what Agent Walsh told me too," he said sarcastically. "Had I known gettin' shot at was in the deal I'd have politely declined." Leo then took a deep sigh before shaking his head. "Let's get one thing straight, alright, none of us are kids. Save the newbie speech for fresh recruits who've never seen more than a paper cut. None of us are new to this whole thing so don't go treatin' us like we are, huh Jeremy? You should know better by now." Leo would be lying if he said his tone wasn't being influenced by the past. He'd long since let it go, or at least he's tried to. The peace treaty meant that everything that'd happened no longer existed and he needed to let it go. And he would... Eventually. "Now," he said, sitting up in his seat and turning his attention to Wesley. "Lay it out once more. What exactly are we helping you all with and what are you going to do for us?"

Natalie ( neverbackdown ) Jeremy ( BasDorcha ) Thomas, Wesley ( Bellz ) Logan ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

"The Big House" - Downstairs Kitchen
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Conor Sullivan​

Conor had found it sweet how excited Blake had seemed at hearing about their four grandchildren. The Sullivans were a big enough family and over the years, without them knowing it, the family had grown even more with plenty of children having been born during forced separations. He couldn't wait to meet his new grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

"Aye, they've got beer," Conor confirmed as he reached into the fridge to grab a bottle for Blake. Whilst he did that, Blake set about looking for something stronger. As she explained she was intending on going along for the ride, he nodded in understanding. "Oh yeah. There's always someone in need of emotional support," he agreed. "Although I was going to say it's the women. Us blokes don't need it," he teased, trying to coax a playful reaction out of her.

Blake managed to find some Scottish whiskey and when she offered him a glass, he nodded his head. "Sure, one drink won't hurt," he reasoned. As she handed him his whiskey, he exchanged it by handing her the bottle of beer she'd requested. As she mentioned seeing things through to the end with Adam, Conor raised a curious eyebrow, but stayed quiet as she continued to speak. He smiled along as she spoke of the people she intended on looking out for. Her saying she'd keep him in line drew a dry laugh from him. "Maybe you should be making sure Ali spoils me. I wanna be spoiled too," he remarked.

Turn a little more serious, he looked at Blake for a moment before taking a quick drink of whiskey. "You're not worried, are you? About Adam, I mean. He's been doing this for long enough to know when to play it safe," he reassured her. "He's not intending on walking out of that meeting in charge anyway, is he?"

Bellz (Blake)

"The Big House" - Downstairs Small Lounge
(Interpol Main Safe House)
~ Tottenham, London ~

Charlotte King​

After her father's suggestion of joining Bucky in one of the quiet rooms, Lottie had set out to do that. She got a little distracted along the way, watching the people around the house. Some she recognised having been introduced the evening before or earlier when they'd first arrived at the safe house. Others, she'd never seen before and her curiosity did get the better of her. Growing up, she'd mostly been used to Cockney and Scottish accents. Now she was overhearing more - Irish, French, German, Dutch... Whilst she wasn't sure what most of them were, she knew they all sounded different to what she was used to.

Eventually, she stepped into the lounge and sat at the opposite end of the sofa to Bucky as he read a book. She briefly eyed him before lowered her head to look down to the Gameboy in her hand. After waiting for it to load up, she set about playing Super Mario Land. Remembering being told before to mute it so it didn't bug people around her, she played the game without the sound playing out. Still, as she concentrated, she couldn't help but hum to herself. She didn't get to play the game for long before the battery ran out and the device shut itself down. After letting out a frustrated groan, she sat for a moment, discreetly looking to her cousin as she chewed her bottom lip. She began weighing up whether it was okay to start talking to Bucky or if this was one of the times she should stay quiet.

Lottie's decision was clearly made as she turned to look at her cousin directly and smiled at him. "Hey, Bucky. What's your book about?" she curiously asked. "I was playing on my Gameboy but the batteries just ran out..." she trailed off. "I never had cousins before now, how about you? Where did you live before coming here? I lived in Scotland," she told him. There were hundreds of questions she could easily reel off, but she held back so Bucky could answer first few, and get a word in.

Bellz (Bucky)

 

[Bellz]

"The Big House"
(Interpol Main Safe House)
Downstairs Dining Room
~ Tottenham, London~

Thomas Porter
Wesley Roberts ​

Cuba had spoiled Thomas with many things, a beautiful wife, two beautiful children, a family both connected to his wife and not who he loved with everything he had but in his heart, deep down, he always felt his own missing. When Klaus came to them with the opportunity to return to the ones they were all missing, Thomas, of course, was skeptical and wary of such things. In his experience, as well as the others in his company, everything came with a price. But in his case, those prices were extreme. These contracts reminded him a lot of the treaties that were signed in exchange for his freedom in Iran. While he wasn't personally paying for those prices years later, the mental effects were still being paid off. While he'd managed to chase away most of those demons, some nights he was still down in that basement with the other hostages just thinking about his family and coming to terms with the fact that he never would come home. At least in Cuba, he was comfortable, and when he'd come to terms with the same beliefs he wasn't alone any longer. But now Interpol had come along and shaken everything up again.

After long detailed talks, they all decided it was worth returning to their lives, to their real identities, and ultimately...to their family that they were forced to separate from 12 years prior. Thomas and Elena had decided to tell the kids a soft story of how they had gotten into some trouble back in the 80s and had to go into hiding, and now they were allowed to walk free. With that freedom came the chance to see family that they previously told were dead, at least the family that had been on Thomas's side. They had a grandmother who would be over the moon to see them, same with an Uncle and an Aunt as well as plenty of cousins. It had been years, but Thomas was excited, to show them all the family he'd built with Elena. His wife he was so immensely in love with and the children he was so proud of bringing into this world. He was especially excited about his mother's reaction. For a long time, Lucy had talked about Thomas having kids like Syd and Thomas always blew her off, you know, having been just in his early 20s at the time, it was the last thing on his mind and always the first thing on hers. But now he had Lorenzo and Maria, who were practically bouncing in their seats the entire trip and things seemed to be falling into place. Even if he was nervous about what this would mean for the safety of himself, Elena, and the kids.

Thomas wasn't one to worry too much about the future until he knew all of the facts. Until he was clued in on every detail from Adam and Interpol, he wouldn't fuss over his anxieties. When they arrived in London, they had a few days in a hotel on the outskirts of the city to just relax, which had been appreciated given the travel. When they arrived at the safe house, it was already crowded. Adam had separated from the group to head upstairs as instructed by Klaus, leaving the rest to do as they pleased in the meantime. Thomas was informed of an informational meeting happening in the Downstairs dining room for returning and new gang members. While he didn't want to separate from his family, he knew he should probably be there.

Turning to Elena and his kids, he said, "I should probably go see what the fuss is about. But I'll be back. Go socialize for a bit, yea? You know how I hate doing that." He said, a smirk on his face as he looked at his wife, who tended to be more of a social butterfly compared to him. Sure there were people here who were his family, but there were also a lot of faces he didn't recognize. "I'll catch up with you in a little while. I'll be in the downstairs dining room if you need me. Try to go find my mom, yea? Or Olivia? I'm sure they are around here somewhere and already have the gossip on who is who." With that, he kissed Elena's lips quickly before planting a kiss on both of his children's foreheads, "Stay out of trouble both of you, try not to break anything."

Walking away from them was harder than he thought it would be but once he rounded the corner he found himself taking his time getting to the dining room. He'd seen several family members but didn't have the nerve to walk up and say hello yet. One person he hadn't seen was his mother and that unsettled him. Normally, she was all over the place. Granted she would be older now but even in her age, it would be near impossible to take the social essence out of her. Lucy Porter had a way of practically floating from room to room during a social gathering, greeting everyone and anyone and making them feel welcome even if she wasn't in her own home. Thomas looked down at each room, seeing a handful of people but none of the people he was looking for. While he wouldn't let his anxiety get to him, his heart skipped a few times in his chest. He hadn't seen Syd or Roxie either. Or Olivia. Where were they? He hoped Elena had better luck.

In the 12 years they had been separated, Thomas had worked hard not to think about all the things that could go wrong. Death was inevitable, after his father passed in Dublin, Thomas had been brought that much closer to that idea. James Porter had been a man he saw as invincible for so long and even he couldn't escape death in the end. But to think that perhaps something happened to the ones he loved during their time apart...the man placed a hand to his heart just as he reached the dining room, hearing voices. Leo and he had a chance to catch up the night before, which Thomas had been thankful for. While the two of them were different, time didn't seem to affect their friendship which relieved Thomas more than anything. The last time they had been apart this long when they reunited they were not on good terms. But they had been just kids then...really.

Wesley introduced himself and Thomas committed his name to memory, Thomas already knew Jeremy from word of mouth but never met the man in person. A single brow went up as he introduced the man as their gang liaison, which he hoped was for the others in the room rather than him or Leo. Were they having to sit through some lectures on things they already knew about? Thomas could have been catching up with his mother right now or with Elena and the kids. Out of everyone in the room, Thomas was probably the only one who would be able to keep his mouth shut. Given the discipline he had from his years in the Service, that and he just wasn't a man who tended to thrive on attention like others. No offense to Logan or Leo. Natalie hadn't said anything either. He'd open his mouth if he felt he really had something to say and it needed to be said, but other than that he'd sit back and enjoy the show.

Meanwhile, he was watching Wesley, who looked a bit drained of color at this very moment as both Logan and Leo spoke up after Jeremy's speech. Wesley was expecting some push back sure, but not from Logan. Definitely from Leo, almost certainly from him. He folded his arms, jaw tight as he listened, eyeing Jeremy for a reaction. The last thing Wesley needed right now was any tension between these people. While he was letting egos fly at the moment, all of them failed to realize just whose jurisdiction they were in sitting in this dining room in the safe house. Any trouble and Wesley would act accordingly if he had to. Wesley did think that maybe the speech was a bit much, but he wasn't about to go off and say that. They were working together. Wesley would let Jeremy get in a few words if he had any to defend himself before breaking it up, "Alright, we get it all out of our system? Lots of egos runnin' rampant in this room right now, yea?" Natalie and Thomas had been the only ones not to call Jeremy out, which Wesley appreciated. Logan seemed to not like the way Jeremy was talking down to him or perceived it to be that way. And from the tone of voice, the way he sat, everything, Leo Sullivan seemed to have some old feelings he needed to work through. He wanted Wesley to lay it out again, what they were helping Interpol with, what they were going to do for them in return for that service.

"Well, if we're done havin' a pissin' match. I'll explain further." He looked between the people in the room, "So what say ye? We done for now?" Whether he was met with a grumble, a glare, or whatever, he clapped his hands together. "Fantastic!" Wesley smiled as if he wasn't reading the energy in the room or even his own mood before the meeting anymore, just trying to get through this shit so they all could be done with it. "The Carter Family. Is a very prominent family in the area, specifically London. As influential as the Kings were at the time before the raid, except sorry to say, the Kings' reputation did not have the same glitz and glitter that the Carters have. These people are equivalent to the Kennedys I would say, minus the whole family curse thing. " Wesley looked to Jeremy, hoping he didn't get offended about that. "Basically, Carters know whose arses to kiss in the political arena, know how to work the media, and basically any room Ezekiel, the head of the family and the leader of the company walks into. Absolute magic. But such a reputation isn't always spotless. As yer families know well enough. My organization has been going to great lengths to bring those....black spots on their record to light. Can't be havin' someone with that much sway in the areas he does play in crime and get away with it. The general public is threatened and they don't even know it yet." Wesley paused, hoping they were all keeping up.

"We've worked several different operations on our own to try and expose them, to find out more information..." He couldn't meet anyone's eye as he glanced towards the floor, "All of which were stifled. By employees of the family or third-party hires, we believe. Which caused us to pull back on intimate efforts with many of our own agents." Wesley looked back up to look at all the gang members in the room, his eyes slowly scanning to meet each of their eyes. "So, my organization has decided it to be a good idea to employ ye to help aid us. Carter believes the Kings to be dead, the Sullivans and Porters aren't on his radar yet. And the newer recruits will go undetected. Ye are helping us fight fire with fire, which we know many will burn. But the benefit outweighs the risk, ye see? Might not be for yer own safety, but for the safety of others, innocent lives." He paused, ready to take any questions if needed before addressing the question as to what they would do for them.

"What we will do for yer families, excuse the crimes that could have been piled on against ye before. Return yer identities, yer properties if ye owned them. We are offering immunity for anything ye do in this fight, within reason, can't be hurting civilians or nothin'. Ye also will have all of our resources at yer disposal. Which I will be going over soon. Does that cover it?" He asked Leo, raising a brow towards him. "Anyone have any questions or comments?" He looked around the room, hoping they did.
with: Jeremy BasDorcha
Natalie neverbackdown
Logan Misty Gray
Leo Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: Elena and Kids Pyroclast