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

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Chinatown
~ West End, London ~
Erik Snowden

To say Erik didn't feel a bit smug right now was a lie. Having a bit of diplomatic immunity felt quite nice but he couldn't exactly relish in it. He was worried his good luck would turn bad for Jeremy, seeing as he wasn't as privileged. What they couldn't do to him they could do to Jeremy a thousand times worse. He turned his attention from the King member and look at Adam. He had announced his affiliation once more to Edwards, who looked at him like Erik had wronged him. Which, couldn't be the case. Erik hadn't met the man a day in his life which meant that hatred had to be for his boss. Erik was aware of all sorts of people hated Gabriel Moretti but he'd met a lot more of them than he wanted to in the past few months. "What can I say? The man is very well connected."

Adam spoke next, demanding they tell them who killed Aidan. As much as Erik agreed to want this whole thing over with quickly, that meant the death of the person who'd done it- Billy. And considering his relationship with the man he wasn't about to let that happen. He'd die for Billy before he let someone touch him. But because his boss had a treaty with Adam's boss, there wasn't really anything he could do without making a mess. Erik was stuck and he hated it, the frustration painted on his face. Edwards then spoke to him again, the same demand leaving his lips. Erik just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You think just 'cause my boss and your's have some pact made that I'll be nice to any of youse? You're a fuckin' putz!" He spat. "Speakin' o' fair, you don't think that hit was fair? Considerin' you blew up a nightclub and attempted murder? Succeeded with some, even. What, the Irish don't believe in an eye for an eye?"

Jeremy's words only back up his own and Erik looked between Edwards and Adam to see their expressions. He was sure neither man cared about the lives lost and threatened during the bombing, but it didn't matter. What mattered was wasting time and trying to figure out some sort of game plan. With the four of them all split up it was difficult to plan anything accordingly. They outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, and out-planned. What the hell were they supposed to do? One of the main things Erik worried about was Billy. Knowing how awful he felt about Aidan and that it weighed heavily on him, Erik worried he would spill his guts. When Billy told him the news he'd nearly been a wreck. Erik allowed him to talk about it openly and without judgment - considering, Erik had killed before - in order to feel better. Sitting here now and thinking about it made him wonder; would Billy crack so easily?

Before Erik was able to open his mouth, Jeremy decided to take the blame. He quickly turned his head to look at him - a confused and shocked expression on his face. Since Erik hadn't been present in Dublin - something he couldn't even lie about - the shock could be read as him being surprised it was Jeremy. However, he knew Jeremy knew better. He was shocked that he would admit to something that wasn't true- and so quickly. He justified it with some truth in saying Aidan was in the wrong place and the wrong time. Knowing the story of what happened, Erik was able to discern the truth from the lie. Still, he couldn't wrap his mind around what Jeremy was doing nor why.

Edwards ( BloodThunder27 ) Jeremy ( BasDorcha ) Adam, Dermot ( Misty Gray )

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aqua Shard
~Southwark, London~
Alexander King​

Alex let out a brief chuckle and Kerry's answer. She'd answered so quickly as if ready to be asked something like that. It was also clear that she knew what she wanted and there was no hesitation in her choice. It made him wonder if she were the same way when it came to her life decisions. "Considering the atmosphere, I think I'll go with red," Alex said in response to Kerry's question, a smile on his face. He wasn't a big wine drinker, however, for tonight he would be. It just went better with the overall setting - plus it was suggested next to his meal.

Hearing that Spencer was actually being nice for once caused him to nod his head in understanding. He figured it was because he knew he'd been a dick to several people in the past week and this was his way of making up for it; good karma and all that. But Alex wasn't complaining as it gave him an opportunity to see Kerry. For a brief moment, he thought about Bruce and Spencer and how they were currently breaking the news to Harper. May was their half-sister and Trevor was even more of a prick than they originally thought. He'd already given his opinion about it all and therefore decided he didn't need to attend. Besides, he was still on the fence about how to feel about her. Deciding not to dwell on the situation whilst he was on a date, he switched gears.

"I'm sure Eddie is softening him up a bit. Kids have a funny way of doing that to you. Callum has with me," he said, looking directly into Kerry's eyes. "Amongst other things." Alex spoke from experience even though it was only recently that he started getting his shit together. He hadn't exactly changed when Callum was born but now that things had been getting so hectic he was. "But, it could also be because you're doin' him a favor and just don't know it." The waiter returning with their drinks allowed a momentary silence to hang in the air. The dramatic pause was ended the moment they walked away and Alex was able to continue. "There's a family meeting that I want no parts of tonight. Spencer could've said yes so he didn't have to hear me pout about it all night," he joked, "And trust me. I'd have pouted." Alex was sure it wasn't the reason Spencer allowed her to go out with him, but then again maybe it was.

Kerry informed him that he was on the right path, making him smile. "That's all that matters then, isn't it?" He winked at her before finally taking a sip of his drink. "Play your cards right and you might get to see more of it." Alex wasn't completely against showing a softer side to Kerry, but he still had a reputation to uphold. Couldn't have people knowing he was a secret romantic or else he'd be ruined. She then asked about his day and he took a brief pause. How much, he wondered, could he tell her? She'd proved time and time again that she was trustworthy- considering all the times they'd spent where he rattled on about his issues. Meaning, he could tell her about May. Besides, she was bound to hear it anyway so... Clearing his throat, he leaned forwards and placed his arms on the table. Gesturing for her to come closer as if telling her a secret, he subtly glanced around before landing on her once more. "Boy scout," he said in reference to Christian, "Had done some diggin' into May's background and lineage. Well, not only is she a scummy Sullivan but apparently, she's one of Trevor's seeds. Makin' her all sorts of halves. Half Sullivan, half King. Half-sister. Whole things been doin' my head in, to be honest, and I'm still not exactly processing, you know?"

Kerry ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

Chinatown
~ West End, London ~

Emery Callahan
Adam Harper & Dermot Murphy

​

Adam kept his focus on Jeremy even as he listened to the words exchanged between Erik and Edwards on the subject of the Morettis. There was mention of the pact made and Erik pointing out that he wasn't about to be amicable just because of it. The man's presence was proving to be an irritation and not just because of what he was saying, but because Adam couldn't just pull the trigger to silence him in a split second. "Hey now, that whole nightclub thing was no doubt inspiration by Moretti himself. He knows all about blowing up clubs and slaughtering innocents," Adam pointed out.

Jeremy soon began to speak on the subject of the real matter at hand. "Well, I for one liked Aidan very much, so killing his killer is going to make a hell of a lot of a difference to my grieving process. It'll help me to cleanse my soul and all that," he casually told Jeremy. Of course, he had been grieving for the loss of his good friend, but Adam was fully capable of separating his feelings from his work. Instead, Adam was able to acknowledge his mild irritation at the cockiness coming from Jeremy. There was a brief pause when the door was opened and the masked man, Dermot, entered the office and positioned himself by the door once he'd closed it.

Adam didn't need to press Jeremy to get to the point as the man soon found his way to it without further prompting. The Londoner admitted to killing Aidan himself, explaining how the Irish man had got in the way and been killed during the commotion. Mirroring how calm and casual Jeremy seemed about his admission, Adam folded his arms and took a seat on the edge of the nearby desk, looking to Jeremy as the man remained seated. As the Londoner continued to speak, he seemed to not care about the words he chose, going as far as to say Aidan deserved it. Regardless of the fact his friend had been involved in blowing up the Mercury Nightclub, Adam was in London to get revenge on his friend's killer and to send a message that the Sullivans weren't going to let anyone get away with attacking them.

"Okay, now we're making progress," Adam began. He motioned for Edwards to stop aiming the gun at Jeremy, albeit to still keep it ready to fire if needed. Without much in the way of warning, Adam lunged forward and grabbed Jeremy by the throat, catching him by surprise and putting enough force into the action to drag the Londoner out of his seat. Whilst the chair tipped over on the floor by Edwards' feet, Adam slammed Jeremy's back against the wall. After dealing a powerful blow beneath the centre of man's ribs, Adam released his hand from around Jeremy's throat, but only in time to use that fist to crack into Jeremy's left eye-socket. Another series of punches were dealt, busting Jeremy's lip and nose in the process. Regardless of whether Jeremy struck back, he would soon feel the rope around his neck as Dermot stepped in, pulling the rope tighter around Jeremy's throat to keep him in place. Adam meanwhile retrieved the knife he'd earlier confiscated from Jeremy, deciding he wouldn't need to use his own to finish the job. "Where exactly was it you stabbed my friend?" Adam asked Jeremy, looking the man in the eyes as he dug the sharp tip into the centre of his abdomen, just below the ribs. He pressed the knife in deep enough to cut the skin but not to cause any real damage yet. "Let him speak," Adam said, prompting Dermot to loosen the rope a little so Jeremy could breathe properly. "Higher, wasn't it?" he asked for confirmation of where exactly Jeremy stabbed Aidan.

Before Adam could set about using Jeremey as a bloody pin cushion, the office door was opened and Emery stepped inside. "Ohhh, this is... interesting?" the redhead spoke with an awkwardness. After acknowledging Edwards and Erik, she turned back to Adam who was no doubt irritated by the interruption. "You can probably stop torturing the guy now. Billy's confessed to killing Aidan and has offered to arrange for Bruce and Spencer to come over for a meeting with you lads. Ball's in your court," she informed Adam.

"Well, ain't that something." Turning to Edwards, Adam shook his head. "Now we have two confessions." Turning back to Jeremy, he shook his head. "At least one of you pricks is lying." After commanding Emery to stay with Edwards and Erik, Adam dragged Jeremy out of the office with Dermot's help, intending to get to the actual truth.

With the other men out of the room, Emery turned to Edwards and Erik with a bemused look on her face. "Don't tell me Jeremy confessed to it too? Pair of fools," she scoffed, referring to both Billy and Jeremy. "How's it going, Erik? That wanker boss of yours still being a wanker?" she asked about Gabriel. "This kind of thing is right up Moretti's street. You should hear what he did to my Mam's club back in New York, Ed. Erik's cousin went and married into the psycho's family!"



With Emery in the office (Scene 1):
BloodThunder27 (Edwards)
Melanin-Gxdess (Erik)

Chinatown
~ West End, London ~

Adam Harper and Dermot Murphy
Emery Callahan
Christian Brooks​

Emery's eyes widened and she had to take a moment to process that she had just heard Billy confess to being Aidan's killer. "Ah, jeez. You fuckin' kiddin'?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "You were the last one I had down as the killer. Guess you ain't as sweet as I thought you were, Billy."

Christian turned to Billy when the man confessed to being the killer. He studied his face to see if he could detect any signs that the younger man was lying, but he was struggling to find any such confirmation. He listened intently as Billy explained how it happened and that he'd done it to stop Aidan from killing his brothers. Christian bit his lip, unsure if it was worse for Billy to be admitting the truth or even worse if he was simply lying to protect the others. Either way, it wasn't good for Billy whether or not the Sullivans believed him.

Billy went on to point out how them killing him would only continue the cycle of more retaliation and death. Emery didn't speak up, but lightly nodded when Billy pointed out that she'd been in the situation before. It had been happening to her family since long before she was born, but she also knew that to survive, her family had to retaliate and show they weren't weak. "I'll let Adam know the news," Emery told Reina and Tom, knowing the man wanted to be kept updated.

"He's right," Christian addressed Reina, Tom and Emery. "Killing Billy isn't going to do anything to bring Aidan back. It'll just prolong this back and forth if you hurt Billy. That means more violence and more people will be lost."

The Irish seemed to believe that Billy arranging a meeting with Spencer and Bruce would be some kind of setup. Christian himself wondered how much the Kings were prepared for such an event. Would they come prepared to fight or really be drawn in enough to walk into a trap?

Before anyone could act on Billy's confession or seek out Adam's approval to contact the King boss, Adam and Dermot returned into view, dragging Jeremy along with them. As soon as they were close enough to the table Billy and Christian where forced to remain seated at, Adam kicked the backs of Jeremy's knees, forcing him to kneel down on the floor. Adam pressed the barrel of his handgun into the back of Jeremy's skull and rested his finger on the trigger. Christian looked to Jeremy, seeing the man's bloodied face and clothes; clear signs he'd been having an unpleasant time with Adam and Edwards.

"Alright, so both Billy and Jeremy have confessed to killing Aidan. At least one of you fuckers is lying and I want to know who," Adam addressed all those present. "Either one of you retracts your confession, or you both die. That would be a real waste when only one of you needs to die tonight." Adam motioned for Tom to aim his gun back on Billy. "I wasn't here for your first confession, Billy. So tell me again who killed Aidan so my friend can shoot the guilty party and we move on to the next item on the agenda."

With Christian, Adam, Dermot (Scene 2)
Pyroclast (Billy)
BasDorcha (Tom, Jeremy)
Melanin-Gxdess (Reina)

 

[Pyroclast]

Chinatown
~ West End, London ~

Billy King​

Billy felt Christian's eyes on him as soon as he confessed to killing Aidan, but he didn't turn to see his facial expression. Until now, Billy assumed that Christian hadn't been informed of the details of the failed assassination attempt in Dublin, so if he was right and this was his first time hearing the truth, and if he was at all shocked, then Billy would rather not know. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed firmly on Emery and Reina, both of whom expressed their surprise that he had had it in him to kill someone. He didn't care what they thought, as long as they believed him.

His hope faltered when the man behind him challenged the idea that he was Aidan's killer, calling him soft. Billy frowned - he couldn't see his face, but he didn't recognise the voice as anyone he had met before, so he didn't understand how or when the man could have formed any sort of opinion on his character. Reina disagreed, anyway, calling attention to the guilt displayed on his features as a sign that he was telling the truth. The debate ended there, with the two in agreement that it was unlikely Billy would call Spencer and Bruce to the scene without having some kind of trick up his sleeve. In all honesty, Billy didn't know how to bring them there without putting them in danger - even if he did manage to get them to come armed and with backup without explicitly asking, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't get hurt. He would feel awful to mix them up in it, but if it was the only way to save the others from getting tortured and killed then he didn't see what other choice he had. Billy expected them to kill him regardless, as payback for murdering Aidan, but if he could at least do something to spare the others in the time that he had left, he supposed that was his best way out.

Emery moved off to the room where Erik and Jeremy had been taken to let Adam know about the confession. Billy let out an exhale, eager to see things move along and just hoping he had confessed fast enough to spare the others too much pain. Christian backed him up, reiterating that killing Billy would only bring the Sullivans more violence and death in retaliation and Billy sent him a grateful look. He would rather the man wasn't there at all, especially since he had played no matter in the Dublin attack, but he was at least glad that his friend was supporting him.

Suddenly the doors at the back of the room opened; Billy instinctively turned around, despite the gun still pressed against him that had only moments ago been used to hit him over the head. Adam and another masked man appeared, dragging Jeremy with them. Billy stiffened at the sight of him, all battered and bruised and bloody, having clearly taken a bad beating. His heart started to race when Jeremy was forced to his knees and Adam put a gun to his head. He tried to catch Jeremy's eye, even just to share a look of solidarity, but when Adam announced that he had confessed, Billy's eyes instead shot up to Adam. "What?!" he exclaimed. To his horror, the man then explained that they would both get killed if one of them didn't retract their confession, and asked Billy once again who killed Aidan. He looked back at Jeremy, at his bloodied face and clothes, and wondered if it was the beating and the pressure that had prompted him to lie instead of stay silent. "Jeremy, tell 'em the truth," he pleaded, looking down at his kneeling friend. "Jeremy, come on, please...you don't have to lie for me."

Terrified that his friend was about to be wrongfully killed, Billy looked up at Adam, Reina and Dermot with desperation in his eyes. "You've gotta believe me," he begged. "He's just tryna' protect me, I swear. I was watchin' their backs - Aidan comes up behind us so it was me who has to disarm him, and - and that's how it happened. I swear to you, it's the truth. It was me. Please let 'im go, just take me and let 'em all go! Please!"

Interactions
BasDorcha Tom, Jeremy
Melanin-Gxdess Reina
Misty Gray Adam, Dermot, Christian

 

[BloodThunder27]

~James Edwards~

---

~Chinatown | West End, London~

At this point in the conversation, if one can call it that, Edwards was silently simmering in anger because of the memories of Riker's Island creeping into his mind. Only further adding to it was Jeremy's cocky tone and behavior. However, he was caught off-guard when Jeremy confessed to killing Aiden, but the way he talked about it continued to stir the pot as the bad memories creeping after Riker's Island was his experiences at war. What the fuck did he get himself into, he wondered. Why was this guy being so arrogant and cocky? Nonetheless, looks like someone was ready to die for the Kings...

For a moment, Edwards forgot that Erik was in the room. Hell, Edwards didn't really wanna look at the guy over the simple fact that he was a part of the Moretti Family, but then he had some words for Adam, particularly about how the Sullivans blew up a Nightclub before asking if the Irish don't believe in an eye for an eye. Who knew the world of organized crime was such a complex place? This was worse then the military! Well, maybe not the Vietnam War, but still. Nonetheless, Adam fired back about the bombing, saying that Moretti was quite the inspiration for the Nightclub blowing up and murdering innocent people. Judging from his body language though, Adam most likely doubted the confession that Jeremy had just given them. And it wasn't long until Dermot entered the room. A moment after the door closed, Adam motioned for him to stop aiming his gun at Jeremy, to which he nodded. He then took a step back as he holstered the Revolver and once more re-armed himself with the MP7 that was hanging from its sling, even flipping off the safety switch to full-auto. In a heartbeat, Adam lunged at Jeremy and grabbed him by the throat and literally dragged him out of his seat with enough force to knock the wooden chair down where it landed by his feet and started beating him, starting with a flurry of punches. The next step was Dermot stepping and putting a rope around the man's neck. He then put his finger on the trigger once more to be ready in the event that Erik was gonna try and pull a fast one. But it didn't seem likely. Adam then demanded to know where Jeremy had stabbed Aiden as the tip of a knife dug into the center of the abdomen below his ribs.

Once Adam was about to give Jeremy a slow painful death, or so it seemed, the door opened once again and Emery entered the room. After the awkward entrance, she proceeded to inform them that Billy had confessed to the murder and offered to arrange a meeting with Bruce and Spencer. Great...Now they had two confessions. He then nodded wearily when Adam said that at least one of the two fuckers was lyin'!

Wasting no more time, Adam and Dermot dragged Jeremy out of the room, with Dermot kinda choking Jeremy out with the rope around his neck.

"Don't tell me Jeremy confessed to it too? Pair of fools... How's it going, Erik? That wanker boss of yours still being a wanker? This kind of thing is right up Moretti's street. You should hear what he did to my Mam's club back in New York, Ed. Erik's cousin went and married into the psycho's family!"

As much as Edwards wanted to add a smart-ass comment, that was put to rest when Emery mentioned what happened to her Mother's Club back in New York. "I'm guessing that they blew it up too? And killed several people, injured several more?" He asked. "By the way, how is Mrs. Callahan and Little Liam? Missed Church this week, so figured I'd ask since you likely saw them before we left to come here. Nonetheless I hope they've been doing better since that ordeal last month."

---

Interactions: Erik Snowden Melanin-Gxdess | Emery Callahan Misty Gray
Leaving The Room: Dermot Murphy, Adam Harper Misty Gray | Jeremy Gray BasDorcha
Mentioned: Billy King Pyroclast

 

[BasDorcha]

Chinatown
~Westend, London~
Jeremy Gray & Tommy Thatcher​

Jeremy looked up at them as the fist came swinging towards him. In a flash his hands was up, but not fast enough to miss Adam as the attack came without warning. The choking hand at his throat took the air right out of him, and the next few minutes ran through as a blur. Each swinging, each fighting back, but Jeremy taking the brunt of it. It wasn’t that Jeremy couldn’t, but in his mind quickly realized that if he got the upper hand, the other man standing in the room might shoot him on the spot, within moments he was subdued. The rope around his neck bit at this skin, burning it and turning the skin a bright red. His ribs were certainly bruised already, and his left eye was barely open, bleeding from the crease.

He swallowed hard, tasting the iron in his mouth as his lip and nose ran together and into the place gasping for air. Not to be bested though, he didn’t cry, beg or even whimper, he just leaned forward, spitting blood at Adam as he did so, and lifted his hand to point at the spot that he best remembered the knife sticking out of Aidan. “Right here, prick.” His voice showed no signs of wavering or hesitation, because he felt none. Mentally, he was glad to have some air back, his brain slowly starting to work again. The sound of the door opening surprised him, but he could not turn his head to see much of what was going on. He struggled against the ropes a bit, but Dermont was steadfast in holding it. Hearing that Billy had offered to bring Bruce and Spencer here caused a moment of panic in his mind. They would be totally unprepared, though Bruce was probably smart enough to read his nephews voice without needing to say anything.

The biggest shock was hearing Billy had already confessed. His intuition had been right, Billy’s crippling guilt and fear for his friends had pushed him to breaking much sooner then Jeremy, Spencer, or any of the other men and women here probably ever would. He loved Billy, but he just wasn’t built like them, and that was the best part about him. The rest of them, they could separate their personal feelings and work, but Billy just felt things with his whole self. If Jeremy had procrastinated any longer, he would have missed beating Emery in the door. He looked over at Erik, trying to relay with his eyes why he had done it, before being drug out of the room like a dog on a leash.

Dermont held him firmly while Jeremy was forced to the ground with a swift burst of pain across the back of his legs. His knee’s slammed the ground, but he held in the grunt of pain as his eyes shot to Billy as if asking why he had done it. The barrel pushed into his skull only aggravated him, so he shoved his head back, throwing Adam’s hand for a moment before it was forced back against his head even harder, the rope from Dermont tightening. Faintly, in the moment of silence, Jeremy swore he heard a siren piercing the air, but he couldn’t be sure, his blood pounding so loudly in his mind. This was possibly about to get a lot worse, he almost prayed they were going somewhere else. If the cops showed up, the Irish might decide to shoot them all just to make quick work of it.

---

Tom watched as Reina spoke to the two men before them, his gun lax at his side along with his stance. She pointed out about an incident he did not know of, and flicked Christian in the head. Tom watched him carefully for his response, but he seemed a rather cool headed bloke for the moment. Still, raging waters run deep under a smooth surface. He kept his finger loosely on the trigger as Billy made his confession. An audible snort left him as if to call the man Billy a liar. There was no way it was intentional, people like him had little backbone and no strength to withstand making that kind of decision. They were soft, and usually ended up getting their loved ones killed because they couldn’t protect them. Where Tom got this all from was just the sense the man had about him – his aura you might say – and the way he begged for his friends, he begged to save them, he was even offering up his own family. Tom couldn’t imagine just rolling over like that.

As Emery dipped off to the back only to be replaced with a very abused looking Jeremy, Adam and Dermont, Tom laughed like it was a big joke, “No, seriously, this big guy here broke that easy?” He scoffed at the large man on the ground looking like someone had taken a shillelagh to him. Adam, on the other hand, looked pissed. His eyebrow was bleeding, and so was the corner of his mouth, and there was some other blood on him and his clothes, though presumably that was Jeremy’s. When the man instructed him to lift his gun, the fun stopped and he fell immediately silent, lifting the metal weapon and placing it with a thump against Billy’s brain.

All watched on as Billy was just as shocked as the rest about Jeremy’s confession, but Jeremy never blinked or even indicated a hint of emotion, just staring deadly ahead like a tiger ready to pounce at his first opportunity. The sound of Billy’s voice pleading with him to tell the truth just angered him. Could he not see that this was the best move? Billy didn’t deserve to die, he was a good man. Jeremy sniffed, clearing his airway to speak, his voice hoarse and much quieter then normal, “Cram it, yeah, Billy? I get that yer trying to protect everyone, but this is my fault and I’m taking the blame. No one’s going to believe you, so just shut it. You couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag.” He didn’t want to hurt his friend, but he wasn’t going to let him throw himself on the alter of self-sacrifice over one accidental death. Jeremy had killed many more then that, plus he wasn’t going to be leaving behind as much as Billy would, or causing as much pain.

Tom rolled his eyes, his head following the motion dramatically before the click of the trigger on his gun pulled back, prepping to fire. The sound of the sirens were reaching his ears as well, and he wasn’t going to keep listening to the arguing. He looked up at Adam for confirmation before following through, though his finger was curled tightly enough on release that the slightly motion might set it off, waiting to be told. A second spread into an infinity as he waited.

Mentions Misty Gray Pyroclast BloodThunder27 Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Spencer and Shona's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

As Harper heard footsteps behind her, she thought she was about to be in huge trouble. Whoever it was would have caught sight of the contents in her purse and knowing her luck, this conversation that was supposed to be about May would turn into an unwanted intervention about her drug problems. Darcey's voice behind her asked what she was doing on the floor, only to stop short as the woman who knelt down beside her grabbed the pill bottle before Harper could.

The blonde bit the inside of her cheek and prepared for some sort of lecture, but lucky for her, it never came. Harper dared to meet the woman's gaze, only seeing the concern in her eyes as Harper's eyes began to water uncontrollably. There was only silence between them as May also bent down to help Harper with her things. May's hand reached out to help her to her feet and Harper stared at it for a long moment before taking her hand. Once upon her feet, Harper muttered her thanks, still not having looked away from Darcey, wondering why the woman had taken the bottle and hid it out of sight. If Harper hadn't been so confused and hopped up on pain meds already, she might have been fighting for her to give them back. But she didn't want to draw any more attention to the situation, so for now, she allowed Darcey to be in possession of them.

May caught her attention and Harper looked at the girl, having seen her for the first time since Billy told her that she was supposedly their half-sister. Harper focused on May's features, trying to pinpoint what they shared and what they didn't. May was asking how she was feeling mentioning that she had tried to call her earlier about joining her, Darcey, and Kerry for a girl's night. May and her were friends, that much was true and while Harper didn't necessarily feel threatened by her....she felt it was her duty to make sure that May stayed as far away from all of her family's bullshit as possible. Harper wasn't taking sides anymore -- she should have known that Trevor would lie to her and not tell her the truth about having another child but for Bruce to keep her out of the loop, well, that hurt more than she could put into words.

Realizing she had been doing nothing but staring, Harper blinked and cleared her throat, "A girl's night, huh? Sounds like fun. You can count me in." Her voice lacked the enthusiasm needed to sound believable, but Harper wasn't so sure that May would want a girl's night after this was all said and done. Before the conversation could go any further, Spencer greeted them and Harper did her best not to look angrily at him. He was kind enough as he hugged Darcey and gave May a warm smile before stopping in front of her. Harper had always looked up to Spencer, always so proud of the way he was able to handle even the shittiest of situations but as she looked at her eldest brother all she felt was a betrayal.

Despite the feeling, Harper cracked the smallest of smiles at his teasing, wanting to make sure that she didn't make anything too uncomfortable for May. If anything, she was here for her and herself, no one else in the room mattered. "I'm sure Shona can attest that out of the two of us, you're the messy one." Harper fired back, her voice once again lacking emotion. Shona hovered over to greet her as well and Harper didn't have to force the smile that formed on her face this time. With the help of her and Spence, Harper limped over to where the meeting would take place. Once she picked a seat to sit in, one of the single armchairs, Harper stood and looked around for a moment. How could a place that she was so familiar with feel like she didn't belong in it anymore? Biting her lip, Harper's eyes landed on her Uncle as he made his way to her.

Whatever was on his mind, he didn't show it, as usual. Harper allowed him to kiss her on the cheek and forced herself to smile, "Hello." She said simply. He rubbed her arm gently before telling her that he was glad that she could make it. He asked of the pain and Harper shrugged, "Some day's tolerable, some days it's not. The doctor says that unfortunately, I'll be dealing with chronic pains for the rest of my days." She informed him. He mentioned that if she needed a lift that he'd love to chat between just the two of them and Harper's heart skipped a beat nervously. She didn't want to be trapped in a car where she would have no choice but to speak with him but sooner or later she would have to. "I-" Her voice cracked, "I would like that too."

Luckily for her, the topic of today's conversation would not revolve around her and her wrongdoings and Harper found that she could settle into her armchair quite comfortably. Almost to the point where she was ready to close her eyes, the medication making her see double and triple on occasion as she focused on the table in the middle of the room filled with goodies. For the time being, Harper didn't reach for anything, feeling far too dizzy to sit forward.

Bruce didn't hesitate to get into the swing of things and Harper's blurry gaze fell on May as he addressed her openly. When the news was out in the open, Harper decided to look around at everyone in the room, wondering what they were all thinking at that moment. They had all discussed this so openly before -- without her presence that she was sure that they already had made up their minds about accepting May.

Bruce gave May an ultimatum which Harper didn't think to be terribly fair. But she forced herself to stay quiet, wanting to hear what her friend had to say about the matter. If she was unsure, only then would Harper step in and intervene.
with: Spencer Misty Gray
Bruce and Shona Pyroclast
Darcey Melanin-Gxdess
May BasDorcha

 

[Misty Gray]

Aqua Shard
~ Southwark, London ~

Kerry Patrick​

Kerry smiled when Alex also thought that Eddie could be softening Spencer up. "I saw your nephew when you all came to the pub the other week. Eddie is an adorable baby, so who can blame anyone for being turned soft by him," she gushed. When Alex continued on and spoke fondly of Callum, Kerry met his gaze and in the process was able to sense that he was being genuine in his sweet words about Callum. "Kids are good at bringing out the mush in all of us. I haven't had kids of my own, but between me knowing Callum and the Parkers' children, I can get a good idea about how good it must feel to be a parent."

Kerry raised a curious eyebrow when Alex suggested Spencer could also have been nice to her because she was doing him a favour. He elaborated to explain there was a family meeting going on which he clearly was happy to be away from. "Uh-oh, what now?" she asked, though wasn't expecting an answer if it was private, as most things with the Kings were. Alex said Spencer could have let her have the night off so Alex didn't have to attend the meeting and pout about it. "Well, if that is the case, I'd say all three of us win in this situation. I get to enjoy a fancy dinner and with good company. As long as you don't start pouting at me, this evening," she teased. Mirroring his action, she took a sip of her own drink before cocking her head to the side. "Let's hope I can continue to play my cards right and see more of this secret, mysterious side of Alexander King," she flirted.

Soon after, Alex leaned forward, prompting Kerry to lead in a little herself to hear what he was going to tell her. She nodded to confirm she understood the nickname Alex had used for Christian, who she sometimes wondered about - how he found himself working for the Kings, given his former career. Until learning otherwise, she could only assume he had his own dark secrets and had likely been another of the corrupt men working for the police force. Kerry pushed those thoughts aside, especially considering the Kings seems to trust the private investigator enough to have him on their payroll and apparently digging into May's background. Kerry raised a curious eyebrow, wondering if May was aware Christian had been investigating her lineage. "Wait. Trevor Trevor?!" she asked in surprise. Alex's explanation that she was his half-sister immediately confirmed it was Trevor Stewart. "Wow, that's... that really is a lot for you to process. And does May know yet, or is that the reason for the meeting?" she asked. "Your dad really knows how to cause drama, doesn't he? Slapping him once wasn't enough," she remarked, sending Alex a smile in hopes to help keep him relaxed. "I know you don't like May because of her being part Sullivan, but what about now she's your half-sister? Granted, it's not the best half, from what I've been told about Trevor, but you, Harper, Billy, Spencer... you all have that half of Trevor but none of you are really like him, are you? I'm not saying you should change your mind about May as that's not my business - even though I can attest that she is a good person and I can't tell you of anything I know about her that you should be concerned about. I'm just wondering if this does change how you think and feel about her? Half-sister is a pretty big deal, right?"

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Chinatown
~ West End, London ~
Erik Snowden & Reina Richards

Adam wasted no time when it came to attacking Jeremy. Erik started to get up and stop Adam but remembered who he worked for. There was nothing he could do without fucking things up for his boss. As much as he knew the Morettis hated the Sullivans and would want to do anything he could to eradicate them, starting something at this moment probably wasn't the smartest. So instead he had to sit and watch as Adam and Dermot made heavy work of Jeremy. Erik was more than aware of the reasoning behind taking the blame for Billy. However, he figured there was something else- something more they could've done to have a totally different outcome. But then again, maybe that was his optimism.

When it looked like Adam was about to finish Jeremy off, Erik finally stood up and tried walking forwards again. But just as before, he had stopped himself. No, he couldn't fuck up this peace thing. He didn't know what Gabe would do to him or Ava and that thought alone was enough to deter him. He felt bad for it, leaving him to get pummeled that way, but that's the way things were wasn't it? Thankfully, however, they were interrupted by Emery walking into the room. Only she informed them that Billy had already confessed. Erik's eyes grew wide at the news and he looked past her. There weren't any gunshots so they hadn't shot him. Maybe they did something else? The thought of it made Erik's heart race and without thinking, he started for the door. "What did you do," he demanded, nearly forgetting his place. He stopped the moment he got to the door and clenched his hands into fists.

Adam then dragged Jeremy out of the room leaving Erik, Edwards, and Emery alone. Erik started pacing, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Now both of them were out of his sight and he had no clue what was going on. To top it off he didn't know what kind of state Billy was in and what was going to happen next. All of it was making his body shake and breathing get shallow. Was he really about to have a panic attack right here, right now? He tried to remember how Billy made him feel when he was calming down. With Emery asking about his boss, he was also given something else to think about. He let out a dry chuckle, though he kept pacing the room. "Emery. Such a shame we're not able to hang out anymore." As genuine as the comment may have been, he was also being sarcastic. She then went on to inform Edwards about his cousin. "Well, she's a widow now so technically it doesn't count anymore." Edwards then mentioned Church and not being able to attend, emitting yet another dry chuckle from Erik. "Church? What kind of hired gun attends Church?"

---

Christian addressed Reina, telling her that nothing good would come out of killing Billy. That doing so would only further that endless loop of violence and no one wanted that. However, technically the "Then maybe you should've thought about that before you stepped foot in Dublin. I mean. The Mercury thing wasn't even about you. Not really, anyway," Reina started, shaking her head. "But, whatever. It happened." Shrugging her shoulders she watched as Emery went to inform Adam of Billy's confession before turning back to look at him. "Actions have consequences. Even if they were accidental." She took a deep sigh and when Adam and Dermot came into the room dragging Jeremy behind them, she raised a curious brow. "I see you had fun," she said.

Hearing that Jeremy had also confessed to killing Aidan, Reina groaned and threw her hands up. "For fucks- it's cute, I'll give you that," she squatted to the ground, eye-level with Jeremy. "Wanting to protect your friends and vice versa, but we don't have time nor patience to play this stupid game." Reina raised her hand and gave Jeremy a matching smack to the forehead before standing to her feet. Adam then informed them that one would need to rescind their confession otherwise both of them would die. If it were up to her she'd just shoot the both of them dead. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option and therefore she'd have to settle with just being physical. The moment Jeremy spoke up and tried to take the blame for Billy, Reina then threw a punch to his face in annoyance. The look on Billy's face, the desperation in his voice and actions. In her experience, she could tell when someone was overdoing a performance. Or at least, her gut could and she always followed her gut.

However, Adam told Jeremy and Billy to rescind one of their confessions. Therefore she wasn't about to bat for anyone. With the sound of sirens in the background, Reina was suddenly filled with an urgency to get out of the restaurant. The amount of noise and arguments going on was a tad overwhelming and in response to it, she punched Billy in the face. "If you don't want me to hit your precious boy over and over and over then you better tell us the fucking truth!"

Edwards ( BloodThunder27 ) Emery ( Misty Gray )
Tom, Jeremy ( BasDorcha )
Billy ( Pyroclast )
Adam ( Misty Gray )

Aqua Shard
~Southwark, London~
Alexander King

​

Alex never really saw himself having a kid when he had, but he was sure he wouldn't change it for the world. Despite the tense relationship he had with Savannah, it didn't change the way he felt about Callum. His kid was the best thing to ever happen to him and he was just now realizing it. Kerry stated she didn't have children of her own but prompted him to ask if she wanted any. "You know, have your own little gremlin running around. I will say it's been... Something but the pay-off is well worth it. So far, anyway." He shook his head as he fondly thought about all the time he'd spent with Callum as of late. To say he missed him would be an understatement and he couldn't wait until the whole custody battle was over.

In the meantime, he wanted to make sure he focused all of his attention on Kerry. He chuckled when she asked him not to pout at her, shaking his head. "Don't you worry about that. There's no need to pout whenever I'm with you, so we're good." Even if Alex had attended the meeting with the rest of his family members he was sure he'd have ended up in Kerry's company either way. It was bound to be stressful and he just knew he'd be annoyed. And who better to vent it all to than the woman he was currently chasing after? Kerry had always made him feel welcome to express any of his issues to her and he more often than naught took her up on that offer. Sometimes he felt like he may be relying on her just a bit too much and would try to pull back just a bit.

Kerry's surprise at the news was amusing, Alex hiding his smile behind his wine glass. "Trevor, Trevor," he repeated. "Yeah, I knew he was a piece of shit but this just takes the cake. Truly." Sitting back in his seat he shook his head. "That's what the meeting is for. To tell her and to get her to make a decision; leave London with him and never come back or stay with the knowledge that he's her father and never address it. I vote for not telling her at all but then there's the whole 'What happens if she bumps into him on the street'? Sort of thing." Though Billy and Spencer had convinced him to change his mind and let May choose, he still thought sending them away was the best. But then again, she was technically family, right? Meaning they couldn't just do that to her. "You slapped him? My hero," he joked with a chuckle. Kerry then explained how she knew about his dislike of her, Alex was nearly about to frown at the thought before stopping himself. She then asked if knowing that she was his sister had changed and he waited for a brief moment before responding.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I mean in the beginning, I guess it was just because she was a Sullivan and I didn't trust her. And while I still don't trust her that doesn't mean I hate her now. It's all a lot to process as you said, and with everything fucking piling up it's a lot. But... We're her family, right? Which means I should be nicer to her?" Alex cringed at the thought, scratching his eyebrow. "I don't know. Maybe once I hear what she's decided to do I can figure it all out." Alex then shook his head as if shaking the thoughts from his mind. "Enough of me, alright, we always discuss me. I wanted to... Talk to you about something else. And you can't make fun of me for it, okay?"

Kerry ( Misty Gray )

​

 

[BasDorcha]

Spencer and Shona's
~Bethanl Green, Bethanl~
May Thatcher
​

May followed Harper and Darcey into the room, waving hello to everyone as she crossed the threshold, her eyes moving around the room taking in the gorgeous house and the wonderful, cozy feeling it gave off. She spotted a stand alone seat next to Harper and moved over to it to take her place as she greeted everyone. “Hello! How is everyone? Nice to see you all, Shona you have a lovely home. It’s got a very comfy and elegant feel to it.” May looked up at Harper, giving her a soft smile as she took her seat, leaning forward to grab some of the snacks and a cup of tea from the table, before setting and listening to what was going on around her.

As Bruce started speaking, May listened carefully, still curious what was going on. She was in no way prepared for what came out of his mouth. Christian found her father? Everyone here knew him? May’s hand with the tea cup stopped halfway to her mouth, then slowly lowered back to her lap. She swallowed and nodded, quickly glancing around at everyone. How did they know him? Was he another enemy? Immediately May imagined this turning badly very quickly, and fear cropped up across her face. Were they now convinced she was there to hurt them? Her eyes watered a bit but not enough to drop from the corners as she waited for what came next.

His name is Trevor Steward. The name brought up some over heard conversations of how shitty a person he was, how the King siblings had little disregard for him. He was an enemy. May paled momentarily, trying to remind herself if they wanted to hurt her, they likely would have already done it and would not be talking to her about it. She barely heard the next words, though her brain did eventually process them. She had four new half-siblings, and she already knew them, and one of them already hated her. The thought made her sad a bit, because aside from being mad at Alex that day, she didn’t really have a problem with him, but he had a very big problem with her which meant she likely wouldn’t be getting to know him or the siblings very much more.

May looked around, seeing the group with new eyes. Bruce was their uncle, but he’d said brother-in-law to Trevor, so not her uncle. Spencer was her brother, Harper her sister. Darcey was still Darcey thankfully, and Shona was her sister in law, so she actually gained five new siblings in one way or another. Nervously, she sat her drink down, dusted her hands, and shifted awkwardly in place. It really wasn’t much of a decision – she had already told the King’s that she chose them over her family in Ireland, which she didn’t know, it was basically the same now. A man she never even met, who probably didn’t know she existed, or the people who had employed her, befriended her, helped her and kept her from feeling completely alone in a new place? Still… neither of them looked particularly happy to be announcing they had a relation to her. Looking at Harper, it almost looked as if it meant nothing to her, her face blank and distant, while Spencer looked peeved and on edge. Were they that unhappy about the news?

Come to think of it, how long had they even know? May furled her brow, trying to think about their positions. She decided to follow her instinct, rubbed her hands against her knees, and gave a small smile hoping what she was going to say would be well received.

“Well… While I’m grateful to know who he is and to have that mystery in life cleared up… I stand by my first choice. I choose London, I choose the friends I’ve made, the company I’ve put my energy into for the last two years… And I guess, now, I choose my siblings.” Her cheeks flushed completely, pinking to the tips of her ears. She was nervous if that was not the answer they wanted to hear, and reminded herself not to cry if it turned out they were hoping she’d kick off.

Mentions Misty Gray - Spencer Bellz - Harper Melanin-Gxdess - Alex/Darcey Pyroclast - Billy/Bruce/Shona

 

[Misty Gray]

Chinatown
~ West End, London ~

Emery Callahan
​

When Erik demanded to know what they'd done to Billy, Emery managed to keep a straight face. The youngest of the Kings had still been in one piece and unscathed when she'd left him moments ago, but she wasn't about to reassure Erik of that. Besides, it was likely Billy's health was about to take a severe turn for the worse. When it was just her and Edwards with Erik, the latter made his comment about it being a shame they were no longer able to hang out. "Ah, yeah. That's the worst thing to come out of all this mess. I quite enjoyed hanging out with you. Alex and Billy were a treat to be around too. Shame it all got fucked up, right?" she said, but followed with a nonchalant shrug. "Business is business." She managed a smirk of her own when Erik reminded her that Ava was recently widowed. "Oh, of course. Prince Moretti, heir to the throne, and his boat got fucked up... Still, you could take that opportunity to cut ties with the Italian Dracula," she teased. "Ava may have dodged a bullet there."

On the subject of her mother's former jazz club, Emery shook her head at Edwards' assumption. "Not quite. Morettis men and their mates barged into the club, gunned down my mam's staff one by one, before burning the place down with dozens of innocent people trapped inside. The only person they allowed to escape was abducted and tortured to the point where she wished she'd died in the club too. So, even though this right now ain't exactly right, it's far more merciful than what the Morettis get up to."

Emery was surprised that the conversation shifted into something so casual with Edwards asking about Sinead. Still, she was hard to shake and took it in her stride. "Ah, Mam's doing alright and Liam is his usually brooding self. He's still hanging out with Jesus and all that," she confirmed. "And yeah, they're doing alright since Mam got stabbed and Liam was nearly abducted," she looked knowingly to Erik, seeing as that was also down to Moretti and no doubt the Kings.

Emery let out a small laugh when Erik asked what kind of hired gun went to church, but she left it for Edwards to answer. The sound of sirens outside seemed to be getting louder, which prompted Emery to open the office door and peer outside to make sure everyone was still in place. Turning back to Edwards, she pointed to the door. "This might be our cue to get outta here, but you'd best make sure Erik doesn't get any ideas about trying to be a hero," she suggested.

With Emery in the office:
BloodThunder27 (Edwards)
Melanin-Gxdess (Erik)

Chinatown
~ West End, London ~

Adam Harper and Dermot Murphy
Christian Brooks​

Standing behind Jeremy and keeping the gun pressed to his head, Adam was able to study Billy's face as the youngest King brother spoke. Billy seemed shocked by Jeremy's confession and pleaded with him to tell the truth about who had really killed Aidan, still maintaining that it was himself. With both men having confessed, it did cause Adam to consider his next actions, unable to determine for certain who was telling the truth. His gut told him that Billy was the killer, but he couldn't know for sure. Adam listened closely as Jeremy then spoke, demanding Billy retracted his confession on account of him being unable to fight his way out of a paper bag. Adam was still inclined to believe Billy over Jeremy, if it was even one of those two at all. Billy claimed he attacked Aidan to disarm him. Of course, Aidan hadn't been an innocent party in the grand scheme of things, especially as he'd had a big part in blowing up the Mercury Nightclub. When it came down to it, whilst Aidan had been a close friend and a well respected member of the Irish Mob, he was not a relative of the Sullivan family. Whilst retaliation and sending a message was certainly needed, Adam had to consider the consequences of killing one of the King brothers, especially if it later transpired Billy wasn't the one responsible for killing Aidan. The looming sound of police sirens added some urgency to Adam's need to decide.

With Tom holding the gun to Billy whilst awaiting the next instruction, Adam slowly shook his head and motioned for Tom to lower the gun from near the young King's head. "Conor was hospitalised after the Kings jumped him, so let's return the favour in kind. An eye for an eye," Adam said, repeating something Erik had said when he was in the office with him. "Do what you've got to do to send a clear message to the rest of the King family. Punch him some more, Reina. Hell, shoot him, Tom. But make sure it's not enough to kill him," Adam instructed Tom and Reina. "And be damn quick about it," he said, all of them fully aware of the distant sirens.

"This motherfucker is coming with us," Adam said grabbing Jeremy by the hair and motioning for Dermot to drag him to his feet. After putting his mask back on over his face, Adam helped Dermot drag Jeremy towards the rear exit of the restaurant. After bundling Jeremy into the back of the van and tying his hands behind his back, Adam sat on the floor of the van across from him. With Dermot climbing into the driver's seat to await the others joining them, Adam was able to speak to Jeremy one-on-one. "Now that you know Billy ain't getting whacked..." he said, toying with the gun in his hand to make sure Jeremy knew not to try anything. "Who really killed Aidan? I get it, he was a soldier and not innocent in any of this. I've watched a lot of comrades die in service for their employer to the point they almost become a number. You don't have to take the blame for this. I know you were there that night, but Bruce and Spencer are the ones who should be suffering in all of this. Granted, I ain't happy Alex is getting out of tonight without a scratch."

Back in the restaurant, Christian had been waiting for the right moment to take action, but there hadn't been an opening or a chance where he could get in a clear shot of the Irish without endangering Billy or Jeremy further. When it became clear that Billy wasn't to be killed and Tom had been told to lower the gun from aiming at his skull, it did fill the private investigator with more hope. When Adam and Dermot proceeded to drag Jeremy out, Christian knew he needed to do something.

It was just Tom and Reina left with Christian and Billy. The two had been ordered to hurt Billy enough to hospitalise him, as the Londoners had done to Conor over a week ago. Whilst it was a relief the order wasn't to kill Billy, he had no intention of sitting by and allowing them to harm him enough to need the hospital. Unable to watch on as they lay into Billy and aware of the gun in Tom's hand that could be fired at any time, Christian picked his moment. Gripping onto the gun Jeremy had earlier placed on his lap, Christian was quick to bring it into view and fire a bullet into Tom's arm, the same arm he'd observed the redhead favour to hold his own gun in. Having gone through extensive training during his time on the police force, Christian's aim was precise and he knew where to shoot without it being fatal. Granted, he also knew where to deliver a fatal shot. Swiftly moving to aim his gun on Reina's throat, he looked between the two enemies. "You're both going to back the fuck away from Billy and get out of this restaurant. You'd better make sure Adam let's Jeremy go too. I don't want to kill anyone tonight, but I'd rather any one of you took a bullet than let harm come to my friends. Now go!" he firmly commanded, not once taking his aim away from a fatal spot on Reina's body.

With Christian:
Pyroclast (Billy)
BasDorcha (Tom)
Melanin-Gxdess (Reina)

With Adam and Dermot
BasDorcha (Jeremy)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Spencer and Shona's
~Bethanl Green, Bethanl~
Darcey Hargraves

​

Something about the way Harper was looking at her stirred something within Darcey. She couldn't quite place if it were worry, sadness, or even a mixture of the two. It felt heavy, undiscernable and she didn't like it in the slightest. It didn't help when she saw the tears welling up in her eyes either. As of late Darcey had been so focused on May. She'd checked on Harper, of course, but not in the way she felt she should have been. Ever since Laura's passing Darcey felt like she was the only motherly figure in Harper's life. Though she felt more like a guardian or role model instead of a mother, the fact remained. She'd worked to give Harper some sort of ally and support in a house full of men. She tried to make sure she was heard and understood- supported when it felt like her brothers, uncle, and Jeremy weren't doing so. To see that something was obviously going on and she didn't immediately know what it was made her feel horrendous.

May suggesting a girl's night out to Harper was a welcome change of topic; at least, for the time being, it was. Harper agreed, albeit hesitantly and Darcey just smiled. "We'll have to make sure it's a male-free evening. Unless, of course, they're strippers," she said in an attempt to lighten things up. Spencer, Shona, and Bruce then approached and greeted them, Darcey returning their pleasantries. Though she and Bruce still had things to discuss on their own Darcey didn't make that known to the others. She left it alone until they took care of what they were here to do. "Shona! You're absolutely glowing, darling. Motherhood looks great on you," she replied. After declining any snacks or tea, Darcey took a seat on the couch and propped her elbow up on the arm to get comfortable.

Bruce hadn't wasted any time getting to the point of the meeting. Rubbing her upper lip with her index finger, Darcey couldn't help but silently chuckle to herself. It was one of her favorite things about him, for sure. It had been a short-lived amusement as she watched May's facial expressions, trying to gauge how she was taking it all. She'd gone pale. It was expected, of course, but seeing it now still worried her and how she was going to respond to having to make her decision. Darcey started chewing her thumb as Bruce laid out the choices before May. She'd come to the conclusion to accept whatever happened today, but she was still nervous about having to do it. There was a thick, heavy silence hanging in the room and all eyes were on May. She was nervous- understandably so. "It's alright, May. Take your time," she reassured with a smile. When she was finally able to speak, what came next was a relief.

Despite knowing that she had an opportunity to try and get to know her father she declined. Maybe it was because she didn't care about Trevor or because she'd heard enough nightmare stories about him. Whatever the case, Darcey was now able to breathe a bit lighter. One problem solved and a million more to go, but she could rest a little easier now. "Would you look at that," she started, a smile on her face. "She's a King after all."

Spencer ( Misty Gray ) Bruce, Shona ( Pyroclast ) Harper ( Bellz ) May ( BasDorcha )

 

[Misty Gray]

Spencer and Shona Kings Home
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer was aware there was something untoward in the way Harper was being towards him. It added further weight to Bruce's earlier statement that he felt her slipping away, but beyond that, Spencer also detected some kind of resentment or anger towards him. He wasn't quite sure where it had come from, other than the fact she had been speaking with Trevor and Spencer openly spoke against any of his siblings giving their father the time of day. As much as he wanted to address it with her, it wasn't the purpose of the evening's meeting. He forced a smile of his own when Harper pointed out that Shona would say he was the messy one, not his sister.

Spencer sat back when Bruce began to speak, thanking him and Shona for hosting the meeting. As his uncle spoke about Christian and the man's findings, Spencer found himself reaching forward to grab a slice of cake. He figured if he filled his mouth with food he would be able to hold back long enough for Bruce to finish revealing the truth to May before he was overcome by the urge to be brutally honest about Trevor. He would at least afford May the time to let it sink in before he did that. Still, hearing the words 'Trevor Stewart' was almost enough to put Spencer off of his cake, but he continued to eat. Swallowing just in time, Spencer managing to flash a quick smile to May when Bruce confirmed she had four half-siblings, but his face soon reverted back to his usual serious expression.

Spencer listened on as Bruce wasted little time in making it clear to May that Trevor wasn't welcome in the family. His uncle then presented May with the ultimatum; that she had to choose the Kings or Trevor, pointing out that no matter what, her father would not be sticking around in London. Spencer's eyes fixed on May as he looked to take in her reaction and how she was feeling about the revelation. It didn't take long for May to make her choice, telling them she chose her siblings over Trevor. The use of the words "I guess" when telling them her decision, along with how nervous she appeared filled Spencer with some concerns. Sure, she seemed content with her decision and it made sense she would choose London and the people she already knew over a father she'd never known. However, Spencer felt he needed to speak the truth about Trevor, and perhaps not just for May's benefit but to remind Harper too.

Despite sending Darcey a smile and nodding when she said May was a King after all, Spencer sat forward and regained his stern expression. "It occurs to me that you may not be aware of the reasons for bad blood between us lot and Trevor - your father - but I would like to put things into perspective. I don't want there to be any doubts in your mind about your decision, no times where you wonder what kind of man your father is and if you've made the wrong decision. I don't want there to be doubts in anyone's mind about him," he said, allowing his focus to shift to Harper and linger there for long enough to register with her.

Looking back to May he shook his head. "Trevor doesn't know about you; about having another daughter, May, and with you deciding to stick with us, I don't intend on him ever knowing," he firmly told her. "Trevor knew about the rest of us, but that still didn't stop him from walking out on this family while my mum was pregnant with Harper. The man is a selfish, manipulative, coward. He got my mum - Harper's, Alex's and Billy' mum - addicted to drugs. When he was still with her, he repeatedly cheated on her and left her to struggle at home while he pissed off for days on end to please himself. But as bad as that was, it was actually better when he was away from home. If he wasn't arguing with my mother, he was taking his frustrations out on me, be it smacking me or humiliating me in front of his friends."

Spencer reached for his glass of water and took a long drinking before briefly coughing to clear his throat. "When my mum was pregnant with Harper, Trevor left the house one day and never returned home. He left my mum because he was too much of a coward to look after his kids and to help his wife who was heavily addicted to drugs, thanks to him. A few months later, I returned home to find my mum dead. I was just a kid and I had to find my mum dead from an overdose."

Spencer sat back and shook his head, now sharing his attention between May and Harper. "So just in case anyone does have any doubts, that's the kind of man Trevor Stewart is. You should both be grateful you never had to know him and rest assured you won't have to. He's already overstayed his welcome in London and he will not be sticking around for much longer." Looking to May, he nodded his head. "You've made the right choice." On that note, Spencer looked to Bruce to confirm he'd said his peace, handing the meeting back over to his uncle. Without realising it, Spencer reached down to take Shona's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he fought hard to keep locked away his own feelings that were being dragged up from the conversation.

Pyroclast (Shona, Bruce)
Bellz (Harper)
Melanin-Gxdess (Darcey)
BasDorcha (May)

 

[BloodThunder27]

~James Edwards: An Irish-American Hero~

---

Chinatown | West End, London

Soon, Emery spoke up once more, stating what happened to 'Prince Moretti', whom Erik's Cousin had married. A Boating Accident? Of all ways for a Mobster to go, it had to be that one? While he was curious, Edwards didn't chime in or ask because it was none of his business and he had some bad blood with the Morettis anyway given the Riker's Island outing that he had in the Spring. Then came the answer to his question as to what happened to Sinead's club, which made him frown. The Morettis were much more ruthless...and whatever he had to deal with in Riker's Island was just child's play in comparison! Getting beaten up by crooked jail cops was much more preferable compared to being burned to death, trapped with no escape. "I may be a killer. But I'm no monster." He replied.

Thankfully for Edwards' peace of mind, the conversation shifted over to back home and became a little more casual...mainly because of him. Nonetheless, he was glad to hear that both Sinead and Liam were doing well back at home. "That's good. I'm glad they're doing well." He said, ending that note so that neither of them would lose track of Erik or get caught by surprise in any way.

Surely though Emery was armed though. If not, he could easily slide one of his guns over to her. Aside from his conversation with Emery, Edwards didn't pay Erik too much mind because he wasn't too much of a threat. His SEAL mindset soon kicked back in to tell him otherwise. Tightening the grip on his gun, he took a few steps away from Erik and closer towards Emery, not really thrilled at the idea of Moretti Affiliate attempting to disarm him, because that could yield very disastrous results. Briefly, he checked his other three firearms to ensure that they were securely holstered and out of reach, relieved knowing that none of them were missing. As the semi-awkward conversation continued, Erik said that his Cousin was now a Widow, which led her to wonder what happened to the Moretti that she had married. Unfortunate, he thought. When he chuckled at the fact that Edwards went to Church though, the American simply stared him in the eye. "Well, I doubt you're a man of faith at all, so I don't think you'd care or understand." He said casually, shrugging.

Before he could say anything else though, the sound of Police Sirens pierced his ears. The cops weren't exactly armed with firearms, so Edwards wasn't the most worried. Sadly, shooting one of them would make leaving London way more difficult then necessary, so a swift departure would be in order. Emery soon opened the Office Door before tuning to him.

"This might be our cue to get outta here, but you'd best make sure Erik doesn't get any ideas about trying to be a hero."

Giving Erik one last cold look and, without another word, Edwards kicked the closest chair to him and, having summoned unknown strength, it went airborne and flying straight towards Erik. While the chair was mid-air, he proceeded to follow Emery out of the Office and closed the door swiftly before grabbing another nearby chair to wedge under the door under the handle to ensure that it would stay shut. "Well, he won't get to try any of those ideas until he finds a way through the door. But we'll be long gone by the time he does..."

Just as he stepped back, a gun shot rang out, prompting him to shoulder his MP7 and take aim after making a swift one-eighty turn, even getting in front of Emery. Quickly scanning the room, he noticed quickly that Jeremy, Adam and Dermot were all gone. And with the sirens getting louder, he had to act fast.

"You're both going to back the fuck away from Billy and get out of this restaurant. You'd better make sure Adam let's Jeremy go too. I don't want to kill anyone tonight, but I'd rather any one of you took a bullet than let harm come to my friends. Now go!"

He noticed that Billy was on the ground, and there was blood coming from Tom's arm. Where the fuck did Christian get that gun? The Englishmen pulling a fast one was sadly not something that Edwards was prepared for. One of his teammates was already hurt and another, Reina, was going to be next. Key word...Was... Because Christian wasn't aware of either him or Emery just yet and, from his point of view, was aiming his gun at Reina. Looking briefly at Emery, he moved his finger up to his lip to tell her to keep quiet since the angry man has yet to notice either of them. Not wanting to run the risk of a bullet going through Christian and hitting Reina by mistake, let alone a couple of them, he just grabbed a nearby plate and threw it at the back of Christian's head, hopefully giving either Reina or Tom the chance to retaliate for his stunt...Or both of them, that would be more fun. "Tom, you good?" He called out, aiming his gun at Christian as he regrouped with his team, refusing to leave without them.

---

Allies: Tom Thatcher BasDorcha | Reina Richards Melanin-Gxdess | Emery Callahan Misty Gray
Enemies: Christian Brooks Misty Gray | Erik Snowden Melanin-Gxdess | Billy King Pyroclast

 

[Misty Gray]

Aqua Shard
~ Southwark, London ~

Kerry Patrick​

Kerry grinned when Alex suggested having his own kid was something of an experience, but he went on to say the pay-off was worth it. She didn't doubt that was true after seeing Maddox and Ani with theirs. The fact Kerry hadn't had children yet hadn't been an intentional or conscious decision. The simple fact was none of her previous relationships had led to her having kids, be it planned or unplanned. It wasn't something she dwelled on, especially not considering there was a time back in New York where she was ready to die and at her lowest point even wanted Adam or Conor to just kill her to end her suffering. Now, she simply thought of every day as a gift and didn't dwell on what she didn't have. That said, having children was certainly something she would like if she had the opportunity to. "I would say Callum is definitely worth it. If I ever have a kid of my own, I hope they're as sweet and charming as he is."

With Alex confirming without doubt that Trevor was May's father, Kerry had to process it a little while longer. Being good friends with both May and Harper, she now had to get her head around the fact the two of them were sisters. For herself, she was sure little would change, but for the Kings and May, it would be a big deal. "Surely she'd pick you guys over Trevor," she reasoned. "Wait. Does Trevor know this? Is that why he showed up here?" she curiously asked. Kerry couldn't help but laugh when Alex called him her hero for slapping Trevor. "He came up behind me and startled me, so it was a reflex, really. If I'd actually known at that point it was him I'd have made the effort to hit him harder!" she joked.

Kerry listened as Alex explained how he still didn't trust May but he acknowledged he didn't hate her now. "Alex, nobody's expecting you to change how you feel, at least not overnight. This'll take some time. But yeah, I think it wouldn't hurt anyone if you tried to be nicer to her. It's going to be a lot to take in for all of you and I think being open-minded about it would make it easier for you as well as her."

Alex soon moved the conversation in another direction. Kerry took another drink from her glass before placing it down on the table. She held her gaze on the glass when Alex asked her not to make fun of him. Bringing her eyes back up to him, she sent him a mischievous smile. "Make fun of you? Would I ever..." she feigned offence. Regaining a straight face, she raised a curious eyebrow to prompt him to speak. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

 

[Misty Gray]

Victoria Park
~ Bethnal Green, East London ~
~ Friday 1st July 1949 ~

Laura and Trevor Stewart​

It was a warm and sunny summer's afternoon, so Trevor had decided to finish work early. Besides, he'd had a successful week, selling the most cars in one week than he ever had before. His boss was happy to let him finish early and Trevor was in the mood to celebrate. Whilst Laura had got Bruce to agree to babysit for the night, the married couple still had Spencer with them for the afternoon. Trevor suggested to Laura they spent the afternoon at Victoria Park and she'd happily agreed, before excitedly putting together a picnic basket.

After a walk around the boating lake, Laura had pointed out a perfect spot on the grass for them to relax in the sun. Trevor maintained a relaxed walking pace as he held onto the pushchair handles, wheeling it in front, with the 13-month old Spencer sat in the seat babbling away to himself. Trevor couldn't help but laugh as he watched Laura skip on ahead, her knee-length yellow dress flowing in the breeze. Whilst she set about laying out the picnic blanket, Trevor wheeled the pram onto the grass and positioned it in the shade the nearby tree was casting. By the time Laura had set out their picnic, Spencer had fallen asleep in his pushchair, prompting Laura check he was comfortable and out of the direct sun.

"Geez, if only he was always so peaceful," Trevor remarked as he sat on the blanket with his legs stretched out in front, basking in the sunshine.

Laura sat on the blanket with her legs cross, shuffling closer to Trevor once she'd poured them both some juice. "You're just grumpy because Spencer's first word was 'Mama'. He loves me more," she playfully teased in a melodic voice. "He's so close to taking his first steps on his own. Maybe if you manage to spend some more time at home you'll get to be there for that and then you don't have to sulk."

Trevor slipped his sunglasses down, balancing them on the end of his nose as he turned his head to eye Laura directly. "You're in a cheeky mood today, aren't ya?" he asked. Catching the bright smile she sent as she nodded, he couldn't help but chuckle back at her. "I like it," he was quick to add. "We can afford to have some fun today, after the bonus I got from my boss," he told her. "It's the charm that gets the sales. People are suckers for the charm, love." There was a brief pause as Trevor acknowledged an old couple passing them by, the frail lady sending a fond smile in sleeping Spencer's direction. Once the couple were out of earshot, Trevor looked back to Laura. "Maybe I should take Spence to work one day. People are also suckers for a cute kid. I bet our kid would help increase the success of my sales pitch tenfold."

"Hey!" Laura said, lightly slapping Trevor's arm. "You're not taking our Little Robbie to work with you. There's only room for one sleazy salesman in my life. Our boy is going to have a decent, honest career when he grows up."

"Lollie! I'm offended," Trevor said, pushing his sunglasses back in front of his eyes and shaking his head. After pouting for a moment, he turned back and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Seriously, though. One day I'll own my own car shop. My own businesses. Then we can afford a fancy house like the ones the rich folk have around here," he suggested. "Then you'll be grateful for your sleazy, smooth-talking husband."

Laura let out a small laugh and shook her head. After taking a long drink from her glass, she moved to lay back on the blanket, resting her head on Trevor's lap as she looked up to the white clouds in the sky. "Money isn't everything, Trev. I'm grateful for you and Spencer, no matter where we have to live." She turned her head to look up to Trevor's face, sending him a soft smile. "You know, seeing as Bruce will be having the little one until tomorrow, we don't have to be too sensible. We could ditch dinner and the movie... have one of those crazy, wild nights like we used to. It's been a long time since we were off of our faces..." she suggestively told him.

"I already bought the cinema tickets," Trevor flatly replied as he turned away from Laura. Whilst Laura was pregnant, the couple had made an agreement to stay away from the drugs and cut down on the alcohol. At the time of making the promise, Trevor hadn't really had any intention of stopping, so had continued to do so behind her back. He'd wanted her to stay off the drugs so their baby wasn't put at risk and he knew he couldn't let her find out he was still on them. However, when Spencer was born, the seriousness of their situation hit Trevor like a tonne of bricks. The realisation they had a baby relying on him and Laura for everything finally made Trevor take responsibility. Of course, there had been times where Trevor had slipped and fallen off the wagon, but it had now been four months since he last used any drugs. For Laura, it had been 20 months and counting. For some reason now, when she suggested going back to their old ways, there was something particularly enticing and he was finding it difficult to fight off that urge. After glancing to Spencer in the pushchair, Trevor looked back down to Laura. "I'll make sure to order a decent wine with the meal tonight. None of the cheap shit, for once," he offered her.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Laura asked, now sitting up and turning to him. She reached forward and removed the sunglasses from his face. "I don't want wine. I feel like I spend all of my time cooking and cleaning. I love our beautiful baby boy, but Trev, I need just one night to unwind. You've been out lots of times and even if you were telling the truth about only touching booze, I want to let go. Just one night, Trev. I miss those wild parties and feeling like I'm so light that I'm floating above the clouds. I'm going stir crazy here."

Trevor pinched the bridge of his nose as he had to fight not to give in to Laura so easily. Maybe he genuinely wanted his wife to stay clean, or, as his critics would claim, maybe he knew letting her get addicted to the drugs again would mean he'd have to pick up the slack looking after Spencer, but either way, her request was out of the question. What Laura claimed would be one night, Trevor knew would inevitably lead Laura deep into the addiction she'd been doing so well to avoid since she was pregnant with Spencer. Thankfully, what he also knew was how to wrap Laura around his little finger. Whether for good or bad reasons, he knew how to influence her decisions. "Lollie, you know we can't. I love you and I'm working my arse off to prove to your brother that I ain't the piece of shit he thinks I am. We're going out for dinner this evening, followed by a film," he firmly told her, taking his sunglasses out of her hand and placing the in the front pocket of his shirt. "I'll get us a bottle of champagne and we can have a different kind of wild night, when we return home from our night out," he flirted. "Unless you want to prove Bruce right; that you made the wrong choice and I really am not good for ya."

Laura chewed her bottom lip before quickly nodding her head. "I'm sorry. I just... It's hard, you know?" she asked, her eyes glistening as they brimmed with tears. "I didn't make the wrong choice, at all. I don't know how I'd cope if you weren't here. You are good for me and I love you."

Trevor smiled at Laura before reaching his hand to her face to he could wipe away her tears with his thumb. He then moved his other arm so he could cup her face in both of his hands and give her a gentle, yet passionate kiss. When he slowly pulled back, he reflected her fragile smile with a reassuring one of his own. He lowered his hands and held her own delicate hands. "What I am going to supply you with is ice-cream. We passed a dessert stand on the way into the park and I caught you eyeing up the treats."

Laura sniffled before smiling and quickly nodding her head. "Ice-cream it is, then. I'll just get high on sugar, instead," she joked.

"Steady on, there. Let's not go too wild," Trevor sarcastically remarked as he hopped up to his feet. "Stay right there, Lollie. Don't be running off with one of those fancy, rich chaps!"

-----------------------------------------
Mention: Pyroclast (Bruce)

 

[Pyroclast]

Spencer and Shona's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce and Shona King​

It should have been a relief to hear that May was choosing the Kings over Trevor - but since Bruce had been expecting the opposite, he found himself struggling to trust that she wasn't just saying what she thought they all wanted to hear. After all, if she hadn't been so keen to find her estranged father, she wouldn't ask set Christian the task of tracking him down. She seemed satisfied to just know his name, but once the meeting was over, would her curiosity really be fulfilled? Was the mystery truly cleared up like she said, or had that just opened up another door that, when she lay awake at night with Trevor Stewart's name ringing through her head, she would want to walk through?

Darcey seemed more certain, happier about May's decision and ready to accept her as part of the family, but Bruce knew that there was further context that the girl needed to know just in case she changed her mind. Fortunately, he didn't need to be the one to bring it up, as Spencer soon sat forward and, as if reading Bruce's mind, began to lay out the truth about their personal history with Trevor. He was perhaps the better man to speak about it; whilst Bruce had known Trevor for longer, Spencer had known him from the perspective of a child - his child - which was closer to May's relation to him. Hearing it from Spencer might paint a better picture of what her childhood may have looked like if she had had her father in her life, and with that in mind Bruce hoped that she would fully understand what she had escaped.

Of course, it wasn't just May that Bruce was hoping would be listening; given Harper's recent contact and interest in Trevor, he wanted her to be reminded of the pain the man had caused the family. Even if he had changed as claimed, it still hurt him that Harper was willing to overlook all the trauma that he had inflicted on her brothers, particularly on Spencer. Whilst his eldest nephew opened up about the way Trevor had treated him growing up, Bruce found his eyes resting on Harper - not in an angry or judgemental way, but just to see if he could see any reaction in her. He still wanted to talk to her about Trevor to understand what she was hoping to get from talking to him - especially after hearing Spencer recount the trauma that the man had left on him.

A solemn silence fell over the room as Spencer took a moment to drink some water, his heavy words left hanging over everyone's heads. Shona placed a gentle hand on her husbands thigh to show support as he spoke about his mother's drug addiction and his experience of discovering her dead body when he was thirteen years old. Shona had been through plenty of trauma caused by her own father, but that was something she couldn't imagine having to cope with as a child. She sent Harper a brief look of sympathy at the reminder that she had been robbed of her mother at just a few months old; how exactly that affected her, she wasn't sure, but she still found it tragic.

Once Spencer was had made his points, he reiterated that Trevor wouldn't be in London for long and that May had made the right choice in staying to get to know her half-siblings instead of going after her father. Shona felt her husband's hand subtly slide into hers and she gave it a squeeze. She wanted to kiss him and wind down with him after such a heavy topic, but would have to wait until their guests had gone home.

With the necessary information having now been shared, Bruce fixed his attention on May. "Are you sure this is what you want, May?" he asked, his voice low from the slightly heavy atmosphere. "This means givin' up on gettin' to know your father. I know you asked Christian for help findin' him, so if figurin' out a relationship with Trevor is important to you, you have to be honest with us. There's no right or wrong answer 'ere, but I don't want you changin' your mind. Like Spencer said, the man is goin' away soon, and I cannot leave him with connections to us - none whatsoever. Do you understand?"

Interactions
Bellz Harper
BasDorcha May
Melanin-Gxdess Darcey
Misty Gray Spencer

 

[Bellz]

Natasha McCarthy
The Clover Casino
- Dublin City Center, Dublin -​

Natasha shot Leo and Thomas a dirty look at their teasing. She was sure that they were making Elena feel awkward and while Nat had some of her own awkward feelings about her mother's dating situation, she was more worried about the girl standing before her. "It's not weird...it's sweet." Nat said in defense, glaring solely at Leo now as he looked down at her. Noting that Elena was still looking at her, her cheeks warmed slightly wondering if the young woman now looked at her in a different way. Nat wasn't wanting to make a bad impression on her given that Thomas was dating her. Nat was already upset with Leo and she was sure the night wouldn't end on a great note, she didn't want to leave Thomas and Elena upset with her also.

Elena said that their parents' relationship was romantic and Natasha nodded her head in agreement, though she wouldn't dare admit that some part of it still felt weird to her. Even after all the time that had passed, some part of Natasha still felt in denial that her father was gone. Sometimes, in moments where her mind wasn't completely focused...she expected him to waltz through the door, happy as a clam at dinner time.

It was weird and Natasha didn't really know if there would ever be some sort of fix-all for that feeling. Even as she grew older and things continued to change, there was always some feeling that her dad actually wasn't gone completely. Almost like he was on a trip, like the ones he'd been on when she was younger and she was waiting patiently for him to return with some sort of tacky souvenir she had requested from him. Natasha had grown quiet and when Leo suggested that she and Elena should get to know each other all she could do was nod. He asked what she wanted and Natasha choked out the first thing she could think of which was a whiskey on the rocks.

Once they left, Natasha moved to take a seat across from Elena and offered her a smile as she once again said it was nice to meet her. "You as well. Sorry if it seems like we didn't want to meet you before, Thomas is...pretty secretive about his personal life at times as I'm sure you know by now." Nat said shaking her head as she glanced at Leo and Thomas at the bar. Her attention went to Elena once more as she mentioned Adam wanting them to meet for a long time and when she mentioned Adam talking about her and Blake often and them being important to him, Natasha smiled widely. "Adam's a great guy, been friends with my mother for a long time now. I've known him since I was small. He's talked about you constantly for the last few weeks now and I know my mom was excited for us to meet finally." She murmured.

Natasha watched as Elena glanced toward Thomas and Nat stole her own glance at Leo, clearly, they were talking about something but Nat couldn't put her finger on it. All she knew was that she was done with Leo keeping whatever secret he was hiding from her. As she looked back at Elena, she hoped the woman wouldn't feel too terrible when Nat finally tried to fish his secret out of him. If he told Thomas, which she was sure he was doing, she would make one of them squeal.

Elena asked about Adam and Blake, causing Nat to focus fully on the conversation they were having now. She leaned on the table, placing her elbows on it with interest. Nat cracked a smile when she asked if she thought it was nice or weird. "It's...complicated." She tried to explain, though that answer sounded extremely....rude. Clearing her throat, Natasha shifted in her seat slightly and sighed. "I think it's nice...and I think they are really sweet together but...my father died when I was really young and while I encouraged my mom to be with Adam, sometimes it feels weird for me too. If that makes sense." Natasha hoped that Elena was able to follow along, knowing that English was probably difficult for her to understand sometimes. "What about you?"
with: Elena Pyroclast

***
Thomas Porter
The Clover Casino
- Dublin City Center, Dublin -​

Thomas raised his eyebrows when Leo suggested that they go off and leave the girls to get to know each other. It made him think that the man had something rather serious to say without wanting to alarm anyone else. After asking if Elena wanted another drink, Thomas headed to the bar with his best friend who he was currently getting weird energy from. Once the orders were taken, Leo tapped his fingers along the bar in an almost nervous way, however, the man smiled at Thomas, and Thomas couldn't help but smile back. That smile, however, soon turned into a dramatic expression as he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Did you really think I was going to be alone for the rest of my life?" Thomas asked before shaking his head. He stole a glance back at Elena as she looked at Natasha and he smirked before turning back to the bar. "She's super sweet too...I don't deserve her." Thomas said lightly.

Leo's posture changed, clearly wanting to keep an eye on the girls at the table and Thomas positioned himself in the same fashion. He had been paranoid coming into the casino and sitting with Elena alone but now that Leo and Natasha had arrived he had relaxed, if only a little bit. Leo, on the other hand, was still giving off some sort of nervous energy that Thomas couldn't place. His cousin had seemed to be doing well after what happened to Conor but Thomas had also gotten the sense that he was dealing with his emotions behind closed doors. Natasha also seemed to be in a weird mood, almost seeming upset with his cousin for reasons that Thomas wasn't aware of yet. When Leo asked how things had been, Thomas bit his bottom lip nervously. He wasn't going to tell Leo about him getting arrested, the only one who knew was Roxie...at least to his knowledge, though he was sure that Elena might have mentioned something to Adam. Sooner or later the news would get out but Thomas wasn't going to be the one to tell anyone anything...he was already embarrassed enough by it as it was.

So he lied, "Ah, things are going great for the most part. Still dealing with my own issues but...not terrible." He paused for a moment as he watched Leo closely. "You and Nat fighting or something? You both seem to be...off."
with: Leo Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Bellz]

Lorelei Costello
Her Place
- Dublin - ​

Lorelei couldn't understand why Benjie thought that she would be upset with him. To her, it seemed selfish that someone would make someone else feel bad for taking the time that they needed to grieve. She knew it varied from person to person but while she wasn't upset with Benjie she was still insecure about where they stood. Maybe that was selfish to admit. She was starting to have self-doubts about even admitting that to him now during a time when the conversation was supposed to be about him and how he felt about Aidan, her rare bout of anxiety starting to clench her heart in a vice grip.

She wasn't sure if it was the right or wrong thing to say that she was mad about him, especially since their relationship was still on the newer side of things but that all changed when he started to speak. Despite him stuttering and stumbling over his words, Lorelei understood exactly what he was saying. He promised to let her in and that she didn't need to have any doubts. Benjie mentioned that Kurt would like to meet her and Lorelei smiled so much that her cheeks started to ache. He was stumbling over his words so much that it was hard for him to get things out quickly, but Lorelei wasn't in any sort of hurry.

Here they were sitting in her place once more, after not seeing him for a while, there wasn't any other place she wanted to be. His cheeks warmed and turned bright red and Lorelei wondered what had him all embarrassed when 3 little words slipped past his lips, causing her own cheeks to warm as well. Her eyes watered uncontrollably and she put one hand to her lips in surprise but what he said was exactly the same way she felt.

It may have felt like too soon to some people but Lorelei didn't feel that way. "I love you too." She replied sweetly, "I feel like on some level I've known you my entire life...that you and I...would find each other eventually." Lorelei said and scrunched her nose wondering if that sounded corny. "You can tell me right now if that sounds corny. I use to live with two theater geeks so I will blame them if I have to." Lorelei chuckled before scooting closer and pulling him in for a passionate kiss before he could answer. "Thank you for coming here....for soothing my doubts when you really didn't have to. I love you, Benjamin Reznik. I hope you know you are stuck with me now, whether you want to be or not. And now that you are, I demand a dinner with you and your father. We can have it here at my place, I'll cook and everything!"
with: Benjieeeeee Misty Gray

 

[Pyroclast]

Syd Porter's House
~ Fuck off, Dublin ~

Syd Porter & Danny Vaughan​

A quiet tension filled the room as they all anticipated the conversation. Though Syd and Roxie didn't know what it was that Savannah wanted to discuss, it was obvious enough that it was something serious, and so Syd went as fast as he could in preparing the drinks so they could keep small talk to a minimum. When at last everyone had a drink in their hand, Syd took a seat in an empty armchair and set his eyes on his cousin. "So, Sav," he prompted. "What's on your mind?"

Savannah began to explain everything, starting from her reasons for moving back to Dublin with Callum. Syd nodded along as she spoke - he understood exactly why she had left London and had been pleased to have Callum more present in the family...but when she countered it with the fact that life had become equally dangerous in both cities, his heart sank. She was right, of course - Callum was at an impressionable age and Syd already felt bad enough that his own children had had to grow up witnessing violence and even death. As much as he didn't want to see Savannah and Callum leave Dublin, he was struggling to come up with reasons for them to stay.

What he hadn't expected was to hear that Alex was fighting for legal custody of Callum. He straightened up in his seat and leaned forward even more, almost falling out of the chair altogether. "No, Savvy, Alex isn't taking Callum," he said, despite her valid points that their family's history meant that they wouldn't stand much of a chance of winning the case. He hung his head, knowing that none of it was Savannah's fault. She had never been involved in the criminal side of business - even though she had once killed a man in self-defence, she wasn't a criminal, managing to build her own successful career as an actress entirely of her own volition...and yet, purely because of her connection to the family, she would suffer the consequences of their actions, potentially costing her custody of her own child.

She explained that she wanted to take Callum out of the country, away from the violence and away from Alex. Syd caught sight of her hand sliding into Danny's and he looked the man in the eye. Despite their rocky start many years ago when he caught Danny selling drugs to his Aunt Gwen, the two had come a long way and Syd knew that Danny was someone he could trust. Still, letting someone take his cousin and her young son out of the country, no matter who they were, raised Syd's suspicions for a moment. He just had to remind himself that Danny was an established member of the mob and a friend, and if he had ever had ulterior motives he would have shown them by now.

When Savannah was finished, Syd looked at Roxie, wondering how she felt about the idea of letting Savannah go. After a moment's thought, he turned back to his cousin and nodded, balancing his elbows on his knees and wringing his hands. "I understand, Sav," he said quietly. "The most important thing is that you and Callum are safe. I'm not gonna let Alex get anywhere near you, I promise..." He glanced to the couple holding hands on the sofa and his eyes met Danny's. "Where's this place in Greece, then? How do you know they won't be able to track you down there?"

Maintaining steady eye contact with Syd, Danny said, "I think it's probably best to keep the location a secret." Naturally, Syd narrowed his eyes at him. "Not from you specifically, but just in case the Kings do come after you for information. They'll probably assume you helped us leave and if they do try and get it out of you two or any of your men...I'm not sayin' there's guys that'd squeal, but -"

"No, I get it," Syd uttered, and he looked down to his hands. His heart was beginning to ache at the thought of saying goodbye. "If you change your mind though, you let me know. I can send out guys to help you get part of the way there, offer protection at any point, okay? You just let me know..." He could see Roxie out of the corner of his eye but he didn't want to look at her just yet, already feeling himself get upset. "So, when...when are you off?"

Interactions
Misty Gray Savannah
Bellz Roxie

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Aqua Shard
~Southwark, London~
Alexander King

​

Kerry seemed to be a hundred percent sure May would choose his family over getting to know Trevor. Alex - ever the skeptic - was still on the fence about that. Until he was able to discern it for himself he would continue to think she would choose the latter. "I mean, she's the reason all this information got found out anyway. If she didn't care to know Trevor then she wouldn't have brought him up, right? Believe me - if I didn't give two shits about someone the last thing I'm doin' is searchin' for 'em." Alex shook his head at the thought and proceeded to take another long sip from his glass. He shrugged his shoulders at her question regarding Trevor's reasoning for being back in London. "Jury's still out on that one. It's nothin' good, I'm sure, but as far as we know he doesn't even know she exists. And after tonight it'll stay that way," he said, "Can't give 'im more a reason to stay, can we?"

Alex laughed along with Kerry, listening to her explain the reason for the slap. Either way, it was still amazing that she'd done so - knowing the man or not. It meant she could take care of herself and wasn't afraid to do so; something he found himself smiling to himself about. I have the itching suspicion he won't go so easy so maybe you can tag along and give him another," he joked. That smile on his face slowly disappeared. Her reassurance of both his feelings and giving him advice about the situation was very much appreciated. She'd always found a way to give him encouraging sentiments that weren't just something he wanted to hear. It was her sincerity that he found endearing and comforting. Which was also why he found himself falling for her a little more every day. "Eh, I guess you're right. But I'm not making any promises! It'll be difficult, for sure, so..." He trailed off, looking at his fingers. Swallowing his pride and being nicer to May was going to be difficult. So long as he wasn't pushed or forced, he thought, he'd be able to do it. Otherwise, he felt he would continue with the same attitude and want nothing to do with her.

The conversation drifted back to his question and the statement he'd been dying to make. If it weren't clear from the beginning of their date that he was nervous it would be now. Beads of sweat formed along his brow and he rubbed his hand across the top of his head. For a moment he regretted cutting his hair as he was unable to nervously rake through it. Instead, he cleared his throat and forced himself to look at her - no matter how anxious he felt. "Yeah, right," he joked, "As if you never would." Shaking his head he decided to stop beating around the bush and get on with it. "Erm, so... These past couple of months you've been great. And I just wanted to thank you for, you know, being there and lending an ear when I needed someone to talk to. I know I complain a lot and you're amazing for even putting up with that."

He looked down at his fingers smiling before continuing. "You're amazing in all aspects of the word and I just- I want you to know that and that I'm appreciative of you." Finally looking up he shook his head and sat back in his seat. "Fuck, you get me flustered. And I've never been this flustered and it makes me believe that the way I feel about you is genuine. That I really am fallin' for you, Kerry, and I don't think I'd have it any other way."

Kerry ( Misty Gray )

The Clover Casino
~Dublin City Centre, Dublin~
Leo Sullivan

​

"Not for the rest of your life," Leo started to tease, "But maybe a good chunk of it." Leo was sure had Thomas not gone through the things he had that he would probably have had just as many girlfriends as Leo by now. If not less, considering how he was such a gentleman. Leo followed Thomas' gaze, though his own lay on his own girlfriend. As his cousin commented about Elena being sweet and out of his league, Leo couldn't help but both agree and relate when it came to Natasha. "Don't they say you should choose a partner that's the opposite of you? Or rather, has something you lack? There's definitely a little bit of a change in you since the two of you started dating so that must be true."

Leo noticed a familiar nervousness in his best friend as if they both had secrets they weren't telling each other. Knowing not to pry, Leo instead reassured the man that whatever it was he could always tell him about it. He wasn't sure if it was related to his PTSD or something else. However, the last time Leo tried to pry information out of someone they snapped at him. And Leo was a man who learned from his mistakes- at least some of them, anyway. Thomas reassured him he was alright and dealing with some of his issues and Leo just nodded in support. "You got this, man. You know what they say about us Sullivans. The strong part. Not the part about reproducing like bunnies," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.

Yet no amount of joking seemed to calm his nerves to the point where he had no signs of being nervous. It didn't help that he was glancing at Natasha again. He realized the moment they rejoined their table he probably wouldn't be able to drag it out any longer. Thomas then brought attention to him and Natasha, Leo looking back over to his cousin. He let out a deep sigh and tapped his knuckles against the counter. "I... Made a decision I know she won't be happy with and I haven't told her yet. A few days ago, Uncle J, Tom, and I went to the shooting range and they were giving me tips and I asked your dad about the business. About what made him take on the mantel and all that," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "The whole thing basically helped me figure out what I wanted to do when it came to the family business."

Leo paused to look Thomas in the eye before continuing. "And I want to do it, Thomas. I want my dad and Syd and whoever else to teach me the business so that when the time comes- when I'm ready, I can do it." Thomas had actually been the first person Leo told any of this to. With his father recovering, Syd, Adam, and his mother taking on a few more responsibilities, he didn't think it would be appropriate just yet. However, fully saying it all out loud only made him solidify his choice. He didn't feel as if he was making the wrong choice or that it was the stupid one either. "But," he subtly gestured to Natasha with his head. "She's going to be fucking pissed. Pretty sure she thinks I'm hiding something from her, which I'm not, I just... You know how much she means to me and I would never do anything to hurt her. But I also just can't not do something I want because she's afraid, right? I'm confused on how to handle this and thought that if I made sure she had a good time and then tell her, it would soften the blow but she's too damn perceptive!" He shook his head and let out a slight chuckle. "Any advice before I head into the lion's den?"

Natasha, Thomas ( Bellz ) Elena ( Pyroclast )

 

[BasDorcha]

Sullivan Family Home
~Sutton, Dublin~
Michelle Romano
Michael Anderson and Laura Anderson​

Laura didn’t seem bothered by Rhi’s uncomfortableness and just moved on to the next subject, asking what kind of foods were Grandpa’s favorite. Michelle worried that she didn’t understand fully what was going on yet, and that she thought maybe this was just some very long vacation. The man had been a terrible husband in the end, but he loved his daughters dearly and always had a special relationship with them. Michael understood what was going on, and hated his father for it. He felt that his mother had been betrayed by their father, and he was on her side when her mother announced the divorce to them.

Lucas comment about Italian’s got all three’s attention, but only one of them because they felt it was an insult. Michael leaned in and asked Lucas quietly, “Who are the Moretti’s? Are they the mob? Are they bad guys? Have you even seen them around here?” Michelle almost choked on her sip of margarita before shushing Michael. “Enough, not at the dinner table, and you don’t need to watch any more television, you have obviously watched too much as it is.”

“Sure, I’ll call the boys for some help, I’m not bringing much from Portugal, figured it was to much of a pain to move it all, so I just ordered some new stuff that will need to be moved in and around the house.”

Everyone outside of the adults all made noises of disgust or faces of fake throwing up when Aliana started flirting with Conor. Michelle smiled a bit, happy to see that her father was bouncing back to normal. Michael had fallen quiet and was listening to Lucas talk about the school, and hearing that they’d all be in school together, seemed to feel a bit relieved. At least he wouldn’t be totally alone. “We’re Catholic right mom?” Michael asked and Michelle nodded, trying to sound lighthearted when she said, “We’re more… untraditional, but yes, still Catholic.” Michelle mentally remembered being called a Weekend Catholic because she believed in a firm division between work and religion and never let religion come into play in her job.

What she couldn’t help was the next comment out of her mouth, “I actually enjoyed the PTO meetings at the kids school before. I was head of the council. I’ll have you know my bake sales ensured we had new books and after school activities.” The sound in Michelle’s voice was a little hostile, but she kept it tamed to a level that didn’t explode. She shoved her fork around her plate again, dropping the conversation when Rhiannon asked about a housewarming party. “Well then, I know I’ll have the best party, because the best planner is already on the case.”

Michael on the other hand, grinned at Conor, somehow appearing cocky and sheepish at the same time – the grin said one, but the pinking of his ears said another. “I have been in my fair share of fights, but I never started any of them. I didn’t loose either.” Michelle rolled her eyes, her frustration growing. She thought about exposing her son, but determined the embarrassment was not a good thing to cause right now and she’d speak to her son about not over exaggerating later.

It was at this moment that Syd brought attention to her not having touched most of her food. Truth was she just had to much on her mind. She hated unsettled business, and all this time with Aliana had been just that. Michelle was even more frustrated because she had already tried to put this behind her once and it hadn’t worked, Aliana had pretty much refused her apology and made things worse. A flush spread across her skin, everything visible turning pink.

“Oh, no, the mashed potatoes are great, there’s nothing wrong with them. I was just… thinking, that’s all.” She was actually stressed and anxious for more reasons then she could put her finger on. Yes, she needed to apologize to Aliana, and probably her dad, but it shouldn’t put this much attitude on display. Also, she was feeling like no matter what they tried to talk about, Aliana found a way to barb at her. Added to that, her daughter’s nonchalance attitude towards the divorce worried her, same as Michael’s outburst he had about his father both before they divorced and afterwards. Part of her was starting to think she had made a very big mistake and should have just dealt with the issues and stayed with her husband. The kids would one day feel like she failed them because she could not show them what a happy home was supposed to look like, and without knowing why, she blamed Aliana for that.

Her mind told her that it wasn’t Aliana’s fault, it was the business the families were in, and it was her mom’s for keeping her a secret for so long from her father. It told her no one chooses who they love, no one can force another to feel things that aren’t there, and her mother had moved on to a happy relationship she would have for the rest of her life. Yes there had been some depression and dark times, but her mother found her way out, and they had a great life together. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling she just wanted to yell at Aliana and take out all her pent-up emotions on her.

“Just got some stuff on my mind, it makes me distracted, I’m sorry. Its like when you know you made a mistake, and want to apologize, but then its not accepted.” Her eyes looked up at Aliana with a quiet accusation, but she did not point any fingers directly. “Then it stays on your mind for a long time after. Sometimes, people just need to think. That’s how all the best things come about… like ice cream. Someone thought it up one day too.” Michelle tried to distract the girl, changing the subject and took a big bite of her potatoes. “See, all good.”

Mentions Melanin-Gxdess - Aliana/Syd/Rhi
Misty Gray - Bruce/Lucas

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Spencer and Shona's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

Harper wasn't all too surprised when May stated that she chose her siblings instead of choosing Trevor. It was a choice that someone who had no idea what she was getting herself into would make. While May knew about almost everything, she didn't know what went on behind closed doors. Harper only knew because she had Jeremy and Billy who were kind enough to let her in on what Bruce and Spencer had in mind for this whole war that they caused. She had almost been a casualty of that war and while she was grateful she wasn't dead, sometimes she felt like she'd be better off 6 feet under.

She was wondering why she had even decided to show up when Spencer spoke up about explaining to May about the bad blood between the Kings and Trevor. Harper fought the urge to roll her eyes, forcing herself to look away from the whole conversation altogether, looking out one of the windows instead. Her attention was once again captured, feeling eyes on her and when she turned back around Spencer was looking at her intently. He stated that Trevor didn't know about May and that surprised the blonde. Harper had been convinced that her father had just been hiding the information from her during both of their conversations but apparently that was not true at all. He didn't know.

Spencer stated his intent to make sure that their father never knew and for some reason that was starting to make Harper's blood boil. May had only just found out about her new family and already they were ready to place boundaries on everything. Harper shifted forward in her seat, her muscles coiling as if ready to pounce on her brother as she forced herself to listen to what he had to say. She had only heard her eldest brother speak of Trevor when she was sneaking around the house as a child. Everything he had to say about the man was never good and Harper couldn't blame him, the man was a complete asshole. But Harper wasn't so sure that the man she was speaking to now was the same man that he and her older siblings had to deal with back then. Something about Trevor spoke to Harper. Billy had asked if she had spoken to Trevor to get back at Bruce but that wasn't it at all.

All of her life, Harper had been told who to hate. If it wasn't Trevor, it was some other person that was fucking up her family's business. When Savvy came into her brother's life, Harper couldn't imagine in a million years that she would one day be forced to hate the very woman who had introduced her to the world of theatre and acting, the very woman who made Harper an Auntie and gifted her family with Callum. Now all of the sudden, she was supposed to despise her, she was meant to hate her solely because of the family she was connected to. In the first few days of recovery from the explosion, Harper hated Savvy and her family, she wanted to see them burn or suffer the same fate she had. But now that she was coming to her senses, she realized that she felt that way only because she was afraid to speak out against her own family.

The men in her family didn't understand the delicate situation they had put Savannah in with Callum, yet if Harper was placed in the same situation they would only want to defend her just like Savannah's family wanted to. Harper knew men couldn't connect the dots as well as women, but she felt that they were all so far gone now that there was no point in trying to communicate that with them. Trevor....was no Savannah, that much Harper knew. But, perhaps he had enough sense in him to change his ways. As far as she knew of him, he had changed.

The way Spencer looked between May and her put Harper on the edge of her seat and his words made her shake her head in frustration. The way he pointed out that their father had overstayed his welcome and would not be sticking around for much longer made her skin crawl. Harper's eyes searched the room for a moment and that's when she saw her Uncle looking at her. Under her stoic expression, she was silently seething and she wondered if he noticed.

Her Uncle asked if May was sure this was what she wanted, to side with the Kings instead of Trevor. It irked her that everyone in her family had a choice at this point but her, yet again. Once Bruce finished speaking, Harper turned to May. "You understand what you are being forced to choose right?" She was sure she'd captured everyone's attention with the way she phrased her question. "To have the freedom to choose or to have it taken away from you." Her voice was thick with venom as her eyes only looked at May. "Your close enough to us to know what's been going on recently. You are smart enough to understand that despite having protection, you are still going to be affected by the consequences of decisions you don't even have a choice in." She was sure Spencer and Bruce were happy with her at that moment. "You choose us, your choices are taken away. I'm not saying you should choose Trevor either...but at least if you decide to not choose us you can decide when you want to see him on your own terms. I'd kill for choices...and your family...my family...is giving one to you. Consider yourself a lucky girl, May. You can walk away from this without any sort of burdens or hardships if you decide to turn your back on everyone here."
with: Bruce + Shona Pyroclast
Spencer Misty Gray
Darcey Melanin-Gxdess
May BasDorcha

 

[BasDorcha]

Chinatown
~Westend, London~
Jeremy Gray & Tommy Thatcher​

Tom watched as Jeremy was smacked around some more, blood running from his mouth, several places on his face including his nose and eye, and apparently from a spot in his chest. He heaved, trying to catch his breath from the last hit, still unmoved to retract his claim. No words came out now though, his mouth just trying to stay clear enough of the iron infused liquid to stay inhaling and exhaling. When the sound of the police reached his ears, he knew the end was coming soon. Before he could speak any more, Adam and Dermot dragged him out, throwing him in the back of the van. The lack of oxygen to his brain caused him to roll in unceremoniously, gasping for air on the floor in front of Adam for a few moments before he could respond.

A cough broke through his chest as he finally set up, arms on his knees, seeming surprisingly relaxed for his situation – it was a fool who expended his energy when the moment was not right, and Jeremy knew this was not his moment. Looking up at Adam as the blood ran down his face, he swiped at his eyes to clear his vision as he remained silent. Finally, he spoke, "The truth is, it was an accident, plain and simple. There was a scuffle, and the knife was planted without intent, just pure reaction. You can’t kill Billy, you know it, I know it, and my friends inside know it. It’s not equal. You don’t kill the king over a peasant death.” Jeremy referenced an old book line that came to mind, coughing up a bit more blood as his head cleared more. “If you’re going to kill someone, it needs to be equal, so I’m offering up my self instead. If you kill Billy, a war like none other is going to break out, and I don’t think the Sullivan family is up for that right now, are they? How is Conor doing anyways? Did we get any permanent damage in? Gotta gives it to him, that old man is tougher then he looks.”

Jeremy’s mouth got away with him a bit, but they were still on opposite sides of this battle, even if they were both smart enough to know that time was of the essence, and he didn’t have the time to stand here and keep pushing for answers. Either he was going with them, or Adam would make his decision, shoot him, and be done with it.

---

Tom had dropped the gun just far enough away from Billy’s head it wasn’t pressed to his skull, though it still rested just a little off his shoulder. With his free hand, he punched Billy right in the soft spot of his head, his fist coming down with power that would appear inappropriate for someone of his youth and build. Tom was a decent sized fellow, but he wasn’t some big, bulky weightlifter, or super tall. The crack his hit resounded with sounded like it easily came off someone twice his size. About the time his hand pulled back, he heard the gun shot go off, and the pain flashed through his arm. The pain in his muscle forced him to squeeze, and a second later, a gun shot went off again – this time Tom’s.

The young man aimed it down as he felt his hand convulse. Adam had specifically stated not to kill him, and at the original anger, it would have severed his spine as he was just a breath of space away. Instead, the metal weapon discharged into his shoulder, entering above the shoulder, and exiting out beneath his arm pit and entering his arm where it stopped. Growling, the devil inside came to light and a look of death filled his eyes. His gaze landed on Christian, and a second later, the gun discharged again, this time aimed at Christian as the world around him flashed to another time and place – a skirmish in some third world country he couldn’t even remember the name of. A second later it flashed back to reality and his bullet bounced off metal barrel of Christian’s gun, and into the man’s arm. Edwards offered a needed distraction, smacking Christian in the head with a plate, giving Tom a moment to grab and jerk the PI’s gun away. He threw it across the floor, the darkness in him edging to take over.

“DAMNIT, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU, YOU FUCKIN’ PIG.” Tom howled with rage. A second later, as if he had figured out the perfect punishment, he let loose on Billy, three incensed punches landing around his head, two of them carrying the weight of the gun with it. Finally, he stepped back, still glaring at Christian like he would burst into flames. “Let’s go Reina, copper here ain’t gonna shoot you, he hasn’t been given permission to fuck anything up. Adam and the rest are waiting, lets go.” If they didn’t leave, they’d be busted, and that was the last thing they needed. Tom rushed out the back, with Reina following behind, straight to the van, jumping in and looking at Jeremy with less interest than a worm in the way.

Mentions Misty Gray Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess BloodThunder27

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau
Syd's Place
- , Dublin-​

Roxie embraced her friend tightly and a feeling of dread fell over her as she let her anxiety start to get the best of her. Upon her questioning, Savvy stated that she was okay and Danny didn't lead Roxie to believe that Savvy wasn't okay. But, Roxie could tell by the look in her friend's eyes that something was up. "Ah, never better." Roxie answered simply, not wanting to get into any of her own feelings at that moment just wanting to get to the part where Savvy told her and Syd why she wanted to speak with them.

That moment finally arrived when Syd entered the room with refreshments. Roxie took a glass of water in her hand but didn't move to drink it, simply just needing something to hold onto while Savvy spoke. Once she was comfortably seated, her attention didn't leave her friends or Danny's as she started speaking. The minute she opened her mouth, Roxie already had a vague feeling about what she wanted to tell them. Her thoughts were only continuing to be confirmed as Savvy went on to say that both London and Ireland were dangerous now and that Callum was starting to notice things.

A hot flash overcame Roxie as she shifted in her seat, feeling sick at that moment as Savvy continued to say that Alex had served her custody papers. Syd stated that Alex wouldn't get Callum and Roxie nodded her head in silent agreement with him but Savvy thought that so much would get dragged up in the proceedings and while that much was true, Roxie knew she was wrong about the court not allowing her to keep her son. Savvy didn't have a criminal record and the only thing she had ever done was defend herself, accidentally killing someone who deserved a fate worse than death. Roxie shook her head in disagreement when Savvy solely met her eyes, wanting to tell her how wrong she was but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt her.

Roxie was in agreement with Savvy that Callum should grow up with her, it was clear that Alex couldn't be a competent father, that he didn't have a responsible bone in his body -- but Roxie didn't understand why Savvy didn't think the court would agree with that. Hell, the court agreed that Roxie should have had sole custody of the kids she had with Syd, and for a long time, he was only allowed to have supervised visitation. Alex had done far worse than Syd especially when it came to Savvy...surely the court would see that. While many judges took into consideration familiar ties, most of the time they only judged the parents themselves on whether they were competent enough.

Regardless, Savvy went on to say that she wanted to leave and Roxie struggled to keep her emotions in check. They were headed to Greece of all places, where Danny apparently thought they would stay safe from the Kings. While Roxie wanted to trust that Danny understood the responsibility that fell onto him now, she wasn't so sure either of them understood the risks involved of just heading to a place with almost zero protection following them. Roxie had always thought that she knew what was best for her kids, that she needed to keep them as far away as possible from the mess that she had tangled herself into, but at the end of the day, no place was safe anymore. At least here, they could have the little moments with their family and friends, and the protection they truly needed that Roxie couldn't give them herself.

Savvy's words felt so final that Roxie wasn't sure if there was anything she could say or do to change her mind now. Syd looked at her and Roxie glanced back at him with sadness etched all over her face. He turned back to Savvy, nodding his head as he stated that he understood what she was saying. Roxie understood as well but something still didn't sit with her right.

When Syd asked about the location, Danny was quick to shoot down answering him. Despite the rational answer, Roxie's anxiety peaked as her knee began to hop up and down. They weren't going to tell them where they were going and weren't taking any sort of protection with them. They could disappear without any of them knowing what happened to them, no place to call...no letters, nothing. Roxie's lower lip started to tremble and she forced herself to look down. Syd was surprisingly calm about it all and here she was falling apart.

Anything could happen to them and they wouldn't know. That was enough to send her over the edge as she gripped the glass in her hand. She couldn't lose anyone else and as selfish as it felt, she didn't want them to leave. "Do you really have to go?" Roxie asked after Syd asked them when they were off, her voice breaking as she got the words out. "Really, I mean think about it...do you really think that the King family has any sort of leverage in court against you Savvy? Especially Alex of all people?" She said, looking to Savvy with tears in her eyes.

"And you aren't going to tell any of us where you are going? What if...what if..." She couldn't even get out the words she was trying to say as she shook her head, moving it into her hands to cover her face.
with: Savvy Misty Gray ; Danny +Syd Pyroclast