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

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Family Home
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan and Adam Harper​

Aliana and Blake seemed to accept the apologies from both men. When the former said she and Blake wanted a spa day reserved and paid for them, Adam quirked his eyebrow. "Hey now I'm going to have to check my account. I've been out of work for the last week," he joked. When Blake told the two men to kiss and make-up, Adam let out a scoff. "No offence, but Conor ain't the type of bloke I got for," he joked. Backtracking on Blake's words about the two samples of whisky he'd knocked back, Adam pointed in the general direction of his empty glasses. "They were both alright," he told Aliana, fully aware of his vague feedback on the drinks.

Conor hadn't been oblivious to the way Adam's focus had been lovingly fixed on Blake for a while, nor was he unaware when Aliana had to snap herself out of her own fixation on the couple. Conor sent his wife a curious expression before she told him to cut Adam some slack. "Alright, fine. We'll leave poor Chase overworked a few more days," he teased, knowing how close Adam was to the man in question. He soon put his full focus on Aliana as her eyes drifted between his eyes and mouth. He couldn't help but grin at her and then softly smile when she whispered she was proud of him. "That's good," he said, when she quietly told him she couldn't withhold anything now. "Now you've got me all excited," he suggestively whispered back.

Adam couldn't help but smile when Blake helped his argument for more time off, pointing out that it would mean he could spend more time with her. Conor shook his head in feigned exasperation. "Alright, you pair of blaggers. He can have a few more days off. I'll just make Dermot and Marco work over - it'll stop them trying to pull some tarts for a couple of nights, at least," he remarked.

Adam met Blake's gaze as she raised an eyebrow at him, clearly curious as to why he wanted some more time off. He wasn't even certain this evening would go his way, but if it did, then he was sure he and Blake would want to spend plenty of time together. If she rejected his proposal, he was sure they'd still make good use of his time off, whether together or separately. "Oh, the time off will be worth it, I hope..." he trailed off. His voice was confident, but the more time he had to think about it, the more that rare nervous feeling was creeping towards him. At least while he was pissed off at Conor, he didn't have the opportunity to worry about Blake rejecting him, but now, his mind was clear enough to let some apprehension in. "Don't worry, love. If I need some more time off later, I'll just try get myself a minor injury or some shit o I can pull a sicky."

Whilst Aliana and Conor spoke directly to each other for a short time, Adam talked quietly to Blake. "I was thinking we could head over to my place when we're done here." Leaning in closer, he spoke so only Blake could hear. "They might not even notice we're gone soon. I think Conor's hoping he's back in Ali's good books now, if you know what I mean," he remarked.

Melanin-Gxdess (Aliana)
Bellz (Blake)

The Paddy Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Olivia Sullivan and James Porter​

Olivia rolled her eyes when Sam said her father would be involved if he wasn't already. "Unfortunately, I think you're right. God knows what he thought I was getting up to whilst he was in jail and couldn't keep close tabs," she suggestively told him, before playfully laughing. She almost missed his comment about talking to James about her being his girlfriend. "Hmmm. You like to get ahead of yourself, don't ya?" she teased, but her own cheeks blushed at the pleasant thought of Sam being her boyfriend.

She followed Sam to their booth and the waitress came to their table. Olivia curiously watched as the girl blatantly ignored her. Olivia folded her arms and glared at the waitress whilst Sam lectured her about her lack of manners. Olivia held her tongue until after the replacement server had come over to take their order and she requested a vodka and coke. Once she was alone again with Sam, Olivia let out the scoff she'd been holding in. "Who's Jane then? Not someone you're attached to, right? 'Cos if she's rude to me like that again I'll kick her head in," she firmly assured him. "I'm not having someone be rude to me like that for any reason."

Sam then went on to say he thought she was someone who liked to win. She smirked at it but didn't think confirmation was necessary. "Alright let's play." Of course, as they started playing pool and Olivia sank a ball, she already knew her first question. "So when did you fuck Jane and is she still hot for you?" she sarcastically asked, flashing a mischievous smile.

Watching Sam take his shot, Olivia stood with one hand on her hip and the other toying with the pool cue. She wasn't aware they had familiar company until she heard James' voice and the man stopped alongside her. "How many flukes have you had so far?" the man gruffly asked her.

"I..." Olivia stuttered, turning to look to her adoptive father. "What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing to Sam as her face turned a deeper shade of red. "And I'll have you know all my shots are pure skill," she informed him, awkwardly clearing her throat.

"Yeah, I know. Shame you haven't got the same quality of skills when it comes to dodging my radar. I always know, kid," he remarked, clearly now referring to her previous stealthy dates with Sam. "Evening, Sam. I don't think we've personally met," he soon greeted the young man, reaching out to give him a firm and prolonged handshake as he studied the man closely. "Did you drive here?" he knowingly asked him. "How do you plan on getting my daughter back home?"

BasDorcha (Samuel)

Medina Warehouse
~ Somewhere near Bethnal Green, London ~

Christian Brooks​

Christian briefly took his eyes off the road to glance to Billy when he confirmed he had a gun on him. The former detective didn't carry firearms with him, but he was certainly skilled and capable of using them. If it came to it, he would be willing to relieve Billy of the burden and pull the trigger for him. "Alex is right..." he began as he focused back on the road ahead. "I can take your gun if you'd feel more comfortable. I'm a good shot, so I'll hit where I intend to..." he trailed off, still deciding if he was against shooting to kill if pushed.

When asked what kind of man Josh was, Christian recalled the night at the club. "I was inclined to think lowlife scumbag civilian, especially after the crap he was spewing after I beat him down," he began. "He seemed pretty focused - obsessed, even, with May. Threatened her straight in front of me, saying he'd abduct her," he bitterly explained to Alex. "But I'm inclined to think him and his family are up to something more. Not quite the level of your family, but drugs and the like. I'd hazard to say small-time, but considering there's only three of us and with limited weaponry, we shouldn't underestimate him. There's got to be some kind of trap."

When they arrived at the warehouse in question, Christian pulled the car up across the street and turned off the engine. Looking out of the window, he pointed towards the large door. "There's the entrance," he pointed out. "Can you see anyone around? Anything suspicious?" he asked as he scanned the area around the building.

BasDorcha (May, Josh, Anyone around)
Pyroclast (Billy)
Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

The Callahan Family Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Savannah Callahan​

Savannah sighed when Roxie said she didn't think Alex would keep Callum away from her forever. "I'd like to believe he wouldn't, but... What if he just didn't have a choice? Our families keep making things worse and the more it goes on, the less hope I have. A few months ago I was living in London and now I'm being told I can't go there because it's not safe. It's not safe for me to be in the same place as my own son?!" she pointed out. When her friend told her it wasn't always up to the men who arranged meetings, she looked curiously to Roxie. "I did that before. Danny took me and Callum to London so Alex could see him. It was a risk then and now it just feels even more dangerous. After I took Callum and they let me get shot so they could snatch him back... what if the Kings or that psychopath kills me if I step foot there again?" she asked, recalling Damian's face.

Despite her reservations, Savannah couldn't help but consider possibilities of how she could see Callum without Conor and Syd needing to be involved. "This is my business, not theirs," she agreed. "If Alex would just let me see Callum. Not here or in London, but somewhere else. Somewhere away from our families and any danger," she thought aloud. With mentions of legal support, she nervously bit her lip. "But that's why I ran away in the first place, because they threatened to seek full custody and take him from me."

Savannah let out a choked breath of air. "I just want us both to be able to see him. Callum needs both of his parents," she reasoned. "I should try calling Alex and try get him to see reason - to let me see Callum. I wouldn't expect you to come with me, but I could meet them somewhere, without anyone else needing to get involved. It just needs to be me, Alex and Callum. Our families have used us as an excuse to fight for long enough now."

Bellz (Roxie)

 

[BasDorcha]

Sullivan Pub

~Dublin, Ireland~
Michelle Romano​

Michelle picked up the shot glass in the middle of the table, moving it to sit in front of Dermot, a sexy and challenging look in her eyes as she caught his gaze, her back turned to Marco and Emery for a moment. "My goal tonight will be to get you to take this one shot, or I'll have failed. The rest though, they are for the rest of us. Waitress!" She waved down one of the girls, instructing her to be ready with shots periodically. The girl, knowing that Michelle was not just a stranger, nodded and hurried off. Under the table, she teasingly touched both men's leg at the same time with the hand on their respective side, just tickling lightly with her fingers before drawing them back and onto the table. When she met Emery's eyes, she smiled, winking at her cousin with a little nod towards Marco and subtle raise of her eyebrow.

"Emery is the best of the cousins, I'll have you know. At least, she's the only one who is brave enough to go out with me." She laughed, knowing that it really came down the fact she hadn't had time to go out with anyone, but damnit it all if she wasn't going to defend and tease her cousin anyways. Dermot commented on not wanting to be on her bad side, and for the first time, Michelle felt a flash of jealousy within her, brief but vibrant. Time for another then, she grinned to herself, waving the girl to prepare another, along with some mugs of beer to drink between. Michelle could handle her alcohol, but even she would need to pace herself.

"Me and you, cousin, are staying drink for drink ma'am. Only true way to judge." She pointed playfully, tauntingly. For the moment, Michelle had convinced herself that neither of the men held a stronger flame in her soul, and if Emery wanted one of them, she might be so inclined to share. Leaning back in the booth, she stretched her arms out across the curved booth, "I feel like the Queen, surrounded by such handsome men and my beautiful cousin." A giggle escaped her lips as she was obviously playing.

"Emery, I'd be surprised if we even registered on these gentlemen's radar in the scary department. Maybe if we threaten the with Daddy, but even then, they'd probably just call us out on taking the piss." Michelle had been beaming at Emery, starting to feel a warm comradery in her chest as she finally started to truly loosen up within herself, when Marco's words came screaming into her consciousness. A quiet shock came to her face, faster than she could prevent it, gulping it back behind a drink to hide it. Looking down quickly, she straightened herself, forcing a smile back into her face as she turned in her seat, her lips pulled into a smile but her eyes lacking the warmth - not in anger but in sadness. "If you have opinions, I think I might like to hear them. Never talked to an expert of such matters before. Tell me, is it true what they say? Once is never enough?" She found herself wanting to know immediately if he would admit to still being prone to do it, but not wanting to say it in such an ugly way. A small spot of pain was frozen in her heart, waiting for the answer.

In those few moments that stretched much longer in her mind then it really was, she tried to decide if she was essentially doing the same thing. After all, one.. Two… She blushed and looked down, swirling the beer in her cup. "In any case, I'm sure he was teasing, you don't have to answer. There are many things wrong with me I fear, even I am not without my flaws sir." She teased, nudging Marco with a softer playful nature.

Misty Gray - Dermot and Emery
Melanin-Gxdess - Marco

 

[BasDorcha]

The Back Alley Pub

~London~

Phil and Abel Stewart​

Phil watched Trevor carefully, able to see it was harder than he wanted to admit but letting it go. It wasn't his business to tell Trevor how to respond to such a situation. It was his own to deal with. But it looked like he was trying better than he had before, and he had to give him credit for that. Any time before the last year, he would have laughed and said Trevor must have some ulterior motive keeping him around, but he couldn't see the use with the situations he'd mentioned - if anything they would be reasons to run. He reached out, clapping his brother on the shoulder in quiet.

Abel, who had been day dreamy for a hot minute, finally zoned back into the conversation. "Hey, wait, I've got cousins? I want to meet them! Are they here in London? Are there any around my age?" He looked hopeful, but Phil shook his head. "I don't think any of them are near your age, Harper was born long before you came about, though," he looked up at Trevor with a curious expression, "How old is the newest addition? I 'spose she'd be closer to your age, in any case. Maybe your Uncle Trevor can talk to her about an introduction, seeing as you don't really have anyone to spend your time with here in London it might be good to meet some friendly faces first." He watched to see how Trevor responded to the suggestion of letting their kids meet - something that was well past due.

"That would be awesome!" Abel gushed. He listened for a few more moments, before the waitress came back. He grinned at her, waving her to come closer so he could ask her a question quietly to her ear. A moment later, she was blushing and giggled, before offering Abel her hand. They left for the dance floor, Abel looking like a cat who just caught a mouse, grinning from ear to ear.

Philip was glad that Trevor took no offence at what he said, especially considering he hadn't meant it. Part of him was surprisingly sad to hear that Trevor had no intentions of applying in construction, a fleeting idea of them working together disappearing - probably for the better he reasoned. Having a better relationship forming did not necessarily mean they would see eye-to-eye well enough to work together. Instead, he changed the subject to Sarah and the kids, asking how they had been doing with the move.

"Champs, they are. Everyone moved without a single issue, complaint or fight. I came early, picked out the house and got the business headquarters set up, she packed up the house and paid the movers, so it moved seamlessly for the most part. School for the youngest ones was probably the roughest, having to move away from their friends and all, but they're troopers and came without giving me to much guff. As for Sarah, well, she'll do that," he grinned, thinking about his wife and the strength he loved so much about her. "She puts me in my place to, have no doubt, just not as roughly as she did you. That woman broke the mold, I tell ya, she ain't none of that meek and mild you see from most birds. What about you? Any lady love in your life at the moment?"

As he looked up, Abel was slow dancing with the waitress, his hands on her hips in a way that was a bit to familiar for his father to be comfortable with. Before he could process it though, a guy bigger than himself made his way to the floor, walking up to his son and the girl who seemed happily lost in the song. When the larger man tapped Abel on the shoulder, the two turning towards him, the girl visibly shrunk away. Phil narrowed his eyes, elbow nudging Trevor to look up.

"That seem a bit tense to you? Reckon we should go over, make sure that brute aint harassing the kids?" The girl didn't seem happy to see the large man, shielding herself behind Abel who - like both his dad and his uncle - was already bowing up. Phil shook his head as he stood, looking to see if Trevor was going to join him.

Misty Gray - Trevor

 

[BasDorcha]

The Paddy Pub

~Dublin, Ireland~
Samuel McKinsley​

The questions about Jane had him perking a curious eyebrow at her response. Jane, a normal waitress here, was not one of his previous conquest. She had been making puppy dog eyes at him since he returned, but the truth was, he hadn't been with a woman in some time - the last one had done some pretty specific damage he wasn't in a hurry to repeat. Her jealousy made him grin though, choosing not to answer the first question about him being attached to her, because he barely knew who she was, but he liked to keep people on their toes, so he'd let her wonder - if only for a few brief minutes. They racked up the table, Olivia breaking before the first question was thrown out.

Sam laughed loudly, giving her a boyish but devilish smile. "I have never had the pleasure to 'fuck' Jane, though I'm sure some dour boy somewhere wishes he was, she's not really my style. There's no challenge there, she'd bend over if I snapped my fingers." He winked, sinking the next ball on his first turn. "My turn. Is that jealousy I hear? Maybe it's because you want to be my girlfriend." He moved closer to her, waiting for her response, before stepping back to allow her to shoot again.

Having moved to the end of the table, Sam was acutely aware that someone had walked up, but he knew there were too many eyes on them for someone random to be approaching - he had specifically asked the bouncers that they keep an eye on attendance and anyone who might cause Olivia trouble be denied entry. He wasn't a fool. James would be the wrong person to piss off, no matter how much he had proved himself in the company. For now, until he had her permission to protect her the way he had within his power to do, he'd keep a cautious exterior eye on their outings, just in places like this. He wanted to show her the wild side, take her on adventures, get in trouble with her, but he needed to build their trust, know that she could handle all of it first.

The sound of a man's voice brought his eyes flying up, but Olivia's expression said everything. He smiled, knowing this wasn't what she wanted but feeling at ease as he knew it was bound to happen, if not tonight, soon. They had been spending more and more time together, and Sam was close to saying he wanted to spend all his time with her, ask her to seriously be his girl, but he also wanted to take his time and do things right. The last relationship he'd been in started with a one night stand and a bar fight, ending in her fucking the drug dealer and leaving him publicly and viciously. He worked too much, he didn't pay her enough attention, plus a ton of other things he didn't feel were right and made her a cheap gold digger.

He let his heart lead him too much, he had to protect it this time. When she stammered out that all her shots were pure skill, he barely held back a snort of amusement, holding down the grin that teased at his lips. "Sure they are, Liv, sure they are." He turned, offering his hands to James when he offered his own, giving it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, sir. We did drive, but I scheduled a driver on standby for later tonight. Just gotta ring 'im up and he'll catch a cab this way to drive the car home, dropping Livvy along the way." When James did release his hand, he stepped back, seeming to stand a bit straighter, expression still happy but a bit more serious. It seemed with James there, he was intent on putting on a good impression, something that normally came easily to him but now felt more important than ever.

"Would you like to play? I'll cut you in on the same rules, sink a ball, ask a question, win the game, ask any favor." A quick blush tinted his cheeks as he realized he left out a single rule, but determined he likely didn't need to ask for him to know James wouldn't appreciate being included in that specific rule.

 

[Pyroclast]

Excalibur Hotel & Conference Centre
~ City of London, London ~

Bruce King
​

Bruce was happy to take compliments as a sign of respect, but they had little to no effect on his ego. He was self-assured enough in the ways he ran his business not to need praise from anyone. What he would never get tired of hearing, however, were compliments towards the four that he had raised. For all he had overcome, accomplished and earned over the course of his life, there was nothing he was more proud of than his niece and nephews. He was proud of Spencer for defying the example that Trevor had set him; of Alex for growing out of his reckless habits and into a man; of Billy for not letting the business corrupt him; and of Harper for always going her own way despite the setbacks she faced. When Ezekiel complimented his and Spencer’s work ethic and motivation, Bruce looked over at his nephew with a smile. “There’s a reason he’s next in line,” he remarked. “Can think of no one better to take my place when I’m gone.”

On the subject of Isaac Carter’s declining health, Bruce felt it wasn’t his business to comment on how his demise would affect Carter Technologies. Ezekiel seemed more than capable of taking the reins seeing as he already had them in his grasp, but Bruce didn’t want to say anything to suggest that Isaac’s death would be insignificant. “He’s earned his rest,” he said. “There ain’t a defined retirement age in this line of work, but with a responsible and driven son like you, Isaac shouldn’t worry about the future of Carter Technologies if he steps back.”

A fresh smile set on Bruce’s face as Ezekiel commented on how well the women in their lives seemed to get along. Bruce hadn’t heard a bad word about Lilith from Darcey, though he was aware that they tended to engage with each other at formal events where it was important to keep any ill feelings hidden. He couldn’t imagine why they wouldn’t get along as well as they seemed to, but he hoped that Darcey would be honest with him so he could support her either way.

His smile remained as Ezekiel then explained that Xavier was doing well in health, studies and morale. It was of course disheartening that his illness restricted his ability to play the sports he enjoyed, but with the boy’s apparent lust for life Bruce was sure he would be able to remain positive. “Well, it sounds like his attitude’s in the right place,” Bruce assured him. “With that fightin’ spirit of his I’m sure he’ll find ways to live life to the fullest. He’s an inspirin’ lad, your Xavier. You tell ‘im he’s got my respect.”

When Ezekiel turned the question onto Bruce’s family, his mind instantly jumped to May and Harper, still desperate to hear more about the condition of the two women. What he wasn’t expecting, however, was for the man to ask him about his relationship with Darcey. Catching Spencer’s expectant smile, Bruce couldn’t help but blush a little. He hadn’t concentrated on his own love life since the loss of his wife Olga 26 years ago, so even though he was proud to be the man whom Darcey loved, he still felt a bit awkward talking about it. “Yes,” he clarified somewhat stiffly. “Yes, we’re here together.” He allowed himself to break eye contact with the two men and instead looked over at the woman he loved. Just the sight of her instantly relaxed him. If it wasn’t enough that she understood him better than anyone after sharing almost 50 years of their lives together, and was the one person he could tell anything to…she was also simply breath-taking to look at.

Another chapter of the evening was set to start when Ezekiel moved on to greet more of the event’s attendees, leaving Bruce alone with Spencer. At first Bruce looked around the room in search of wait staff carrying trays of alcohol. His previous glass was near empty, and he could afford to have a few more before it would become an inappropriate amount. While he waited for one to come over to their table, Bruce returned his attention to Spencer. “I suppose there ain’t been much opportunity to talk about it,” he said vaguely. “We’ve all had a lot goin’ on, more demandin’ of our attention. But while we’re stuck at this event, I suppose I ought to verbalise it.” He hesitated for a moment, clearing his throat. “Darcey and I…well, we’ve always been…we’ve always had an unbreakable bond, our whole lives. But now, we’re callin’ it what it is. It won’t change nothin’ for no one, besides me and her…but I’m happy, Spencer. I am.” Not wanting to let the moment go on any longer than it had to, Bruce straightened up in his seat and smoothed his tie, sending Spencer a small smile. “So, there, it’s said. That’s how it’s gonna be from now on.”

In an attempt to evade eye contact with his nephew, Bruce looked away from their table to try and flag down a waiter. Who he saw instead, however, was someone he was less than pleased to see. Nevertheless, he gestured for him to come and sit at their table. “Now’s as good a chance as any,” he uttered to Spencer as Gabriel Moretti came over to greet them.

“Evenin’, Gabriel,” Bruce said, standing to shake the man’s hand before settling back into his seat. “And how’s things with you? Are you keepin’ well? The family holdin’ up okay?” The unexpected loss of Marcus Moretti, who had been chosen as Gabriel’s heir, had been a shock; having lost children himself, Bruce had to sympathise with the family. While normally he would be genuinely interested to hear of their wellbeing, the questions this time were purely for courtesy’s sake. Behind the layer of politeness, Bruce was dying to get to the matter at hand. “I believe we have somethin’ to discuss,” he said, sending the Italian boss a knowing look. “You know what that is, don’t you?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Ezekiel, Spencer, Gabriel
Melanin-Gxdess Darcey (mentioned)

 

[Pyroclast]

Medina Warehouse
~ Somewhere near Bethnal Green, London ~

Billy King​

When the three men had set off together in search of May, it wasn’t exactly specified that they would be entering dangerous territory in order to find her. In their line of work, it was to be assumed that they could encounter danger at any point - that’s why Billy kept his snub nose and a knife concealed on him in public, even to a black tie event such as Carter’s gala - so when May’s disappearance became suspicious, it was natural for them to expect to have a fight on their hands. Still, when he woke up that day, he didn’t see himself murdering anyone.

Billy thought his question had been reasonable enough, so when Alex reached back to place a hand on his head and told him he could stay behind, he couldn’t help but recoil slightly. Christian then backed his brother up, assuring him that he could take his gun off him and use it himself, to relieve Billy of the job. He was sure at least Alex was remembering his reaction to killing Aidan, something he wished everyone would forget. Of course, he really didn’t want to kill anyone if it could be avoided, certainly not if Medina was just a civilian - but he couldn’t have everyone thinking he was too soft to take on a job. He didn’t want to give Christian his Bulldog, purely for the suggestion that Billy wouldn’t be comfortable using it. “That’s not what I meant,” he snapped, leaning out of Alex’s reach. “I’m fine.”

Thankfully, Christian moved on to actually answer his question. “Wait, this guy threatened to abduct May?” he asked, leaning forward between the two front seats. He didn’t want to start an argument, but with the shock of Harper’s unexpected suicide attempt and then May’s disappearance sounding increasingly more suspicious, Billy was getting sick of feeling like he was always too late to help. “You shoulda’ told us, Christian. We coulda’ protected her, gone after this guy before he could do somethin’.”

They didn’t know for sure that Josh Medina was the reason they couldn’t find May, but it was starting to sound likely. Christian went on to explain that the Medina family may be in the drugs business, and that they would be wise not to underestimate them. Billy sat back in his seat. “Bruce is good at knowin’ of the competition in and around our territory,” he pointed out. “If these guys were runnin’ any kind of operation in the city, we’d know about it.” But as confidently as he spoke, the suggestion that they could be walking into a trap made him doubt himself - especially as Christian was the expert in investigating other people’s business. “Like Alex said, we’ll just have to be careful,” he relented. “We’ll treat it like we would any other job. The main thing is we get May out of there alive and don’t get ourselves killed in the process…”

When they eventually rolled up outside the warehouse, they did a scan of the surrounding area from the car. It looked sort of inconspicuous - close to the road, just an ordinary warehouse building that wouldn’t get a second look. “I wonder what they want,” he mused aloud, trying to picture May behind those heavy green doors. At this point he would rather they were hoping to negotiate with the Kings than they had kidnapped May just to torture her.

“Christian,” he said, and once he had the man’s attention he passed him the small revolver. “Just so you got somethin’. You’d have a better shot than me, anyway.” He then reached up to gently massage his shoulder - he had thought the bulky sling spoiled the look of his suit, and so had foolishly gone out without it for the evening on the basis that he wouldn’t have to move much once he was there. While the wounds were healing normally, even the slightest twinge could still send a searing pain through his upper body, but he was just used to it now.

“I don’t see no one around,” he observed. “Shall we get close, see if we can hear anythin’?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Christian
Melanin-Gxdess Alex
BasDorcha May, Josh (mentioned)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Dermot Murphy and Emery Callahan​

Emery couldn't help but smirk when Marco mentioned having very angry parents on his hands if he let Michelle get drunk. "Ohhh, and you don't want to upset them," she played along, shifting her attention on Michelle for a time before then sharing her focus between Marco and Dermot. "You'd have to be crazy to lead Michelle astray and get on the wrong side of Conor," the redhead teased. "Ain't no signed paperwork going to save you boys from mine and Michelle's parents!"

Dermot flashed a mischievous grin in Michelle's direction and lightly shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, I'm sure I can deal with that," he remarked. Of course, he'd much rather stay on Conor's good side and not be getting caught leading Michelle astray, so to speak. His attention was then drawn to Marco and Emery as his friend asked the redhead why she was still single.

"I quite like being free and out of control," Emery assured Marco. "But, if someone who could handle me came along, then maybe they'd keep my interest for long enough to get me to settle down with them. I just don't know where I could find someone with enough guts and personality to fit the bill," she said, with an overexaggerated sigh.

When Marco then went on to address Michelle and ask how anyone could cheat on her, Dermot stayed silent. However when Marco then asked him what he thought, being the expert, Dermot remained straight-faced, albeit feeling slightly called out in Michelle's presence. Still, he maintained his composure and wasn't at all flustered or defensive by it. He noticed Michelle briefly look away before planting a smile back on her face. She then prompted Dermot to give his opinion, making a comment about him being an expert on cheating. "Oh, speaking as an expert? A bloke would be crazy to cheat on a lady like Michelle," he assured those around him. "If I'd change one thing or give a piece of advice, it would be to split up with your wife before embarking on two separate affairs. Don't stick around in a shitty marriage to a crazy woman just for the sake of your kids. Then when you do find a firecracker to have some fun with, nobody gets hurt and nobody spends an evening tossing your clothes out of the bedroom window onto the front lawn," he remarked with a roll of the eyes and a dry chuckle. Although Michelle had said he didn't have to answer Marco's question, Dermot wasn't going to hide it. "I did what I did and I know it wasn't right, but I'm not going to say I regret it or live with any guilt. Besides, Melinda was a nightmare... Whereas, your ex must have been insane to cheat on you," he assured Michelle.


Melanin-Gxdess (Marco)
BasDorcha (Michelle)

 

[Misty Gray]

Excalibur Hotel & Conference Centre
~ City of London, London ~

Ezekiel Carter and Spencer King
Gabriel Moretti​

Spencer kept a straight and professional face when Bruce told Ezekiel there was no one better to take his place in the King family business. He wasn't about to come across as some child being complimented by his parent to another adult. Still, it did mean a great deal to hear his uncle publicly express his approval. Despite the childhood he'd had and some of the mistakes or poor judgement calls he'd made in his adult life, Spencer still believed he had what it took to run things and Bruce confirming it was important to hear. It all meant he'd been able to avoid becoming like Trevor and he'd also proved Trevor wrong after all of the times as a child he was told he was useless or a waste of air.

Listening as Ezekiel spoke about Xavier, Spencer couldn't help but think about Eddie who was presently being babysat alongside Callum by Kerry. He'd made sure there was extra security around his home this evening to protect their children and Kerry. But as he thought about Xavier, it was a reminder that he could do everything at his disposal to protect his kid from their enemies and dangers, but there were some things nobody could stop from happening to his son. He only hoped Eddie and himself would be as strong as Xavier and Ezekiel seemed to be in dealing with a serious illness affecting the boy. "Yeah, he sounds like a tough and adaptable kid," he echoed Bruce's words.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I will be sure to pass on your sentiments," Ezekiel assured them with a confident smile.

Ezekiel caught the slight blush on Bruce's cheeks after he'd asked about his relationship with Darcey. To him, it had felt like such a natural question given how comfortable the couple looked next to each other. He was a perceptive man and could see the chemistry was present, but he was aware not all men were open books when it came to their feelings or at least when it came to casually discussing them during business. Ezekiel had more respect than to push such a subject and so he nodded in understanding when Bruce simple confirmed he and Darcey were at the event together. "Excellent..." Ezekiel trailed off as he looked to the side to see his personal assistant beckoning him over, in a way that the younger man was clearly trying not to cause too much disruption by interrupting his boss.

"It was a good speaking with you both, but it appears I am needed elsewhere," Ezekiel began to excuse himself. Standing up, he reached out to shake each man's once more. "Thank you for coming along tonight and I hope you - and the ladies - all enjoy the rest of the evening." Ezekiel took his empty glass with him, perching it on the waiter's tray as they passed by collecting them up, then made his way to his assistant to find out who he needed to engaged with next.

Once Ezekiel had left, Spencer looked to his uncle as the man scanned around for one of the waiting staff to bring more drinks. He'd been aware that Ezekiel's question about Darcey had put the man on the spot and equally noticed the stiff response he'd given to the question. Despite his own curiosity now growing, Spencer stopped himself from prying for a more concrete answer. In the end, he was rewarded for his self-control when Bruce focused back on him and addressed that very matter. He nodded along at mention of them having a lot going on recently. After some hesitation, Bruce then began to speak about Darcey and his strong bond with the woman. Spencer knowingly nodded when the older man said he and Darcey were finally calling their relationship what it was. Hearing his uncle say he was happy drew a naturally pleased smile to Spencer's face. It only grew larger when he processed Bruce's words - happiness being a feeling the older man was often in dire need of given all of the stress and tragedies he'd faced over the years.

Despite how keen Bruce seemed to be to move the subject along, Spencer wasn't going to waste the rare opportunity to talk directly with his uncle on the subject. "Well, it's about time, Bruce," he said, a lingering smile remaining as he spoke. "You and Darcey are good together, and even if it doesn't change anything for the rest of us, I think we're all made up to see you both happy together. I might have been a pain in her neck when I was a teenager, but Darcey's always been one of the family. I'm glad you're both calling it what it is now," he told him.

Spencer wasn't going to prolong the conversation, knowing Bruce was trying to evade going into too much detail, but the sight of Gabriel put a stop to any possibility anyway. "Ah, not this wanker," Spencer muttered under his breath. It was only loud enough for Bruce to hear but was said in a way to seek out some catharsis before trying to hold his tongue in front of Gabriel. He then stood up in time to shake the Italian's hand after Bruce had. "Evening, Gabriel."

Gabriel had left Elvian with Damian whilst he came over to greet the Kings. Although he'd been impressed by the speech himself, Gabriel had grown tired of hearing Damian gush about how "fine a gentleman" Ezekiel appeared to be. Still, as long as his unconventional employee was fixated on the event, he would keep a sane conversation going with Elvian for now.

Gabriel set his glass down on the table as he sat across from Bruce and Spencer. His counterpart asked him how he and his family were doing, drawing an amicable smile from Gabriel. "Myself and my family are all keeping well," he assured the man, not going into much detail as he deemed the question to be one of small talk. "How about yourselves. Are you and your families all doing well?" he asked.

"We're doing great," Spencer simply replied, not about to tell Gabriel some of his family were indeed not great. He figured the man either didn't really care or he just didn't deserve to know more detail.

Gabriel was glad Bruce moved the conversation on. The Londoner sent the Italian a knowing look as he pointed out that they had something to discuss. Gabriel remained stern-faced despite knowing exactly what it was about and having expected to be confronted on it. It was as if the Kings expected an apology or explanation for him doing them a favour. "Ah, this would be about my part in ensuring Callum was safely returned to your family."

"Safely?" Spencer scoffed, unable to hold off from calling the man out. "Callum was put at risk and Savannah was shot. You didn't consult us before you butted into the situation."

Gabriel glared at Spencer, clearly not liking the younger man's attitude and his questioning of him. He looked to Bruce and shook his head in disapproval. "I was asked to help find Callum and I found him. I put a plan into action to extract the boy from Corfu using clearance I have with allies in Greece. There was no time to hesitate and give Savannah chance to receive warning or move on. No harm would have come to the boy as my men were under strict instructions to protect him." Glancing to Spencer, he shook his head. "As for Miss Callahan, who willingly took the boy away from his father... What happened to her is of no concern to me, nor should it be to you. The deal we have in place," he said, pointing between himself and Bruce, "states that I help provide defence to your family against the Sullivans. Savannah is a Sullivan, is she not? The same people who blew up your nightclub and messed up Spencer's face," he added, motioning to Spencer's fading bruises. "She got in the way of Callum being returned to his father and so she was stopped. I don't recall there being exceptions to who is considered a Sullivan in our deal. A deal that is still in place, is it not?" he pointedly asked Bruce. "You won't win this war by being soft on the enemy."

Pyroclast (Bruce)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Back Alley Pub
~ London ~

Trevor Stewart​

Trevor's attention was drawn to Abel as he suddenly tuned back in to the conversation. He nodded his head when asked if he had cousins, but froze slightly when he young man then said he wanted to meet them. He cleared his throat as Abel asked if any of them were around the same age as himself. Philip stepped in to say he didn't think any of Trevor's kids were Abel's age but then asked for clarification. "Yeah, May is the youngest - she's 21," he answered. "My eldest is 37," he then added. His brother then suggested he could try arrange an introduction. Perhaps it was because he'd just mentioned Spencer, but Trevor couldn't help but wonder how possible that would be. Harper and May had only just accepted him into their lives, so how would they feel about meeting their cousins? Where the likes of Spencer was concerned, Trevor wasn't sure if all of the cousins meeting could work, not with so much bad blood between himself and his sons. "I could certainly she how May feels about it," he answered, expecting his newfound daughter would be the most open and easiest to approach on the matter.

Abel soon focused back on the waitress but Trevor's thoughts were still lingering on the conversation they'd been having. "My others may be harder to arrange," he explained himself to Philip. "My sons aren't exactly happy with me." He figured Philip would understand why that was.

Trevor's attention was drawn to his nephew as the younger man got up to go dance with the young waitress. "Well, he doesn't waste any time, does he? There's definitely something in the Stewart blood," he remarked.

As Philip spoke about Sarah and the kids, it was only a matter of time before Trevor's own private life was enquired about. Philip asked him if there was a lady in his life at the moment and his shook his head. "Me? Nah," he brushed off the question. After a brief pause, he changed his mind and decided to address the subject properly. "I've flirted and had one or two dates since coming back to London but I never followed through with them. I've got history messing women about and in some cases messing up their lives. I don't want to be on my own, but I need to make sure I've got all of my shit together and I've limited the chaos in my life before letting a woman into it. Can't let history keep repeating itself."

Trevor took another drink of beer before feeling Philip nudge him. Looking up from his pint, Trevor watched the scene ahead where a bigger guy had interrupted Abel and the waitress who had been dancing. Philip asked if it seemed tense, to which Trevor nodded in agreement. He placed his glass down as he thought about his brother's question about whether they should go over and intervene. Although Trevor was trying to stay out of trouble and keep a low profile, he didn't think it was right to leave his nephew to deal with the potential situation on his own. "Yeah, we should. The girl doesn't look at all comfortable."

Trevor walked with Philip to the dancefloor. After briefly eyeing Abel and the waitress, He focused on the clearly unwelcome man who was spoiling a pleasant evening. "Is there a problem here?" Trevor asked the man. "These two were having a nice dance before you came along. What do you need?" he calmly addressed the man, all the while unconsciously putting himself in a position where he was blocking him from Abel.

BasDorcha (Philip, Abel)

 

[Pyroclast]

Excalibur Hotel & Conference Centre
~ City of London, London ~

Bruce King​

Bruce may have held his tongue when Gabriel smugly acknowledged his part in bringing Callum home, but he didn’t have an issue with Spencer calling him out. Gabriel was a proud man and so his unapologetic attitude was to be expected, but that didn’t make it any easier to tolerate. Bruce held a fixed glare on him as he listened to the Italian boss justify his actions, mentioning his agreed responsibilities under the deal they had made.

“Your end of the deal was to provide defence to my family against the Sullivans, yes,” Bruce repeated back to him. “And it's true I also hired you to help us track down Callum. But, Gabriel, as a family man yourself, I find it hard to believe that you’d lack the foresight to see how bringin' harm to Savannah wouldn’t disrupt our family, too. She ain’t some dangerous kidnapper or a threat to the boy's life - that’s Callum’s mother, and you coulda’ killed her. You don’t protect a boy by shootin’ his mum. Do you not see that?”

A waiter interrupted them briefly, clearing empty glasses from the table and replacing them with fresh complimentary glasses of champagne. Bruce sat back and held his tongue until he had left, hoping he hadn’t overheard them. Once he was sure no one was listening, he leaned forward again and pointed an accusatory finger at Moretti. “Your job was to find him,” he said. “That was it. What happened from that point on was our decision to make, not yours, and I don’t appreciate that I wasn’t consulted before you went ahead with your own plan. That’s how you damage trust, Gabriel.” With a glance to Spencer, Bruce straightened up in his seat and took a sip from his new glass of champagne. “It’s disappointing to think I overestimated you,” he said with a small sigh. “I appreciate your apparent concern for us to settle this war with the Sullivans and to get Callum back to his home in London, but I am not happy with your lack of transparency. Makes me question my faith in you.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Gabriel Moretti

 

[Misty Gray]

Excalibur Hotel & Conference Centre
~ City of London, London ~

Spencer King and Gabriel Moretti​

Spencer caught the way Gabriel glared at him. It was a look he was sure the Italian had been masking for some time for the sake of pleasantries with Bruce, but it was one Spencer wasn't surprised to see. Just as he'd never been keen on Gabriel, Spencer was sure the man only tolerated him to maintain the business deal with Bruce. The way Gabriel had openly criticised the Sullivans as being thugs was often said in a way that could describe Spencer and others close to him, so it stood to reason the Italian didn't truly respect him. It didn't bother Spencer, given he struggled to find respect for the bigoted and smug man. Still, even in the present conversation, Spencer knew better than to speak his mind and act the way he naturally wanted to do.

It took a lot for Spencer to hold his tongue as he listened to Gabriel speak and show no regard at all for the fact Callum's mother could have been killed. He was curious to hear what the man would continue to say which was likely why he didn't interrupt. He subtly glanced to Bruce, able to tell his uncle was equally unimpressed by the Italian's words. Bruce spoke before he could, which Spencer figured was a blessing given the kinds of venom that he wanted to direct at Gabriel.

Gabriel listened as Bruce seemed to be lecturing him on his actions. He was disappointed to hear the Londoners believed Savannah was of any value to them after everything her family had done. "Bruce--" Gabriel began, interrupted by the waiter who came to replace the empty glasses with new and full ones. He stared at the member of staff until they were gracious enough to walked away from the table. Before Gabriel could reply, Bruce continued on and pointed a finger at him. The Italian's face turned even more stern than usual as he glared at his counterpart, clearly offended by being pointed at. He shook his head as the London boss made a point of telling him his job had been to find Callum but take no further action. The idea that he would leave it for the Kings to solve seemed proposterous to Gabriel, so much so that he couldn't help the scoff that escaped him.

"You are disappointed in me?" Gabriel repeated in a condescending manner. "Of course Miss Callahan's death would have affected your family, but you would have all moved on from that in time. Have you already forgotten that all of you, including Callum's father, were almost killed because her family blew up that nightclub? She was in New York the whole time her family were, including when her uncle killed most of my family. Danger follows that woman and she knew what risk she was taking when she kidnapped the boy. The kid would be better off without her and any other Sullivan in his life."

"Are you fuckin-" Spencer began, sitting forward in his seat. He stopped as Gabriel held out his hand to silence him. It wasn't that he was adhering to the silent command why Spencer held his tongue, but in that moment he had to compose himself enough so he didn't get up and beat the crap out of the Italian. He was fully aware of their surroundings and how such actions wouldn't go down well with so many witnesses.

"I let Bruce say everything he had to, so you can show the same courtesy to me," Gabriel told Spencer, his voice remaining calm but commanding. "I found your young nephew and you should be grateful for that," Gabriel said, now focusing back on Bruce. "However, if your faith in me and our arrangement is now being questioned, and you think you overestimated me, then perhaps we should re-evaluate our business together. I've overlooked failings on your end because I wanted to watch your business grow and thrive, but it is becoming apparent to me that you and the Irish aren't so different." Looking to Spencer, he shook his head. "I went out of my way to help you get rid of Conor Sullivan and you failed that simple task."

"Fuck you," Spencer fired back, having already held back more than he believed Moretti deserved. "You've had 20 years to kill James Porter and Conor Sullivan but both are still walking around, prime examples of good health. Have a look at yourself before you lecture us, ya smug prick. You don't give a shit if our business thrives or if we win the war without causalities on our side. You just want us to do your dirty work for ya and give you an overly generous deal on our product along the way."

Gabriel tightened his jaw as he stared Spencer down, but cleared his throat as he looked back to Bruce. There had never been anything convince him that Spencer and Conor were much different to each other, but Bruce had always been more mature and tended to compose himself better. "I'm going to let your nephew's behaviour slide for the moment so we get clarity. I propose we consider the status of our deal, Mr. King, if you are truly disappointed. I cannot work with you to settle this war when you're willing to make risky exceptions. I've had resources wasted in your failed attempts to take the Sullivans down. Erik has been injured a number of times now, so I would rather not have his safety risked further if you're not committed to our agreement and if you don't have faith in my ability to help you take down the Sullivans. What would you like to do? End this now or try to repair the damage done so we can continue to work together. I won't even hold Spencer's behaviour against you."

Pyroclast (Bruce)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Paddy Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Olivia Sullivan and James Porter​

Olivia kept a straight face when Sam told her he hadn't slept with Jane. When he suggested he was sure some other man wishes he was, she rolled her eyes at him. She did find it amusing how he said there was no challenge with Jane. When he sank the next ball and asked her if she was jealous, she didn't hesitate to shake her head. "Not jealous at all. I just wanted to make sure you weren't attached to her. As I said, if she gives me any more attitude she won't look so pretty for a while," she assured him. She couldn't help but smirk at his suggestion she wanted to be his girlfriend. "Hmmm. You hope that's what I want," she suggestively teased.

Any of her amusement had been lost when James had shown up. She was certain he must have followed them, which she found irritating to say the least. Maybe he did care, but he didn't need to show it by gatecrashing her dates and acting like she was still a teenager.

"Well, if it's all a fluke I guess James didn't train me right. Considering he taught me to not only play pool but to fire a gun at the shooting range, I guess he'd have to be a lousy teacher," she drily commented, flashing James a smile inviting him to argue with her. She loved and respected the old man, but she was irritated by him butting into her date.

James studied Sam whilst he answered the question as to how he would be getting Olivia home safely. Either the young man was good at blagging or he was being genuine about scheduling a driver to take them home later. "Good," he replied, keeping his expression stoic. He didn't want any suspicions the young man would drive with Olivia in the car after drinking too much. "I know you're not bullshitting me because I'd find out if you drove home tonight," he said, flashing a knowing smile.

"Oh jeez. Give it a rest, would ya?" Olivia told her adoptive father.

When Sam asked him if he'd like to play, James looked to the pool table as though he was considering it, but shook his head as he turned back to the young man. He wasn't about to let Sam think he was calling any shots and directing their interaction. "I don't need to win the right to ask you a question or a favour," he informed Sam. "How about I just asked you whatever I want to ask you and you answer me?" he asserted.

Olivia looked at James before cracking a smile which eventually turned into an amused laugh. "He's just messin' with ya, Sam. Playing into the grumpy old dad persona." She linked her arm with James' and looked up at him with an innocent kind of expression. "Be nice!" she asked.

James remained stern-faced, glancing to Olivia before he looked back to Sam. "This is me being nice," he commented, a slight grin appearing on his face. When Olivia let go of his arm, he focused on Sam, his face neutral once more. "So what's your story? I know you served with Thomas and all that, but that's a whole other kind of life and world. You work for Conor... What do you want out of that? What are your plans for the future? Planning on working for the family in the long-term? Do you have any family around here?" he fired out his questions.

Olivia moved so she was standing beside Sam and facing James. She looked to her date to see if he was annoyed or unhappy with the exhchange. She couldn't help but think he wouldn't want another date after this one.

BasDorcha (Samuel)

 

[BasDorcha]

The Back Alley Pub

~London~

Phil and Abel Stewart​

View attachment 1035759Abel looked up at the man in front of him while the woman he was dancing with stepped behind his back. Abel was a fairly normal sized guy, not particularly bulky, but having worked with his dad on the construction site for years, he had thick corded muscles in all his limbs. Lanky, but muscular, as his mom said once. Phil looked over at Trevor, noticing he was partially blocking Abel and a slight cocky grin came to his face. They both weren't looking for trouble, sure, but Phil wasn't about to stand around and wait for someone to hurt his kid. While both Trevor and Phil remained relaxed looking, Abel looked ready to swing between the two on the man.

"Yeah, this kid decided to put his hands on my girl - that's a punishable offense, I ain't lettin' no one touch her!" The man growled at the group, his hands pumping into fist at his side.

"She's not your girl, she said so herself!" Abel yelled at him. Phil turned and shot him a scathing look. Mentally, he willed his son to take a deep breath and calm down. Abel had always been a bit of a hothead and eager to jump into a fight. Philip had taught him when he was younger how to breathe through it and keep his cool, though right now he seemed to be forgetting it.

Abel saw the look on his father's face and after a second, some of the haze in his mind cleared. Forcing air into his lungs, he relaxed his body, letting it sit back as he reached behind him and offered the girl his hand in a motion of comfort. She slyly took it, squeezing it as she tried to hide herself completely behind the group. "Robert, we broke up, you know this. You do this all the time! You have to stop coming into my work and harassing me! I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" She sounded scared, and the way the man was seeming to get angrier and angrier did nothing to sooth Philips suspicion.

"Tell the runt to get out of the way, before I make 'im." The man stepped closer to Philip and Trevor, Phil glancing at his brother with a perked eyebrow. There was no way this guy could take the both of them, he likely couldn't even take Abel alone, but Phil knew his brother was a silver-tongued devil, if anyone could talk the man down, it would be him.

Misty Gray - Trevor and Scum

 

[Misty Gray]

The Back Alley Pub
~ London ~

Trevor Stewart​

When the unknown man complained that Abel had put his hands on "his girl", Trevor turned to Abel and the waitress with a curious look, trying to see how the young woman felt about the choice of words. He turned back to the man as he said Abel's behaviour was punishable. He wasn't oblivious to the man balling up his fist, but Trevor decided not to focus on that for the moment. When his nephew spoke up to confirm the waitress had said she wasn't the man's girl, Trevor nodded along, letting Philip deal with trying to keep his son in check. "This young lady isn't an item of property, you know," he calmly told the confrontational man.

When the young lady spoke, she clearly knew the man as she used his first name. She then went on the point out that she and Robert had broken up. It then became clear to Trevor they were dealing with a man who couldn't handle rejection or at the least didn't know how to let go. The behaviour he was displaying came across as controlling and bullying, which was confirmed when the young woman told him to stop harassing her. Trevor hadn't expected to go out and get caught up in the middle of something like this, but now he was in the middle of it, he wasn't about to walk away.

With the woman scared and Robert than threatening Abel as he stepped closer, Trevor straightened his posture as he stood his ground. "Listen to me, Robert. The young lady said you both broke up and that means you're both to go your separate ways. She's a human-being, who can decide who she sees and what she does with her life. Quite frankly, you're scaring her and you need to back down now." Trevor continued to look straight to Robert as he spoke levelly but firmly. "You need to move on and let her do the same. It doesn't look good seeing a bloke upsetting a lady like this. You've got a chance to walk out of here and be a real man; maybe even have a word with yourself about how you treat people. Otherwise, you're just going to end up embarrassing yourself in front of all of these people here."

BasDorcha (Philip, Abel, Robert)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Sullivan Owned Pub
~Dublin~
Marco Jimenez
​

Emery agreed with his statement when it came to the girl's parents. He let out a chuckle and nodded his head. "I'm a man who fears karma, amore, but I fear your family even more," he teased. However, that wasn't necessarily the case. He respected Conor and would never do anything to disrespect him, but that didn't mean Marco feared the man. But he was definitely smart enough to let those around him think that he was. His attention was brought back to Emery, doing his best not to react to the feeling of Michelle's fingers along his leg. After having felt those fingers a few nights along he was already beginning to reminisce about them. He had to stop himself before he did; couldn't be thinking about another woman whilst giving his attention to Emery, now could he? Marco couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle when she explained to him why she was still single. It made sense, he thought, in the time he'd known her. "Ah, maybe you'll get lucky, hermosa," he then placed his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers, and leaned in. "But then again. What's the fun in being tied down when there's a whole world to explore?" He shot her a wink before throwing back another shot.

Marco sent an apologetic look towards Dermot for even bringing up the fact that he'd cheated in the past. However, he knew the man would take accountability for the things he'd done in the past and not shy away from it. One of the many things the man liked about Dermot. He listened intently as Dermot explained his position on it; what he should've done instead of just outright cheating on his now ex-wife. He let out a slightly amused chuckle and shook his head. "Oof, the lawn? It wasn't freshly cut grass, was it? Those stains are near impossible to get rid of, hermano." He shook his head at the thought as the man continued on about Melinda. Dermot then assured Michelle that her ex was insane, a truly stupid man to have wanted to cheat on her to begin with. Marco nodded his head in agreement before looking between both women. "Straitjacket insane," he echoed. "Sullivan women," Marco grinned at them both and pressed his lips against his fingers. "Those are women you want cherish," his eyes then managed to catch Michelle's. "Those are women you want to worship day in, day out." His gaze lingered on hers, knowing she'd understand what he was saying before looking at Emery. "Isn't that right, senora?"

Dermot, Emery ( Misty Gray )
Michelle ( BasDorcha )

---

Sullivan Family Home
~Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan ​

Ali gave Conor's shoulder a playful slap when he mentioned having to check his bank account. "Yeah right. Keep it up and I may add on extra shit we don't actually need," she playfully threatened. She then looked back to Blake with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Although. I do hear they have something that's deeper than a deep tissue massage." She shot her a wink and grinned before it was quickly wiped away by Adam's comment. "Keep it up and I'll tell the bartenders to charge you extra and water down all of your drinks." Though she was obviously joking the tone of her voice sounded serious enough. Shaking her head she picked up another glass. And having lost track of what they were drinking stared at it. "Shit, which one was this? Fuck it." No longer interested in figuring out which was the best she threw it back and set the glass back down; her eyes growing wide in amusement. "That taste like honey! And went down smooth."

She found it hard to tear her eyes away from her husband just then. Her gaze lingered on him as he interacted with Adam again agreeing to give the man time off. She silently cleared her throat and willed herself to stop thinking lewd thoughts just then as she turned back to Adam. She couldn't help but wonder just what the man had planned for her best friend. And as much as she wanted to ask she knew better. Blake was going to tell her everything she wanted to know later on anyway; she could be patient until then. "As long as you don't keep her for too long, hm? I need her more than you do," she joked. Ali was ecstatic that Blake had finally opened herself up to being in a relationship. She knew that Adam wasn't Jackson and never would be and that was the point. She didn't need a replacement; she needed someone to love her. And watching the way they interacted across from them she could see that he did. "Alright, kids," she started, clapping her hands together. "I don't know about you two," Ali glanced over to Conor, subtly biting her lip. "But I... Am feeling all of these samples and unless you want dinner and a show," she hinted, "We can double date later."

 

[BasDorcha]

(I will pretty up tomorrow laptop about to die)

The buffoon before them looked between the two older men, the boy and his ex-girlfriend. Dumb as he might be, he seemed to realize that no matter how this played, there was no way he was going to come out of it on top. The man grew a sheepish look on his face, instantly backing down as Trevor's calmness seeped into him. The kid before him wouldn't have been much to fight anyways, looking a good ten years younger than him if not a scrappy kid.

"Look, I just want to talk. I've been going to therapy and all that… Can we not do this so publicly?" Robert looked between Trevor and Philip, blushing. Phil, on the other hand, looked at Trevor in unsurprised amusement. Something about the man seemed to work on anyone he talked to, like his words were some magic spell that just got him his way. Abel, still being young and uncomfortable with emotions, especially in front of other men, turned red and stepped away a bit.

"Couldn't you talk about that somewhere a little more private?" he looked to his dad as if struggling on how to handle this situation. Phil reached out and clapped Trevor on the shoulder. The girl behind them all looked less worried now, and more embarrassed now.

"Robert… Fine, but until we talk, we are still split up and I will do as I please, do you understand me?" The woman's snap and firmness surprised Phil. No wonder Abel was drawn to her, even if he didn't know it. He had been attracted to Abel's mother for being a strong woman, it made sense Abel would do the same. "Common son, I think it's time for her to return to work, and us to return to the table. Trevor." he nodded his way to the table, waving their waitress for another round. Back at the table, as Abel sat, his face looked annoyed. The new waitress had gotten their orders before coming over from the previous waitress, setting Abel his drink down right in front of him while ignoring the two older men.

"You know, Aisling is a complicated situation, but me on the other hand…" She smiled, sliding a napkin over to him as he grinned a charming boyish grin. Phil couldn't help the scoff and eyeroll that came out, nor the palm that smacked his face. The girl went on, "You can be my knight any day, in or out of that shiny armor." She winked and sauntered off, the two older men's drinks deposited with less flare. Abel looked like he had before, already smitten with the new girl and forgetting about the complicated one he had first picked up.

Looking up at Trevor, he used his thumb to point at Abel, who was not paying attention to them again. "Those gene's don't belong to me. Tell me, you got a kid as lady crazy as this one?"

Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

The Back Alley Pub
~ London ~

Trevor Stewart​

As Trevor looked directly at Robert and held in his mind the sight of the young woman hiding scared behind Abel, it had briefly stirred something in himself. His mind very briefly cast back to one December night in 1960. Trevor and Laura had been having a heated argument after he showed up home late. He'd been away since the night before, getting high on drugs and bedding some random woman. As the argument went on and Laura yelled at him for leaving her to suffer being both pregnant and sober, his wife had pushed him back in frustration. It had never happened before, but in a split second he'd raised his hand ready to retaliate. He'd stopped himself before he could hurt Laura, but it had opened his eyes that night. The couple had been quick to make up, as often was the case, and he'd held the gentle yet troubled woman in his arms as she slept beside him. Trevor had stayed home for the week or two that followed, making sure to spend Christmas with his wife and children, but it had felt like he was a spectator. He knew even then he was selfish; unable to feel anything for his kids and in a way burdened by having them consume so much of his energy. He'd tried on many occasions to feel different, to feel something, but all that seemed to fulfil him was sex and drugs. It was clear Spencer, still a child, hated having him around and the Trevor at that time didn't like being around the kid either. But what Trevor feared the most was that he could have hit Laura and he didn't want to become even lower than he already was. It was Christmas Day when he'd come to the decision to leave. Having watched Laura interact so happily with their children and Bruce had made him realise he was no good for her. Deep down, he knew he didn't even want to try because all that interested him was his own enjoyment. He convinced himself the best thing he could do for Laura, the boys, and their unborn child was to leave. So a week after Christmas, Trevor had left the family home never to see his wife again.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Trevor silently reminded himself that back then the main reason he'd left was he'd been too selfish and weak. But still, looking at Robert made him wonder if he'd also looked like a piece of shit when he nearly hit the woman he'd claimed to love. What he did know for sure, was that even in his worst and most selfish days, he would never have laid a hand on Laura.

Trevor was glad when Robert seemed to back down. Whilst Trevor of the present day didn't condone violence, if the guy had attacked him he would have fought back and put him in his place without hesitation. It appeared that didn't need to happened as Robert turned sheepish and said he just wanted to talk. The guy explained that he'd been going to therapy, which Trevor couldn't help but think he needed to continue doing as it clearly hadn't had much of an effect yet. Trevor caught Philip's glance, sensing his brother wasn't surprised he'd been able to talk the man down. He inherited their father's silver tongue, after all. Unfortunately, Trevor had inherited other traits too.

With the situation clearly diffused, Trevor returned to the table with Philip and Abel. As he noticed the way the father and son interacted, it dragged up other thoughts from Trevor's past and the fact he'd never allowed himself to bond or have any positive relationship with his own kids when they were younger. Whilst he hadn't hit Laura in their time together, he was aware of the fact he had hit Spencer on many occasions. His eldest kid had always been cocky, aggressive, and a prolific trouble-causer, but that was just it. Spencer had been a kid and Trevor had only validated his behaviour by responding in kind, rather than behaving as a grown up who should set a good example. He'd messed it up with his sons, but Trevor was glad to see Philip had a much healthier relationship with his own kids. "That bloke needs to keep seeing his therapist and fix what's going on in his head," he commented about Robert, snapping out of his deeper thoughts.

When the new waitress served them, Trevor watched on Abel seemed to switch his charm onto her - only moments after dancing with the first waitress. After a flirtatious comment and a wink to Abel, the new waitress left the table. Trevor was about to make some comment about the Stewart bloodline when Philip addressed him to ask him he had a kid as lady crazy. "Oh yeah. From what I understand, that'd be Alex who inherited the bulk of those traits. Though I understand Spence was the same before he settled down. There's no hope for any of us, Phil. It's Stewart destiny," he joked.

BasDorcha (Philip, Abel)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Warehouse
~Somewhere in London~
Alexander King
​

Billy snapped at him and Alex quickly withdrew his hand. It hadn’t been the first time his younger brother had done so, either. With his right brow perked up and he defensively put his hands in front of his chest. “Jesus. Been spendin’ too much time with your boyfriend. Gettin’ all snappy on me,” he said, preparing himself to get hit. When it didn’t happen, he didn’t think too much about it. They were supposed to be focused on finding their sister.

When the three of them arrived at the location they were told about, Alex craned his neck to try and see if there was anyone around. Billy spoke up and suggested they get closer, Alex just nodding his head. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan but-,” he cut himself off, looking back towards the two of them. “We don’t know if this is a set up or what.” He then watched as Billy handed over his weapon to Christian - Alex watching with interest. What, he wondered, went through his head to make him change his mind just then? But again. He was trying to remain focused on one thing at a time.

Once the three of them were all settled, Alex led them up to the warehouse doors. They’d been left open enough for the three of them to silently slip into, but Alex signaled for them to wait a moment. He peeked in and could only make out the shadows of a couple of men. Turning his attention back to the two of them. “Alright, listen,” he softly spoke, keeping his voice quiet. “Christian, you’re gonna sneak through and see if you can find out where she is. He knows what you look like. We can’t be too sure that he’s not one of those shadows.” He then pointed between himself and Billy.

“You and I’ll cause a distraction.” He paused, reaching out to ruffle Billy’s hair and undo a few of his buttons before doing the same to himself. “What better use of a $300 suit than pretending to be drunk, right?”

 

[Pyroclast]

Medina Warehouse
~ Somewhere near Bethnal Green, London ~

Billy King
​

“I ain’t gettin’ snappy,” Billy argued, though his tone said otherwise. It took a second for him to register the fact that Alex had called Erik his boyfriend - and that Billy had lost his instant reaction to denying it. Of course, at this stage in his relationship, Billy couldn’t bring himself to deny it anymore - he loved Erik deeply and had no intention of breaking up with him, no matter what kind of homophobia they may face. But he hadn’t even come out to Alex yet. Either he was just teasing him, or he had found out the truth from somebody else, but Billy couldn’t exactly ask. So he just dropped eye contact with his brother and hoped that he wasn’t reading into it at all.

Alex was the one to take the lead when they made their move to the warehouse doors. Billy knew that handing his revolver to Christian was the right thing to do, but now that they were out in the open he couldn’t help but feel a bit exposed without it. The front door had been left slightly ajar, which he didn’t like the look of - were the people inside in the middle of something? Were they coming in and out, waiting for someone without a key to show up? They hadn’t seen any movement from outside while watching them from the car, but why else wouldn’t they have shut the door behind them?

But where Billy saw danger, Alex saw an opportunity. He came up with a plan and explained it to them before messing up Billy’s hair and undoing a few buttons on his shirt. He instinctively smacked his hand away. “300 quid? Alex, this is Tom Ford -” But before he could lecture him on style, he caught up with what his brother was suggesting and a small smirk grew on his face. “Wait. You want us to storm in there actin’ all drunk? That’s…” A laugh almost escaped him until he took a moment to think about it. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Just don’t use my name or nothin’, yeah?” He glanced at Christian - the man was armed now, and had proven skills in both stealth and agility. He could definitely get past them, if Billy and Alex provided a sufficient distraction. “Alright, then,” he uttered. “See ya’ on the other side, Christian.”

For extra effect, Billy withdrew the hip flask he kept in his jacket and slung his arm around Alex, leaning heavily on the man to help throw off their balance. “Mm mm-mmm…much too late to find,” he sang under his breath, stumbling against his brother as he reached for his keys. “When you think you change your mind! You betta’ change it back or we will BOTH! BE! SOR-RY!! DON’T YOU W-” He jammed the keys against the wooden door as if trying to insert them into a keyhole, but of course the door was already ajar anyway and burst open, causing him to trip and fly through the entrance. So far, that was to be expected - what he hadn’t anticipated, however, were the stacks of boxes surrounding the door. He crashed straight into one of them and fell clumsily to the ground. Thankfully he had managed not to lose his keys on the way down, and subtly shoved them back into his pocket. Keeping up the charade, Billy burst into a shriek of laughter that echoed through the warehouse. “WAIT! This ain’t my house!!” he cackled, and reached up to grab onto Alex to help haul himself to his feet, making sure to sway and stumble as he did.

Interactions
Misty Gray Christian
Melanin-Gxdess Alex
BasDorcha May, Josh, cronies

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Warehouse
~Somewhere in London~
Alexander King
​

The moment Billy started to try and lecture him on the suit he was wearing, Alex gave him a look. He could lecture him later, his eyes said, but right now they needed to get this shit done. Billy figured this out on his own, however, as he gave him kudos for his plan. A boyish grin graced Alex’s lips as he looked to Christian, jutting his thumb towards Billy. “Hear that? I’m not so bad afterall,” he stated before looking at his brother. “Alright, let’s go.” He first waited for Christian to move inside, wanting to make sure he had plenty of opportunity to conceal himself in the shadows. After waiting a few beats he and Billy got into position - Alex holding Billy up but appearing to struggle. Alex, through his drunken theatrics, was amused by Billy’s acting and the show he had started to put on. He had to fight the smile that tried to form on his face and when it was too difficult, he laughed instead; adding a drunk sound to it.

“Find the hole, can’t find the HOEL! Christ, Moriarty, you can’t find the hooooel,” he said in a singsong voice. He was leaning inside the open doors making sure his eyes continued to look around for where the shadows had gone. Billy tripping through the door grabbed his attention. When he was sure his brother was okay he erupted into laughter and stumbled over the boxes to try and help him up. “Shh you’ll wake ‘im up! Aunty said never to wake him uuuuuup,” he said, trying to whisper but not really. When Billy shouted it wasn’t his place, Alex appeared shocked and looked around the warehouse noting everything he could see thus far before looking down at him. “Shit, you’re right!” There was a moment of silence before he erupted into laughter once more. “Wrong hoel again!”

 

[Bellz]

Blake McCarthy
Natasha McCarthy
Adam Harper's Bachelor Pad
~ Dublin ~​

Blake was satisfied that Conor was going to give Adam more time off but for what, that was still to be determined. Adam had met her curious look with a confident one, mentioning that he hoped the time off would be worth it. Having studied his face for so long, Blake could see the slightest change in his expression, noting that he seemed…nervous. This caused a jittery feeling of her own to spread through her body though her smile remained in place as he told her not to worry, if he needed more time off he could get himself slightly injured or just pull a sick day. Blake rolled her eyes, though the smile continued to remain the same, "Pull a sicky huh? Been teaching Collin any of your tricks, love? He tried to pull a fast one on me the other day."

Ali had mentioned not keeping her for too long, stating that she needed her more than Adam did. "You know I’d come running to you if you needed me, love. Even if I was busy with Adam." Blake reassured, sending her friend a flirtatious wink that was sure to confuse the men in the room.

Conor and Ali were distracted then, flirting away as if Blake and Adam weren’t even in the room when Adam turned to her, his voice dipping low as Blake leaned in to hear him better. When he suggested heading back to his place when they were done, Blake once again felt that feeling of butterflies. "I think we should take up on that opportunity now before they forget we are right here. There are just some things that are better left unseen if you know what I mean." Something was going on that she couldn’t quite figure out, but she wasn’t going to spoil any of it if he had something planned for her. A breathless laugh escaped her as Adam said Conor and Ali might not even notice they were gone. Blake’s eyes looked to the couple across from them and Ali had managed to pull her own gaze away from Conor before clapping her hands together.

The blonde didn’t miss the way her friend bit her bottom lip, even if it was subtle. That paired with the words that followed, was enough to make Blake stand up. "Well, I’m glad we could sort all of this out without having to go down the usual road. Conor, Ali…thank you for inviting us over." She wobbled ever so slightly from the movement, making her realize that she wasn’t really in any state to drive. "Next round of drinks is on us, okay?" Blake said before moving to give both of them a kiss on the cheek and a squeeze.

When goodbyes were said and they were walked to the door, Blake took Adam's hand for a little extra support as they walked towards the car…

***​

Natasha rolled her eyes as their foreheads were pressed together, him saying that she was also a pain. "Out of the two of us, I’d say you’re the biggest one, love." The blonde hummed, watching as Leo’s eyes closed. The sigh he gave was a heavy one and she watched as he turned rather serious, causing her to give him a concerned look. When his eyes opened again, his hands had moved up to grasp her head lightly so that she looked at him, completely focused. Leo mentioned that he knew things would be difficult and that there would be days that she would want to kill him or even hate him, her lips parted to speak, to say that she never could when he beat her to the punch.

Snapping her lips closed, a knowing smile crept onto her face as he swore to her that he would love her until his last breath. A laugh escaped him and Natasha smiled even wider, knowing that it probably sounded ridiculous to him but to her…it was the sweetest thing she’d ever heard. This was the side of Leo that she never wanted to change. The side that had been newly discovered in their relationship. Before she could say anything more, he kissed her once, twice, and then a few times more before the kiss turned into a slow-burning one.

Natasha was breathless by the time he pulled away from her, telling her that he would love her every day until the day he died. "Every day, and even after death." Natasha promised back, about to say more when Collin’s voice could be heard, "Ugh, you guys are so gross!" Natasha’s cheeks turned bright pink as she turned her head to look at her little brother, her hands moving put to grab Leo’s from her face and drag them away.

"Can you guys find someplace else to suck face? Mom and Adam could be here any minute!" The boy complained further and Natasha rolled her eyes this time, placing her hands on her hips. "We weren’t sucking face, Collin!" She defended herself but before more could be said, the high-pitched squeal of breaks outside on the driveway alerted her that it was time to go. "Crap! They’re home! Grab the rest of the stuff we didn’t use and we have to sneak out the back! Go go go go!" Nat said, pushing Leo to grab the rest of the unused candles before moving to usher Collin out the back door with the bag of stuff she had gathered in the dining room.

***​

Blake looked at Adam’s place for a long moment as they sat in the driveway, turning to smile at Adam after she was through. "I just want to say thank you for listening to me back there at Conor and Ali’s place. I know I got a little…erm, emotional. But I just don’t want to see you guys fight like that again. I just want you to know that what you did for Elena, I understand why you did it and what it took for you to go in there so blindly like that. I would have done the same for Natasha or Collin." Blake bit her bottom lip as she searched his eyes. "I love you too much to let something like that get in the way of what we have. A second chance at this feeling is something I will never let go of."
with: Misty Gray ; Melanin-Gxdess

 

[BasDorcha]

Medina House

~Somewhere near Bethnal Green, London~
Maeve Thatcher, Josh Medina, Thurso and Larry​

Spoiler

Thurso had just reached the table with all the drugs on it when the sound of the door opening and drunken laughter filled the room. Josh nodded his head at the commotion, himself moving towards the hallway at the back in case it was a distraction. Thurso and Larry moved up to the sound of stumbling feet and laughter. Thurso, a tall guy, bulky, not incredibly bright looking, flexed his arms as he crossed them over him, blocking the entrance to the empty part of the warehouse where they spent most of their time, as well as to the back hallway, office, and more importantly, the basement.

Larry on the other hand was a smaller guy, wiry, and much smarter than his partner. He was not one who typically got physical, choosing to use his mind. Larry's downfall was thinking he was much smarter than he was. "Look Thurso, drunk gits who can't even find their own home. Rut em out." Thurso stepped through the narrow pathway of boxes and made his way to the two falling over each other. When he got close enough to see, one of the men was picking the other off the floor, looking surprised to find himself in the warehouse. The smell of alcohol on their breath confirmed their drunkenness.

Thurso grunted, blocking their path imposingly. "Roight, ye mangy dags, git. Ain't no place for pansies who done dunked their head in the bottle. Move yerselves, or I'll be doin' for ye."
He took a step towards Billy, ready to grab the smaller mans' arm in his grip and guide him back out the door, while Larry stood supervising behind them. His hand fingered a hip holster, but didn't withdraw the weapon. It looked more like he was thinking, wondering why he had to be here sober when he could be out drinking himself stupid like these two. Though that girl below had made it worth it. After the first twelve hours, she had stopped fighting back, which took a lot of the fun out of it though and he had declined except for when necessary to keep up appearances since then.

Josh moved towards the office door, hearing the water running down below. It had been going a while, he wondered if she had found a way to off herself or escape, but then he reminded himself she wouldn't have waited this long if she had an escape. She likely was trying to scrub clean, which was perfect for him, because he enjoyed ruining it. Stepping towards his desk, he looked down, noticing his phone slightly ajar on the hook. He knew for a fact he hadn't left it that way - the phone would make an annoying sound and block any incoming calls if he didn't hang it up right. Assume one of the men must have left it like that, he turned around and stormed back into the front of the warehouse.

"Which one of you idiots has been in my office?" Josh yelled, causing both men to look up from the two in front of them before Thurso could grab Billy.

"Boss, we ain't been in your office, you were the last one in there when you called for that delivery this mornin'." Thurso said, sounding confused. Larry grunted his agreement, quickly snapping his eyes back to the two in front of him. Unlike Thurso, he wouldn’t be allowing them to stay unwatched even a moment. Josh, realizing the dumb brute was right, suddenly put it together in his mind. Turning, he hurried back into the office, thrusting the door open to the basement below where the water was still running. Seeing May sitting on the bed, still filthy, confirmed what he knew - Christian was on his way. The ugly, angry look on his face terrified her, he could see, as she recoiled away from him as he ran down towards her.

Melanin-Gxdess - Alex
Pyroclast - Billy
Misty Gray - Christian

 

[Misty Gray]

Adam Harper's House
~ Drumcondra, Dublin ~

Adam Harper​

Adam couldn't help but smirk when Blake asked him if he'd been teaching Collin tricks about pulling sickies. "Me?" he asked, placing his hand to his chest in a defensive manner. "I wouldn't dream of it. I'm a model citizen, so I think you're the bad influence around here, love."

When Aliana told him not to keep Blake too long, Adam quirked his eyebrow at her. "Are we going to be fighting over her? Because, honestly, my leg is still healing, so I'll be at a disadvantage against you..." he joked. When Blake said she'd run to Aliana even if busy with him, Adam feigned offence. "Well... I guess I know where I stand in this relationship," he pouted.

He was glad when they caught the mood of the room, which was one suggesting both couples really needed some alone time, for their various reasons. Aliana and Conor clearly wanted to rip each others' clothes off, and Adam had his own private plans for Blake. "You're right, ladies. We should double-date later. I drove here and should make sure I'm sober enough to drive back home," he said, despite the fact he could very easily get a ride from one of the Sullivan employees.

*****​

The drive back to Adam's place was a smooth one, though he seemed to be more focused on the road ahead as he normally would be. However, despite looking like he was concentrating on his driving, his head was filled with anything but the driving that came naturally to him. All he could think about was Blake and how the rest of his evening was going to work out. When he stopped the car in his driveway, Adam looked to the living room window to make sure he couldn't see any moving shadows from behind the closed blinds. He'd managed to sneak in a call from Conor's house to warn the youngsters he was on his way back and so he hoped they were all out of the house now.

Before they got out of the car, Blake turned to Adam and thanked him for listening to her. "It's okay. Me and Conor shouldn't have put you in that position." He softly smiled when she said she understand what he did to save Elena. "I'd do it all over again, for her, for you, for your kids," he seriously assured her. It wasn't just because he was paid to protect Conor's family and friends, but because he cared about them and would do anything it took to help them if they needed it. He lightly nodded when she said she loved him and spoke about her second chance at feeling that way. Despite his nerves, her words reassured him about what he was soon to do.

Adam led the way to the front door but as he attempted to unlock it, he dropped the keys on the floor. It wasn't like him to be clumsy, but as he bent down to pick them up, there was a brief glimpse to Blake of the anxiety he'd been doing well to keep hidden. Once they stepped inside the house, they were met by the sight of rose petals in the hallway that led into the lounge. Unable to look at Blake in that moment, Adam stepped into the lounge where the gentle instrumental music was playing in the background. The room had been adorned with candles and pretty gold fairy lights that delicately complemented the romantic atmosphere.

Stopping in the centre of the room, with petals around his feet, Adam turned to face Blake. As he looked into her eyes, he couldn't speak at first, lost in that moment as he looked to the woman he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. When he did catch up with the moment, he cleared his throat and reached out to gently hold Blake's hands in his as they faced each other. "I haven't done anything like this before and I... I thought about it being some grand gesture. Perhaps whisk you away on a trip to Paris, or have a violinist come play at our table in some fancy restaurant, but... I love you more than anything tangible can reflect. And I'd never want to put you on the spot, feeling uncomfortable with an audience or like you're obliged to repay me for anything." Adam had seen all kinds of grand gestures in real life and in movies, where a man proposed to a woman in front of dozens of other diners in some lavish restaurant, but all he could imagine in that moment was the possibility the woman might feel obliged to say yes out of fear of embarrassment. He wanted Blake to agree to marry him, but he only wanted her to do it if it was what she truly wanted.

Letting go of her hands, Adam flashed her a smile before getting down on one knee, all the while his eyes looking up into hers. He reached into his pocket to retrieve the small box and flipped the lid open to reveal a white gold diamond engagement ring. It was simple yet elegant and sparkly. "Blake. I knew the moment we first met that we were going to get along, and over the years we've grown close. I've never loved anyone the way I love you. Nobody has ever come anywhere close... Blake, I'm in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I'd love for it to be with you as my wife. Will you marry me, Blake?" he asked, his eyes still looking lovingly to her face.

Bellz (Blake)

 

[Misty Gray]

Medina Warehouse
~ Somewhere near Bethnal Green, London ~

Christian Brooks​

Christian had accepted the gun from Billy. If the younger man wasn't comfortable using it, then the former detective figured it would be more usefully placed in his own hands. Whilst he wasn't sure how good a shot Billy was, he accepted he was indeed likely a better shot given the firearm training he received in his past career working for the Met Police.

The three of them agreed to make their way to the warehouse which wasn't being guarded from the outside. Christian was stopped in his tracks when Alex, who had been leading, turned to him and Billy to give instructions. When told he was going to sneak in to see if he could find May, Christian took a second to think before nodding in agreement. It was best he stayed out of sight given Josh had already seen him, whereas Billy and Alex would likely be unfamiliar.

As the two men set about causing a distraction, Christian raised a curious eyebrow but soon focused on the matter at hand rather than what would be a comical scene were the circumstances not so serious. This was a trap and the three men were all aware of it, so their job was to stay ahead of the game. Slipping in behind them, Christian had only taken two steps forward into the warehouse then ducked to his right behind the stack of boxes before attention was drawn their way. He intended to keep moving against the wall for as long as the boxes would conceal him, taking him closer towards the back of the warehouse without being seen. On top of the loud, drunk act that caught the attention of Josh's two cronies, Billy falling into some of the boxes provided a further commotion to allow Christian to sneak closer towards his target.

The two cronies had committed enough towards Alex and Billy that Christian found an opportunity to rush towards the door of the nearby office. However, just before he could do so, Josh emerged from inside the room, storming towards the front of the warehouse and the commotion. This caused Christian to duck further down to stay completely out of sight, though his hand gripped the revolver tighter having had to set eyes on the piece of shit Josh once again. Carefully, he peered between a gap in the boxes to see if there was an opportunity for him to advance forward towards the office, but Thurso had turned to look at Josh, so would likely see if Christian were to advance forward towards the office in that moment.

The conversation had been vague, with Josh asking who had been in his office to which the other two men confirmed neither of them had. The way Josh rushed back towards the office made it clear something had clicked with the man - had it been May who had been in there when she managed to send the page? With Josh out of sight once more, Christian peered between a gap in the boxes again to see the two cronies were focused back on Alex and Billy. With them distracted, Christian swiftly rushed out from behind the boxes and towards the office door.

Christian aimed is gun out in front as he entered the room, but soon found Josh wasn't there. Walking forward, he found the top of the staircase that led to the basement and the sound of running water. Silently and cautiously, he descended the first few stairs before he set eyes on the back of Josh's head and then the bed where May was sitting, looking altogether traumatised and disheveled. By the time the creak of one of the stairs was heard in the basement, Christian had almost reached the bottom and was aiming his gun directly towards Josh's head. He didn't have time to reassure May in that moment, needing to force himself to focus on the situation in front of him before letting his emotions come into play and risk clouding his judgement. "Step away from the bed," he darkly threatened, cocking his head to the side to instruct where he wanted Josh to move to. "Step the fuck away from her," he gruffly repeated, his index finger practically stroking the trigger.

BasDorcha (May, Josh, 2x Crony Losers)
Pyroclast (Billy)
Melanin-Gxdess (Alex)

 

[Pyroclast]

Excalibur Hotel & Conference Centre
~ City of London, London ~

Bruce King​

The way that Gabriel scoffed at him and spoke back in a condescending tone was telling of the man’s superiority complex. That he brushed off the impact Savannah’s death would have had on Callum made Bruce lose any lasting respect he had for the man. Considering he, Laura, Darcey and all his nieces and nephews had had to grow up without a mother, there was no way he was going to take that idea lightly. Savannah’s family may have been at war with the Kings and committed heinous acts of violence against his loved ones, but he knew he would never have forgiven himself if he had played a part in the death of Callum’s mum.

Spencer jumped to respond before Bruce could, but was quickly silenced when the Italian boss held up a hand to him. It was obvious his nephew was fighting to contain his anger, and Bruce eyed him for a moment, willing him to remain calm. The conversation would go a lot smoother if they all managed to keep their composure; besides, he didn’t want to make a scene at Ezekiel’s event.

So, he let Gabriel go on. His suggestion that they ought to re-evaluate their business arrangement was the only thing he said that Bruce agreed with. How he felt about the rest, Spencer’s reaction summed up well enough. “Spencer,” he warned him, but in the end allowed the younger man to vent some of his anger; despite the swearing and the aggressive tone of voice, the points he was making were ones that Bruce wanted Gabriel to hear.

All of the Italian boss’ arguments seemed to attack and blame the Kings’ capabilities: failing the ‘simple task’ of assassinating Conor Sullivan, making ‘risky exceptions’. Yet, Bruce had so far heard no apology, nor any recognition that his actions were both disrespectful and dangerous. “Are you sure you don’t want to acknowledge that a miscommunication between us has resulted in you doin’ somethin’ wrong? I would be happy to overlook this whole thing, Gabriel, if you’d show me that you’re willin’ to take responsibility for what you done and work with me on this.

“The fact is, I ain’t lost faith in your ability to help take the Sullivans down - you got the manpower, the experience, the skill. Nah…what I’ve lost faith in, is your respect for me and my family. You know that I depend on this arrangement more than you do and you’re exploitin’ that position of power by tryna’ take over operations. I know you’re a man of integrity, but it concerns me that you still stand by what you did.”

Bruce took a deep breath. To end their business deal before it was fulfilled would mean losing an important and powerful ally in the Morettis, and that could leave them vulnerable in the future. “Our arrangement,” he spoke up again. “It’s based on our shared desire to see the Sullivans wiped out. You lend your men to the cause not just for my gain but for yours, too. But that’s all it is, Gabriel - lending. This ain’t your war, not this one. That means when it comes to operations that involve my family, I get the final word. You should understand that.” Bruce sat forward, piercing Gabriel’s eyes with a stern glare. “If you go behind my back, I lose trust in you. And if I lose trust in you, this arrangement ain’t gonna work. So either you prioritise my family’s safety and respect my position in this war, or we bring this to a close - including the business I’ve been givin’ you in return.” After a brief glance to Spencer, Bruce set his eyes back on Gabriel. “All I would ask, in that case, is that Erik stays here and works for me. So if you do withdraw yourself from our arrangement, I’ll allow you to ask for something in return.” With that, he sat back and offered for him to speak. "So, what's it to be?"

Interactions
Misty Gray Gabriel, Spencer