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

[Misty Gray]

Dún Laoghaire Harbour - Boardwalk
~ Dún Laoghaire, Dublin ~

Olivia Sullivan​

Seeing James being carried out of the hotel half-dead had felt like Olivia's worst nightmare all over again. Having already been orphaned as a child, she was no stranger to losing parents. It felt like history was repeating itself. With James so badly injured it seemed she was going to lose him that night too. Although it had been a week ago and he was still alive, Olivia wasn't an idiot. The blood transfusion had been a success but not a miracle cure for the internal damage caused and his serious condition was no secret. Whilst Lucy seemed to be holding on to hope and believing the man was going to pull through, Olivia wasn't so convinced. Perhaps she was a pessimist, but by this point, she was used to losing those she called parents. She'd only just got her adopted father back with his release from jail, only for Moretti to snatch his life away once again, this time in what to her was a more final way. She hoped Gabriel had suffered in his own death. It was the only light she could take from last week. The bastard who had hurt her loved ones over the years would now rot in hell.

Olivia had been trying to keep herself distracted, visiting friends and family, trying to find some normality when she wasn't at James' bedside. Today she'd agreed to spend time with Sam and Violet, wanting to introduce her new friend to some more people in Dublin. Although Dermot had been shot and the blood loss had left him needing urgent medical attention, it had been a relatively minor injury in the end. The man was now stuck on surveillance duties and stationed indoors whilst he recovered, with Conor not putting him on any physical security jobs for the time-being. One thing he had done in the wake of the attack was spend more time than normal with his son and daughter, going as far to tell Violet he'd be training her once he was healed. He wanted to know his kids could handle themselves and not need him to babysit them, especially after Violet had been caught up in the middle of the violence at the hotel.

As she walked on the boardwalk in the middle of Sam and Violet, Olivia took in her surrounding, perhaps more cautiously than she would have in the past. After what had happened last week, she couldn't help but be on alert. It was also why she had concealed a small pistol in her shoulder bag. Although she knew Sam was trying to take her mind off of James, it was still hard not to think about him, wondering if when she'd seen him earlier in the day it had been for the last time. "So, Violet..." she began, trying to redirect her thoughts. "Is Dermot going to start training you soon?" she casually asked. Even that casual question still drew her mind to James who had trained her in firearms an self-defence. Her heart ached at the thought of losing him already.

Looking ahead, Olivia noticed Tom and Thea approaching. "Hey, Tom," she greeted him in return. When asked if they wanted to hang out, she nodded her head. "Sure, we can all hang out," she agreed with Sam's question to her. "This is Violet. She's Dermot's daughter," she introduced her friend to Tom and Thea. As she spoke, she managed to force a smile, not wanting to drag the mood down too much for everyone else with how she was feeling.

neverbackdown (Violet)
Melanin-Gxdess (Thea)
BasDorcha (Tom, Sam)

 

[Misty Gray]

Moretti Family Home
~ Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn~

Valentina Wycliff​

When Teddy broke the news to her about her father's death, Valentina gave little to no emotional reaction to the news. Gabriel had been chasing for revenge since 1969 when most of the Moretti family were wiped out in an assassination on her Uncle Francesco. When the Sullivans were sent packing back to Dublin in 1972, it all seemed like his need for revenge had been put to rest and business could return to normal. But it never did. Gabriel still chased for revenge, still wanting to kill James and anyone in the Irishman's family who got in the way doing so. If he'd stopped 13 years ago, he likely wouldn't be dead now. He wouldn't have put Valentina and the rest of the family through the stress of having to arrange his funeral. So when Teddy broke the news to her, Valentina simply acknowledged the news and set about cleaning their house to within an inch of its life. If anything, she showed more emotion to learning Ricky was dead and Julia missing in action. Ricky was an idiot at times, but Valentina saw beneath his darker side and the crude jokes, instead recognising a troubled man - a friend - who wasn't cruel at heart.

Valentina's relationship with her father had often been a turbulent one. When they were at odds, they knew how to drag it out, with her at one point refusing to speak with Gabriel for six months. When they weren't at odds, Valentina loved her father and appreciated everything he did for their family. Not just being rich enough to provide them with a beyond comfortable life, but for pulling out all stops to protect then, and for being the best grandfather to her children. No matter how much she wanted to hate him and not care he was gone, the following night she broke down in Teddy's arms as she felt her heart break knowing that she wouldn't see him again. It hurt even more to know the last time she had spoken with him it hadn't been on the best of terms with her complaining at him for putting too much work on Teddy's shoulders and repeatedly having him working away on business.

What made it harder was seeing how upset the children were. Paolo was especially affected by his Grandfather's passing, having been close to the man. Valentina struggled with Paolo's behaviour quite often, but if anyone could keep the kid in line and make him behave, it was Gabriel. Valentina worried how she was going to control her youngest son now without her father around to make the kid step into line.

The funeral had soon come along and despite her offers, Elvian hadn't let Valentina do much in the way of helping with the preparations. She understood the need, wishing she could just spend all of her time working at the hotel, but instead knowing she couldn't go to work whilst the children needed her there to console them.

The ceremony was every bit as solemn and difficult as she had expected. By the time it ended, everything finally sank in for real and Valentina knew she would never see her father again. She'd never gotten chance to say goodbye or at least make sure he knew she loved him deep down, despite everything. She hoped he'd known.

For now, it was all about the crude affair of the will reading. Surely her father wouldn't have some last minute shock in store for them and the business that was to blame for the deaths of most of her family would now be passed on to her sister. Surely Tatiana would not repeat their father's mistakes and would free them of the cycle of war - of death and destruction. When Teddy asked her and the others if they were holding up, Valentina shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe after a few, or a lot, of drinks I'll be holding up fine," she commented, her eyes lowering to the ground as she spoke. "When's the lawyer showing up so we can get that business out of the way?" she asked, looking back between Teddy, Elvian and Tatiana. She hadn't been oblivious to who was and who wasn't in attendance at the service. "No matter how much he creeps me out, it was good to see Damian bothered to attend today. Shame Ava and Erik didn't show their faces. Maybe Papa wasn't wrong about her after all. There's moving on from Marcus dying, and I accept Papa wasn't exactly kind to her, but somehow I thought she was a friend. More fool me."

Pyroclast (Tatiana)
Melanin-Gxdess (Teddy, Elvian)

 

[Misty Gray]

Dublin Hospital
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin~

James Porter​

The last week had gone by in a blur, a somewhat confusing blur. With all of the sleep and rest James had been getting in the hospital, it often took him a few minutes to get his head around which conversation and memories had been real and which had been dreams. The real interactions had of course all be pleasant ones as far as visits from his family and friends were concerned. Most of the dreams had been of the welcomed kind too. He'd had a lot of time to think and dream about the past. Thoughts of his late father, Ronan, and late brother Warren had been on his mind a lot, not to mention passed friends such as Jackson and Tommy. How he'd managed to outlive any of them was always a miracle in his eyes. He'd also been remembering a lot of his favourite memories; falling in love with Lucy; adopting Syd, Mallory and Delilah; and the birth of Thomas. James had spent years of his life without a family, only for a large one to come along all at once, be it through blood, marriage or adoption.

James' eyes opened from his half-asleep thoughts as he sensed someone else in the room with him. Turning his head towards the door, he saw Lucy moving to sit at his bedside. It took him a moment to fully acknowledge her, still trying to get back with reality after he tried to snap out of his confusion around the dream he'd had where Finn had been in the hospital room telling him Syd was his biological son. It certainly wasn't the first strange dream he'd had over the last week.

"Hey, Luce," his dry, hoarse voice greeted her as he flashed a loving smile. "How--" he began, pausing as he gasped for breath. Resting his hand on his chest, he took a moment to control his breathing and let his heartbeat slow down. "How are you holding up?" he asked. James wasn't sure how much Lucy knew - or even how much she was willing to accept - but he knew his body and he was certain he wasn't getting back up from this one. In some ways, he wished he'd died in the hotel a week ago, if only to spare his wife the prolonged grief and the disappointing of any fleeting hope he knew would be futile. In other ways, he was grateful for the extra time he'd been blessed with to spend time with his loved ones for what he was certain were his final days.

James shuffled to sit a little more upright, grimacing at the tight pain in his chest as he did. He noted this time is was just Lucy with him and forced himself to try recall where the others could be, if only to try test how much of his memory was still in tact. "Thomas and Olivia are with their mates, right?" he asked. He'd tried to encourage them to spend some time with their friends, not wanting them to feel like they had to sit moping around his bedside. "Did Syd and Conor have that meeting yet?" he asked. James had wanted his family to keep talking about the business with him, if only to give him something more to think about other than his declining health. The meeting between the Sullivans and Kings was a step in the right direction - a sign of hope. James had known the Kings prior to being locked up over seven years ago. When he'd known them, the two families weren't at war and any business they had was as civil as could be. Before things had gotten too personal. James had met the key players on several occasions, so had formed his own impressions of them back then. "Things will get better, Luce, especially now Moretti's gone and we're talking with the Kings. I know from our meetings years back that Bruce is a decent, reasonable bloke. So if Conor and Syd can pull this off, our families can find peace," he reassured her.

There was a brief moment of silence as something that had been confusing James since he woke up a short time ago seemed to snap back into place. "How has Syd been?" he asked, looking into his wife's eyes. "I keep thinking I dreamt it, Luce. That Finn had come in here and told us Syd's my lad," he admitted. "It was real though, wasn't it?" he asked, a fond smile etched on his face. After the blood transfusion had led to further genetic tests, a paternity test had brought back results that James was Syd's biological father. Whilst James couldn't recall his son's mother, he knew the time matched up to when he'd been a single man without any commitments and had had a few one night stands, in the years before he started dating Lucy. The fact Syd had turned out to be his biological son had to be some kind of a miracle. Sure, people had often assumed they were blood related by mannerisms and physical similarities alone, but it had always been laughed off on account of Syd being adopted. Now, it all didn't seem so funny, nor hard to believe. Syd was his biological son and James couldn't be prouder of it. "He's always been our son, though. You're his Mam and I'm his Dad. We've always loved him and Thomas the same..." James stopped as he felt the discomfort in his chest and abdomen, forcing him to let out a brief groan as he clutched his chest. Though he tried, it wasn't always possible to hide the pain he was in. "Are you doing okay with it all?" he breathlessly asked her.

Bellz (Lucy)

 

[Pyroclast]

The Sullivan Family Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Bruce King & Syd Porter​

Even before the meeting, Bruce already sensed that the tension between his family and the Sullivans was beginning to dissipate. Setting foot in Dublin no longer felt dangerous; perhaps it was partly due to his hope for change, but he also suspected the Sullivans wanted the same at this point. Alex had managed to visit Savannah, who had admitted herself into hospital for the benefit of her mental health, and had even been asked to take care of Callum until she felt well enough. Since custody of Callum was one of the main issues their war had been founded on in the first place, the fact that Alex had been specifically asked to look after him, Bruce believed, showed progress in regaining trust.

“You alright about all this, Alex?” Bruce asked his nephew as the car rolled into the driveway of the Sullivan house. Not long ago, setting foot in Conor’s home would have been out of the question. Bruce was aware that the last time Conor had seen Alex was when they had made an attempt on his life, and left Aidan dead. He just hoped that Spencer’s warning call was enough to at least make a start on repairing the two families’ relationship. “I know ya’ want this whole thing over as much as the rest of us - maybe more so, - and I believe Conor and his lot want the same thing. If we play our cards right, the past will soon be behind us and we can work towards better things without this war in the way.” Looking out through the front windscreen, he noticed Conor standing in the driveway ready to greet them. “I know I don’t need to say this, but let’s keep our wits about us all the same, alright?” he added, turning to look Alex in the eye. He mainly thought of Syd, knowing enough of his mental health problems and aware that he would be present at the meeting. Bruce knew how to act sensitively, however, and felt ready to face whatever awaited.

Despite expecting a more peaceful meeting this time, Bruce was still somewhat surprised to receive such a welcome greeting from Conor. They hadn’t been on good terms for such a long time that he forgot what it was like to look the Sullivan boss in the eyes and not see hatred. He returned the man’s handshake. “Thank you for havin’ us,” he replied, then stepping aside to allow him to greet the others. After everything that had happened, he felt proud watching Spencer and Alex shake Conor’s hand. They each demonstrated their maturity in ways Bruce might not have expected. When once Alex had been something of a selfish layabout, shirking his responsibilities and cheating on the mother of his child, he had grown into a responsible father to Callum, with the heart to support Savannah in her time of crisis and the courage and the grit to face Conor Sullivan. He no longer saw a layabout - now, he saw a gentleman. And Spencer, despite the disagreements Bruce had with him from time to time, was equally proving himself as a respectful, professional businessman, with the sensitivity and wisdom to know what to say and how to act. By now, Bruce found it hard to think of anything he wouldn’t trust him with.

At Conor’s remark about Kane’s size, Bruce had to let out a chuckle. He was sure his bodyguard wouldn’t be required, but he knew it was wise to have him there all the same. The families’ relationship may have been on the mend, but it was still their first time being invited into Sullivan property since before the war began and he knew it would be unwise not to enter without some sort of defence. At least the Sullivan boss didn’t object to Kane’s presence.

* * * * * * * * * *​

”How are you both holding up?”

Syd looked up at his uncle and attempted a smile. It was a hard question to answer. Unlike his father, Syd struggled to hide his pain. He didn’t like hearing himself lie and telling people he was fine, but he also didn’t like admitting that he wasn’t - especially when everyone already knew it. An important business meeting with the Kings was not an appropriate time to let his feelings take over, so what could he say? His smile faded and he glanced down at the wooden dining table, gently running a fingernail along the grain. “Let’s just get this done,” he uttered.

The last week had crushed him. His father remained in bad shape since being shot at the gala and Syd feared every waking moment that the man would die. With Danny in a coma, Savannah in a psychiatric hospital and Roxie grieving Ricky whom Syd had killed, his whole body ached with guilt. The reason he had become so convinced that something would happen at the gala was because it was his worst nightmare, and the fear of being responsible for more pain and death had brought on a panic that he couldn’t squash back down. And in the end, it came true. He watched Thomas shut down, saw his mother struggle to hold herself together and Roxie battle through the fresh grief of losing her last remaining family member, and he felt like he was trapped in a nightmare - a nightmare that not even Gabriel’s death could alleviate. It was nothing unusual for Syd to feel the pain of his loved ones, but the fact he had been a host of the gala that had put everyone in the firing line instilled a sense of responsibility that made the pain all the more extreme. There was no escape. His compulsion to harm himself brought little to no relief, and despite the rapid intrusive suicidal thoughts, guilt and self-loathing, he didn’t actually want to end his life. Not while he was so desperate to help those around him.

Thrown into the mix was something Syd could still hardly wrap his head around. As soon as he heard of James’ condition, Syd leapt at the chance to donate his blood - anything he could do to improve his father’s chances of survival, he would do in a heartbeat. But what he never would have anticipated was the news that followed. After several days of tests, the doctors were able to confirm that James was in fact Syd’s biological father.

Ever since Lucy and James adopted him at the age of 8, the couple had done everything to make him feel part of the family, and their love, warmth and endless patience had eventually tamed him. Growing up in their care, Syd had never felt like anything other than their son. As far as he was concerned, they were his real parents, no less than they were Thomas’ once he came along. So Syd didn’t know what to do with the news. He had never wished to be related by blood, because he already felt close enough to them that it wouldn’t have made a difference. Yet, in a way, it did. Syd was realising that somewhere deep inside, part of his history had been blank. From a young age, he had settled with the idea that he would never learn anything about his birth parents, and had long since left any curiosity behind him, but now that he had an answer, something inside him changed, like a light had been turned on. He wanted to celebrate it, but with James fighting for his life, Syd was only struck by the fact that they may never have found out the truth if his father hadn’t been shot. Despite the clarity and excitement that the news brought, he was sure he would rather never have known their true relationship if it meant his father could have escaped the ballroom unscathed.

When Adam arrived to announce the Kings’ arrival, Conor left Roxie and Syd to wait in the dining room alone. The silence that followed the click of the door made him uneasy. Silence didn’t sit well with him these days. With a weary gaze still resting on the table, Syd reached across Conor’s chair to take Roxie’s hand. After several seconds, he lifted his head and looked at her. He wanted to say something encouraging, but what consolation would it be to tell her the war was over? It wasn’t over for her - it wasn’t over for any of them. She still had to fight her way through the grief. James and Danny had to fight for their lives, Savannah the despair and depression. Lucy’s entire life was one long battle, and yet she was still fighting the urge to break down. The war wasn’t over, it was just changing.

Regardless of how time dragged through the heavy silence, it wasn’t actually long before Conor returned with Bruce, Spencer and Alex in tow. While his uncle set about preparing teas and coffees, Syd stood up from his seat and extended a hand to the three men. He had grown so used to feeling bitterly towards them after the way Alex and Spencer had treated Savannah that he had to blink away the instinctual look of hatred that would form in his eyes.

“Syd,” Bruce greeted him with a warm handshake, before turning to Roxie and doing the same. “I’m so sorry for what you and your family are going through. Roxie, my sincere condolences...” He wanted to offer his support, but thought it best to first re-establish their relationship as families before making any gestures.
“Thank you,” Syd replied. His voice was drained of energy and Bruce could tell he was hanging on.

Once he had a cup of tea in his hand and everyone had taken their seats, the King boss looked at each of them with a look of sincerity in his eyes. “We appreciate you findin’ time to host this meeting durin’ what must be a difficult time for you all,” he began, before taking a short pause to think over his next words. “The reason I called this sit down is to discuss the future. Our future.” He looked between their three counterparts and let his gaze settle on Conor. “Now, I’d never want to speak on your behalf, but lookin’ at you all, I think you might agree that all this fight has gone on too long. I don’t need to remind you of what you’ve all lost, what you’ve endured. Too many innocents have suffered at our hands, and when I think about what started this whole thing…” He looked over at Alex, and then at Roxie, who marked Savannah’s absence. “In certain circumstances, war becomes a necessary evil. But I believe those circumstances have changed enough that we’re due a reassessment. Alex and Savannah are in a different place now - a better place, more mature and equipped to handle their situation. I don’t believe war is necessary anymore - I think what’s necessary now is for us to heal. With Moretti gone, the fightin’ can stop with us. The world is dark enough, don’t you agree?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Alex
Misty Gray Conor, Spencer
Bellz Roxie

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Erik's Place
~ London ~ ​

Harper would have rolled her eyes as Ava put together that she was the youngest of the siblings. But she didn't want to be rude. It was just that was something she was referred to for as long as she could remember. It was a fact, but May came along and really took that position over. Now she was stuck in the middle with Billy and Alex. But she was sure the woman before her could care less about the way her family tree went. "That's me." Harper said, smiling slightly allowing her dimples to show. "Ava, it's nice to meet you." The amazonian woman then allowed her inside before closing the door.

When Erik didn't make himself known, Harper turned to Ava who explained the man was showering. She nodded silently, noticing that Ava was staring at her awfully hard. She was most likely trying to figure out what she was doing here. Harper still couldn't figure it out either. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say, what she wanted to do. All she knew was that she was mad enough at Erik to confront him in his own home...while also trying to scope out just how sorry he was for what he'd done as much as she loved the other men in her life, who were ready to kill Erik for what he'd done. They all were...not as emotionally in tune with other people. It wasn't their fault, most men were dull like that. She just had a knack for seeing people for who they were, even if all they were telling her were lies. She had trauma to thank for that.

Ava then told her that she was about to head out, but stated there was something that she needed to know and understand. Harper's brows shot up, wondering what the woman was about to tell her. When asked if she knew what happened, Harper nodded her head softly, staying silent. Hearing that he had been beating himself up was at least a good sign that he could redeem himself. There were some people who would rather spin the blame on their partner for their actions rather than take the blame themselves.

Riley's face popped up in the forefront of her mind, and Harper bit the inside of her cheek to not show emotion on her face. Ava's words registered as a threat and Harper's eyes moved to look into her eyes they stared at each other in a pregnant pause. Harper knew she was just protecting Erik, so she let it roll off her shoulders. "I just want to hear the story from his side...that's all." She said honestly. Harper wasn't sure she had it in her to make him feel more like shit...but she would express a few things that might not make him feel any better.

"I figured I'd come to check on him because I know he only has you and I wasn't sure if you were in town." The blonde said, shuffling from foot to foot a delicate hand moving to rest on her stomach. "I owe him for coming and checking on me. Regardless of what happened between Billy and him. I take my promises seriously."
with: Ava + Erik Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: Billy Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Lorelei Costello
Burrow Beach to Baily Lighthouse
~ Howth Head, Dublin ~​

Fall was Lorelei's favorite season. The chilly weather always encouraged her to stay in bed just a little longer, or skip TV and curl up with a good book by her fireplace. So when Benjie asked her out on a date, telling her to dress warmly for it, she was both intrigued and excited. The coastline was like a dream, the day was sunny and clear...giving a glow that Lorelei wished a painting could replicate. The pair was off on a journey to Baily Lighthouse, one of the few places Lorelei had never been to in Ireland. Her family had always been the traveling kind, so she was fortunate enough to go to many places as a kid. But for trips like this one, she was glad she could experience for the first time as an adult and with the man she loved.

They spent a few hours walking without any hurry, exploring the area and just enjoying each other's company. Lorelei hadn't remembered a time when she felt more at peace. But she found herself thinking that about every moment Benjie. Today was different. With everything that had happened in the previous week, it was exactly what was needed. Her mother was not doing well with the news that James might not make it, but that was being kept on the down low for the sake of Uncle James and Aunt Lucy's kids. Lucy had confided in her mother with the news because she knew that Gwen needed to know. Lorelei had taken some time off from the club to help her mother and her father with Cian. Some nights, she stayed at their place, other nights she took Cian home with her so that they could have some peace. All of that, at least for the moment, had disappeared in the waves that continued to crash against the cliffs, washing any of her worries away.

Benjie spoke and Lorelei turned to look at him, admiring his glow in the November sun as he spoke about the lighthouse. Her eyes lit up with excitement as he spoke about the view and the little cafe on the ground. "It sounds so wonderful!" She said happily, her head leaning to rest on his shoulder with his arm around her. Lorelei looked out to the water with him, a passing boat, and an extra tree to see on the journey. "I believe so, though my poor nose might be just a little cold. Worth it though, even if it falls off before we get back to the car." The redhead giggled. When Benjie said the views were beautiful, the woman nodded her head but any cold that she could feel on her face washed away with a warm blush that surfaced as he said they were no match for her. Lorelei's head lifted and turned back to look at him, a wide smile on her face as he continued on. "I love you too," Lorelei murmured sweetly, her eyes closing as her head moved to rest in its former place on his shoulders.

Benjie placed a kiss on her head, which caused her to let out a short soft hum. When he spoke, she was going to agree but something stopped her. "The scenery is beautiful, the silence refreshing from all the noise back in Dublin...but every moment with you feels exactly like this. Like I'm finally at peace even if there is disarray around us. But I am trying to remember every detail of this moment because it feels...extra special."
with: Benjie Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Burrow Beach to Baily Lighthouse
~ Howth Head, Dublin ~

Benjamin Reznik​

Benjamin was aware of how difficult the last week had been for Lorelei with her Uncle James being in a serious condition in hospital. He understood it was difficult for her family and the man's condition affected his father too, given that Kurt was a good friend of James'. The situation didn't make him want to cancel his plans for today. If anything, it made him more eager to take Lorelei out and show her how much she meant to him. At the least, it was a chance for Lorelei to relax and take her mind off of her family's troubles if only for a few hours.

Benjamin was happy that Lorelei seemed enthusiastic about his plans for them both. He couldn't help the fond smiled that lingered on his features as Lorelei expressed her appreciation of every moment with him. "We can have many more of these moments," he assured her. "Though this one might be particularly special," he added. "Come... come on. Let me show you the rest," he excitedly told her before taking her hand to continue their walk.

As the reached the lighthouse, Benjamin released Lorelei's hand as he excitedly pointed to the entrance. Although a sign was on the door saying the lighthouse was closed, it didn't seem to deter him. Rushing to open the door, he somehow managed to trip over his own feet and stumble forward, thankfully his hands grabbing the wall to catch him before he could fall. Quickly recovering, he let out a nervous laugh before pulling the door open for Lorelei. "Sorry, I'm..." he began, his cheeks reddening as he tried to play down his anxiety. No doubt Lorelei knew by now he tended to get clumsy when he was nervous. "Ignore the sign," he said, referring to the one saying the lighthouse was closed. "I've already cleared it with the guy in charge."

Benjamin led Lorelei to the spiral staircase and took her hand once again. "Are you good with going up these stairs?" he asked. "Promise I won't trip over myself," he joked. Once they'd reached as high as they were permitted to access, he led her out onto the lookout balcony where they could see out across the sea ahead. Looking down, they also had a view of the beach and the cliffs around them. "I um... I arranged for us to have our own private view today, because..." he began to tell her. As he spoke, he fumbled in his trouser pocket. Suddenly, he struggled to continue speaking, the words he wanted to say failing to move beyond his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he removed his hand from his pocket and pointed out the amazing view from their elevated height. "Well, because after everything you've been going through you deserve to be spoiled. You always deserve to have good things," he said, trying to regain his composure. "You know I'm here for you no matter what, don't you? No matter what you need, I will be there. Anything," he said, his voice faltering as a nervous lump formed in his throat.

Bellz (Lorelei)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

O'Neill's Restaurant
~Hackney, London~
Ava Snowden & Erik Snowden
​

Something in the tone of Harper's voice and the look on her face eased Ava if only a little. However, when she mentioned a visit Erik had paid her Ava felt herself relaxing. She didn't know what sort of visit Erik had paid her or what the reason behind it was. But if it was important enough to make Harper return the favor then that had to mean something right? Giving her one last look over Ava slowly nodded her head. "Okay," she softly replied. Scratching the back of her head she took a deep breath. "I believe you. And on account of Erik I'm trusting you with him tonight," she said. While her voice was still stern, she let herself relax and stopped being so threatening. Ava then turned to walk further into Erik's apartment. She walked straight towards the kitchen in search of a pen and paper before writing down her pager number.

"He can be a little... Unpredictable," she explained, not wanting to go into the fits he'd had the first couple of days she was there. "Feels fuckin' nuts to be giving out my numbah for a grown man but," Ava chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say?" Turning to face her Ava held the paper with her number between her slender fingers. "Don't hesitate to page me. I'll be at some restaurant not too far from here so. Sounds Irish. O somethin' or other." Ava then wondered if she should tell Harper about the relapse or if she should let Erik tell her. She knew Billy knew all about his drug use in the past on account of their conversations but she wasn't sure about Harper. She decided she wouldn't say anything and instead gave Harper a slight smile. "I know my cousin wronged your brother - he's a fuckin' putz. So you do and say what you need to but as I said before. Don't beat him up any more than he's been."

Ava then gave Harper a friendly pat on the shoulder before disappearing down the hall. Erik had just turned the water off when Ava knocked on the door and walked inside. "Hey, I'm leavin'. You got a visitor in there," she informed him, Erik looking up with a towel draped around his waist. To hear that someone had come to visit him was a surprise but he was also a bit afraid. "W-Who is it?" Hearing Harper's name come from Ava's lips made him freeze. He'd thought a lot about what he was going to say to her if and when she came knocking at his door. Apologize profusely for breaking his promise. Beg for her forgiveness. Next to Bruce and Billy Harper was the next person on his list of people he didn't want to disappoint yet had. He'd made her the same promise he made to Spencer and Bruce; the same promise he broke. "Do I need to send her away," Ava asked as the silence grew longer. Erik immediately shook his head. "No, no. I wanna see her." Ava nodded her head in understanding before turning on her heels. "I'll tell her then. Be good tonight," she informed. "Yeah, you too." Usually, he'd have followed up with something witty but his mind had been elsewhere. Returning to the living room where she left Harper Ava nodded her head back toward the room. "He'll be out in a sec. Just got out of the shower." Upon looking at the clock and realizing she was ten minutes late already Ava grabbed her jacket. "Fuck, I'm late." She walked past Harper before pausing in the doorway. "This doesn't... This isn't obvious that you want a guy to take you back to his place, is it?" She gestured to the outfit she was wearing knowing well it was too late to change it. "Fuck it. I don't care that much."

Erik had wasted no time in drying himself off and changing into clean clothes before emerging from his bedroom. His hair was still damp and small droplets of water fell onto his shirt, but he didn't pay it any mind. For a moment he was silent, the sound of the door clicking shut as Ava departed being the only sound. He wasn't sure where to start. "Sorry I cheated on your brother after promising you a month ago to never hurt him"? It didn't seem like the right thing to say then. He fidgeted, fingers playing with the string of his sweats before he shoved them into his pockets. "Harper," he started, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. "It's- It's good to see you. You look a whole lot better than our last visit." He figured they'd start with pleasantries; at least until he could figure out what to say. "Want somethin' to drink?" Erik moved to the kitchen reaching for a glass for himself and Harper if accepted. Usually, his go-to would've been alcohol but he was trying not to use it as a fallback against the drugs. Instead, he filled his cup up with water and took a sip before facing her again. "What um, brings you by?"

***​

Meanwhile, Ava was sat in the back seat of a cab trying not to worry about Erik. It seemed like all her life she worried about her younger cousin and she wondered when it would end; when she would be able to know that he was alright and believed it. While he'd been more resilient than most, it was a miracle he hadn't turned out worse. She started biting at her nail just thinking about it when she remembered where she was headed. The only thing that seemed to get her mind off stressful situations. Just the thought of Klaus made a smile cross her lips - Ava running her finger across them. How such a man was able to get a reaction like that out of her was a mystery but she wasn't complaining. A few moments later and she was dropped in front of O'Neill's. She paid the driver and immediately sought out Klaus who'd been standing outside. Feeling bad about being late she approached him with an apologetic look on her face. "I know, I know, boy scout. Sorry, I'm late."

Harper, Klaus ( Bellz )

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Sullivan Family Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~
Alexander King & Marco Jiminez
​

A huge weight had fallen from Alex's shoulders after his visit with Sav. The two of them, without outside interference, had come to an agreement. Alex had decided he didn't care if no one else liked it; he and Sav, the parents of Callum - had made this decision and they weren't going to allow outside opinions unless asked. He was glad he and Sav worked through their issues and hoped it would last this time around. After everything that had happened the past couple of months, they could use it. Things were beginning to fall into place in both his life and his family's. The last thing either side wanted was more drama when there could be peace. And with Moretti dead, there was always the possibility of retaliation. In Alex's mind it made more sense to become a united front now rather than later.

Hearing his uncle address him, Alex snapped back to reality. He slow turned his head to look at Bruce before nodding his head. "Yeah," he replied, clearly somewhere else. "No, yeah. Everything is gonna be fine," he stated, looking back outside the window. The last time he was at the Sullivan home had been before Savannah took Callum and ran. A lot of poisonous words were said that day. Things Alex didn't mean and had said in the heat of the moment. He wished he could take it all back, but what was that going to do? What could it do? The regret was starting to bother him again. It only got worse when he thought about when he'd last seen Conor; bloody and beaten nearly half to death in some alley. It was also the night Billy killed Aidan and effectively made things worse between the two families. What was Alex going to say to Conor then? 'Sorry I almost killed you?' It was awkward and he wasn't sure he'd mean it if he did say it. His uncle then went on to remind him of the benefit of this conversation, Alex nodding his head in understanding. "I get it, Bruce, I do," he genuinely replied. "But I ain't takin' his shit if he goes too far."

While Alex wasn't going into this meeting expecting the absolutely worse, he was still going to prepare for it. Everyone sitting at that table was very unpredictable. He watched on as Bruce and Spencer both greeted Conor first. It was... Strange, to say the least, watching the man give such an amicable greeting to them all. Every meeting they'd had was hostile and passive-aggressive and he wondered if this would end up as such. When Conor got around to him, Alex hesitated for a split second before reaching his hand out to shake Conor's. He informed him Savannah had been grateful for the visit and Alex genuinely smiled. "That's good. I wanted to make sure she was doin' alright; heard about... Everything," he said, deciding not to specifically say. At the mention of missing Callum Alex was quiet for a moment. He knew he should be bringing Callum around to visit his family and such, but he didn't want to disrupt the boy's schedule too much. "Next time." He simply replied.

The four men then moved to where the meeting was held, those accompanying them asked to remain outside the room. Upon seeing Syd again, Alex was again faced with that initial feeling of regret. This time around it was about James. Had the King and Sullivan family not been at war there was always the possibility of them preventing such a thing from happening. Bruce offered his condolences to both Roxie and Syd, Alex echoing the sentiment. His words and tone had been genuine, considering he'd also lost a parent albeit at a young age. Thankfully he didn't have to dwell on it for too much longer as they all settled in their seats. Bruce started things off with a reminder of how things had gotten to be the way they were - his eyes landing on Alex. Alex then glanced down at his hands in shame, but the feeling quickly disappeared. He'd done what he'd done. There was no taking it back. And by the looks of it Savannah forgave him. Really, that was all that mattered. Alex nodded his head as his uncle wrapped up what he was saying, Alex, deciding he should probably add something to it. "As Bruce said, Sav and I are in a better place and we have a better understanding between us. I want the understanding to spread to our families, despite us having wronged each other. It's what's best for all of us, including Callum."

Meanwhile, Marco had been instructed to be on his best behavior when around the Sullivan guards. Obviously, it was a first for him but Marco was going to do as told and not cause any trouble. He'd been leaning up against a wall, openly staring at Kane's size in awe when Adam addressed him about Dermot. "Eh, I am convinced he's milking it," he joked with a smile. "Wants to spend time with su hija, Violet, more than likely." He then paused, suddenly finding himself thinking about Dermot's daughter showing up and even Adam's. Marco couldn't help but think his own son, Alejandro may do the same. And he only hoped he wouldn't.

Adam then tried to be friendly when it came to Kane and Jeremy, asking if the latter knew Marco. Marco knew of the man but when it came to him directly he hadn't been too familiar. "I don't think so," he replied, sticking his hand out. "Marco. Pleasure's all mine." He was going to remain cool, calm, and collected for as long as required. His gaze glanced at Kane one more but when it was clear the man had no intentions of speaking he turned back to Adam and Jeremy. The former had begun to apologize to the latter, Marco raising his eyebrows in amusement. He'd heard about the attack in Dublin, but to see the person and hear about what was done was something different entirely. In order to stifle his laughter, Marco covered his mouth with his fingertips and closed his eyes. God, what he would've given to see that. He settled down and wiped the smile off his face before nodding his head at Adam's words. "Agreed. I don't know about you all but it gets sort of boring going back and forth, no?"

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter
Dublin Hospital
~ Dublin City Center, Dublin ~​

Lucy would have been content with just watching her husband rest, memorizing every part of him and locking it in her memories. Even in the shape he was in, she wanted to remember him as he was before he left this world. But he woke up before she could do so, causing her to muster a kind smile. "Hello, my love." She whispered, her voice quiet as his own smile left her staring. She wished she could see what he was thinking, wanting to quell any worries or anxieties. Always wanting to control things she couldn't, Lucy's eyes burned at the thought of him possibly going through any of it alone despite her being beside him every day. He was about to ask her how she was but he ran out of breath.

Lucy reached her hands forward, ready to help him with whatever he needed but he managed to control his breathing before she could ask what he needed. Lucy settled her hands on the side of the hospital bed instead, blinking back tears and controlling her own breathing before answering his question that he successfully finished. "Catching up with Finn is always lovely. So I'm doing better. But don't you fret about me, I want all of your energy focused on you and you getting be-better." The blonde knew she must have sounded desperate, practically pleading him to get better.

"Be careful, love." Lucy said softly, watching him shuffle to sit up a little more. The grimace he gave her as he did so broke her heart, as him struggling to heal from a wound often did. What was...the most concerning to her. What made this time stand out from all the rest, was that he wasn't constantly reassuring her that he was fine. It was like the constant reminder for her despite fussing with him that he was not fine, that he would be okay. It became their code almost, letting her know in a way that others wouldn't know that he was going to make it. James wasn't saying it, and Lucy knew. Not to mention the conversations she'd had with Finn, she was basically praying for more time rather than for him to heal completely.

How could you spend a whole lifetime with someone and feel like you still never said what you want to? Or do what you wanted to do with them? "Yes they are. Thomas stopped by yesterday, dropped off some clothes for me and checked on you. Our boy is very concerned. As is Olivia. But I reminded them you did encourage them to go out and have fun." Lucy tried to smile, but it was fleeting from the moment she tried. When he asked about the meeting, Lucy thought back to what Conor had told her. It all seemed to blur together, the information. "If I recall, they are meant to meet today." Her eyes went to the clock, "Right around this time. I just hope all those men behave for poor Roxie sitting in. Might scare her off from ever doing it again." Lucy let out a slightly laugh before her face turned serious again, watching her husbands face for any sign of discomfort.

James said things would get better, that Bruce King was a decent and reasonable man. "Little nerve wracking to think about the peace is being put in the hands of our eldest and Conor, but I have faith." Lucy replied and there was a long moment of silence between them both. He then asked about Syd, and before she could inform him he mentioned thinking he dreamt the conversation about the paternity test results. That day had felt like a dream to her as well. It had been so quickly, that they found out, it didn't feel real. But whenever Lucy had looked at her eldest, from the moment she had seen him at the orphanage, Syd reminded him of James. "As real as it gets, James." She hummed softly, a smile forming on her face as well. The one great thing to come from all of this tragedy, was that discovery. Though she worried that her son, who often blamed himself, would not see it in that way.

Lucy nodded her head in agreement with James. They never treated Syd any less than their blood child. He was their son just as much as Thomas was, James suddenly stopped and Lucy lurched forward in her seat again as he groaned. "James? Do you need me to get a nurse?" She asked worriedly but he regained himself moments later, moving on as if it never happened. Lucy's heart slammed in her chest, on constant watch for any moment that might possibly be his last. Her right hand went to her own chest as she tried to silently calm herself. He asked how she was taking it all and Lucy thought about it, as she had for days. "Nothing about what was found on that test surprises me, I'm just sorry I didn't put it together or push for a test like that before." She said softly, "So you two could have had more time knowing the special connection you had." Lucy looked down, the guilt of it weighing heavily on her. "He reminded me so much of you when we went to visit the orphanage. Just a fiery little thing, of course, less controlled than you are. But I always loved that about him, you and Syd have spirits that never break. Even if he tends to fly off the handle sometimes, our son has never lost his passion for the ones he loves. That was something I always loved about you too."

"I just want you and him...to spend the time you deserved to have together. Before it's all o-" Lucy couldn't finish her sentence, turning her head to stare away from James, not wishing to see her cry anymore. "How is it? That when it comes down to moments like this, it feels like we hardly done all we wanted to when evidence proves otherwise? I just feel like.." Lucy turned back to him, "I need more time." her voiced cracked, causing her to look away again quickly.
with: James Misty Gray
mentions: Syd Pyroclast

 

[Bellz]

Roxie Carriveau
Sullivan House
~ Sutton, Dublin ~


3 days ago​

She felt like she had just been here. The familiar faded forest green wallpaper, covered in fleur de lis patterns. Roxie swore she had just been seated in the very seat she was in now, looking at an assortment of marble urns. The twinkling of classical music from the speaker system was a sharp contrast to the display of caskets in the corner of the room. "Ms. Carriveau. We are all prepped. Would you like to see him before we start?" The person who spoke to her was a well dressed older man, terribly kind and gentle. Surprising considering the morbid environment he found himself in. "Yes, I would." She murmured, slowly moving up from her seat. The halls towards where they were keeping him. The all white room was bright, florescent lights making it seem even brighter.

"I will give you some privacy."

9 months ago​

"I will give you some privacy."

The last time she had seen one of her loved ones dead, it had been her mother after the cancer had ended her life. That was 4 years earlier. Her mother, her father...her Uncle. All just gone and now... Roxie's bottom lip trembled as she slowly approached the body on the table. He was in a suit. Roxie had decided that the one he was going to wear for their wedding would be best suited for his funeral. The mortician had made it look like he was simply resting, color on his face. That at one point he was going to crack a smile, the one that lit up a whole room as his eyes stayed closed. "You were certainly right about the navy blue. It's your color." She said, feeling ridiculous as she was talking to someone who wasn't even there. The person who looked like the man she was supposed to marry was meerly an empty vessel now. Even if it looked like he had color on his cheeks.

3 days ago​

Matthew's face replaced Ricky's for a moment and the world spun around her, causing her to sit down in the chair next to her cousin's body. The tears burned her eyes but she refused to let them fall. The effort was confusing to her given the fact that no one else was in the room with her. When she looked back over at him, she silently wished he would just open one eye, wanting that mischievous grin to form on his face. There was no will, no wishes for what should happen with his body. So Roxie did what she wish she could have done with Matthew. Privately say goodbye, without anyone else around. Funerals were...a bleak affair not just because of the circumstances, but because people who barely knew your loved one showed up. Ricky had friends but they were in New York and Roxie wasn't going to step back in that city.

"I know you hated this shirt." She finally said, looking to the white polo shirt that Roxie had at her place. It had been a gift for Christmas, she thought he'd look good in it and figured the man never bought himself any clothes. "But it was the only thing of yours that I had at my place, couldn't cremate you in a bloody Deathstroke outfit. " Roxie could hear some sort of comment her cousin would make at that, which made her eyes water again. "You know...we both knew our parents would eventually die. Be it old age or otherwise. But I didn't think I'd lose you so..." Roxie's throat tightened, shaking her head as she silence herself. "Now it's just me...what am I supposed to do with just me?" The question left her feeling hopeless as she looked to her cousin. The silence, the lack of sarcastic comments...it all was just too much as the tears slowly moved down her cheeks.

"If...I would have just not accepted the will, perhaps maybe none of this would have happened. To Matthew...to you..." Roxie knew she couldn't solely blame herself for what happened. But there were days where she could trace everything back to the decisions she made. But she could look at it from so many perspectives of whose fault it was that at the end of the day, none of it mattered anymore.

"I'm just glad you don't have to suffer anymore, Ricky. And after it all, I never stopped loving you. You were my only true family. For all of the horrible things you did in the end, I am the only one who knows just how hard you worked to protect me growing up." Roxie stood and moved to lightly brush her lips against his forehead, kissing it lightly as she then stood up straight, ready to leave. "Sleep well."

***​

The week had been a contender for one of the longest she'd ever had. Savannah had checked herself into a mental hospital, Danny and James were fighting for their lives, Lucy was working hard to pretend everything was fine when it wasn't. Thomas, who Roxie had been worried about before had shut everyone out. And Syd, the man she loved, was hurting himself. There were times where she could stop him from doing it, but other times he had managed to sneak out of the house back to his own and she was too late by the time she got the kids situated and ran over there. Cleaning the blood off of him time and time again, bandaging his self-inflicted wounds while trying to get him to relax. Roxie barely had time to breathe. But breathing wasn't something she wanted to be doing.

The kids needed her, little Lucia was on an opposite sleeping schedule than all of them, and Syd needed support and care. When she wasn't actively taking care of anyone, she was busying herself with cleaning and some work to help her firm that she had stepped away from for a while. The week had felt like a month and yet time seemed to be standing still. When asked to attend the meeting between the Kings and the Sullivans in place of Savannah, she didn't hesitate to agree to it. Roxie's profession made her an excellent mediator between business discussions. The minute she stepped into that room with them all, she would do what she had continued to do since the party turned massacre, keep emotions out of it. There were a few rare moments with Syd, where she had lost herself. But she had been quick to rein it back in due to wanting to make sure he didn't feel guilty.

The kids were with George and Finn while they were attending the meeting, Roxie had decided to keep Lucia close to her, setting her up in one of the other rooms in her crib with Ali promising to keep a good eye on her. She hadn't had the best sleep the night before, so the sweet babe was out for the count after a fresh feeding. Roxie had been struggling with letting the baby be so far away from her, even in the next room. While she was protective of all of her children, Roxie felt not only an obligation as her mother to protect her, but to protect her in honor of Matthew. She was the only child he had, the only grandchild his parents would receive from him. She wasn't going to lose anyone else.

She tried to not look as tired as she felt. Fortunately carefully placed make up was able to take care of any dark circles. In the dining room, Syd looked like he wasn't present despite his body being in the room. Roxie had been watching him from the moment she had laid Luci down, carefully assessing him. After they found out that Syd was James' biological son, Syd had been going through even more emotions than he had before they found out. It will self destructive, like a hurricane just tearing up everything in its path. Other days, it was calm...but only the eye of the storm.

Conor asked how they were both holding up and Roxie offered him a reassuring smile but that was all she could do. There wasn't any answer, it was all so up in the air. Not just how she was holding up, or Syd...but how all of this was going to end. She felt like she couldn't breathe until it was all over. Syd expressed just wanting to get it all over with and then Conor stepped out of the room after Adam informed them all that the Kings had arrived.

That left Roxie with Syd, who was silent. The clock on the wall to the left of her ticked so loud, highlighting just how silent it was. But when she looked down at the table, Syd's hand reached out prompting her to take it. She looked up before he did, watching him slowly do the same. It was in the silent moments between them that Roxie felt the most supported. There were nights when she didn't say anything to him and he did the same as they just laid in each other's arms, staring up at the ceiling. They would be that way until they fell asleep or at least tried to before Luci woke them. It would appear to people on the outside that their relationship was troubled by that, but Roxie felt that she'd never felt closer to him than she did now. He understood what she needed and she understood what he needed too.

Before she could think to say something, the doors opened and they both stood to greet their guests. Roxie was gracious to all the Kings regardless of any sort of ill will she had felt personally before. Knowing that her partner was not as easily to warm up, she was extra nice. "Thank you." She echoed Syd's words, bowing her head softly in appreciation as she tried not to sound as drained. Roxie knew she was in place of Savannah and would only weigh in when needed so when the talk started with everyone seated, Roxie listened intently. The future, Bruce had said, was why they were all meeting. Their future. Which was so hard to think about when the present was screwed in ways that was hard to wrap ones head around.

Bruce seemed like a very smart man, who thought the situation needed a reassessment for what had happened. Roxie wholeheartedly agreed. Couldn't just keep things the same when everything had changed. When he talked about Savannah, Roxie hoped she was doing well. She had visited her once since she checked herself into the mental hospital. It was hard to have yet another person in her life take trips to that god awful place. Roxie swore it did more damage than good sometimes. But she wasn't going to tell anyone how to take care of themselves. Alex echoed the same sentiment which Roxie was impressed with.

She had patience for a lot of people, but Alex King had been the exception at one point. Be it the cocky attitude he once had or the fact that he cheated on Savvy, she wasn't sure when her lack of patience for him started. But looking at him now, she wasn't sensing any sort of malice behind his words nor all of the Kings intentions. Knowing she was the less hotheaded of the two Sullivan men sitting next to her, Roxie spoke up.

"Well I think I can speak for Conor and Syd as well as myself that we are thankful for the growth Savannah and you have done. And despite what was previously thought, our family wants peace as well. But I think it's how we go about setting up that peace is what's important here. How do we continue it past a decade without fail?" Roxie looked at each of the Kings before looking to Conor and then Syd. "Treaties have been built and failed, time and time again. When we speak about the future, what are we going to change so that our families can be there for one another? For Callum?"
with: Misty Gray ; Pyroclast : Melanin-Gxdess

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivan Family Home
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan and Spencer King​

Spencer waited for Bruce to greet Syd and Roxie before he would do so himself. Looking at Syd, he recalled the night early into the war when Syd and Peter had jumped him, given him a beating and warned him to leave Savannah alone. He had since come to reason that the way he'd spoken with Savannah on the subject of Callum staying in London was perceived to be threatening. Still, it didn't mean he was happy with her family physically attacking him for it. Seeing how stressed and troubled Syd appeared made it easier for Spencer to push those thoughts aside. It likely helped that the purpose of the meeting was to come to some kind of peace with the Sullivans. Reaching out, he gave his counterpart an amicable handshake. "Syd... Like Bruce says, I'm sorry for what happened to your family and that I couldn't get the warning out any sooner. I hope your old man pulls through - he's a sound bloke," he commented. He wasn't giving false sentiments, as despite the Irishman's reputation during his time as the mob boss, Spencer hadn't had issue with James prior to his incarceration over seven years ago. Turning to Roxie, he gave her a handshake too. Despite her being in charge of the Biancardis and her relationship to the Sullivans, he hadn't had many interactions with her before now, and he'd had even less with Ricky. "I'm sorry for your loss," he sincerely told her.

With everyone sat down, Conor waited for Bruce to address the group first. Although they were in his own home and on Sullivan territory, it had been the King Boss who had arranged for this meeting to take place now. "Thank you," he said as Bruce expressed his appreciation for them hosting the meeting despite everything that was going on. He then nodded along in understanding about them needing to discuss their future. Whilst Bruce was accurate in his assessment that they'd agree the fight had gone on too long, with reminders of what they'd endured, Conor couldn't help but furrow his eyebrow as he thought of how the Kings had chosen to ally with the Morettis, in turn adding to Sullivan losses. He followed Bruce's gaze towards Alex who was at the centre of why the war had started to begin with. Conor had never really got along with Alex, finding him to be cocky and lazy, in some ways seeing aspects of his younger self and from that not wanting Savannah to get tangled up with someone like that. Alex had gone on to prove his suspicions right when he cheated on her and broke her heart, only making Conor dislike the Londoner even more. However, as Bruce pointed out, Alex and Savannah were now in a better place, both ready to talk about Callum like mature adults. Conor couldn't help but smirk at the mention of Moretti being gone, not about to hide how glad he was about Gabriel being wiped out. "I could've warned you about joining up with the Morettis. In fact, I'm certain I did," he remarked. "I'd say you lot dodged a bullet with Gabriel getting killed. If he had managed to wipe my lot out, it would have only been a matter of time before he switched his focus onto screwing you fine gentlemen," Conor pointed out.

"Conor. Was that warning before or after you blew up my nightclub, along with giving the green light for multiple attacks on me and my family?" Spencer asked, sitting up straight as he briefly fixed his eyes on Syd before looking Conor head on. "Moretti was a wanker and I'm glad he's gone too, but let's not forget that you were the one who attacked my family on London soil on numerous occasions. You were the one who went trigger happy on us, so you can't blame us for looking for extra support to defend ourselves and those we care about."

In that moment, a number of ways to respond to Spencer entered Conor's mind, but most of them were unproductive in the context of their meeting. Instead, he knew he had to push aside the urge to debate with Spencer and instead respond in a more proactive manner. "If there's one thing my family has learned over the years, it's to tackle any threat before it becomes a real threat. Admittedly, that might not have been the best course of action. As Savvy has pointed out to me on multiple occasions, I used her and Callum to propel this war. I shouldn't have done that."

Roxie took the opportunity to speak up as the most reasonable of the voices at her side of the table. She directed the conversation onto the growth Alex and Savannah made. Spencer briefly glanced to Alex, a proud look in his eyes as he agreed with the sentiment. Roxie spoke of setting up peace and deciding what the families were going to change so they could work together effectively. It was mention of Callum that highlighted one of the key points in Spencer's mind. Looking across to Roxie, Spencer chose to address her on the subject. "I think I speak for all of my family when I say one thing we all need to do is reconsider how our actions affect those in our families who don't get a say in the business. Innocent people like Callum, Harper, Sav... When it comes down to it, we're all family now - with Callum in the middle connecting us. I think we're all exhausted with this fighting by now, so we need to start talking more and not rushing into things and jumping blokes on their own streets," he said, looking directly to Syd on his last sentence.

"Works both ways, Spencer," Conor reminded him, expecting he didn't need to spell out the Kings attacking him in Dublin. Conor looked to Roxie, knowing she was trying to keep things civil at the table and feeling himself venturing into unproductive territory. Looking to Bruce, he sat back in his seat and thought for a moment before speaking. "With Count Drac-- With Gabriel now dead, where does your alliance with the Morettis now stand, Bruce? I believe a peace treaty is possible and our families have been able to work well together in the past. But as long as you're in bed with the Morettis, I feel peace between my family and yours will always be fragile."

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

 

[BasDorcha]

The Sullivan Family Home

~ Sutton, Dublin ~​

Jeremy Gray

Jeremy had been brought along on the current trip regardless of whether the boys wanted him or not - Jeremy wasn't above fenagling his way into the trip to protect his friends - and hadn't complained when they agreed to take him. He just felt a powerful need to be close by - just in case. He was quiet most of the trip, nodding when needed to respond, but otherwise keeping to himself. There was a lot going on, and Jeremy was observant and hyper aware the entire time, ready to jump but smart enough to know that this was not the time for action first but thought. He even shook Conor's hand with a cool acceptance, nodding to the man and gripping his hand in an equally firm grasp but not challenging like.

There was much on Jeremy's mind, and when asked how it was going, Jeremy gave the man a cordial smile, "It's going, thanks." He couldn't help a quiet chuckle at the comment that Kane got bigger every time Conor saw him - Jeremy felt exactly the same. Kane was a hulking figure that was intimidating even to those who knew him regularly. He was a good body guard, and with reason. He followed the other men to the extra room, taking a seat near Kane but not far from the others as well. The last time he was in a room with Adam, the man had done some serious damage to him. Almost instinctively, Jeremy rubbed a hand across his throat, looking at the man who had almost caused him vocal damage while he attempted to protect Billy's life.

Jeremy helped himself to a cup of tea, pausing mid-air when Adam cut straight to the point. He cleared his throat and sat back, setting the cup on the table beside him. "Look, business is business. You did what you had to do, I did what I had to do. In this line of business we can't exactly pick and choose which orders we follow and which we don't." He looked Adam straight in the eyes, nodding his head in agreement. "We don't have to like each other to be cordial. Our bosses settle it, we settle it, plain and simple."

He listened quietly to the two men talk about Dermot, another of the soldiers that Jeremy was familiar with. When Marco offered his hand, Jeremy shook it, a firm shake but just relaxed enough to not come over as an attempt at intimidation. "Nice to meet you." Jeremy chimed back. He didn't miss the stifled giggle, but he let it go. Things were tense enough without blowing up over Marco's apparent humor at the situation. "Honestly, I'm getting up there in age… a period of calm wouldn't go amiss. Everyone needs a break once in a while. I don't know if boring is the term I'd use," He nodded at Marco, "But it gets tiring, certainly. I know we all spend more time than ever watching our backs then enjoying our life, something I'd like to see a change in. If Alex and Sav can come to terms with what happened for the betterment of the younger generation, then it's time we did too."

Misty Gray - Adam, Kane
Melanin-Gxdess - Marco

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Erik's Place
~ London ~ ​

Ava said she believed her and Harper felt relieved. The woman before her looked like she could handle her own, and Harper didn't want to be on the receiving end of that. She then said that she was trusting her with Erik and Harper wondered just how bad of shape he was in. Harper slowly followed her further into the apartment trying not to watch the way she walked so blatantly. She remembered a time when she felt that confident. It was blurry, but it hadn't been that long ago. Now, while she felt more like herself, she still felt like she was living in someone else's body. Whether that be because of what she went through was still being determined. She knew she wouldn't heal right away, but if she had the time and the space to...she knew it would happen eventually.

Harper watched Ava write something down on a piece of paper, telling her that Erik could be a little unpredictable. While Harper didn't know Erik very well, she hadn't really thought of him to be that way. Quietly, Harper accepted the paper as they relocated to the living room, nodding her head as the woman said not to hesitate paging her if something happened. Harper really hoped that she would be able to handle him on her own. It was the least she could do and she really felt like she owed him something. But she felt that way for a lot of people in her life, just letting them have what they want because she put them through hell. Inadvertently, Harper had done the same to Erik. Even if Billy and he were done, she was going to repay the debt.

Ava then acknowledged what Erik had done to Billy once more and Harper nodded softly, "I won't, I swear it." Ava patted her shoulder lightly before moving to get Erik, leaving Harper alone in the kitchen. There was a part of her that fiercely wanted to protect Billy, to make Erik feel the same way he made her brother feel. But despite having been cheated on herself, she wondered in the briefest moment if hurting Erik would make any of this better. Her heart told her no, despite her head trying to rationalize it. She was angry, but she always tried to get her brothers to do the right thing, so why stop doing it?

When Ava returned, she was in a hurry, telling her that Erik would be out in a second. She hurried towards the doorway before pausing and asking about her outfit choice. Harper was about to say she looked incredible but the woman said she didn't care that much about whether it looked too obvious and Harper let her walk out the door. Moving to sit on his sofa, the blonde just looked at the clock on the wall, watching the seconds tick by as her knee bounced up and down nervously. There were a lot of things she thought of saying to him but when Erik appeared in the living room, all words that she had cleverly thought about disappeared.

He looked like absolute shit.

Harper stood from the sofa as he said it was good to see her and that she looked a whole lot better from their previous visit. That unexpectedly and annoyingly brought tears to her eyes and she couldn't control them. When he asked about water, she shook her head moving to wipe her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt before she watched him head to the kitchen. Slowly, she followed standing in the doorway of it as he grabbed himself a glass of water. When he asked what brought her by, the blonde let out a scoff. "I think you know." She said, her voice breaking as she shook her head. "I wish I could go a second without crying so that I can just tell you..." Her breath hitched and she groaned, turning away from him for a second. Wiping at the tears again, Harper pulled herself together enough to turn back to him.

"Billy told me everything. And I thought I had made it very clear that if you ever did anything to hurt my favorite brother I was going to kick your ass." She said, the tone of voice was fierce but the volume was weak as she tried to keep herself together. "Now I can't kick your ass because Ava, made me promise not to make you feel even more like shit! And because I actually care about your feelings I don't want to make you feel like shit either."

"But it seems like these days no one cares about feelings anymore and are just willing to walk all over you and do what they want to you and for what? For the sake of love? Billy trusted you, hell, I even trusted you." Harper's voice only grew louder, "But what is even worse is that I trusted you with him, he is just figuring himself out, loving who he really is and now you've scared him possibly back into the fucking closet!" The blonde placed her hands on her hips, staring Erik down as her bottom lip trembled. "And don't sit here and make excuses for why you did it because I have heard them as someone on the opposite end and I've heard every pathetic excuse Alex tried to give. All I want to know is what the fuck were you thinking?"
with: Erik Melanin-Gxdess
Mentions: the fave bro Pyroclast

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik's Apartment
~Hackney, London~
Erik Snowden
​

It was the break in her voice that confirmed to Erik what he thought. He knew why she was there. His comment was only made because he didn't know how to start such a conversation. Both seeing and hearing how emotional she was broke Erik's heart all over again. The last time he'd seen her she hadn't been able to even crack a smile. Erik was hoping the next time he did see he'd be able to get one out of her, but it definitely wasn't about to happen now. If anything he felt like he had added to her anguish and that alone was enough to make him feel more like shit. When she turned away from him Erik started fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie. He was nervous; anxious, really, and didn't know what to do with himself. A knot had formed in his stomach as she got herself together, turning around to face him once more.

Harper repeated to him the agreement the two of them had come to not too long ago. The thought of it made his eyes well up with tears. He chastised himself for even daring to cry after what he'd done but he couldn't help it. With the emotions, Harper brought in and his own fragile emotions it was hard not to. Hearing that Ava had gone and made Harper promise not to make him feel more like shit made him shake his head. "Always meddlin'," he muttered before listening to more of what she had to say. The fact that she was even willing to take his feelings into consideration meant something to him. More than she would ever understand. He tore his eyes aware from her for a moment, sniffling and wiping stray tears from his face. When it was clear she wasn't done talking he looked back up and forced himself to maintain eye contact.

Another reminder, he thought; that Billy loved him and yet he still betrayed him. That what he had done was incredibly selfish. Erik had been on the other end of this whole ordeal. He'd been someone who was walked all over by people who had little to no regard for his feelings. Which is why Harper's words were cutting him so deeply. They brought up memories he thought he'd buried; feelings he thought he was over. As her voice grew louder Erik seemed to shrink within himself. Betrayal. That was the main thing he'd been so hung up on considering he had betrayed the only people he cared about outside of Ava. And even more so when that person was his soulmate. "I know," he whispered, now unable to look Harper in the eyes. His fingers twirled around his strings - tugging on them more. "All I want to know," she said, "Is what the fuck you were thinking." And the moment the words left her lips he shrugged. "I-... I wasn't," he confessed, the lump in his throat growing heavier by the second. "I don't- I don't even know how to explain myself, I just-," he paused, shrugging again before taking a deep breath.

"I thought-," he tried again, only to pause again. He didn't know where to start or even what to say and was doing his best to figure it out. "I'm not making excuses. I know what I did was fuckin' stupid and I'm a putz and youse have every right in the world to be pissed with me but I-... I'm fucked, Harper," he said simply, tapping his temple with two fingers. "I thought he was tryna hurt me, Harp." Even saying it out loud sounded crazy. Billy wasn't his exes or the people who regularly used him in the past. He should've known better. "He'd been sneakin' 'round with Oscar and it all seemed so familiar and I- I panicked. I wanted to hurt 'im 'fore he hurt me only he wasn't sneakin'." Erik took a step back to open a drawer before pulling out a big, folded piece of paper. It had been taped back together the best Erik could. With another break in his voice, Erik continued. "H-He was buildin' us a house, Harper." As Erik scanned the blueprint a few tears managed to fall on the paper. His throat was tight but he was going to push through it. "He was buildin' us a house." When he looked up at her, his eyes were red and he once again shrugged his shoulders. "I can't- I wanna fix it. I swea' I do. Billy means so much to me and I love him and I- I wanna raise Charlie with him and live in this house and- and," he looked down at the blueprint once more before wiping his face with his hand. "I just want things to go back to the way they were."

Harper ( Bellz )

 

[Pyroclast]

Moretti Family Home
~Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn~

Tatiana Moretti​

Grieving for Gabriel Moretti was one of the hardest things Tatiana had ever done. Mostly because she couldn’t figure out how to do it. Their relationship had always been tumultuous, but it seemed more so in recent years. Tatiana was confident in who she was - she wasn’t driven by a need to prove herself to her father. She never let his disapproval make her feel ashamed of her attraction to women, or affect the way she did her business. She didn’t sleep with women to spite him, but because it was who she was - just like how she didn’t do her job just to seek his praise, but because she knew she was good at it. It wasn’t hard to be herself despite knowing how he truly felt about her - the only hard part was pretending it didn’t affect her relationship with him. That wasn’t to say she didn’t love him - of course she loved him…but their disagreements had caused resentment to build up within her. Now that he was dead, Tatiana was stuck wondering if she even had the right to mourn him.

Whilst she had been sent to London to support the Kings in their war with the Sullivans, her loyalty lay first and foremost with her own family. So, when she was told of a planned attack in Dublin at Syd and Roxie’s charity gala, she felt it was her duty to lend herself to the fight, and ended up sneaking off to Dublin without informing Bruce. She stayed long enough to help Teddy move Gabriel’s body off the premises before the authorities could catch up to them, but she had to leave the next morning to return to London and helped to make arrangements from there to have him flown back to New York. Teddy, she could tell, was struggling to hold it together, and she didn’t doubt that the fact he had witnessed Gabriel’s death made it all worse for him. Tatiana, on the other hand, found herself trapped in business mode. She couldn’t feel yet, let alone cry. Her response was closer to that of a professional in the funeral business than of the man’s daughter.

What finally broke her was being told that she would be in charge of the family business from that point onwards. It was everything she had worked for, everything she felt she deserved…but it wasn’t how she had wanted to get it. She had worked hard enough and become knowledgeable enough and wise enough to have started running the business years ago. So the fact that she had had to lose her brother and her father in order to get it just didn’t seem fair. Tatiana may not have strived for the approval of any man, but she still regretted that her ambitions had been quashed by the men in her family and that it had left her feeling bitterly towards them. She wished that things could have been different, that she could have had more time to work on her relationship with Marcus and her father. Now they were both dead, and she couldn't change a thing.

Having released some emotions the night before the funeral, Tatiana had felt prepared to face the day itself. Her mother was a wreck - that was, to Tatiana, the worst part of all of this. She stayed at her side, speaking for her when she couldn't, making sure she stayed hydrated and generally being a shoulder to cry on. Despite the depressing circumstances, the high turn-out and grandeur was at least some consolation. It was the kind of funeral Gabriel would have wanted, she was sure, and that brought her some peace.

After the service, Tatiana, Elvian, Valentina and Teddy went back home to sit in the atrium where they were due to meet with their lawyer for the will reading. As they all sat together, it struck Tatiana how small the family was these days. It had shrunk in size in such a short time. She sat close to her mother and took her hand into hers, in case she was having the same thought. At Teddy’s question of how they were all doing, Valentina ended up criticising Ava and Erik for not showing their faces. She could sense her anger, no doubt impassioned by the accompanying grief, but Tatiana hardly cared. Of course, she could have chosen to take it as a sign of disrespect but at the same time, she didn’t really care if she saw Ava again. The two never really became friends, especially after Tatiana’s relationship with her brother grew distant. As for Erik, well, Tatiana could sympathise if he hadn’t wanted to show his face given their…differences. Besides, she was aware that Ava was visiting Erik in London, who seemed to have withdrawn himself completely in the last week, so she imagined they had their own family matters to deal with.

“Forget about her, Tin,” Tatiana said softly as she made eye contact with her sister. “Today’s not about Ava or Erik. A lotta’ people showed up today, alright? Everyone dad would’ve wanted, and that’s what matters…” As she looked over at Valentina, she couldn’t help but notice that she looked almost as pale as their mother did and couldn’t help but think they were rushing into the will reading. “Are you sure this is what you want, mămică?” she asked Elvian. “We can do this another day - tomorrow, if you want. Why don’t we just drink together, reminisce and rest? The lawyer won’t mind.” Then in a quieter voice, she added, “I’ll make sure he don’t.”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Teddy, Elvian
Misty Gray Valentina

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Moretti Family Home
~Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn~
Elvian Moretti & Theodore Wycliff
​

Valentina had been the first to answer Teddy's question - Elvian looking over at her. She spoke of drinking and a small smile appeared on her face at the thought. "There is plenty of it in this house. In fact," she said, leaning forward to pick up her glass. "I have some right here." It was a rarity to see her drinking anything other than wine but these were stressful times. Wine just wasn't going to cut it this time around. When asked about the lawyer, eyes were on Teddy. He glanced at his watch and then back around the table. "He should be here in a few. And then we can... Do what we need to," he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It won't be too much longer now." There was a brief moment of silence after he stopped talking, only to be soon ended by Valentina once more. She brought up how nice it was to Damian, though expressed her disappointment of the absence of Ava and Erik.

She did have a point, Elvian thought. "I did receive a phone call, "Elvian started, letting out a deep sigh. "From Ava a few days ago with her condolences. So I can't exactly say I'm surprised but," Elvian shrugged her shoulders, almost as if she had forgotten the relationship between her family and Ava's. "Well, you can't force someone to be a part of your family, now can you?" Teddy didn't say much, keeping his opinions to himself. After the death of Marcus and Gabriel signing Erik over to the Kings, he hadn't really expected either one to stick around. Having heard much of Ava's struggles to even fit in with their family he figured this was her chance to get out; maybe she had finally taken it. Instead, Tatiana added her own opinion on the matter, which was to change the topic entirely.

Tatiana asked if she really wanted to do everything today and Elvian frowned. "Yes," she snapped, though more so out of frustration than anything. Taking a deep breath she raised a hand at her eldest daughter. "I'm sorry, draga mea, I just," her voice cracked and she looked down at her lap. Taking a deep breath she looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "If I don't do this today, I won't want to later and it'll feel like a dark cloud hanging over my head and I," Elvian paused to take another breath, to try and calm down before softly patting the table. "I don't want that and neither would your father so no. We have to do this today." A part of her knew it wasn't exactly normal for her to be doing everything at once. Most people waited a couple of days or even the day after. But, no. Elvian wanted to be done with the most heartbreaking parts and move on to grieving. "I won't say no to a few drinks after this, hm," Teddy asked, trying to ease the mood. "Babysitter can watch the kids." Teddy looked at Tatiana to see how she felt about the idea.

Not even a minute later, a guard walked in with the lawyer trailing behind him. Marvin had only met the family on a few occasions; usually when he and Gabriel were discussing familial affairs at home instead of the office. Teddy stood up to greet the man, offering him a seat at the opposite end of the table. "I'm, uh, very sorry for your loss," Marvin started, setting his briefcase on the table. "Gabriel was one of my favorite clients. He made things easy for me," he shared with a brief chuckle. "And yet you failed to show at his funeral," Elvian replied, a smirk on her face. She'd taken a sip of brandy from her glass as Teddy watched in amusement. Marvin's face turned red and he tried to quickly recover. "Oh, well, me and funerals don't quite mix." He let out another nervous chuckle before clearing his throat. "The will," he said trying to quickly change the subject. His briefcase clicked open and with every move he made Elvian held her breath in anticipation. Hearing the rattling of paper she placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her fingers.

"Here it is," Marvin said, setting it on the table. "Gabriel Moretti was of sound mind when putting together his last will and testament-," Elvian raised her hand at him and immediately cut him off. "I'm sorry, Marvin, can we skip the formalities?" Teddy looked at Elvian with a forlorn look in his eyes. It was hard seeing her have to go through this. Elvian reminded him of a tougher version of his mother; the version of her he wished she had been for him. So to say Elvian meant a lot to him was an understatement. Plus, he thought to himself, looking at Valentina, she had given him the best gift he could've ever asked for. Tuning back into what Marvin was saying he caught the tail end. Gabriel had left everything to Elvian, save for a few things. Trusts were set up in Francis, Cristina, and Paolo's names. The hotel had been given entirely to Valentina - Teddy trying his best not to worry about it too much. When it came down to himself and Tatiana, however, it got interesting. "To my eldest daughter," Marvin read, "I leave the family business under the circumstance that Teddy is kept as your right hand and advisor."

Valentina ( Misty Gray ) Tatiana ( Pyroclast )

 

[Bellz]

Braden Callahan
Amy's Place
~ Dublin ~​

After the party turned mass shooting, Braden barely had time to rest. Whether it was helping pull the family weight around on a job that couldn’t be done by Conor or Syd or just trying to make sure his mother wasn’t going to hurt herself, Braden was busy. Finally, towards the end of the week, he managed to call Amy who had been on his mind during the entire week but he just didn’t have the energy to reach out. She asked him over for dinner, but Braden had been apprehensive, only because he wasn’t sure his family was in any shape to be watching Hattie for him. Fortunately, George and Finn were on babysitting duty anyway and convinced him that Hattie would be just fine with the others. Braden had himself a shower, scrubbing vigorously as if that was going to scrub away his memories from Halloween. If only it were that easy. He had visited his sister at the mental institution earlier in the week, wanting to check-in. They had bonded well and Braden promised to keep a close eye on Danny while she was away. Braden visited his Uncle James and Danny yesterday, it was hard to see either man in such a state, yet another thing that was on his mind as he drove to Amy’s place.

On the way over, he picked up a small bouquet of flowers. While he had been distracted, he wasn’t going to skip out on being a gentleman where he could. The drive over felt awfully short and for a moment he sat in the car trying to remember it. His father had pushed him to talk to a therapist about what had happened the night of the Gala but Braden, who had been going religiously before, stopped. He just couldn’t bring himself to talk about it yet and refused to talk to his father when he tried to pry. He loved his parents, but sometimes it was best to just leave certain things unsaid. Braden got out of the car and walked towards Amy’s door. Taking a look around, he knew what side of town she lived in. It was a rough neighborhood, to say the least, but she was far safer here than she was going to a family party it seemed.

That was the sole reason why he hadn’t taken things to a more official level yet. Clearly, his family brought nothing but trouble her way and Amy didn’t deserve any more trouble. But he couldn’t bring himself to end things because he selfishly felt happy with her. Amy brought out feelings in Braden that he thought were long gone and her warmth was infectious. Braden bit his lip as he stood on the stoop of her apartment, wondering if he should really be here. All it would bring is more suffering. His family brought nothing but that even in their brightest moments. It wasn’t because they were toxic, it was quite the opposite, but the life they led bled into everything even when they tried to put a stop to it. The man bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn’t just let the family decide what was best for him, not that they were trying to. He couldn’t let his life dictate his happiness like he had been doing for so damn long.

Finally, while sucking in a deep breath, Braden knocked on the door, waiting for Amy to open the door. It took a moment but when she finally did, all the things that were giving him anxiety melted away at that moment. He took in her appearance and a blush formed on his cheek, knowing he was staring like an idiot. "Hey love, sorry for showing up late. Hattie was trying to convince me to come along in her batman suit. Dropped her off at Finn’s place just a little bit ago and she was upset. But I’m here now." Braden said in a deep voice before shoving the flowers forward, "Oh, these are for you." Looking at the backside of them, Braden saw they were crushed. Hattie must have sat on them while trying to slide out of the car, "Oh Jesus, Hattie smooshed them. I’m sorry." Braden said, a laugh bubbling in his voice as he shook his head. "How are you?" He changed the subject, his eyes looking into hers, wanting to see if there was any sign of hardships that she might have had to bear alone while they were apart.
with: Amy BasDorcha
mentions: Pyroclast Misty Gray Melanin-Gxdess

Klaus Jager
O'Neills
~ London ~ ​

Things were moving and they were moving fast. Klaus was caught in the middle of what he wanted to do and what he should do. But with support from his small team, he was going to spill what he knew tonight. Maybe if he did it now, there would be some hope of Ava making out of this alive and with her the Kings. Though his guilty conscience extended to knowing that the Irish were also going to suffer, so he carefully assigned Thea the responsibility of telling them. Klaus believed in the young woman, knowing that she meant well in almost everything she did. She wouldn’t hesitate to do the right thing. And neither would he. Standing outside of O’Neill’s, Klaus looked at his watch. Perhaps he wouldn’t get a chance to tell Ava if she stood him up. Klaus wondered if she did if he would still find a way to tell her. Just because she stood him up didn’t mean she didn’t deserve to live. His foot tapped nervously against the sidewalk. The last few weeks had been particularly stressful for the German, keeping incriminating evidence out of the way, trying to buy more time. It was all becoming a lot on his shoulders and when Ava stepped out of the taxi, she both took his breath away and made him feel like a piece of shit all in one go. Oh, what a woman.

Ava approached him with an apologetic look on her features for being late but Klaus gave her an easy-going grin, "Lucky for you, this Boy Scout doesn’t take away points for being late, things happen." Klaus hummed, moving in to kiss her cheek lightly before pulling the flowers he had been hiding behind his back out into view, "Pretty flowers for my liebling , though they pale in comparison to the view before me, they did make me think of you." Klaus handed them to her with a smile, "Evening primrose, delicate looking flowers but they represent strength and youth. Both things make me think of you. They are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, even if there is still snow on the ground." Klaus said softly before giving Ava his arm to take. "Shall we, mylady?" Klaus said with a smile forming on his face. When she took it, he lead her inside the establishment. They weren’t going for anything fancy for dinner, but Klaus would never let the woman he was with feel unappreciated. Flowers were customary on any date they went on, even if this date might end in turmoil. If Ava decided that she would never see him again after what he had to tell her, he would understand.

The hostess at the front told them that they could sit anywhere, so Klaus led Ava to the back corner of the restaurant in a booth that was quiet compared to the rest of the place. Once seated, Klaus looked at her, a boyish grin forming on his face as he just looked at her. But there was something different, just from watching her. Something had changed. There was a sadness in her eyes that she was trying to hide. If Klaus were any other man, he was sure that sadness would have gone unnoticed the entire night. But Klaus recognized such a feeling, such sorrow. Leaning forward, the hostess left two menus on the table for them as he reached for Ava’s hands, not even acknowledging the hostess as she said the waiter would be with them soon. "How have you been, hase?" Klaus asked, concern in his eyes as he took her hands and kissed her fingers gently. "Things have been awfully boring in London since you’ve been gone, I was surprised when you called to meet up again. I thought for sure some handsome New Yorker swept you off your feet."
with: Ava Melanin-Gxdess

Harper King
Erik's Place
~ London ~ ​

Harper's brows furrowed as Erik admitted that he wasn't thinking. Her expression was growing darker and darker as he stammered through, trying to explain himself. If he didn't hurry she was going to lose her patience with him. The tears she was crying wouldn't be worth shit if he didn't have a good reason. Not because she wanted to forgive him, it was because she was crazy for Erik and Billy, so happy to see two gay men thrive in the midst of all this homophobia. To see them both thrive as individuals. Even if Harper never saw Erik at his lowest as she had with her own brother, she wished them both to be happy. Looked at Billy last week and looking at Erik, they were both anything but that.

He went on to say that he wasn't making excuses and Harper scoffed but continued to listen. Erik was admitting what he'd done was stupid, that he was a fucking idiot. "You're right, I do have that right." She said over him but stopped there as he stammered again, finally saying he was fucked. That made two of them. Her harsh expression slowly turned to one of confusion when he explained that he thought Billy was trying to hurt him. Billy wasn't that type of person, in the slightest. Harper wanted to think Erik was stupid for believing that her brother had any sort of ability to hurt someone like that...but then she remembered what Erik had told her at the hospital.

Erik told her that Billy had been sneaking around with this fella name Oscar, and he'd just panicked. Erik wanted to hurt her brother as he hurt him, but he found out that Billy wasn't sneaking. Harper's brows rose in further confusion wondering what that meant. "What do you-?" Erik then pulled out something from a drawer and pulled out a huge folded piece of paper. Hearing what sweet gesture her brother was going to do for him made her shake her head, now growing angry that Erik had blown it. Not just for their relationship, but for Charlie. Erik's words were sweet, wanting to repair things with her brother but Harper couldn't get past one fact. "Why couldn't you have just asked?!" She said, the tears once again fresh. "What is with some of you and not just being able to ask, it's so easy, Erik! Way easier than this mess you created now." Her fists flew up as she walked to him, not able to handle her own emotions. But by the time she got to him, the fresh anger sizzled out just as quickly as it came.

Instead, she found her arms wrapping around his waist, hugging him tightly as the tears blinded her. She could have punched him, but then she wouldn't be any better than her brothers. "You're an idiot, you know that?" Whether he answered her or not, she continued on, "And I know only what you've told me, but hearing about what you went through versus seeing the effects of it are two different things." She hugged him tighter, "I'm sorry for whatever you went through, that led you to think that my brother was hurting you. And I'm sorry that it led you to destroy the single best thing that will and can still ever happen to you." Harper then pulled away, giving him some space before moving to grab the blueprints from him so that she could see herself. As she did, her hand extended a little further than she'd thought unable to see too well as the tears blurred her vision. When her hand grabbed the paper it then hit him right in the nose, with quite a bit of force causing her to gasp loudly. "Oh my god!" Harper cried out, moving her hands to her mouth. Quickly setting the blueprints on the table next to her, "Oh my god, oh my god! Erik I didn't mean to punch you, oh my god!" Then she could see the blood slowly oozing from his nose causing her to look around for something to stop the bleeding. "Jesus, you're bleeding!" She reached for a clean dish towel grabbing it before shoving it his way, "Quick, hold it to your nose!"
with: Erik Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: Billy Pyroclast

Lorelei Costello
Burrow Beach to Baily Lighthouse
~ Howth Head, Dublin ~​

Lorelei's cheeks were on fire as Benjie said they could have more of these moments, the thought of spending her life with him always tended to do that. Even in all of the turmoil, he managed to keep her smiling through it all. She could only hope she’d been able to do the same, even in his darkest moments. When he added that this moment might be particularly special, a fluttering feeling in her chest made her smile even wider. The redhead was excited about what he had planned, though it was hard to tell what it was. "Okay! I’m following the leader!" She laughed, letting him take her hand as he continued their walk.

Confusion appeared on her face as they approached the lighthouse, where Benjie let go of her hand and pointed to the entrance. The sign said it was closed. But that didn’t seem to stop him at all as he rushed for it, tripping in the process. "Oh my gosh!" Lorelei said, reaching forward to help him but he grabbed the wall, recovering just as quickly as he had tripped. Lorelei let out a small giggle as her hands went to her mouth, trying to contain her smile. He might have hated just how clumsy he was when he got nervous, but Lorelei loved every bit of it. That thought, however, made her wonder what he was so nervous about. When he pulled the door open, he looked at her, apologizing as his cheeks turned bright pink. Lorelei giggled once more, moving to walk through the door but stopped only to reach a hand out to caress his cheek adoringly. She didn’t say anything but walked through the door so that he could get inside too. Looking around, Benjie told her to ignore the sign, that he’d already cleared their date with the guy in charge.

Lorelei’s heart raced, having an idea of what was going on, but she told herself to calm down, not wanting to assume something was happening and then not have it happen. Whatever he had planned, if it was something she was thinking or not, she’d love it all just the same. When he led her to the spiral staircase, he asked if she’d be okay going up the stairs, making a joke about his own clumsiness at his own expense. Lorelei laughed again, "We’ll climb it together, promise I won’t let you trip over yourself." She said in a teasing tone, following him up the staircase until they were as high as they were allowed to go.

The view was breathtaking as he led them out to the balcony, the sea-going as far as her own eyes could see. It was beautiful. The jagged cliffs that could look menacing in their own right if you stood too close blended with the ocean in a way that was hard to describe. It was all so perfect. Lorelei had been so focused on the view, that she couldn’t see Benjie fumbling with something in his pocket, only listening to his words as he tried to explain why he had brought her to such a special place. When he spoke up again, finishing the sentence he had failed to get out before, Lorelei turned to look at him. The soft expression on her face turned even softer as he said that after everything she’d been through, she deserved to be spoiled. That she always deserved to have good things.

Benjie often stumbled through his words when he was nervous, so this wasn’t anything new, it was what drew her to him in the first place. He was so sweet and meant so well by everything that he did. It was hard to find a man who was so transparent these days, it’s what she loved the most about Benjie, his transparency and his capacity to love so much even after all he went through. "Of course I do, and I am here for you too, love." Lorelei stated in return. His voice had faltered and Lorelei had a pretty good idea of where he was going with it all. "But you don’t have to be so nervous you know…whatever you have to say, or want to ask…I promise I won’t turn you away." Lorelei tried to encourage without giving anything away for herself. "I love you, Benjamin Reznik, even when you’re so adorably nervous." She teased, her nose scrunching as she smiled at him.
with: Benjie Misty Gray

 

[neverbackdown]

Dun Laoghaire Harbour - Boardwalk
Dublin City Centre, Dublin

VIOLET MURPHY

​

After having ended up in the middle of an attack on Halloween night, Violet had been uncharacteristically behaved for the last week, almost as though she had thrown aside her reckless side. One would hope she had been scared straight but that wasn't the case, she was definitely still as reckless she just didnt harbour the same desire to hurt/annoy her father as she once had. His injury had scared her enough, losing almost too much blood and having to seek medical aid opened her eyes to the dangers that his world held but what really took the cake was James being in hospital. Her heart broke for Olivia and Lucy, unable to imagine what it would be like to have a family member that close be that close to death. She never wanted to see her father end up that way, fighting for his in a hospital bed but she knew that in his line of work there was a very high chance it could be him next.

It was purely for this thought that led Violet to try and put aside any resentment towards the past and to move on and build a relationship with her father, jumping at the chance to start training with him once he was healed. While this was partly to spend time with him it was also for her own well being, she needed to learn to defend herself especially if she was going to be around people in this business, as halloween showed her, danger can happen anywhere.

Violet was pulled from her thoughts as Olivia addressed her and Violet turned her head to look at her friend a smile playing on her lips "Yeah he's going to start once his injury heals enough, not gonna lie Im looking forward to kicking his ass" smirking as she spoke, amusement clear in her voice as she imagined the scene in her head. Now she knew she didnt have a chance of beating her father but a girl can dream.

Two more people approached them and Violet watched as theyexchanged greetings with Olivia and Sam. She hadn't really spoken to Sam much but she picked up that he seemed to be nice and to be honest Violet was just happy to be meeting people her own age in Dublin. While it was the best option to move over here to her dad, she had been quite lonely since she arrived, meeting Olivia was what changed that.

"Hi" she greeted when Olivia introduced her before her ears practically perked up at the word "trouble".,. "What do yous normally do for fun around here?" she asked

Misty Gray (Olivia)
Melanin-Gxdess (Thea)
BasDorcha (Sam & Tom)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Dún Laoghaire Harbour - Boardwalk
~Dublin, Ireland~
Thea Ryan​

While familiar with most of the younger adults in the Sullivan family, Thea had struggled to get their names and their position in the family. Olivia, she thought, she knew. She'd met her on one of the many visits she paid to the garage. Sam, she knew of. One of the newer Sullivan guards and as far as she knew no relation. Well, she hoped so. By the way he was holding on to Olivia, she could tell they were...Something. She didn't judge and had been around weirder but the fact remained. The taller woman, however, had been an enigma. Where she had come from and who she was related to was a new puzzle she'd need to figure out. When she eventually sent a new report to Klaus, she didn't want any innocent people caught in the crossfire. Olivia and this new addition she considered innocent - family members unfortunately attached to the family by name only. This was the one thing she could do as a sorry for doing her job.

The trio agreed to hang out with herself and Tom, a friendly smile growing on Thea's lips. She couldn't remember the last time she had done something like this or even who with. The last couple years of school and even a couple of years after had been spent working hard on her future. Working hard to get where she is now. Having a break, no matter the circumstances or what she was going to do later, was nice. Pretending this was real was what Thea was going to do for now. She looked over to Violet as Olivia introduced her, noting that she was Dermot's daughter. Dermot the guard, she noted. "Nice to meet you, Violet. I'm Thea," she said, giving her a small wave. She returned her arm along Tom's waist before glancing at Olivia. Thea wanted nothing more than to express her condolences to Olivia but didn't know how. She didn't want to put the girl out on the spot, bringing unwanted attention. Maybe she would be able to pull her to the side a bit later and say something.

Sam mentioned getting into trouble and Thea's eye twitched. The last thing, she thought, they needed was more trouble. In fact Thea was hoping to whatever God or gods she needed to in order to ensure that fact. When Violet asked what they did for fun, she had to think. She hadn't really been in Dublin for that long and only ever traveled between work, the market, and parks. Before she met Tom she was hard at work and didn't allow too many distractions. But now? Now things were different. Distractions were welcomed. "Well, it's a bit too early for the bars," she started with a smile. "But! I've found the boardwalk to be pretty fun until peak drinking hours. What do you guys think?"

Tom, Sam ( BasDorcha ) Olivia ( Misty Gray ) Violet ( neverbackdown )

O'Neill's Restaurant
~Hackney, London~
Ava Snowden​

"Flowers," Ava said, failing to catch the words as they tumbled out of her mouth. She blinked a few times processing the gift before smiling. He then went on to compliment her and explain said lowers and her smile only grew wider. "Oh man," she started, gently grabbing the flowers from him. "You're so cheesy, I love it," she teased before wrapping her arms around his neck. "They're really nice, thank you." She placed a soft kiss on his lips before taking his arm. "Chivalry ain't so dead after all, huh?" She walked with him inside the restaurant, thankful for the casual atmosphere. Ava never did do well with fancy and Klaus seemed early on to understand that. Something she liked about him but hated that she did so soon. He led her to an empty booth in the back. The sound of people chattering slowly faded away the further they got, Ava intrigued by where he'd decided to sit them. It was a nice spot and they'd be able to hear each other perfectly. Which was a win for Ava since her new favorite hobby was listening to Klaus talk.

She slid in across from him and moved to take off her jacket. When she looked back up she noticed Klaus staring at her with a smile on his face. She gave him a skeptical smile, playfully narrowing her eyes at him. "What?" He leaned forward and took her hands into his, Ava watching with amusement. Before she could make any sort of smart comments he asked how she was doing. Ava thought she was doing a good job at keeping how she was feeling to herself. How stressed she was and tired and in need of a break. As the oldest and the caregiver, it was her job to take care of everyone around her. She couldn't take a break because the moment she did everything fell apart without her. Which was one of the reasons she'd been so on edge about leaving Erik and Harper alone. But, it was too late to be changing such things. Klaus had already called her out and there was no way she could play it off. If he was able to pick up on this he would be able to tell when she was lying.

"Oh I'm," she paused, deciding against lying. "Doin' as well as I can," she smiled. "But it's too early to be a buzzkill." She placed her elbows on the table and leaned closer to him, listening to him talk. When he mentioned how boring it had been without her she let out a brief laugh. "Please, you're telling me London doesn't have any tattooed biker chicks who don't care about the rules?" She raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head. "Oh, you've ruined New York men for me," she teased. "Foreign men with hot accents are my type now so, thanks for that." Ava sat for a moment, just taking in the man sitting across from her. He made her nervous. Which was definitely a first. No one had ever succeeded in making her nervous, but Klaus definitely did and it was hard to figure out how she should feel about it. "So, how are you," she said softly, "Didn't miss me too much, did you? I know how hard it must be having a whole ocean between the two of us," she joked, though a part of her was talking about herself. Whenever she had the urge to see him the thought was quickly shut down. It wasn't like he was just a subway ride away. So the moment she got a chance to see and spend time with him she was going to take it.

Klaus ( Bellz )

Erik's Apartment
~Hackney, London~
Erik Snowden
​

Erik could see the anger and disappointment growing in Harper's eyes, causing him to tear his own away. He couldn't bare the sight any longer. Billy. Bruce. Ava. And now Harper. It was enough to drive him mad. Too many people, he felt. Too many people had looked at him like that and they were all of significance. She'd then shouted at him, Erik flinching yet prepared for such a tone. He'd done the same with Bruce and now with Harper. However, hearing her words and the tone he couldn't help but feel he wasn't the only one she was talking to. Yet, he wasn't going to linger on the thought for too long. Maybe it was in his imagination and he was looking for a way to deflect. He watched as tears streamed down her face as well, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Because I don't ask," he shouted, taking a step back. "I'm not an askin' man, okay?! I just- I react and I can't help it. It's like, my brain goes on autopilot and I don't check back in until it's too late! And it's always been that way and I," he paused, taking a deep breath as he continued. "I didn't realize any of it 'til then."

He watched as she walked towards him, prepared to be hit but when she wrapped her arms around him instead he froze. It was shocking, to say the least, her bringing him in so close but it was enough to make him fully sob. He didn't deserve the kindness she had started to show him. Erik cheated. He broke promises, he disappointed people. He was accepting all of his faults and wrongdoings and didn't expect any of them to show him mercy. But the simple fact that she meant more to him than he could ever express. He wrapped his own arms around her and listened as she spoke to him. She understood him, he thought, better than anyone else had. While, yes, he was an adult and needed to learn to make better choices, there was a reason for him making them. She comforted him and for the first time, he thought maybe it was possible for this to happen with Billy too. If he could just get him to sit down and talk to him then maybe things could be different. Maybe he would understand and see that he really didn't mean to hurt him.

Erik's tears slowed down and when Harper let go of him he stepped back. Using the back of his hand to wipe away the tears, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Harper I- what the fuck!" The moment Harper's hand made contact with his face he shouted. It felt like electricity shooting from his nose to his forehead, Erik keeling over in pain. She profusely apologized and reached for him, Erik putting his hand out to tell her to stay away. He held his nose, glad it wasn't broken before feeling the blood in between his fingers. "I thought you changed your mind about hitting me," whined, standing up to tilt his head back. He could hear her scrambling around the kitchen before being banded a towel. Erik immediately pressed it against his nose before looking down at her. "Is this karma? I mean, I deserved it, but did you have to sneak me?" He paused before softly laughing. The circumstance that had brought them here was not funny in the slightest, but the moment was. And Erik couldn't help but burst into laughter at it all.

Harper ( Bellz )

 

[Misty Gray]

Burrow Beach to Baily Lighthouse
~ Howth Head, Dublin ~

Benjamin Reznik​

When Lorelei assured him she was there for him too, Benjamin nodded his head, knowing it to be the truth. She'd helped him so much already in the time since they'd first met. He let out an apprehensive laugh when she told him he didn't need to be so nervous. He sent her a warm smile as she added that she loved him, adorable nervousness and all. "Hard to understand, isn't it?" he asked, shaking his head. "That my dad is a big, tough, confident guy. And I have people like Conor and Adam around giving me advice on--" he began, stopping short of revealing that he'd talked to all three men about his intentions with Lorelei. "Well, they're self-assured, confident men and yet we all get along so well." Benjamin wasn't sure where he was going with his words. More than anything, he'd found himself for a moment wishing he could channel the confidence of the friends and family around him. Pluck up the courage to be so open and not so clumsy in the current situation.

Leaning in, he placed a kiss on the side of her head. "Like this lighthouse, you've been a light in my life since we met. If it wasn't for you, I'm not sure how I would have got through that night Aidan was killed. You helped me and guided me enough that I never lost myself. You make me so happy. I've never met anyone so beautiful, talented, interesting, and fun to be with." Without consciously thinking about it or fumbling any more, Benjamin soon had the small box in his hand. "Lorelei. I love you more than I thought possible to love anyone, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Getting down on one knee he took his time to open the box to reveal to gold engagement ring, making sure his nervousness didn't cause him to drop it. "Lorelei. Will you marry me?" he asked. Looking to her, his gentle eyes glistened as he maintained control of his emotions.

Bellz (Lorelei)

 

[Misty Gray]

Tower Bridge
~ City of London, London ~

Alice Carroll​

Inside the coffee shop, Alice was relieved to see Abel was there waiting for her. After the last couple of days, she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd stood her up given how unpopular she was amongst her peers. When he made it so she fell into his lap, she let out a playful laugh, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. When he released her to take her own seat, she noticed he'd already had the hot drinks brought to the table. "Well, aren't you organised?" she commented, flashing a pleased smile.

When Abel asked how he could make her day better, she shrugged her shoulders. "Just being here now is a good start," she softly told him, accepting his hand across the table. She was glad to hear his day had gone well and even though he said he wouldn't be free all afternoon because of work, she was at least glad for the time they could spend together now. "I bet you aced the test, right?" she asked. "We can hang out for as long as you're free. You're a hard worker and I would feel terrible if I tore you from that."

Abel had wanted to know what was going on with her, prompting her to let out a deep sigh. "A couple of nights ago my mum had one of her episodes and my dad was really stressed at me out about it. Made the whole house chaotic and I felt stressed in return," she admitted. "That meant I wasn't prepared for class the next day and I kept messing up my lines in rehearsals. I've never forgotten my lines like that before," she sadly told him. Having always overachieved, it was a knock to have failed over the last two days. "So now some of the others have been teasing me about it and my tutor isn't happy with my performance."

BasDorcha (Abel)

 

[Pyroclast]

Thomas & Elena's Apartment
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Elena Velazco​

Elena had learned after only a few months that the family she had found in Dublin had a close relationship with trouble and pain. It almost made her life back in Cuba seem peaceful, despite the abuse, poverty and prostitution. But at least in Dublin there was community and love to get them through it. Even with the war, all the attacks and bloodshed and death, Elena never even thought of trying to return to Cuba - her home was with Thomas, Leo and Natasha, with Adam and Blake and Conor and all the people who had changed her life for the better. If that meant living in a war zone, then so be it. She would rather risk her life to be with those she loved than to abandon them and go back to being alone.

In the wake of the attack at Syd and Roxie’s charity gala on Halloween night, Elena had been busy looking after her boyfriend. James Porter had been in hospital for a week after being shot and it wasn’t looking good for him; suffice to say, Thomas wasn’t taking it well. After everything he had done to help her recover from her traumatic abduction, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him. To let him take his time, not to put any pressure on him, to respect his space. And slowly, he did start to progress - he managed to shower and get himself dressed, and even go out with Elena to visit his parents at the hospital and his brother, nieces and nephew the day before. She could see how hard it was for all of them, but she was just pleased that they all had each other, and that none of them were going through anything on their own.

While the last time the four of them had got together hadn’t gone so well, Elena was feeling more confident about hanging out with Natasha and Leo again. After her panic attack at Adam’s house she had lost hope that she would ever be able to hang out with them without being reminded of her abduction, but this time she felt ready. She wanted to see them. More still, she wanted Thomas to see them. He seemed ready, too - even more than she was, in the end, because when the doorbell rang she was still doing her hair. The sound of Natasha and Leo’s voices sent a momentary wave of anxiety through her, but it left as quickly as it had arrived and instead turned to excitement.

Elena could hear them ask about her as she skipped out of the bedroom. “Here I am!” she announced with a beaming smile, and bounded over to give Natasha a big hug. “You look so nice!” Then she turned to Leo and wrapped her arms around his middle. “Thank you for coming,” she told them both, and when she released herself from the hug, she noticed the gift. “You get food for us?” she gasped, and moved over to the table, eyes widening at the delicious treats. “Se ven tan sabrosos…” she lightly uttered, deeply touched by the gift. “You are so kind, thank you! We want drinks with it? Café? I can make.” Still smiling, she gestured to everyone to take a seat and make themselves comfortable while she went over to the kitchen area to prepare the drinks.

Once all the drinks were prepared, she brought them over and came to sit down beside Thomas, opposite their friends. “I miss you,” she told them sincerely. “I love that you come here - you always bring the sun with you. Tomás needs the sun right now.”

Interactions
Bellz Tomás, Natasha
Melanin-Gxdess Leo

 

[BasDorcha]

Amy's Place

Dublin​

Amy Capaldi
Amy heard the knock on the door, quickly orienting herself before hurrying to answer it. She had been impatiently awaiting seeing him with the best display of fake patience she had in her arsenal. She missed him, more than she had ever missed someone in her life - not that she had many people to miss in her short time on this planet. More than that, she was learning what it meant to miss someone. When she finally pulled the door open and saw his face, a broad smile spread across her face, her eyes lighting up as she looked up at him. That adorable blush on his cheeks made her want to reach up and caress it, so she did, slipping the flowers from his hand to hers and tucking them behind her back to keep from further crushing them. "It's okay, don't worry about it."

The previous week had been hell. The only saving grace was that she knew the world was full of bad, terrible, horrible things. She had seen her fair share of it. Part of her was still trying to get over being shot at, having to escape the place under the threat of death, of having to shut down long enough to make it out, but she hadn't been close to anyone so it was easier for her. If Braden had gotten hurt, or Finn, or even if Braden's mum or dad had been there, she might have felt it harder, but thankfully the one who meant the most to her had been alright this time.

"I love the flowers," She said softly, holding his gaze for a moment as it softened, leaning up to kiss him. "I'm doing okay, I think that question is better reserved for you, how are you doing? How is your family? I've seen them at the hospital during shift, can't say I don't wish things were going better or easier." She slipped her hand in his and pulled him inside further, pushing the door shut with her foot as the latch clicked closed. Guiding him to the living room, she waved her hand to the array of movies.

"I wasn't sure what you'd be in the mood for tonight, so we have dinner cooking and movies to watch in the meantime. It'll be a while yet before dinner is ready." She blushed softly and released him, headed to the kitchen for a vase. A few moments later she returned, putting the flowers on the coffee table. "There, perfect! Now… Are you doing okay?" She sat down, patting the couch next to her.

Bellz - Braden

 

[Pyroclast]

Billy's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Billy King​

Hearing Charlie's little laugh had quickly become Billy's favourite sound in the world. The phrase ‘laughter is the best medicine’ had never meant more to Billy than it did when it was his baby boy - it never failed to lift his spirits. He could be on the verge of passing out and Charlie’s laughter would replenish his energy, weighed down by loneliness and heartbreak and missing Erik terribly and the little boy would make him forget all about it with his bright little chuckle. In spite of all the hard work, Billy was really finding him to be a gift. What made him even happier was seeing the way his family interacted with him. Spencer and Shona had introduced him to the basics of baby care, helping him with everything from recommending skincare brands to paediatricians, sleeping tips and routines. Everyone had visited to fuss over the baby over the past week, and seeing the joy Charlie brought them brought Billy joy, too.

He couldn’t help but beam at Darcey when she lifted Charlie up over her head. He seemed to love everyone even if he didn’t know them well - a truly social character. As they walked further into the house, Darcey made a comment comparing Charlie and his building skills to the late Eric Lyons…and while he knew it was silly, he couldn’t help but wince at the name, instantly thinking of his own Erik. “Nah, he can do better than those ugly structures,” he sniffed. When she turned to him he put his smile back on, which became genuine again when he compared Charlie’s appearance to how Billy had looked as an infant. “Aw, I couldn’t have been that cute,” he blushed. “He’s the cutest thing in the world.”

He was about to head into the kitchen to pour out some coffees when Darcey reached out to hug him, kissing him on the cheeks. He returned the gesture, dropping a kiss on Charlie’s cheek, too. She remarked that he looked tired and he let out a small laugh, running a hand over his hair. “Just a bit run down,” he confessed with a smile. “Get some kip on the sofa here and there when Charlie’s in his crib, but…” It was hard to admit, but he didn’t much like to sleep in his bed anymore. Without Erik, it felt far too big for him alone. “It’s hard when it’s just me.” Not helped by the tiredness, he felt a lump begin to form in his throat and took a sharp intake of breath in attempt to overcome it. “Coffee, then?” he offered, and darted off into the kitchen. “You two get settled, I’ll sort somethin’ out.”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Darcey