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

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Bruce King's House
~ Bethnal Green, London~
Erik Snowden​

Awkward was the only word he could use to describe how he felt at the moment. He'd seen arguments and heard nasty words getting thrown around in his own chaotic, toxic family but he never thought he'd hear them in the King household. They all seemed so close - so tight-knit and if they did have issues with one another, Erik always thought they talked them out and got over it; apparently not. Alex seemed to be at odds with not just one person at the table, but three; with Harper being the main one, it looked like. He was curious as to what happened there but knew that it was also none of his business. Instead, he continued to glance between both May and Billy to see how they felt about the whole thing.

In a matter of minutes, the room had been emptied leaving only Jeremy, Bruce, and himself at the dinner table. Much of the argument he'd spent just looking between each person shouting and scratching the back of his head. With his elbow now propped up on the table, he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. Bruce then informed them they could still eat but Erik couldn't even pretend to try. "Helluva time to be sober," he mumbled to himself. Things were quiet once more, the faint sound of Harper yelling thudding against the wall. Before he had a chance to speak on it, Bruce then expressed how grateful he was about Harper and Billy having him and Jeremy. For a moment he pursed his lips, unaware - or rather, he hadn't been paying attention - to the fact that Jeremy had known about his relationship with Billy.

As far as Erik's sexuality was concerned, he didn't care who knew. He just wasn't the type to offer up such information unless asked. But, he recalled a conversation with Billy in which the man didn't want to come out just yet... Or, maybe that was just to people outside the family? Either way, he raised his eyebrows at Bruce, as if silently asking him if the man knew. When it became clear that he had Erik just nodded his head with a slight smile on his face. Even though it was just Billy's family, the fact that he had begun telling people meant he was getting more comfortable. And if that were the case then, perhaps, maybe, he would begin to grow comfortable when they were out in certain places. The thought got him excited but he knew better than to think about it too much.

Throwing his arm over the back of his seat, he slouched a bit getting more comfortable. Bruce brought to light the true purpose of him being in London - being a sort of bridge between the two families and assisting where and when he could. For a moment he worried that he was beginning to regret ever giving him and Billy his blessing when he realized he was paying him a compliment. He wanted to make a comment and for a short moment thought about it. "You know I'll always protect him, Bruce. That'll never change," he declared. There was always the nagging voice in the back of his head that wondered what would happen if Moretti ever called him home. If he was told he could never come to London again and he was forced to leave Billy. Would that reassuring promise he'd just made be false? Broken? He looked down at his lap at the thought and managed to shake it away when Bruce continued.

And yet again Erik found himself sober and in another awkward situation. Bruce was clearly unhappy about hearing Harper and Jeremy's relationship- from someone who wasn't them, in fact. At least, he thought, Bruce had found out about his relationship by... Well... Walking in on it. Erik listened to Jeremy's argument in silence, though he still made involuntary faces. From disagreement to his reasonings to agreement. From thinking it was still stupid to think it was actually a bit romantic. And if there was one thing about Erik Snowden it was that he was secretly a hopeless romantic. When Jeremy glanced at him with a smile, however, he subtly shook his head with his eyes closed, as if saying now wasn't the time. Erik had managed not to get yelled at the whole night - he wanted to keep it that way.

Because it wasn't his place to comment and no one had asked for his opinion, Erik remained silent. He had thoughts, sure, and he was going to gossip to Billy about it later, but now probably wasn't the best time. Until that is, Jeremy tried to throw him under the bus. He wasn't sure how he felt about him throwing May into his business with Harper and Alex earlier but now that he suggested he needed the boyfriend talk, Erik knew exactly how to feel; Jeremy was, in a joking matter, of course, enemy number one. Clearing his throat and sitting up in his seat, he leaned his forearms against the edge of the table and pointed both fingers at him. "Oh, but that's where youse is mistaken. I'm gay in this universe and any alternate," he joked, "Plus, if Harper were the guy that's the one I'd be going after. Although, we're similar so I still wouldn't because that'd be fuckin' chaotic. Second, I already got the boyfriend talk months ago. It wasn't me who wanted to keep it a secret anyway. I wanted to say something but," Erik paused, remembering how afraid Billy had been when he explained things to both Spencer and Bruce. His eyes drifted to Bruces, suddenly feeling all those emotions bubbling up again. Knowing Bruce understood where he was going with things he shook his head with a smirk. "So sit there and take your chastising like a man and leave me out of it, thanks."

Bruce ( Pyroclast ) Jeremy ( BasDorcha )

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan and Adam Harper​

Conor sat back in his chair as his and Leo's drinks were handed to them. He took a long drink of beer as as listened to Leo defend his actions. He explained that he and Thomas couldn't sit back and do nothing, which Conor understood. He knew he wouldn't have been able to to sit back either, but it still didn't sit well with him that his son had walked into such a dangerous situation. When Leo pointed out that Adam had rushed headfirst into a trap, Conor quickly nodded, something clicking with him as he remembered being told before what had happened. "Adam should've known better than to rush in without a plan. With his experience, I didn't expect him to fuck up like that." Conor took another drink of beer before setting his glass down on the table.

He noticed how his son had started to look nervous, no doubt the subject stirring up something within him considering the fact he'd had to kill for the first time. Leo had seemed to be taking it better than Conor had taken his first kill, but now the older man had to wonder if he hadn't been paying enough attention lately and maybe Leo was struggling with it. Conor hadn't felt himself since being hospitalised, but then again, he'd felt like he'd already lost sight of his identity some years before that. Around the time Jackson died. Conor was about to speak up, to initiate a conversation about how Leo was coping with being a killer, but his son spoke up again, pointing out that Natasha was a worrier.

Leo brought the subject back to him and Thomas having a plan that day at the cabin. "You're new to this, I get it. I made a tonne of mistakes in my time, running into situations and worrying about the consequences only after. Thomas, I would have expected a little better from, but he's been through a lot of shit recently and this was different to the missions he'd have been on in the past. Not to mention Elena was involved." Conor cleared his throat. "You and Thomas shouldn't have had to take care of each other. Of course I'd do anything to help your Mam and Rhi. But this wasn't about them and you shouldn't have had been thrown into danger like that. Adam shouldn't have rushed into a trap... " As Conor spoke his last couple of sentences, Leo would have seen Adam emerge from inside the pub. With his back to the man, Conor hadn't been aware of his presence.

Although Adam had the evening off, he'd had to leave Elena with Blake for a couple of hours whilst he went to the pub to accept a large payment from one of the Sullivan debtors and lock it away securely in the safe. He had been all for rushing back to Blake and Elena before he stepped outside to overhear Conor's words. Boss or no boss. Recent head injury or not. Adam wasn't about to let a man who had been known as reckless for a significant chunk of his life question his actions. Adam rarely made mistakes and when it came to saving Elena, he would rush into a trap again to save her. "Evening, Leo. Conor," Adam spoke up, pulling up a chair and sitting at an empty side of the square table with a Sullivan man to either side of him. "I figured I'd join in seeing as I heard my name mentioned." Adam respected Conor and had always been loyal to the man, but he wasn't about to ignore the fact his actions were being questioned by his boss.

"Evening," Conor replied, sitting up straight. Although he'd never had issue with Adam's work and considered him one of his most skilled and trusted men, that confrontational and aggressive part of him was crawling to the surface. It had been for weeks and he'd been struggling to maintain his restraint. It had been well over a decade since Maddox had helped him learn to control his anger and cut out the alcoholism, but the last few months had been getting harder. Then, since the Kings had beaten him up and left him with a serious head injury, he'd been struggling to stay in control at all. It was why he'd spent so much time relaxing alone and avoiding joining in with any bickering or frostiness between his family. Even though he knew he shouldn't, he still looked directly to Adam and let this next words roll off his tongue. "I was just talking about how you walked into a blatant trap, putting Leo and Thomas at risk."

"I got that much," Adam flatly informed him. "So what? You'd do it for Ali or Rhi, but you don't see how me doing it for Elena - my daughter - is the same? Either I rushed to that cabin as I was instructed to or I risked Elena's life even further by hesitating. You won't ever convince me you'd have done shit better, Conor." He then turned to Leo and moved his hand to motion to the younger man. "Leo and Thomas are grown men with fully functioning brains; capable of making their own decisions. Did I force you to follow me, Leo?" he questioned.

Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Sullivan's Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Leo Sullivan
​

Though he understood his father's concerns and his words, Leo couldn't help but feel the man was judging him too harshly. It made him wonder if there were some underlying reasons for his response. However, Leo wasn't about to suggest such a thing. Right now he was going to take the chastisement he was getting like a man and own up to it. Just as Conor was continuing to explain how he'd felt, expressing his disappointment in Adam and his own choices, Leo caught sight of the man in question. Leo was trying to, in the most subtle of ways, signal to his father that Adam was behind him but it didn't seem to work. Either that or his father just didn't care about the man hearing exactly how he felt. Leo's leg started shaking underneath the table, even more, hand dragging down his face as Adam made his presence known.

Leo had seen plenty of altercations between his family before so he was no stranger when it came to the tension it brought. And yet, this one felt very different. Like there were multiple reasons the two of them would be at odds with each other. Leo secretly hoped the sound of a moving chair was just Adam moving it out of the way. Then Adam greeted them and sat in the chair. Fuck. "Hey, Adam," he paused, the tension in the air growing thicker by the second. "How's... Elena? I checked on her the other day but I haven't been able to stop by today." He figured by trying to make conversation maybe would help things. But again, that went out the window the moment, the second Adam addressed Conor once more.

Trying to hide behind his mug, Leo lifted it to his drink and took a long swig. When Conor spoke and made it clear how he'd felt pertaining to the kidnapping, he nearly choked. Fuck, fuck. Leo let out one large cough so as to not distract the two men from their conversation. Plus, he didn't want them looking at him as if he'd done something wrong. Adam then defended himself with the same logic as Leo had mentioned before. And Leo could see where Adam was coming from- there was more than one occasion where Leo had run into situations without thinking; Conor's attack coming to the forefront of his mind. However, at the same time, he understood Conor's reasonings and feelings behind his responses. Over the years he'd felt that his parents wanted to make sure he didn't end up like his father - anger issues and recklessness-wise. So maybe Conor was upset because he felt he hadn't done a good enough job to prevent that? Leo was trying to find a reason.

Adam then turned to Leo, asking him if he asked him to follow or if he and Thomas had come of their own will. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Realizing there was no way he was about to be able to stay out of this conversation, he sighed. Leo scratched the back of his head, slouching in his chair. He let out a deep sigh and looked between the two men. "I-, well. No. We went in agreement with each other that it was a trap and dangerous and to be vigilant." Leo was worried that Conor would take his words as sticking up for Adam, but it was the truth. "He knew we weren't going to leave him to go at it alone. That's crazy."

Conor, Adam ( Misty Gray )

 

[BasDorcha]

The Callahan House

Amy Capaldi​

Amy gave a big grin when Peter answered the door, nodding as he talked about Braden remembering her, making he blush deeply. When he invited her in, she followed looking like a kid going to school for the first time, somehow appearing to be both nervous and excited at the same time. She enjoyed the small talk on their way to the table, confirming she had been hired on by Finn and that was who had sent him over. At least, he had provided the address for her. When she stepped into the dinning room, her eyes first saw the woman that she assumed was his mother. She giggled a little bit, seeing the similarities immediately. It was like looking in a mirror almost.

Then her eyes fell on Braden and unconsciously softened, beaming at him as she tucked her hair back, eyes dropping away then coming right back to him. She had been so anxious about seeing him again, worried whatever it had been this last time was a fluke, but as soon as she seen him that girly, flirtatious grin made it way back, with a shine in her eyes. “I came by to check on you-your head, the stitches dontcha know?" She stumbled trying to hide her slip, and ended up saying the little phrase that always tumbled out when she was at a loss of what to say, her cheeks deepening another shade. It used to annoy the nuns at the orphanage so for years every time it slipped she would flinch. These days it wasn’t to bad but she still was embarrassed by it.

“I’m sorry I caught ye by surprise. I didn’t mean too. I guess I forgot to call before leaving the hospital. I was rushing too much. I mean, aye, I could eat. Thank you, Mrs. Braden!” She realized she had not asked their last names or had forgotten it. She really had to start trying harder to remember things. “it’s really nice to meet you all! Thank you for allowing me to stay when you were having such a nice family dinner. If it’s an imposition, I can be quick so you can go back to your evening.” She didn’t want to be a bother.

“Yes, I love working with him. He’s a great guy, and a great doctor. I’ll forever be blessed to have met him.” She slid in next to Braden, her knees bumping his as she scootched in closer, causing her to advert her eyes quickly. “I would love some, it smells delicious. I just got off shift at the hospital! I remembered it had been about two weeks since the accident and I wasn’t sure this one was going to be up for visiting me when I hadn’t heard from him,” she gave him a playfully accusational look, “so I decided to come by, it’s on the way home anyways, so it would save him a trip. They should be good to come out now.” She looked at the side of his face from her seat, lingering a bit too long on his lips as she bit her lip without realizing then snapped back to reality. “I think it won’t scar to bad. More like a mark of someone ruggedly handsome.”

Once the food was served, she dug in. She hadn’t eaten since the beginning of her shift 24 hours ago, so she was starving. A few bites in, she suddenly realized she must look like a wild animal eating like someone might steal it from her. She tried to curl into herself, tucking her head downwards as she cleared her throat softly. “So-sorry. I never got a chance to eat once I started my shift. It’s really good though! I would love to learn your recipe.” She sat her spoon down, attempting to look more lady like, but was obviously sad about not eating the soup. “Braden, how have you been? Have you been healing up okay?”

Misty Gray Bellz

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

Despite his focus being on what he'd overheard Conor saying, Adam still took an opportunity to acknowledge Leo's question about Elena. "She's getting there, mate. We've both been at Blake's al day, so don't worry about not being able to stop by," he reassured him. Whilst addressing Leo, Adam had kept his tone friendly and natural, his irritation not aimed at the young man.

Adam's attention was soon back on his boss, not comfortable with the idea of ignoring what he'd heard just for the sake of a quiet life. Some might call him confrontational, but Adam simply didn't believe in running away or ignoring a situation simply because addressing it could be uncomfortable. It was merely unfortunate that this confrontation was with his boss, who just happened to be a powerful man who wasn't averse to acting hastily. It was unfortunate he'd had to put Leo on the spot, but Adam wasn't about to take the blame for the decisions of a grown man who had a mind of his own. Surely it would belittle Leo's intelligence and capability if Adam made out the young man hadn't been able to think for himself that day. If Leo wanted to be an active part of Conor's business, then he needed to speak up for himself. Though clearly uncomfortable, Leo spoke up to confirm Adam hadn't forced him to walk into danger and that he'd considered the decision before acting upon it.

Conor nodded when Leo pointed out that it would have been crazy to have left Adam to fight alone. "I get it. Leo and Thomas made their own decision to risk their lives that day. A decision they had no choice but to make because you rushed into a trap," Conor pointedly spoke to Adam. Conor shook his head as he thought more about it. "At any point did you think about how Blake would have felt if you'd got yourself killed?"

Although there was no humour in the situation at all, an uncontrollable smile flashed onto Adam's face as if all had become clear. In an instant his face turned serious again. "You're asking me if I thought about the woman I love, at any point during the time I was rushing to save my daughter's? Course I fucking did. Blake was safe at home whilst Elena was in danger. It's a no-brainer. Or did the Kings kill a few brain cells when they jumped you that night?" Adam scoffed and shook his head. "Blake knows the score and you need to keep your nose out." Adam understood that Conor was trying to honour Jackson and whatever promises he'd made to the man, but as far as he was concerned he had to let Blake look after herself now.

By now, Conor was feeling his frustration building and despite his respect for Adam, the man was presenting himself for a perfect outlet of all the built-up aggression. "You wanna keep talking to me like a wanker? Never mind killing brain cells, I'll just knock some sense into ya."

Adam let out a deep breath, almost instinctively reaching for a cigarette in that moment. Instead, he rapped his fingers on the table as he took a moment to process matters. Turning to Leo, he lightly shook his head. "Sorry you've got dragged into this. Your old man's clearly got a lot to get off his chest." Calmly standing, Adam looked back to Conor. "You need to get your head checked and start practicing those breathing techniques again, mate--"

Conor sprung up from his seat to stand head on in from of Adam. "Carry on, mate..." Conor threatened, reaching out to push Adam backwards.

Adam moved a couple of steps back but wasn't caught off balance and maintained a strong posture. Any doubts about his next actions were very brief and fleeting. Conor was asking for it, perhaps even consciously aware he was. Either way, Adam was quick to pull his arm back before throwing a heavy right hook into Conor's face, busting the man's nose and causing him to stumble back. Despite the goading, Conor hadn't actually expected Adam to take the bait. His employees rarely dared. Having seen Adam in action, he knew the man had more in him than inflicting a simple nosebleed. Despite any attention that was no doubt on them and his guards no doubt due to step in soon, Conor was ready to fight back...

Melanin-Gxdess (Have a nice evening, Leo)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Sullivan's Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Leo Sullivan
​

Though his initial question was to try and ease tensions, Leo was relieved to hear that Elena had been doing better. He couldn't imagine the trauma she no doubt had to face because of things and wished her the best. No one in the world deserved such treatment and definitely not someone as kind-hearted as Elena. "That's good to hear then," he said, voice trailing off as he noticed his effort becoming a lost cause.

Leo knew better than to think Conor was just going to drop the conversation altogether. Especially based on the tone of his voice and the look on his face. He was still blaming Adam for what happened to him and Thomas. But the moment Blake was mentioned, Leo had a bit of an 'aha' moment. It was clear to him that there was something else going on. Something Conor wasn't going to say outright and it had to do with Blake. Leo was aware of the promise Conor had made to his best friend; that he'd watch after Blake, Natasha, and Collin. And he'd been more than serious about it, too. Twice now Leo had been on the receiving end of some sort of talking to when it came to Natasha. And he was Conor's son! So it came as no surprise that he'd be talking about Blake now.

Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat as tensions continued to grow. Adam retorted and hearing him do so was a bit of a shock. None of the Sullivan employees had ever spoken to Conor this way and gotten off scot-free. As much as Leo wanted to interject and say something, he was torn. On the one hand, it felt like this was something that needed to happen; that it had been festering ever since Blake and Adam had gotten together. On the other, what could he really say? He was beginning to see both perspectives but he also didn't want either man to be angry with him for taking sides, so he remained quiet as Adam apologized. Leo just pursed his lips and softly nodded his head just as a response. He glanced up at Conor and for the first time in what felt like years he could see the rage behind his eyes.

He'd never known Conor when he was a reckless man, but Leo had heard plenty of stories from various family members. They always said he reminded them of a younger Conor, except, they'd worked diligently to curb that reckless anger. There were times he felt it bubbling up but he'd always reminded himself to relax and practice techniques taught to him by his grandmother. As he opened his mouth to try one of them out, Adam beat him to the point by suggesting Conor do some breathing exercises. A frown appeared on Leo's own face as Conor quickly retorted back at Adam. Everything that came after happened a lot quicker than he was able to react to. Leo had seen Conor push Adam but never in a million years had he expected the man to outright punch him in the face. Leo instinctively jumped up from his seat. "Whoa, hey! Adam! Out of line," he shouted, pushing him back and standing in between the two men. "This ain't gonna play out how you think," he warned Adam. "Fuck," he muttered, turning back to look at Conor. "You alright?"

Conor, Adam ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

Storybook Art Gallery
~ Upper East Side, Manhattan ~

Gabriel Moretti and Valentina Wycliff​

Gabriel hadn't initially been on board with attending the art exhibition. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the opportunity to saunter around at a fancy event and potentially throw some cash around, but there was a mission in progress over in Greece that he was keen to hear the outcome of. In the end, he'd decided there were enough experienced people on the job and he'd influenced the job's success as much as he could from his place in New York. Elvian had been quite insistent that he attended too, so in the end he gave in and agreed to accept Ava's invitation.

With Teddy having been sent to Europe yet again, Valentina found herself stuck at home or working at the hotel only able to imagine was kind of danger he could be entering. She knew her husband was a fully capable man, but nobody was invincible. The last time Marcus had been on business and relatively close to Greece, he'd ended up dead. Granted, Marcus' was a freak accident, but if anything, that only made her more likely to worry over Teddy. Her husband was over in Europe on a job and one involving the enemy. For a short time, Gabriel had put to rest his war with the Sullivans, but now he was against them again, Valentina felt like they were back to square one. She wished her father would just leave the London and Dublin families out of their own business. Hell, there was enough profit for the Morettis on the East Coast of the US and in Italy. She loved him, but her father was a greedy man. For now, though, she appreciated being able to get out of the house and do something social, even it was with her parents.

As they entered the building, Gabriel held Elvian's hand and took in their surroundings around them. "Let's hope this is all real art and none of the rubbish that passes for art these days," the man grumbled, causing Valentina to scoff as she laughed from her spot at Elvian's right side.

"You sound like a dinosaur, Papa," Valentina didn't hesitate to inform him. "Or perhaps you're just not as cultured as you think," she teased, prompting the man to send her a disapproving glare.

Gabriel look on as Ava didn't seem to hear Elvian calling out to her. Perhaps she was very focused on the art, or Gabriel wondered if she was lost without Marcus there to keep her mind focused. He raised a curious eyebrow when Ava explained she was lost in thought. Clearly, he thought, he was right and not having her husband there anymore was affecting her ability to maintain direction. "Thank you for the invite, Ava. I've always had a keen interest in art, so I didn't hesitate to accept your invite," he effortlessly fibbed. The woman was clearly lost, so he didn't want to make her feel like he didn't want to be there and he was sure Elvian would be annoyed if he hadn't been so polite to Ava.

"Yes, thank you, Ava. Papa is especially keen on the more abstract art," Valentina joked, prompting a quick shake of the head from Gabriel. "It's lovely to see you," she said, unlinking her arm from Elvian's so she could give Ava a hug.

When asked how business was, Gabriel genuinely smiled. "Business is running smoothly, as it should," he assured her, pleased with the progress being made not only on his own soil but over in London too. Ava then mentioned how Erik had been acquiring new injuries since working for the Morettis, Gabriel lightly shrugged. "Perhaps Erik hasn't yet mastered the skill of not getting hit," he remarked. "In seriousness, the Kings are tied up in a war with the Sullivans and neither is averse to a brawl. With some more work, the Kings can have London under control and orderly. Once the Irish are out of their hair, Erik can stop getting himself hurt and return to business back here - where he belongs - in the safety of New York," he assured her.

Melanin-Gxdess (Ava, Elvian)

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter
Porter Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~ ​

Thomas saw the way his old friend looked at him as the man told him not to call him Sarge. It was true, that Thomas refused to address his time in the service anymore. He was no hero, he was a coward, a man who had to do a lot of horrible things in order to survive. The man he was currently ready to kill to survive. Clenching his teeth, Sam unsurprisingly retorted back with a snarky reply. The irritation didn’t wipe from his face as Sam taunted him and ran inside his parents' house before Thomas could so much as swipe at him. The man looked at his sister for a long moment before stepping inside as well. It wasn’t like she could tell him to leave, he was sure that Olivia hadn’t told their parents about this guest.

Lucy and James would be appreciative of him if he supervised. Deciding he would stay for as long as he could, knowing that eventually, Sam would get to him. Thomas made his way into the living room to see that there was a whole setup ready to go. He had just rounded the corner more to see Sam pick up Olivia and twirl her around like some old 20s film and Thomas’ fists clenched. While there was a huge age difference between Syd and him, Thomas and Olivia weren’t as far apart. Having lived in the states away from Dublin for a long time when James was in prison in New York, Thomas had gotten very protective of his younger sister. It was about the only thing that had gotten him in trouble at school, was when she was being picked on.

Sure, the girl handled herself but Thomas would swoop in when needed to defend her as well. Sam, while Thomas had considered him a good buddy of his, the only one who understood what he had gone through in Iran…was nothing more than a stranger to him now. Or at least, that’s what he wanted to convince himself of. Thomas didn’t want to be friends with the very person who reminded him of all the things he had done…had been through. What they had to do together in order to survive and continue to convince their captors was that they were better off alive than dead.

Swallowing harshly, Thomas couldn’t formulate words as he stared at the scene so openly. Only when Sam turned to Thomas did the man shift on his feet, moving after having been frozen in place for a long while. The man reached out a hand to properly greet Thomas, trying to call him Sarge again, but he caught himself…luckily for him. Thomas stared down at his hand for a long moment before taking it, his own hand shaking slightly as he shook it firmly.

The man had mentioned that he thought Thomas was still stateside…which confused him. Deciding not to address that confusion, the man listened as Sam skirted around the inevitable question. The last time the pair had seen each other was when they landed back in the States after they were released back to the Americans. Once they were released to their families, Thomas had made a point not to see his friend again…for fear of the memories flooding back to him.

"Well, I’m surprised to see you again, mate." Thomas said, not mentioning that it was nice to see him. The jury was still out on that. "Old man was released from prison and tensions in the states forced our mom to move back to Dublin." He briefly explained. When he thought about how things were going, Thomas wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. "It's shit. Not just me. All of it, Brits got us by the nutsack, so do the fucking Italian trash. It’s all just shit." He didn’t mention his own issues, not wanting to talk about it as he looked at Olivia.

"Do mom and dad know he was coming over? Or are you sneaking him in like some fugitive? Dad won’t be too pleased if he finds you galavanting with some boy."
with: Sam BasDorcha ; Olivia Misty Gray

 

[Bellz]

Braden Callahan
Peter Callahan
The Callahan House
~ Sutton, Dublin ~​

Braden was about as red as a tomato when Amy told him that she had come to check on his stitches. His mother called him her darling yet foolish boy and that earned a scowl from him as he shook his head. She then invited Amy to sit and Braden watched as she quickly went to sit next to him. He tried to not blush, pushing down any sort of embarrassment from his expression at the fact this woman was now stuck in a room with his parents. Braden didn’t know what to do as he sat there, he couldn’t even reach for the dinner rolls in the middle of the table. He embarrassingly watched as his mother served the woman. Braden couldn’t help the bashful smirk that presented itself on his face when Amy playfully glared at him, saying that she stopped by because she hadn’t heard from him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to call her, to see her…it was just that he didn’t think he could do it all over again. Having his heart broken once was more than enough for him. Especially with Hattie getting older and starting to wonder where her mother is...Braden wasn’t sure if he could let someone into her life again. It was selfish to date when there was the potential of the person he was with always entering and leaving her life, confusing her and making it seem like no one would want her. It was selfish, at least that was what he was going to continue to tell himself in order to get through this dinner.

The smile was quickly wiped from his face, the expression going neutral. He wouldn’t get cold around her, the woman didn’t deserve that. But he wasn’t going to be the lovesick sap that he was right now. Peter had noticed the looks his son was giving Amy and a knowing smile formed on his lips. The smile only got wider and wider as Amy mentioned Braden’s wounds making him ruggedly handsome.

"Well, it's certainly nice to see Braden blush the way he is right now." Peter said suddenly, watching his son’s face with a smirk as Braden glowered at him from across the table. The redhead didn’t seem to take notice but Sinead was most likely giving him a dirty look now as well. "What?" Peter asked innocently, "I’m just saying he looks nice with a smile on his face. It's been a while since the boy has done anything else but frown, I’m just stating facts." The older gentleman tried to bite back the smile on his face from growing any further, but it was useless. Instead, he lifted his drink to his lips to hide it, taking a long sip.

Amy was ever chipper as she apologized for wanting to eat. Braden’s lips twitched, a small smirk showing as he tried to keep a full smile at bay. "You don’t have to apologize for eating you know, my mom makes more food than most of us can eat. Biggest portions I’ve ever seen, I’d swear she’s trying to fatten my old man and me up. Kids too, though they tend to eat more.""Braden didn’t look at his mother, knowing she would probably pout. "Don’t let her fatten you up too." Fucking idiot! Braden’s thoughts screamed at him. Women and the word fat didn’t go well together in the same sentence. Quickly the man cleared his throat, looking at his mother and Peter without turning his head from Amy. Peter was now dead serious, subtly shaking his head at his son like he couldn’t believe he had just said that.

"Uh…not that you are fat now, or will ever be…I mean I don’t care about anyone’s size. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. I mean I’m a bit of an ass man.." Braden's eyes widened, "Uhhhh…" He realized he had just said something he really really shouldn’t have and Peter was staring at him now as he had just committed the most violent crime.
with: Sinead Misty Gray ; Amy BasDorcha

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Storybook Art Gallery
~Uppereast Side, Manhattan~
Elvian Moretti & Ava Snowden

Ava didn't really know how the whole thing worked - the relationship between a widow and her family. Did she still come around? Visit during the holidays? Would she tell them about new partners and relationships she entered? She wasn't technically family, anyway. She had Marcus had only been married for a few years and they didn't have any children together. Nothing was really tying her to the family except the ghost of Marcus Moretti. However, she enjoyed time with Val and adored Elvian so she didn't think she could ever just stop talking to them or coming around. Having no insight into such matters she just continued to do what she thought to be best; engaging with her former in-laws and acting like everything was fine.

Elvian quickly elbowed Gabriel in the side as he lied to Ava. Because she was returning Valentina's hug, Ava missed it completely. She'd also missed out on Elvian glaring at him as if sending a silent warning for him to behave. The woman was well aware that her husband hadn't wanted to come along in the first place, but she wanted to support Ava. Things had been rough lately and though she was also hurting because she'd lost her son, she knew Ava would be too. She knew Ava's relationship with Marcus hadn't always been easy and neither had her integration with the family. She'd come from a completely different world - a completely different background from them. Ava's family wasn't running a huge criminal enterprise or living fancy life. They were bikers and small-time criminals; barely middle class yet not lower. Learning how to be and operate in a family like that was hard.

And Elvian tried to make it easy for her. But she couldn't help but feel the absence of Marcus settling in. Because he helped her grow comfortable with them all; he was always the buffer and now without him, it felt... Strange. She wasn't trying to force anything but she wanted Ava to know that they would still be there for her if she ever needed it. Ava spoke up in response to Valentina's comment, bringing Elvian back down to Earth. "Yes, he is. He was telling us all about it," she said, giving him a teasing smile. "And he's very excited about having some nice discussions about it later, aren't you?" She softly caressed his cheek, patting it with her fingertips before turning to Ava. "So stick around?" Ava just sort of blinked, looking between Elvian and Gabe and then at Valentina for help. She was sure Elvian was just teasing, but she also wasn't a hundred percent sure. Instead of trying to figure it out she just smiled. "I'm sure," she said, gently shaking her head.

Ava nodded her head in understanding as Gabriel informed her that business had been going great. It looked like it, she thought, noticing the smile on his face change. She couldn't help but agree in some sense with his comment about Erik. Her cousin had a way of always managing to get hurt wherever he was and whatever he'd been doing. "Ah, I'm sure a few more scrapes and bruises and he'll get there." Gabe went on to express what he wished to see of the Kings in terms of the war against the Sullivans. From what she understood, things were just starting to really pop off between the two families, and a bigger, more final fight felt imminent. He mentioned her cousin and him coming back to New York and for a moment, she paused. There was no way he was going to come back to New York without Billy. Ava was aware that Gabriel had no idea what he had been up to personally in London and he wouldn't care either. It was something to think about and a part of her wanted to warn Erik or at least recommend he considered that possibility. Putting on a smile, she rested her hand over her chest in playful worry. "Great! Is fun as London is the plane rides take forever." She then turned her attention to Valentina. "And you! How's the hotel business? And the kids!"

Valentina, Gabe ( Misty Gray )

 

[Misty Gray]

The Porter Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Olivia Sullivan​

Olivia watched on as Sam assured Thomas he wasn't messing her about, pointing out that they hadn't even kissed yet. She couldn't help but smirk as he pointed out to her brother that she was a bit too old to be told what to do. That smirk softened as she realised he'd promised to treat her as though she were special. She wondered if he meant it or if he was just trying to convince Thomas so he'd calm down. She'd raised a curious eyebrow when Sam called Thomas 'Sarge', especially as her brother didn't exactly appreciate it. As much as she didn't like being treated like a child she admittedly did appreciate knowing her brother would be there to fight her corner.

Thomas soon let go of Sam's throat, leaving him to momentarily recover before they made their way into the house. Sam walked ahead and seemed confident enough to find his own way into the lounge. No sooner had she entered the room did he sweep her in for a hug and a spin. "And it's nice to see your handsome face too," she playfully responded to Sam saying it was nice to see her beautiful face. When he released her, she once again became aware of Thomas' presence and how uncomfortable he seemed to be by it all.

Olivia stood with her arms folded, gazing to the television for a time as the two men had a brief catch-up. She frowned as Thomas mentioned how the Kings and Morettis were causing the Sullivans problems. "Load of wankers is what they all are," Olivia added, echoing Thomas' sentiment about it all being shit.

Olivia's eyes shot to Thomas when he addressed her directly to ask if their parents knew Sam was coming over, then questioning if she was sneaking him over. When she mentioned their father not being pleased, Olivia rolled her eyes. "Jeez, we're just hanging out and watching a film. Don't know why you're making such a big deal about it," Olivia groaned. She looked to Sam and flashed a smile, hoping he wasn't being put off by the situation. "For the record, no. They don't know he's here. They'd ask a million questions and no doubt would have wanted to stay home to be nosy instead of going out. You know how embarrassing they can be." Olivia looked to Sam and let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, Sam. You should hear the cheesy dad jokes that James comes out with. Actually, no, you shouldn't. They're so bad," she joked.

Looking back to Thomas she pouted. "Come on, you know than anyone how overenthusiastic they get about any of us dating," she reminded her brother. "Not that we're.. you know..." she said, turning to Sam. "Well, we are dating, but we haven't kissed yet, so our parents don't even need to know yet." Pinching the bridge of her nose, she felt herself needing to salvage the evening. "Would you like to join us, Thomas?" she finally asked. She didn't want her brother to think she was hiding anything nor to get in the way of the two guys catching up with each other.

BasDorcha (Samuel)
Bellz (Thomas)

 

[BasDorcha]

Porter House

~Sutton, Dublin~
Samuel McKinsley​

Sam picked up on Thomas not indicating it was nice for both of them to see the other. A brief frown formed on his face, but was quickly pushed away. Thomas had been a stranger to him since he left America to come back to Dublin for work. He hadn’t taken any calls, responded to any letters or any outreach for that matter. Sam had eventually given up. He knew Thomas still felt survivors quilt about what they went through and some of the things they had to do, but there wasn’t much Sam could do to help the man let go of that – it was something he’d have to face on his own. Sam was determined to live, and if that meant doing what had to be done, then he did it. It was a war zone, no one was fighting fair, and you did what you had to do to see the next day. When he came home, it haunted him for a while, until he realized that just because he did those things then, did not make him a bad man now. Leave the war in the war, some one had told him, otherwise you’ll never make it out alive. It took a long time to understand that, but he did now, and refused to let it interfere with his daily life.

“I’ve been out of town since early this year, Bella broke her leg in a car accident, so I went and took care of her until she could move easily on her own. I just got back a bit ago. I’ve been catching up on the bullshit from the King’s and Moretti’s, I wish I had been able to be here to help recently, but family comes first. Now I’m here, I won’t be missing on helping out on assignments any longer.” There was a stern and promising tone to his voice, as if he was making a point to Thomas that he was going to be around, whatever issue he was having he’d have to get over.

“I wouldn’t mind your parents, tell them I’m here, I’ll just need to impress them and win them over. Think your dad would be mad if I asked for your hand early, just to get that out of the way.” Sam grinned teasingly, knowing he was egging on Thomas. Before things had gone south before, Thomas and Sam would frequently spend time out at bars, but neither had ever been keen to take home just any girl, mostly just going out to spend time off base. For all the joking and teasing, Sam worked too much to be a ladies’ man. He had come from a dirt-poor family and while he knew that money wasn’t everything, he also knew you couldn’t live without it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I’m on my best behavior around them. I’m also happy to meet them at any time if that’s what it takes to see you more.” There was instantly a softness in his look and his voice as he smiled at Olivia. For what it was worth, it at least appeared he was being sincere. He was, but he knew Thomas was going to doubt him because even though they had a history, they had not truly been friends since they had been discharged. “Common, let’s watch the movie.” Sam moved to jump on the couch, arm slung around the spot next to him that was assumably Olivia’s seat.

Misty Gray - Olivia
Bellz - Thomas

 

[BasDorcha]

Oak Tree Restaurant

~Dublin City Centre, Dublin~
Michelle Romano​

The grin couldn’t be hid confirming that Aliana was right, she might just consider Marco. She wasn’t committed to anyone after all, and she had a pretty good idea that Dermot didn’t want that to change. If he ever mentioned different, then she might have to reconsider. For now, she was a free woman just having fun with another adult and enjoying the single life again – something she really hadn’t done as a young woman. Michelle had been with her high school sweetheart through college and married for twelve years. So actually, this was the first time she’d had a chance to do something like this. To make a mistake and not have heavy consequence from it.

A snort like laugh escaped her when Aliana referred to it as ‘climbing tree’s’, something both short women could relate too with the overly large men involved with and around the Sullivan family. Truth was, part of what she liked so far about Dermot was that he could move her around with ease, unlike her ex who was a smaller man, on the skinny side, and as weak as a newborn babe. He was what you might call a nerd in school, only not the ones that grew up to be cool or rich and famous. Instead, he was just an average Joe and boring to boot.

“He MIGHT pop a blood vessel, but if he was smart, he’d realize it’s really a great decision. After all, who better than someone he already trusts and already takes care of the family. At least then I’m not accidentally dating someone who turns out to be the enemy – not that I’m dating, its been uh… very casual, but you get my point.” Michelle laughed a small chuckle and waved a hand at her face, trying to cool off the heat of her cheeks. “I appreciate the advice though, a reminder never hurts. Besides, from what I hear of Dad’s younger days? He has absolutely no right to judge, that man was worse than I could ever be. Don’t know how you tamed him, but whatever it was, it certainly worked.”

When Ali moved on to ask her how she was settling in, Michelle shrugged, stirring her drink idly. “I’m getting there, poco a poco. The kid’s are enjoying visiting with their dad again before school, I’ve got all the shopping done, but honestly not working is driving me nuts. I need to do something useful. I thought about trying to get back into the mayor game here, but turns out I can’t run for Mayor if I haven’t lived here for an extended period of time, so that’s out the door. Now I’m just trying to find something that will be livable. I wanted to do something to help the family out, I thought politics would help to prevent any more bad imaging, but I guess not. Maybe I should do something with my journalism degree.” She shrugged again, obviously unsure.

“By the way, what can you tell me about that handsome Marco besides he speaks the language of love and is incredibly good looking?” She wrinkled her nose at Ali, grinning. She didn’t want to talk about the things that were depressing her, she wanted to enjoy their first outing as just the two of them. Maybe she could get Aliana to spill on whether she had anything to worry about with either man if she chose to go after them. For a moment, Michelle had a mental image of the two fighting over her, causing her to chuckle. No one had ever fought over her, and likely never would, but at least it was a nice mental image.

Melanin-Gxdess - Aliana/Marco

 

[Misty Gray]

The Callahan Residence
~ Sutton, Dublin ~

Sinead Callahan​

Hearing Amy make a comment about how Braden's scar would be more a mark of a ruggedly handsome person, Sinead found herself tapping Peter's thigh under the table to discreetly get his attention, wondering if he'd heard it too. Then, when everyone had a serving of stew, Sinead delicately placed a small spoonful of her own into her mouth. She wasn't a big eater herself, especially not when her depression was killing her appetite, but she still made the effort so as to encourage everyone else to fill up on food. She watched with curiosity as Amy dug into her food as though she hadn't been fed in days. The young woman soon stopped to apologise, explaining she hadn't had chance to eat once she'd started her shift. "Well, I'm just happy you like it. You fill your boots, honey," she encouraged her, smiling brightly.

When Peter made a point of drawing attention to Braden's blushing, Sinead kicked her husband's foot from under the table and shook her head, albeit whilst keeping her eyes on her own food. When her husband went on to say Braden looked nice with a smile on his face, Sinead smiled in something of a sympathetic way. "Oh, it is lovely though. Brady has such a handsome smile," she softly gushed.

Sinead listened on as Braden reassured Amy about not needing to apologise for eating. "I'm taking it as a compliment anyway," she reassured the younger woman. When Braden continued to speak, he suddenly seemed to start digging a hole as he mentioned not letting Sinead fatten Amy up. Sinead's eyes shot to her son and she subtly shook her head, hoping for him to stop while he could. "You've got a lovely figure, is what my son is trying to say," she assured Amy. Before she could continue to try salvage things for Braden, he went on to say he was an ass man. "Oh... Okay..." she began, clearing her throat. With Peter glaring at their son and Sinead worried how Amy would take her son's words, Sinead shuffled up in her seat. In an attempt to shift the source of the embarrassment from Braden, but not having long enough to think it through, she turned to Peter and grinned. "Well," she said, resting her hands on her chest for a moment. "Petey must be a breast man, in that case," she said, glancing down to her own ample bosom as she let out a small laugh. Instinctively her hand reached to the glass of wine. It felt like a long drink of wine moment.

BasDorcha (Amy)
Bellz (Peter, Braden)

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Billy King​

With his dominant arm still in a sling, it often took Billy longer to get through a sit down meal than it used to. Darcey had even served his food out already cut up, but he still lagged behind most other people at the table, and so when Harper stormed out of the room and Spencer beckoned him and Alex to join him in following her, Billy had to regretfully leave half a plateful of food. It felt rude to leave midway through the meal and as he left he sent the rest of the table an apologetic look, if not for having to leave then for contributing to the argument himself.

Once in the other room, Billy took a seat beside Harper on the sofa. Really, he wanted to give her a hug, or to somehow let her know that she had him in her corner if she wanted him, but she had such an aggressive aura around her that it seemed risky to sit too close. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel closed in when she was clearly already stressed and upset. By her words, she seemed ready to up and leave Bruce’s house altogether, but Billy got the feeling that she would much rather have a break through with her brothers than give up. She gave them a chance to speak up and Billy just looked to his brothers, hoping that they wouldn’t blow their chance. If any of them said the wrong thing, he didn’t doubt that Harper would leave, and then how would they get through to her?

As was often the role he took, Spencer led the discussion like a meeting: he started by reminding them that they all owed Darcey an apology after effectively sabotaging the dinner she and Bruce had put together for them, and followed with the reminder that he had come close to never seeing them again. Billy looked down to his hands briefly as he remembered that awful night. His eldest brother was doing a good job of drawing up sentimental feelings within him, and he realised that the siblings’ relationships with each other had changed.

Things had never been perfect in the family growing up - between the four of them, there had always been some attitude and behavioural issues caused by the presence of drug addiction, abuse, neglect and of course, Laura’s death. Spencer had left home before Billy had even turned 10 years old, so the four siblings hadn’t had many golden years together. But throughout all the issues they had, they were always there to protect each other, they always had each other’s backs at the end of the day. Now, however, they just seemed to be falling apart.

When prompted, Alex attempted an apology, but didn’t get very far before taking it back. Sitting back out of Harper’s view, Billy sent a subtle shake of the head to his brother, willing him to try again and to stop glaring at Harper. Finally, Alex did apologise for comparing her to Laura, but from the way he looked away and clenched his jaw, it seemed like had had to force himself to say it. Billy hadn’t been there to witness the fight between his brother and sister at the time it went down, but he found Alex’s half-hearted apology somewhat hard to believe.

Placing a supportive yet tentative hand on Harper’s back, Billy gave his brother a hard stare. “Like Spencer said, we all need to start tryin’ harder to understand each other,” he pointed out. “Alex, you don’t have to agree with what Harper decided to do, but she’s not an idiot and I’m sure she made the best choice she could at the time. Besides, it’s done now, ain’t it? Whatever comes of it, we’ll face together. We keep gettin’ ourselves in these situations…all these attacks.” He kept it vague so as not to stir up any particular memories, but he was thinking about all the close calls they had each had - the nightclub bombing, the restaurant shooting, the abduction. “And we’re gonna lose each other if we don’t stick together. Even if we don’t agree, we've gotta remember that we're a family first. I mean, we all still care about that, right? So shouldn't we just...you know, try and be a bit kinder to each other?”

Interactions
Bellz Harper
Melanin-Gxdess Alex
Misty Gray Spencer

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Bruce King's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Pairs well with: Getting Older by Billie Eilish ​

Harper still couldn't meet her brothers' eyes, even as Spencer spoke directly to the three of them, taking up a role he was always good at. The guilt and anguish she was feeling were only exemplified when Spencer mentioned almost coming close to not seeing any of them. The pang in her chest was the only thing she was truly feeling physically as she sat there and continued to listen. Harper didn't seem to be the only one remembering the past as it once had been when they were all closer. The room brought back so many memories, ones that she wished she could forget now so she didn't have to deal with the pain of remembering them. He said that clearly things had changed but that didn't mean they had to be strangers and Harper wasn't so sure if she could be anything to her brothers anymore. Not when she was like this.

Harper was able to look at them finally when Spencer prompted Alex to apologize to her, asking what he was apologizing for. The blonde shamefully looked to her brother, biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. He said he was going to apologize for being a dick and Harper was going to say it was okay until he took it back. The minute he said that she had let Braden and Tom go, Harper's eyes couldn't hold back the tears, her hands moving to cover her face as her shoulders shook. The woman wouldn't argue with it, couldn't. She had been so close to losing Spencer, they all had been. And it was her fucking fault. Not that she had any control over the attack but they would have at least been able to get it even if she would have just let Alex and Jeremy finish those Irish rats off.

The blonde didn't move her face from her hands, just pressing her palms further and further into her skull as if she wanted to push her eyeballs into her brain. The pain she felt from the pressure on her head was mounting and it was a pain she needed. The only thing she wanted to feel now was pain, pain would make her feel real again, make her feel whole. Alex said he wanted to take it back, all the things he had said. He said she was nothing like Laura and Harper knew that when they all looked at her, that's who they saw. They were all a bunch of fucking liars. Her mind whispered, egging her further to the point of no return.

Billy's hand on her back made her jump in her seat, her hands moving from her face as they looked at her favorite brother now. He spoke earnestly, but she couldn't help but feel that he was just trying to get her to calm down. "But how many more times do we have to face it together, Billy? How many more times do we have to...almost lose someone?!" Harper knew she was shouting again, but she was angry. "You say that we are going to lose each other if we don't stick together. But what happens when you don't come home, you don't make it back to me, or Erik, or Shona and Eddie and Darcey!" The woman stood up and looked at her brothers now, the tears falling rapidly down her face as she shook.

"The problem is, is that I'm caring too much about all of you blokes and you act as if your lives are less valuable. It's the same thing I tell that idiot in the other room!" Harper pointed towards where Jeremy was. "All you men do is act first, think later. There are so many other casualties in this war that was started...ones that don't even require death." The blonde looked at Alex, her bottom lip quivering as she shook her head. "I want you to have the life with your son that we never got with our dad and mum. I just want that for you. I want that for him. God, I want that for all of you! But I'm the fucking bitch for stopping you from killing Brady because I understood the lifelong consequences that would have on you and Callum!"

Harper then looked towards the door, hoping Jeremy was fairing well with Bruce who was sure to be giving him a hard time now. "And for the first time in my life, I found someone who makes me happy...truly fucking happy, Alex! And you slut shamed me over it. Am I not allowed to find happiness? Am I now allowed to love someone? All of my life, I've been little Harper, the tag along, the secondary character to the story of the three King boys...but the minute, I start to allow myself to find happiness I'm made fun of for it." Harper scowled at her brothers. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to have a life outside of this fucking family, to find someone who is willing to put their lives on the line to be with me? God, it may be your guy's best friend but that man in there is the only one who has a semblance of understanding for me. YOU ALL PRETEND TO KNOW ME BUT YOU DON'T. If you did, you would see just how miserable I've been. If you did, you would understand that I'm someone who needs to be free, not locked in her house like some bird!" All of it was just coming out now, everything she ever felt for years and years on end.

"You say I'm not like Laura, Alex...but I know you are a goddamn liar. All of you are. When you look at me, all you see is her. Even before my drug problem, all you've ever seen is her. This woman who you loved and cherished and wished were with you now but no, all you are stuck with is Harper fucking King. But I understand now, why she did what she did, why she felt the way she felt. Because she wasn't able to be her own person outside of this fucking family!!" She was screaming louder and louder now, unable to control the volume.

"All of my life, you all have based the way you treat me off of what happened to our mother. And I'm sorry I'm not her. That I can't be this gentle, sweet, and affectionate woman that you all miss so much. But I'm not going to be kind to people who don't try to understand me. Family or not. I'm sorry I can't be what you want me to be...and I'm sorry I'm this...pathetic mess." Harper looked down again, not meeting anyone's eyes as she waited for them to tell her she could go.
with: Misty Gray Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess
mentions: BasDorcha

 

[Misty Gray]

Pinewood Care Home
~ Cambridge Heath, London ~

Trevor Stewart and Sarah Stewart​

Trevor knew becoming a better man would be hard, but he'd not been prepared for just how mentally and emotionally exhausting committing to so much change would be. Of course, many would say it was exactly what he deserved and even he believed that too, considering he'd spent a huge part of his life thinking all about himself. Staying off the drugs and keeping alcohol to a sober minimum had been difficult, and continued to be so. After recent events and stressors, there had been moments where he'd had to work overtime to stay clean - increasing his counselling sessions and reaching out to members of his group for support. Trevor continued to remind himself that the worst had to be over, surely. Coming face-to-face with his kids and Bruce had to have been the most risky and he'd somehow managed to survive it, albeit after being dealt a few punches and a broken hand. Despite the distrust and hatred the Kings were sending his way, it was Harper who concerned him the most. She was the only one willing to give him the benefit of doubt but as he'd come to realise, his daughter was going through a lot. He barely knew the young woman he'd walked out on before she even entered the world, but seeing her battling with her own addiction and so much emotional pressure, he was genuinely concerned. It wasn't just because she looked like Laura, because he'd now seen how different the two women actually were. However, part of the reason he was now worried for her was because of how Laura died and that path Harper was heading down that had the potential to reach the same destination her mother had. There was no way he could turn his back on his daughter, no matter how much of a challenge she might be.

Harper hadn't been the only person willing to give Trevor a chance. Over recent months, he had reconnected with his mother. At first, Patricia had been unwilling to believe her son had returned because he'd changed. Her cancer was terminal and not expecting to reach Christmas, she could only assume Trevor had returned because wanted to be included in her will. She struggled to look past the fact that he'd walked out on her, Philip and Elizabeth, taking his share of his father's inheritance with him. It wasn't just the money Patricia needed to support her children, but she'd needed her eldest son's help only for him to abandon her. Despite this initial doubt, as Trevor continued to visit and seemed to be open and honest about the many selfish mistakes he'd made over his life, Patricia slowly came to believe he had changed and was determined to make up for his mistakes. Though the old lady was dying, she still had all of her cognitive ability to make an informed judgement. Besides, she'd already written her will, giving power of attorney to Philip and Sarah to manage everything, especially should the time come where she was less coherent. Trevor didn't know it and there felt no need to mention it to him, but she hadn't left anything to her eldest son. Perhaps she was sentimental, but she hoped him knowing she now believed him and forgave him would be enough. If nothing else, she hoped it would drive him to stay on the right path.

Trevor had been sat at his mother's bedside in her private room of the care home for the last hour. Somehow, despite the long absence and him being a grown man, his mother's words seemed to have a strong influence on him. Perhaps it was simply that he knew he owed her a lot, but he didn't take her words lightly. So, when she gripped his hand as he stood up to leave, he turned and looked directly to her to hear what she wanted to tell him. "You made all of those mistakes by yourself, Trevor, so you're the one who has to try fix them," she reminded him. "I might never get to see all of my grandchildren, but it's not too late for you to see yours," she reminded him.

*****​

Sarah had been glad to get some time with Philip considering how busy work was for him with settling back into London. Her mother-in-law had recently been moved to a new care home and so they'd needed to spend some extra time ensuring the woman was settled in. Once things at their own house were sorted for the evening, Sarah and her husband had headed to the care home to visit his mother. After getting out of the car, Sarah waited to walk alongside Philip, resting her hand on his arm to get his attention as they approached the entrance of the building. "We could go out for a couple of drinks after we've seen your mother," she suggested.

Before she could continue, she looked ahead to see Trevor stepping out of the main entrance. She'd heard a lot about how the man had walked out on his family and things Philip had learned about the selfish junkie's actions over the years. Only recently had she seen Trevor for herself and barely any words had been shared between them. "Looks like he's still keeping up the act," she muttered to her husband. Stopping a short distance from the entrance, Sarah watched as Trevor approached. "Saturday night at a care home? You're quite committed to this façade," she couldn't help but coldly greet the man. Expecting Philip had some words of his own, she placed a kiss on her husband's cheek. "I'll go inside and sit with your mother," she told him figuring he'd soon join them too. "Trevor," she simply spoke the man's name before walking away.

Trevor watched as Sarah walked away before he took another step towards his brother. After briefly glancing up at the overcast sky, he looked back to Philip. "I think Sarah likes me," he sarcastically remarked. Turning more serious he lightly shook his head. "I came here to visit my mother. There's nothing to hide and if she didn't want me here, she'd have said by now."

BasDorcha (Philip)

 

[Pyroclast]

Beachside Villa
~ Corfu Town, Corfu ~

Danny Vaughan​

To Danny, moving to Corfu with Savannah and Callum had felt like an early retirement. It was a dream location: stunning natural beaches, hot sunny climate, friendly natives and a general laid back atmosphere. For someone as naturally chilled out as Danny, it was his idea of paradise. Taking care of security and watching out for Savannah and Callum was Danny’s only job now, and it didn’t even feel like a job. He wasn’t doing it for the money or because it was expected of him, but because he truly cared for the two of them. However, as he and Savannah inevitably grew closer, he was aware he was becoming something of a father figure to Callum and wasn’t sure if that was crossing a line.

While Savannah was putting the young boy to bed, Danny stayed out in the main room, reading a travel guide on Corfu that he had found at a tourism shop. There was a small glossary of basic Greek at the back that he had studied, as well as a bit of local history and some maps that he hoped would help him become familiar with the area. It was sensible, after all, to be able to form an escape plan, should they need to.

After a short time, Savannah came back into the room. She closed the shutters and the blinds, closing them in for a warm and intimate evening and then came to sit beside him on the sofa. Danny put down the book and turned to face her with a smile, picking up the glass of wine she had poured for him and taking a sip. “Am I doing okay?” he repeated. “Let’s see…I’m in a beautiful Greek villa, drinking wine with one of my favourite people in the world…yeah, I think life could be worse.” It was impossible to look at her with anything but a smile on his face. “How could I regret comin’ here with you?” he said, though he felt a familiar sense of anticipating rising within him, something he had been holding back ever since he had agreed to accompany her in hiding.

He let a silence pass between them as he caught up with his thoughts, and took another drink of his wine. It wasn’t like him to be hesitant or nervous, but he cared about what Savannah thought of him more than anyone in the world, more than even Conor or Syd. “Savannah…” he said, turning further into his seat to properly face her. No more shying away from the truth. “There’s somethin’ I gotta tell you.”

Danny placed his wine glass back on the coffee table so that all his focus was on her and her alone, and looked her straight in the eyes. “When I was assigned this job of escorting you and Callum out of the country and keeping you safe, it was a no-brainer. Nothin’ is more important to me that your safety and well-being, and it was an honour to be trusted with the position. But I wasn’t…exactly up front about my reasons for agreeing, and I feel like I should have been. There was one reason, a big reason, that I didn’t tell you about.”

Glancing down to his hands, he realised he was twiddling his fingers and had to consciously relax himself. Maybe it would have helped to smoke something before his confession, but he hadn’t thought to be so prepared. “Alright, I’m just gonna have to come out and say it,” he uttered, and took a deep breath as he once again looked into her eyes. “Savannah, I’ve been fallin’ in love with you since the day we reconnected. Something about the way things ended for us back in New York, it just left me with this lingering affection for you, I guess…I’ve always loved you and cared about you, even after we separated. But now that you’re here, back in my life again…well, I know I was trusted to take care of you here and of course that takes precedence, but…I can't deny it anymore - those feelings have come back, and stronger than ever. I thought you oughta’ know the truth.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “If you’d feel safer with someone who doesn’t have feelings for you, I’d understand. I just couldn’t go on lyin’ to you, Sav…it ain’t fair on you.”

Tatiana Moretti
​

When Tatiana had first been stationed out in London, she had had mixed feelings: resentment, knowing that her father would be spending more time training her brother Marcus to someday take his place rather than paying attention to her own already masterful skills and in-depth knowledge of the business, but also relief upon being free of Gabriel’s oppressive presence. She had missed her mother and sister, however, and so going to her brother’s funeral back in New York had given her a chance to reconnect with them, and she had found some unexpected comfort in being around her family. However, after only a few days, she realised that comfort wasn’t what she needed. Although she was now likely Gabriel’s primary heir, she had grown used to a more independent life and decided that she quite liked working away from them. All in all, coming back to London had been a relief, and she returned filled with fresh motivation to do her job.

While there was nothing that fazed Tatiana, she wondered what her sister thought of Teddy travelling to Corfu with her and Damian to pick up Callum and take him back to his father. She imagined the mission was fairly personal to Teddy, since the Sullivans had once kidnapped Cristina, and would now be causing them the same anguish. Because really, there was no point in denying what it truly was: a kidnapping, dressed as a favour to the Kings. Tatiana loved her niece and nephews deeply and would never want to see harm come to them again, nor to see them be dragged back into the war going on between the three families. And ordinarily, she wouldn’t think to bring other people’s children into it either, even those of the enemy - but the fact was, that at the centre of the war between the Sullivans and the Kings was a young boy. It wasn’t her fault that he was involved, and she wouldn’t like to see harm come to him, but that was just the unfortunate truth.

So, they had planned to kidnap Callum, not just as payback for the traumatic kidnapping the Sullivans had inflicted on Cristina, but to give them some leverage against the Kings, should they need it someday. While none of the Kings knew of their current operation, Tatiana was sure that Alex at least would be thrilled to see his son again. They just needed to extract the child with minimal damage - and that was what the chloroform was for. Take him asleep, without noise or fuss, and they would get away smoothly. From their covert surveillance point, Damian watched through the windows with a pair of binoculars. He confirmed to the others that there had been no movement from either the sleeping child or the two adults for the last 30 minutes, and asked if they were both ready to liberate the child from the Irish. “I don’t see any point in wasting time here,” she said. “If you two are ready to shut up, then let’s make our move.” Before they set off, however, Teddy felt the need to remind the two of them to keep it simple and not use any violence or threat against the child. Tatiana rolled her eyes. “Calm your titties, Teddy boy,” she jibed. “We ain’t here to traumatise the kid - we just got one simple job to do so let’s get it done and be outta’ here, okay?”

They reached the window of Callum’s bedroom and before climbing in, Teddy withdraw the chloroform and cotton rag they had planned to use on the boy. As the only parent in the group, the man wasn’t going to do the deed himself, but Tatiana didn’t mind that. It wasn’t a boundary of his that was going to get in her way. The man decided not to trust Damian with the task, instead choosing Tatiana for her ‘kind-ish face’. She rolled her eyes at him again. “He ain’t gonna wake up,” she assured him. “Gimme that.”

Taking the bottle of chloroform and the rag, she moved over to the window. Being a hot night, the window was open, secured only by a child lock and some shutters closed from the inside. It was an extremely simple lock - all she had to do was unpin the child lock and insert a hair slide between the shutter doors and lift the latch. Using her upper body strength, Tatiana pushed herself up and through the window, landing softly on her pumps. After a quick check that the boy hadn’t stirred, she crouched to the floor and soaked the rag with what she had previously calculated to be a child-sized measure of chloroform. She then crept over to the child’s bed and held it against his mouth. He squirmed slightly, as he might if he were in the middle of a dream, and his eyes pinched as if a bright light were shining in them. But then, after about ten seconds or so, he fell still. With great caution, Tatiana drew the rag away from him. She could see his chest rising up and down slowly, which was a good sign, and reached down to test the waters by rolling his head from side to side and picking up an arm. He didn’t seem to stir at all. So, she took her chance. After securing the chloroform bottle and rag in her pocket, she scooped the little boy into her arms and carried him over to the window, catching Damian’s eyes and motioning for him to take Callum from her so that she could climb back out of the window.

Interactions
Inside: Misty Gray Savannah, Callum
Outside: Misty Gray Damian Melanin-Gxdess Teddy

 

[Misty Gray]

Bruce King's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer kept silent as Alex hesitated before speaking up. Having asked his brother to explain, he wasn't going to interrupt him. Alex was quick to retract his apology for being a dick, pointing out that Harper had let Braden and Tom go. Whilst he himself would have preferred the two Irishmen had been made to pay, he'd accepted that a decision was made at the time and he wasn't there to influence it. Harper did what she believed what right, and what morally would be the right decision. Spencer knew he wouldn't have been quite so lenient in her position. Spencer looked past the glare Alex had sent their sister as he soon reassured Harper that she was nothing like Laura, admitting he should never have said she was. Spencer lowered his eyes for a time as he pushed back his own feelings that were being stirred. Whilst he agreed nobody would want to be compared to a drug addict who had died of an overdose, it was at times difficult to hear how quick his siblings were to take offence to resembling their mother. He knew it was because he'd been lucky enough to have the longest time with Laura, where he had a lot of good memories to reflect on, where amongst the addiction and fragility, he experienced how kind and loving their mother could be. He wasn't oblivious to her many flaws, but he also believed Laura had a lot of beautiful qualities.

When Billy spoke up, Spencer focused on his youngest brother, nodding in agreement as he told Alex what was done was done, that Harper had made the best choice she could. It wasn't the choice Spencer would have made, but wasn't going to overrule Harper for the decision that was right to her. Spencer gave Billy an encouraging smile as he echoed that they had to stick together, pointing out they were a family before anything else. "Like Billy says. Us lot need to stick together and be nicer with each other." No matter if he ever had to be angry, disappointed or commanding towards his siblings, he would always have their backs. Alex had done things in the past that Spencer didn't agree with, including cheating on Savannah, which was something Spencer had been a victim of with Letitia cheating on him. Despite that, Spencer would always have Alex's back; loving and defending him where reasonable. He'd do the same for Billy and Harper.

Spencer leaned forward in his seat, reaching his hand out to gently touch Harper's arm, nudging it in hopes she'd relax her hands that were pressing into her head. "Harper, come on," he softly but firmly spoke, wanting to see her face and to try get her to meet his eyes as they pleaded with her to calm down. With Billy's hand touching her back making her jump, Spencer pulled his own hand away and sat up straight, watching as Harper moved her hands away from her face now.

When Harper spoke up, it was with her voice raised as she questioned how many more close calls they had to have, wanting to know what happened if any of them didn't come home. When she stood up, Spencer moved his head to look up at her, wanting to get up to comfort her as the tears fell down her face but sensing she could feel overwhelmed and lash out. He once again became aware of the throbbing pain in his head and the discomfort in his abdomen, but he had to block those out if he was going to continue skipping his prescribed painkillers and medication. His headache only intensified when Harper started her tirade, berating the men in the family for acting without thinking. Maintaining his belief that she thought that their family's life could be as simple as cowering down and avoiding confrontation.

With the shouting came the profanity and then Harper's defending of her relationship with Jeremy. "Harper, you are not a slut and Alex knows that!" Spencer spoke up as he stood from his seat. His head spinning again caused by the low blood pressure and sudden movement. This gave Harper time to continue on her tirade, leaving no room for interjection as she expressed how she felt about being secondary to her brothers. To hear that Harper was miserable and felt trapped was a punch to the gut. Spencer had never wanted to make her feel like a prisoner, but he'd wanted to protect her and make sure no harm came to her. Not just because of how their mother had fallen victim to Trevor, but because of how dangerous the family business was, how the enemy could use Harper as a target. Spencer had promised to look after his siblings but in doing so, it seemed like he'd failed to make Harper feel happy and appreciated. With her words so raw and deep, he had to wonder how much his brothers had been holding back from him too. His recent realisation that he may have to learn to accept his position in the business could sacrifice his closeness to his siblings was now starting to feel confirmed. His sister seemed to resent him. In all his efforts to show how much he cared about her, he may have actually pushed her away.

Harper turned her focus onto Alex, calling him a liar. Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to maintain his composure, then sat back down in his seat as his sister clearly had a lot to get out of her system and to interrupt could be perceived as him controlling her; silencing her from speaking her mind against her oppressive brothers. The way she was screaming at them was making his head spin more than it already had been, making it difficult for him to find the reasoning that usually came so naturally.

Even Spencer had to acknowledge enough was enough. So when she referred to herself as a pathetic mess after apologising for not being Laura, Spencer got to his feet again. "You are not a pathetic mess!" he firmly told her. "I'm sorry we've made you feel trapped in this family. Of course what happened to Mum has made us want to be more protective of you. But we'd be the same if she were still here. I've had to defend myself since I was a kid - from Trevor included. Of course I'm going to want to make sure nobody hurts you. Any of you," he said, looking to Alex and Billy. "But maybe this is what we all need to do," he began, keeping his voice firm. "When we've all had time to calm down, we need to talk this out without shouting. I want to understand you, Harper. I'm glad to be 'stuck' with you and I will never be able to stop protecting any of my family, but if we can talk this out when we're all feeling calmer, you can help us set some boundaries so we don't make you feel like this again." Spencer fell silent as he struggled to overcome his own emotions. His own eyes welling up as everything caught up with him, including having Laura's name thrown around so flippantly on top of the realisation Harper resented her family the way she did.

Melanin-Gxdess (Alex) Pyroclast (Billy) Bellz (Harper)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Sullivans Pub
~ Dublin City Centre, Dublin ~

Conor Sullivan​

When Leo stepped in and pushed him back, Adam tightened his balled fists but had no intentions of lashing out at the young man in the slightest, not when this was all on Conor. Leo saying he was out of line caused Adam to shake his head in disagreement. "Your old man's the one in the wrong on this one. And when a bloke pushes you the way he just did me, you hit 'em back before they get chance to lay into you. No matter who they are," Adam said, his eyes fixed on his boss as he spoke. When Leo turned away to look at Conor, Adam stayed where he was, not seizing any chance to go for Conor again.

When asked if he was alright, Conor wiped his bleeding nose on the back of his sleeve before nodding his head. "Yeah, I'm good. It'll take a lot more than that to knock me," he assured his son. "Come on, sit back down and enjoy our break," he suggested, placing his hand on Leo's shoulder as he directed him to sit back down. However, as soon as he'd made sure his son was out of the firing line, Conor looked back to Adam who was clearly still waiting for his boss' next move. In an ideal world, the next move would be for Conor to admit he was wrong and apologise for being such a dick, as far as Adam was concerned. But this was Conor and he'd been itching to get it out of his system.

Before anyone could react, Conor rushed at Adam, grabbing the collar of his shirt with one hand and punching him in the side of the face with the other. Adam managed to drag himself out of Conor's grip before the bigger guy could deal a second, likely more severe blow. Not giving himself time to acknowledge the effects of his boss' attack, Adam was about to smack him again, before a firm hand pressed against his chest as Dermot stepped in and stared head on at his friend. Don't put us in an awkward position, mate," he warned Adam. He didn't want to be put in the position of having to go against his friend, but if Conor commanded it, he wouldn't have much choice but to act against Adam.

No doubt with Leo standing in his way again, Conor didn't go in to finish off his attack on Adam and instead stood on the spot as he remembered to take the deep breaths and calm himself down. "Fuck," he muttered. He'd been wanting to get things off his chest with Adam for a while, but clearly he'd picked a bad place and time, plus he expected he'd later hear about how he'd gone about it in completely the wrong way. As Dermot turned to him, Conor caught the way his employee was seeking an answer as to whether the situation was done. "We're done," he confirmed before shaking his head in frustration.

Adam was about to point out that they clearly weren't done. Punching each other to let out pent up aggression aside, he didn't feel like anything had been resolved. Not until Conor admitted he had no right sticking his nose into Blake's business. "We'll pick this up later, mate," Dermot firmly suggested, keen for Adam to walk away and leave things alone for now. Reluctantly, Adam nodded his head and turned away to head off back to his car. There was no part of him that was afraid of the consequences of attacking his boss. As to whether his employment was to continue and return to how it was just ten minutes ago, the ball was in Conor's court.

With Adam gone, Dermot turned to Conor and Leo. "You both good?" he asked. Once he'd had confirmation, he returned to into the pub to continue enjoying his night off.

Conor sat back in his seat and took a long drink of his pint. Having been handed a towel, he wiped his face and then pressed the cloth to his nose to catch any fresh blood. He focused on his breathing and regaining control of himself. "That wasn't part of the training," he informed Leo, letting out a dry laugh. "Unless it was a demonstration of how not to treat your best employees..." he admitted. Although he was aware of his mistake, he'd been too stubborn to admit it to Adam when they were both caught up in the heat of things. "My head's fucked, Leo. Feels like everything's been shook up and mixed around since those Cockney twats bashed my skull," he admitted. "Your mother doesn't need this stress, but me winding Adam up is just going to give her more to worry about now." Conor let out a deep sigh. "Why do you even want to be involved in all this? You don't have to do any of this shit, Leo. You're free to have a normal life without feeling obligated to work in this business. I never even wanted this, but I had no choice but to follow in your grandad's footsteps. I need you to know that I don't expect you to do the same. I'd be proud of you no matter what. You know that, right?" he asked.

Melanin-Gxdess (Leo)

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce's House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

It was true that Bruce’s stress levels had been extremely high over the past several weeks. He was worried about Alex and Harper - not just their relationship with each other, but how the pair were struggling to cope with their respective issues. He was worried about Callum and when and how they were going to see him again. He was still shaken by Spencer’s recent close call, and while Billy seemed to be on track for recovering from his gunshot wounds without complications, the fact that he was still suffering with it only added to Bruce’s stress. He wanted so much better for them all - just for one thing to go right, for once. Watching them all suffer and struggle, he felt at times like the family were drowning; the next attack was always just around the corner, never leaving enough time for them to properly recover from their last injuries. If they didn’t get a win soon, he wasn’t sure how much longer it would be until one of them was actually killed.

And while Bruce appreciated that he was deeply stressed out, that he was unable to switch off his mind and was hardly sleeping at night, he still meant every word that he had said to Jeremy. He kept a hard stare fixed on Jeremy as he listened to the man try to appeal to him, narrowing his eyes at the implication of his relationship to Harper becoming physical. His argument seemed reasonable enough - taking time to figure out if feelings were mutual was better than just ambushing her or forcing himself upon her. Plus, while it was a surprise to Bruce to hear that Jeremy had harboured feelings for Harper for as long as six years, to hear that he had chosen not to act on his feelings out of respect for the family at least reassured him that the man was trying to be considerate.

Jeremy appeared to forget that he was being reprimanded by Bruce as he began to gush about his feelings for Harper, averting his gaze and blushing all the while. Bruce just continued to stare him down. Overall, the man had done fairly well at convincing Bruce that his feelings for Harper were real and not just some fleeting, shallow crush - but that wasn’t what Bruce had been concerned about in the first place. The point seemed to have been missed altogether, and that was only demonstrated further when Jeremy tried to shift the attention onto Erik, making the point that Bruce’s differing opinions on the two couples was a matter of equal rights. Whether it was a light-hearted comment or not, it didn’t sit well with him. He took a deep breath, ready to correct him, but Erik spoke for himself. Hearing the man talk about going after Harper if she were a guy caused Bruce to close his eyes and reach up to pinch the bridge of his nose, just wishing the two of them would know when to stop talking.

“Look,” Bruce practically growled, placing his hands down on the table and looking Jeremy in the eye. “It’s all well and good that you love my niece, yeah? I believe you when you say it’s genuine, and I ain’t got a problem with that. Any man would be lucky to have her, and since I’ve known you since you were a boy, at least I don’t have to waste my time vettin’ ya’ like I would anyone else. But that ain’t the point I’m makin’, Jeremy, is it?” By the sheer intensity in his eyes, Bruce leaned in closer to the man to make sure he didn’t still have his head in the clouds. “Were you listenin’ to me? This ain’t got nothin’ to do with Harper bein’ a girl. It ain’t got nothin’ to do with Billy and Erik, neither.” He leaned back then, enough to draw attention to Erik as he gestured towards the younger man. “Besides, Erik knows if he hurts my nephew or breaks his heart I’ll be flyin’ him straight back to New York. And if he gives him AIDS, I’ll kill him.” Bruce turned to look Erik in the eye then, expecting some sort of confirmation.

With a deep breath, Bruce then turned back to the man currently under interrogation. The brief silence that fell allowed them all to hear Harper’s muffled shouting from the other room, which he felt only drove home the point he was about to make. “Jeremy, let me say it again, because you don’t seem to have heard me the first time,” he said. “Harper is not well. I know you know this. She needs attention, supervision, support, and I trust that you to care enough about her to give her all that. But if you really love her, you’ll let her focus on that alone.” Hearing how upset his niece was by her anguished voice sounding through the walls put a pain in Bruce’s chest, and his eye twitched as he fought to hold himself together.

“You say you've loved her for six years…and yet you choose now of all times to fill her head with new and confusing thoughts. Now, when she’s already in agony, with things on her mind that she won’t even tell me, things that are destroying her relationship with her family. Even Billy, Jeremy. She’s pushing us all away because of what’s goin’ on inside her head. She’s got so much to work through, and for you to just…confess your feelings to her in the midst of it all, it’s just selfish!” His hand slammed down on the table then, surprising even himself. He took another deep breath and realised that his heart was pounding in his chest and there was a slight tremor in his hand. He hid it beneath the table and cleared his throat before allowing himself to go on. “Tell me, did she return those feelings for you straight away?” he asked, knowing that she had had damaging relationships in the past that may have caused her to hesitate. “How long did she have to agonise over all this before she decided to start sleeping with you?”

Interactions
BasDorcha Jeremy
Melanin-Gxdess Erik
Mentioned: Bellz Harper

 

[BasDorcha]

Bruce King's House

~Bethnal Green, London~
Jeremy Gray​

Jeremy listened to Eric and Bruce both, at first ready to challenge Eric and continue joking because he figured if anyone could understand how happy being in love made him, these two would, but he had been mistaken. Instead, Bruce turned and began to destroy all of it piece by piece. The smile on his face dropped, his face turning stoic. It took every ounce of control he had not to let Bruce getting into his face escalate, regardless of the urge to return words with his fist. He clenched the silverware in his hands tightly before setting them down, holding his breath as Bruce’s berating got worse. When at last the man slammed his hands down on the table, Jeremy steadied himself, biting his tongue to prevent an angry, crude response from popping out immediately. When the man was done speaking, Jeremy took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly so he could speak without raising his voice, shouting in anger, or being ugly, sticking to only saying facts the best he could.

“Yeah Bruce, maybe I should just wait a couple decades like you did for that wonder of a woman who is still putting up with you. Or maybe by then I’d already be dead because of this fucking war with the Irish and I would never have to tell her at all. It’s not like I almost missed my chance once right? Maybe never got the chance to tell her at all? How many years do I need to miss so you can understand that Harper is a grown woman who can make her own choices, and the things that are making her miserable is being excluded from her family and treated like a bird in a cage who can’t take flight.”

Jeremy stood up, stepping away from the table and politely pushing it back in. He looked Bruce directly in the eyes, his faith in his love of Harper finally shining through as stronger than his fear of Bruce’s retaliation. Part of him felt like crying, because it felt like Bruce was turning his back on him. Never having known his father, Bruce had always filled that spot in his mind, but the harsh reminder this his kids came first was enough to put him back in his place. “Did you stop to think that maybe because I’m here is the only reason Harper even came tonight? I had to get her to come, I am the one who has been there with her day in and day out making sure she’s eating, sleeping, drinking, showering, moving at all. When was the last time one of you or the guys came by to see her at her place? Came to check on her? Don’t blame her for this – we’ve been so caught up in our war and how are we going to figure out the next move, how to strike first, you forgot that Harper is here wanting to be part of this family, like I have for so long, but with no one telling her what’s going on, except me. I know exactly what she’s been going through because I haven’t left her side. If she were alone through all that because we were too busy, because her family was too busy, I do not think I could say with any confidence she’d not be worse off now.” Looking over at Erik, he sighed, “Sorry Erik, I know you always get put in the awkward spots, but if you’re going to be part of the family, you’ll have to get use to it. Looks like you have a better shot right now than I do. As for your last question, Bruce,” He turned around and the look on his face was much colder, “She’s been in love with me since the same night, and that’s the only part you need to know. I have no intention of disrespecting Harper so much as to tell you intimate details like that. You should know me better than that. Maybe I saw someone I cared about never take the step they needed to make themselves happy, and I learned my lesson. Have you?”

Jeremy left the room, not looking back. Leaving Harper his keys by the front door table with her purse, the man left, walking aimlessly around the block and back, trying to clear his mind. He wouldn’t go to far away, not wanting to leave Harper all night with them, so he ended up just walking back and forth in front of the house, chain smoking through several cigarettes as he started trying to put all the bullshit in his head back and put it in the right boxes. He was grateful that he had kept his tongue enough to not curse, slander, or otherwise insult Bruce, having only spoken the truth yet he still felt guilty. Despite how Bruce felt, though it was becoming more apparent that Jeremy was very wrong about his place in this world, he still cared about them, and he didn’t want to hurt any of em. Still, Jeremy had finally snapped, having enough of Bruce, Alex, Spencer and Billy all acting like Harper was some child who needed to be bubble wrapped because the slightest touch would break her. He was tired of seeing Harper miserable. He wanted to see her happy.

Finally, he went back to Bruce’s house, sitting on the steps in a dark mood, praying that the only person to find him would be Harper so they could leave. Right now, he didn’t want to see anyone in the house except maybe Darcey. For the first time ever, he thought he understood the very depths of what Harper had been trying to explain for so long. Every few minutes he'd get up, walk the block, come back to the stairs to see if Harper had possibly come out, then walk again.

Tagging everyone because lazy: Misty Gray Bellz Pyroclast Melanin-Gxdess [/h]

 

[BasDorcha]

Pinewood Care Home

~ Cambridge Heath, London ~
Philip Stewart​

Philip had been working hard lately to get his business moved back into London, as well as setting up a house for his family so they would have somewhere comfortable to be. He had gotten lucky to find somewhere close to his mother who had been moved to Pinewood Care Home, a nicer albeit more expensive but better for her. After Trevor had left them as a kid, Philip and his mother had grown close, with Phil staying near her and helping support the family. He had gotten into working with a construction company at the bottom level job which meant cleaning the site, toting wood and grabbing whatever he was asked to do. Over the next thirty years, he worked his way up to the owners right hand man, and when the man passed, he took over, given the company in place of son he never had.

Thankfully, Sarah stayed by his side through it all. On the drive over, he lifted her hand in his as they drove and kissed the back of it, smiling at her. The beautiful woman beside him was the light of his life, and he couldn’t have kept all this going alone. When his mother’s health started to decline, he was okay at first, but then it slowly took a toll on him. He loved her and for some reason seemed to have thought when he was younger she was going to live forever. As they got out of the car, he hoped out, trying to beat Sarah to opening the door, only just missing this time. She stepped out and walked ahead as he locked up, jogging to catch up with her.

“A date night sounds lovely, Angel Face.” His hand lifted to cover hers, stopping when they neared Trevor. Phil was unsure what to think about his brother. He was a big believe in most people being good people, but Trevor did not fall into that category. Someone who could abandon their family at such a young age without thinking twice – someone not even hardened in life yet – was not someone worth knowing. His heart held a lot of bitterness towards the man, but he refused to sink to his level. Thankfully, his wife knew him well enough to speak before he had to and lash out for him. He squeezed her hand, smiling down at her. Kissing her temple, he released her, “I’ll see you in a few minutes. Tell Mam I’ll be there soon.” He watched her walked off, using her as an anchor for his mental state and emotions.

“Sure, she likes you just as much as I do, Trevor. Tell me, why are you still hanging around here? I thought I told you, even if mom ask, I will not put you back in her will. That money is going to her grandkids as she requested, and I’m not going to let you sweet talk her into giving you any. You got whatever part of her you were going to get when you deserted all of us, leaving us for as good as dead. So yeah I think its normal that we are all a bit cautious to trust you being back in our lives. The last time we did, you took the money and ran, like some common punk.” Philip lit a cigarette, shoving his free hand into his pocket just to have something to do with it.

He was sure Trevor was about to give him that speech he’d been holding onto since he returned – he was clean, he was different, he was better. He even said he wanted to reconsolidate, to treat everyone better. Maybe Philip was too jaded, maybe he was just scared of being wrong, but whatever the case, he refused to let his brothers words sway him. He wasn’t angry like he was as a child, or young adult, but he would never give him a chance to hurt their family like that again – and he didn’t care what it was called. Trevor was best kept at the end of a ten foot pole with the pointy end in his chest.
Misty Gray - Sarah/Trevor

 

[Misty Gray]

Pinewood Care Home
~ Cambridge Heath, London ~

Trevor Stewart and Sarah Stewart​

Trevor had briefly followed Philip's gaze as the man watched Sarah walk away. Despite the woman clearly disliking Trevor, he was at least glad to see his brother seemed to be in a happy marriage. The way Philip and Sarah interacted with each other was a clear indication of that. The woman also seemed to have his back, being the one to get a jab in before even Philip had chance to. So when his brother drily commented that Sarah liked him as much as he did, Trevor couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah, I'll bet she does," he remarked.

Although he'd been doing well to rein in his cockiness, there was something about interacting with his brother that made it difficult for him to hold back. Like with Bruce and Spencer, speaking with Philip made him feel like he was in a confrontation and needed to have his guard up, which in turn meant his attitude did struggle to stay away. He listened as Philip asked why he was hanging around and, of course, brought up the matter of the will. Trevor scoffed as he shook his head. "I don't care about her will. I don't need or want money - I've got my own," he assured him. Seeing his brother light up a cigarette was enough to have him wanting one himself, but he resisted the urge to retrieve one of his own from his pocket. "Walking out on you all like I did was an appalling thing to do and I'm not making excuses for it. I only took my share of Dad's will, but I know now that's no excuse either. I should've stayed and supported Mam, used my share of the money to help us all. 'Common punk' is putting it too nicely," he reasoned.

"I'm not here for money or anything else materialistic. I made a lot of mistakes over the years because was selfish and only ever thought about myself. I hurt a lot of people over the years, starting with you, Mam and Beth." Briefly looking towards the entrance of the care home, he turned back to Philip and sighed. "I can tell you I've changed until the cows come home, but I know you don't have any reason or care to believe me. I've been through it with my son and the ex-brother-in-law. But over the years, I've accepted how shit a man I was. Now, I just want to try make up for all the grief I've caused. And yeah, it's not completely selfless, because I want another chance to know my family. Our mother, my daughter..." he trailed off, the rest of his family not willing to give him the time of day. Folding his arms, he shook his head. "I don't expect you to give me a chance, but you've got to accept that Mam has forgiven me and she's happy to spend time with me."

BasDorcha (Philip)

 

[Pyroclast]

Bruce' House
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

It disgusted him, the point that Jeremy was making about the chance of death keeping him and Harper apart. “You stupid boy,” Bruce snarled. “You’re talkin’ like I’ve kept Harper locked up all these years. Of course I can see she’s her own person, a grown woman who can make her own choices! If she wants to fly the nest, then she can bloody well fly! I ain’t clippin’ her wings - none of us are. But if she chooses to stay ‘ere in London with us, then she’s gotta accept that the life we have ‘round ‘ere is rife with danger. Our family has a target on our backs, in case you hadn’t noticed, and that means any one of us could be attacked next. With Harper in her current physical and mental state, I ain’t gonna let her walk the streets without someone to watch her back.”

Bruce breathed hard as he glared daggers at Jeremy, whose stubbornness to listen to him properly was threatening to blow his fuse. “You want to know why I chose you to be her bodyguard, Jeremy?” he asked. “It’s ‘cause on the night of the explosion, when she - when she got hurt, it was you that carried her out. I saw the way you bent over her and stuck by her side the whole time. And that’s what I wanted for her. Someone who’d pick her up and carry her out of a burning bloody building!” He gripped the edges of the table firmly as he spoke, trying to hold himself steady. “And I don’t care if that came from a place of love, okay? I don’t care that you love her! We all love her! And she bloody well deserves to be loved. But you, you put her first, that’s all I’m askin’ for, okay? That’s all I am askin’ of you. Put her before you, put her before your feelings and before your relationship, whatever it is. Do that, or I’m findin’ her another bodyguard.”

However he was taking Bruce’s words, it was clear that Jeremy was upset. How much more the younger man could take, Bruce wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t willing to back down for the sake of his emotions. Yet, when Jeremy pointed out that he was the one who had convinced Harper to come, that familiar guilt returned to him. Harper didn’t seem to want anything to do with her uncle anymore, and he couldn’t seem to do anything for her, no matter what he tried. She had felt the need to separate herself from him, to show him that she didn’t need him, but it hurt to feel so distant from her. He supposed Jeremy was right in a way - if he had seen sooner how alone Harper had felt within the family, maybe he could have made more of an effort with her. He put his head in his hands and tuned out for a moment while Jeremy spoke to Erik. At that moment, Bruce wanted nothing more than to sit down with his niece and talk to her…but hearing her anguished voice through the walls, he realised it might be too late.

There Jeremy went again, digging at his and Darcey’s ambiguous relationship. He couldn’t help but take it as a sign of deep disrespect, to have Darcey brought into the argument. He no doubt meant to offend Bruce alone, but in the process he was really offending Darcey, too, and he couldn’t stand for it. “Get out,” he said, pointing at the door. “Get out my house.”

But Jeremy was leaving anyway. In his absence, Bruce became suddenly aware of Erik’s presence. “I’m sorry, Erik,” he uttered, his voice now drained of strength. “You, uh…why don’t you go and see where Shona and May are up to. I’ll clear this away…”

Once Erik had left the table, Bruce clasped his hands together and gazed at the table for a moment. Eight empty places, food still on the plates. What had happened? How could he have failed so badly that his own family couldn’t even get through a meal together? Nothing seemed secure to him, anymore. Nothing, that was, except for Darcey.

After gathering the plates together, Bruce carried them into the kitchen, where he found her. He wanted to say something, but he felt he had already said so much. Dejected and weary, he placed the plates down beside the sink and stepped over to her, taking her hand into his. He looked down at their hands together, taking a moment to appreciate the tiny details on her skin and her neat fingernails. He knew the back of her hand as well as his own. “Darcey, I’m…” he began, barely raising his head to look at her. “This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.” His voice was low and deep, void of energy, and in his chest was a great weight, tempting him to cry. “Darcey, I don’t know what to do.”

Melanin-Gxdess Darcey, Erik
BasDorcha Jeremy
Bellz Harper (mentioned)

Shona King​

It was far darker than it was supposed to be, for the hour it was. There was a closeness to the air that suggested clouds would erupt soon. And yet, the oncoming storm was much more preferable to Shona than the storm going on inside the house. She was glad when May joined her in sitting on the back porch, aware of how shaken the woman seemed from the fight that had broken out at the dinner table. “What you sorry for?” she asked with a smile, still rocking the crying baby in her arms. At the mention of Darcey and the ruined family dinner, Shona looked down at Eddie. Although he was hard work, there were times when Shona felt lucky to have him as an excuse to leave a room. But once she had soothed him, she intended to get him inside before the storm hit, and seek Darcey out to make sure she was alright.

Looking back up at May, she gave a half-smile. “That’s family, innit,” she tutted. “Can’t get through a meal without some drama. It was the same in mine, growin’ up. Except that sometimes the food would end up on the walls, and we’d be pickin’ up bits of ceramic plate off the floor or nursin’ fresh bruises on our cheeks.” She thought of Harper then, and wondered how things were going in that room. Shona was always ready to pick up the pieces if she needed to, whether it was a broken plate from the floor or a husband returning from a fight. Verbal or physical, it didn’t matter to her - whatever state Spencer was in at the end of a conflict, she would be there to support him. With another sigh, she gently caressed Eddie’s face, who was starting to grow tired of screaming and had begun to show signs of settling down. “That’s not the life we want though, is it, Eddie? Nothin’ but kisses and cuddles for you.”

Her maternal instinct was open to more than just her son, and as May sat shivering beside her, she felt an urge to support her, too. The young woman asked to hold the baby, to which Shona smiled. “Sure,” she said, and sidled closer to her so she could hand Eddie over. “But if he starts cryin’ or fussin’ again, don’t take it personally. You can just pass him back to me, and I’ll try stuffin’ my boob in his mouth or somethin’.”

Once he was in May’s arms, Shona sat close and put her arm around her. She knew how conflicting it had been for Spencer to find out that he shared a father with May, who also happened to be half-Sullivan, but in her eyes, the young woman was innocent and just needed a support network of her own. “And how are you, May?” she asked sincerely, giving her arm a squeeze. “That dinner got pretty heavy…are you okay?”

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