𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄.

if you'd asked bella where this moment ranked on her list of things she'd wanted to do, it wouldn't have been present. the chaos inside her, her emotions, her thoughts, her entire state of being nearly made her head dizzy; and yet, it wasn't as if she could avoid this. she'd known that as soon as rosalie had shown up. if she's honest, maybe she'd known since the moment victoria had started her spree in seattle. a part of her wants to believe she'd let everything go, moved on, come into her own and yet that moment when the family-- not her family, not anymore, really they never were even if she'd allowed herself the fantasy of such things-- arrives there's some part of her that wants to run into their arms. to hug alice, to be embraced by esme-- the care she'd showed her so much more impactful now after her own mother's fate-- and even a part of her longs for edward in those brief seconds he rushes toward her and pulls her into his embrace before anyone has a chance to make a move, even her. everything falls away. she forgets about victoria and deaths and disappearances. she forgets about jake and enzo and the bprd and her cousin bonnie and all the shit that's happening and just remembers being a girl in science class back in forks. but that only lasts a moment, the preternatural allure of vampir and perhaps even his own desires projecting upon her. she has an understanding of that now after all this time. and there's something else too, something she can't quite place as if even though enzo hadn't reacted to this moment, she could feel the weight of his presence near her. the tug of it into her being. as if somehow there was some kind of thread between them. and with it she remembers that forest in forks, the way she'd felt when edward had disappeared. all of her memories swirl within her, the last few years, the present, the feel of enzo in that cell when he'd fed on her... it's then that bella shoves at edward's chest with a force she think surprises him. she's sure the emotion from her he's most likely reading through jasper does.

confusion is present upon his features, along with something... else she can't quite place. perhaps bella had allowed herself to become overwhelmed for a moment and she could chastise herself later for it but did he really think showing up would wash away everything that's transpired? regardless, when edward resists and shoots a sudden glare toward enzo, bella takes a protective sidestep in front of enzo even though she's well aware enzo's diet would ensure he'd be able to hold his own if edward tried anything. she barely registers that rosalie's done the same though rosalie has one hand shoved at edward's chest as a physical barrier, causing everyone present to suddenly become tense.

"everyone needs to calm down. there's a enough to bloody deal with than petty squabbles over a girl who's frankly capable of taking care of herself these days." a note of surprise creases bella's features, though she's grateful all the same. (she also notes, it hasn't taken long for some part of rosalie's childhood to come out through her time with enzo, at least in the from of her lingusitics.) still, if the situation wasn't so serious it'd be a comedy show especially given at least one of the woman in front of enzo was a human.

Jacob feels the presence of the Cullens before he sees them, struck by the same prickling sensation that fairly crawls through his veins whenever one of their kind is near, his skin running hot in its wake. The question of whether it might simply be triggered by Rosalie or Enzo doesn't arise, however, as this reaction has lost its edge around them, likely a result of all of the time he's spent in their company lately ( against his will! ). Although it's marginally worse around Rosalie, that warmth still creeping along his skin in a way it doesn't with Enzo, he thinks that it must be due to her prior association with the family that had once called Forks home. Hell, it makes sense with the treaty and all.

But this? Nah, this isn't from either of them.

The group is upon them quickly, and Jacob loathes that. Gritting his teeth, he shoves down the instinct burning inside him — especially as Edward's arms wrap around Bella. Undeniably, it shocks him ( disgusts him too, though for more reasons now than the guy just being a bloodsucker ).

Perhaps Enzo has never crossed paths with Edward, yet the recognition is there regardless. The gray eyes that immediately lock onto Bella are tangled in her memories, and he's felt the weight of their gaze before ( while the sweet taste of her blood was on his tongue ). Their intensity is much the same now, as Edward pulls her into his arms like such a right hasn't already been forfeited — or at least, Enzo had believed it to be, until she appears to welcome the solace offered in the embrace. Has he erred all this time, somehow misconstruing the emotions that have flooded through him when his lips are on her neck? The notion sends a jolt of discomfiture through him that he hasn't felt in a very long time. Nevertheless, Enzo remains still. Someone has attempted to curb Bella's will before; he won't be the second to try it. As it is, she's come into her own, and the strength of her heart is one of his favorite facets of her.

When she pushes Edward back, Enzo won't deny the hint of gratification that arises on her behalf. She's chosen herself and her family, decided on her own where she belongs. It's then that Edward's gaze snaps to him.

Immediately, he can feel an invasive probing at his thoughts that's far too reminiscent of the lacking autonomy back at Whitmore House for him to willingly tolerate. Enzo blocks it on instinct, shielding himself in much the same manner as he had when they operated on him in the basement. His mind had been the only part of him left that they couldn't touch, that was his, and its sanctity had been his salvation. Now, it also allots him a sense of pride when surprise etches itself across Edward's features, followed by what he can only interpret as a flare of vexation. Giving the other man a brief grin is probably not defusing the situation, but it is humorous!

At least, until Bella steps between them and Rosalie places a hand against Edward's chest. For a moment, Enzo's uncertain of why until his younger sister speaks. They're — defending him? Something in his chest twists with confusion, because no one guards him, no one saves him. Not the friend who abandoned him at Whitmore House, not Maggie in 1950, not the one who created him, not even his own parents. And yet, here they are.

There's no time to parse through it all before Bella confronts Edward. When she squeezes Enzo's arm, he sees Edward's eyes flash with hurt ( and he doesn't feel sorry for it ).

"Bella, I left to protect you. Not so that you could — "

@everythingheard

Disney: you’re not allowed to swear in a disney film! 

claire.

claire can't fly across the country in a relative instant or find him even in the middle of a south american jungle like she can. and, maybe, just maybe there's a part of kara that is glad for it. not because she's jealous but because kara knows leon and knows how he feels when others are in danger. claire, based on everything kara knows of her, is highly capable. she thinks had the universe planted them all back on krypton the girl could have even perhaps given the sagitari a run for their money but kara knows leon would blame himself if something happened to her.

even when kara finds him in dangerous situations, up until now, there had always been a quiet confience and relief she's seen in leon when she shows up.

the girl of steel.

kara’s been protected in a way, able to help him without distracting him in tactical situations because he doesn't need to worry about her. (not that's she's popped up on him that many times, no, instead she's been partying across the galxey while too much reality progesses forward and now there's fucking even more advanced monstrousies out there.)

all that's to say, kara thinks they deserved the last hour of playful banter and domesticity of playing with the dog that they'd had. a calm before the storm of further reality that will blanket them in chaos and unknowns and danger.. even for her.

kara shifts slightly, listens to leon's voice as she pets krypto's head.

"well-- now you have someone with superhearing on your side and i have no qualms with spying on their conversations." it's stated as a joke, though there's a serious undercurrent to her tone. she's attempting to balance the conversation, a tactic she thinks maybe they both learned from their trauma, a way to process it and not be crushed under the weight of reality around them.

"this planet isn't the first to fuck with stuff like this." it's not going to be the last either, she thinks bitterly. "even krypton had some crazy episodes with the clone wars years ago and well, i know experiments happened even before... anyway, we aren't going to let earth end up like those places." a deep breath is inhaled and then exhaled krypto seeming to understand kara's intension and shifting a bit.

kara reaches over gently, without really thinking about it, tugging lightly on leon’s arm until she can shift him to having his head on her lap like they used to sit back in smallville. she hasn't done this since then, even when they'd shared their moments over the years. they weren't... well, she's not entirely sure what they are anymore, in some weird in-between state but there was a comfort in whatever it was and she thinks perhaps they both needed that now.

comfort in the simplicity of trust.

her eyes shift toward the plates on the table, her hand moving to rest on his hair. "we used to have a dish like that on krypton. it wasn't something we had all the time, our bot seemed to think we were living in some kind of five-star restaurant. but sometimes mom would get time and make something for us from scratch. something fun and hardy." she's letting herself live in the nostalgia for a moment, enjoying the familiarity they have. she's not like this with most people, sometimes she's still at a distance from kal and the kents too though she's attempting to mend that.

"also tastes better than that time elena's aunt tried to use the kents as her thanksgiving preview dinner guinea pigs." she jokes. it's just a few off-beat moments, a slight diversion before she refocuses on their actual conversation.

"you'd think metahumans would want to make the planet better. so many people here take things for granted. i'd give anything to have those simple moments back with my parents. even my aunt and uncle who's yeah-- their mentality may have been flawed and you can judge me for this all you want but some part of me understands why they said what they said on that video even if kal and i would never you know, seek world domination like that wesker guy." desperate people come up with desperate solutions. also, kara appreciates the kents, now more than maybe she even did before, but it wasn't the same. this planet didn't know what it was like to lose your world. but kara wasn't going to lose this world too and she didn't want the kents to ever know the pain of seeing their friends taken over like one of brainiac's sentries.

A humored huff escapes Leon's lips at Kara's glib comment about super-hearing. Although it's stated in jest ( they've always been similar in that way, injecting levity into a situation because what the hell else is there to do? ), he knows that she would follow through — if he asked. Before he can dwell on it, her demeanor turns serious as she mentions experiments on Krypton reminiscent of what they're seeing here. Leon's not surprised by this revelation; he supposes that there will always be those buoyed by hubris who twist ingenuity into something selfish and depraved, regardless of the planet they hail from.

' We aren't going to let Earth end up like those places. ' Even when his thoughts are the most shrouded in darkness, he has to believe that's true. He must.

Suddenly, Leon's breath catches as he's startled by Kara's hand on his arm. The tug is gentle, familiar, and he doesn't fight it. Shifting his position on the couch, he allows his head to fall into her lap. Leon doesn't usually like to be touched when he doesn't expect it, yet the two of them had breached that wall ages ago back in Smallville. If he had thought about it before now, he might've wondered whether time and distance have erased that ease; they haven't.

His eyes flicker shut as her fingers brush along his hair, and he focuses his attention on listening to her speak of Krypton.

Leon has always treasured moments like this with Kara, when she speaks freely of her past, her family, her planet, her people. It's as though she feels — safe with him, that she trusts him enough to share those memories of her world that she doesn't want to lose. Although he says nothing, he reaches towards her free hand, grazing his knuckles along the back of it for a beat before he pulls away again.

' You'd think metahumans would want to make the planet better. So many people here take things for granted. ' Leon considers this. "There are people who've been abandoned, or lost what they thought gave their life meaning. The chance to take some power back, or gain even more of it, changes them."

Krauser looms large in his mind: not a metahuman, but someone who watched the government he had fought so hard for leave them both to die in a jungle, prepared to wipe their names from history to cover up an operation gone wrong. By the time his old mentor had been discharged after losing an arm during that very same mission, the man had come to view Wesker and the pursuit of power as the only reasons to keep going.

"But yeah, some people are just assholes who've got no idea what the world would actually look like if they got what they thought they wanted." Leon's met a fuck ton of those, too.

Were Alexsandr to voice all the ways he'd thought of Zeb, he might faint from the heat of his own blush.

It was already enough that his cheeks pinked more visibly at the directness of his own request.

Those two frank words in answer did little to ebb that color from freckled skin, even as they soothed the immediate edge of his self-conscious nerves. What a thrill it was, to know Zeb wanted this as much as he did. Alexsandr leaned into the fingers skimming through his hair, lashes fluttering again and almost falling shut.

His contented hum of a sigh was muffled by the press of their mouths at last. While his experience was limited and from situations he'd rather not dwell on, Alexsandr poured his all into the kiss. The texture, the warmth, the sheer wonderful reality of it both sated and stoked his craving for Zeb. Only a muted twinge from the patched gash on his side stopped Alexsandr from sliding off his chair and onto Zeb's lap. Instead, he smoothed a thumb over the other's cheek in gentle, repeated arcs, while resting his opposite palm atop one strong thigh - not aiming to try anything, just for balance and for the simple pleasure of touch.

Alexsandr. There it was. Whatever. He wasn't embarrassed.

How could he be, with Alexsandr brushing a thumb rhythmically along the side of his face and placing a palm on his leg? Those hands were so loving and gentle, even if Zeb did have to intervene on his own behalf, steering his thoughts away from that touch to his thigh since he was quite certain that it was initiated for a steadying effect as opposed to titillation. As it was, he already had to force back the desire to pull Alexsandr into his lap for a tight embrace. With the earlier wound still freshly tended to and healing, he wouldn't do anything to risk causing any additional pain.

That guard who had thrust the knife into Alexsandr's side really had no concept of how narrowly they had escaped having both of their arms crushed — which Zeb surely would have done had he been there. Not that he would have been proud of it, but hey.

Okay, maybe a little proud. Or more than a little.

When they parted for a breath, the whispered plea which followed from Alexsandr coaxed a soft groan from him before it was taken by another kiss. The ache of yearning entwined with the very beat of Zeb's heart until it was almost gloriously unbearable, yet to persist in it was a sort of luxury; with his palm pressed more firmly against the small of Alexsandr's back, his fingers curled and straightened, the very tips of his claws drawing minutely back and forth along shirt fabric. He could do this for hours, could do it all day, if it wasn't for —

‘   What’s happened to you….   ‘

Her fingertips cradle his chest. Numbness sleeps under her skin, so does his silence, burning dark underneath it in the blood. Shuffling fabric is too loud – for them both, Mirena knows. There are things she doesn’t have to say, some days in courts she does not parry a breath in, but tonight the words come past her lips, whether or not he has the strength to fulfill them, or be prey of a destiny that will fulfill itself through them.

‘   You hope to break the curse. A curse so vile and resentful, enriched with temptation that its journey estranges you…

If you do not, you will watch us grow old and die, and remain insatiable for lifetimes to come.

There is no worse fate, my love.   ‘

Damnation is a hand upon his shoulder, a ceaseless evocation of the curse in his very veins.

"I will not succumb to this affliction. Even as it tries to cloud my mind with darkness, all I can see is our family. There is nothing in this life for me without you."

What would Vlad not do for them? He would seek them to the ends of the world, fell a thousand enemies, fight fate itself. Ah, and even become a monster.

Reaching out with hands he had once clasped in repentance ( perhaps the echoes of violence he has wrought are too abominable to ever truly wash them clean ), he cups her face in his palms.

" Well, thanks for..helping me. As long as the evidence is safe, it was worth taking a risk." Things were running smoothly as she was getting her hands on what she was looking for, what margo didn't expect was a crazed person in a winged suit coming after her. If it weren't for spider man she wouldn't be so lucky stand in front of him.

She wasn't certain but margo could tell that spider man sounds young or at least younger than her. All of those thoughts paused as she was now standing on top of the tower. It was very long drop and she made the mistake in looking down. Her eyes wide when he held on to her. Hearing his last few words of wanting to help her get the truth out there.

Even before he wrapped his arm around her, Peter knew Margo was afraid. If her wide eyes weren't enough of a giveaway, he could hear the sound of her quickening heartbeat filtering through his heightened senses. With a firm grasp around her waist, he shot a web at a nearby beam and jumped. To Peter, the downwards swing was always exhilarating, though he was aware that not everyone felt the same way.

Trying to keep their descent easy, he timed their next swing as best he could — they were nearly there now. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flying towards them far too quickly. Not this guy again. Whether the winged figure had heard her scream or simply sensed their movement, Peter wasn't sure. He had hoped they had more time before they were noticed, yet they hadn't been so fortunate.

"Hold on!" Suddenly, he swung in the opposite direction; too late to change course, their pursuer crashed into one of the building's old beams. As he and Margo finally reached the ground, he made sure she had her feet securely under her. "Sorry about that. Evasive maneuvers aren't exactly the smoothest, y'know?" He tipped his head to meet her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Margo did some research before going on this trip, heard the stories and including James Conrad who was more than experienced in what he does. Even read about his last adventure while traveling last time. It was hot, muggy but margo was use to the climate. She was very well prepared to report documents, take photos and study whatever she would find here.

There was close to no proof of any so called ' flying demon' that the village people scared off. That's why she was here, to finally show prove rather they exist or not.

James only gave the briefest shake of his head at Margo's assertion. ' I also know what I'm getting myself into, ' she had said. He'd believe that when he saw it — and he was dubious that he would. In general, people harbored no notion of the genuine threat nature itself could pose; it was indiscriminate, impossible to predict, and deadly when necessary in order to protect itself. Nevertheless, there were facets of that which he had learned to find rather beautiful, in their way.

"I've no intention of keeping you from doing your job. And I'm not disputing any danger you've faced before, but this is different." Not that most were willing to take James' word for it until they were confronted by such peril face to face. Still, the set of his jaw stiffened with irritation at the flippancy with which she regarded it. Bug spray wouldn't do a hell of a lot in a swarm.