#gravedanger

"that complicates things." emily scours the room for anything they can use, any excuse they can offer, anything that might effectively conceal the woman's face from the waves of security waiting just outside the door. they only have one exit and one option, and that puts emily and nikita through a wide room lined with marble columns and covered in highly-trained personnel. this isn't an event they can fight their way out of, either. as skilled as they are, there are too many civilians around to risk a gunfight — too many innocent lives in the way that might end up hurt if they draw too much attention.

SQUIGLY DRAWW (GRAVE DANGERR AAAHWKDJ)

🎃 𝗜𝗢𝗪𝗔 𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟬 🎃

In the vast, desolate Iowa countryside of 1930, Charles Reynolds toiled as a humble farmer, his weathered hands nurtured the stubborn earth to yield a meager livelihood. Life was hard, but it was honest, and Charles was content. That was until the day the thirst of his barren land drove him to dig a well.

The endeavor commenced innocently, as most tales of malevolence often do. With a determined clench on his shovel, Charles thrust it into the ground, beginning the excavation that would plunge him headlong into the abyss of his own undoing. The first day yielded an assortment of old coins, their tarnished glimmer reflecting in his greedy eyes, igniting a covetous fire that would soon consume him. Beside the gaping hole, his wife, Agnes, implored him to return home, her voice tinged with a sense of foreboding, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Greed, that malevolent whisperer, had begun to weave its seductive spell over Charles, drowning out the loving concern of his wife.

The second day of his descent into darkness brought forth glistening treasures of gold. His greed grew insatiable as he continued to delve deeper into the earth, convinced that his relentless pursuit of riches was worth any sacrifice.

On the third day, the bowels of the earth divulged a mysterious find—a corroded plaque with old British words inscribed upon it warned to stay away from the place, a caution that should have been heeded. Yet Charles, his mind shackled by greed, scoffed at the notion of halting his excavation. It was an act of defiance that would soon unravel his world. As night draped the land in a shroud of inky darkness, Charles's shovel struck an object of unfathomable dread. A golden ring, tainted by the hands of time, lay perched on a skeletal finger, the fragile remains of an old woman. He hesitated, then removed the ring and plundered the deceased woman's body for other golden treasures, forsaking his humanity for his insatiable lust for wealth.

His hand brushed against something out of place, a small piece of aged wood, fragile and brittle. Faded letters carved upon it formed a haunting message: "Beware of the Witch."

In the dim light of a flickering lantern, Charles's eyes widened with realization. Panic surged through him as the very walls of the earth trembled, closing in on him with unrelenting force. The ground shook and before Charles could react, the walls crumbled, sealing his fate in a suffocating tomb of soil and stone.

The weight of the earth bore down upon him, crushing him into the annals of history. The townsfolk, alerted by the terrible sounds that had resonated through the night, could do nothing to save him. The cursed well, now a gaping maw of darkness, held the secrets of Charles Reynolds and his insatiable greed for ever.

somehow stella kidd had convinced him to pull out his favorite tapes - it didn't take a lot of convincing. he found the box, all the videos him and shay had made when they lived together. his heart is so full, and devastatingly empty, whenever he picks up this box. but he wouldn't be on the couch alone watching them tonight. he would have his girl there, and he could be bitter about them never getting the chance to meet, but he could also be happy that he still has some pieces of shay to give, that her echo was still loud and clear. "alright - get comfy." putting the disk into the dvd player, then moving to sit on his usual spot on the couch.

his arms wrap around her - pulling her into his arms, a feeling of safety ensues. he was safe like this, grief couldn't kill him, no matter how much it hurts. no matter how much he misses his best friend, wanted his most important girls to meet each other, but he has a feeling - a part of him that tells him that shay? she meets stella kidd every day. wherever she is, she wouldn't let go of kelly, just like he could never let go of her. his chin is placed on top of stella's head when the video starts playing, and the intro has shay laughing, which feels like a punch to the gut - and kelly instantly tears up, tightening his grip on reality. on stella.

kelly knew grief - he'd felt it deep in his own bones. he could still hear violet's screams. the way she'd twisted in his arms when he pulled her away from her lover's body. he was dead. hawkins was dead, and violet was shattering into pieces right in front of all of them. kelly isn't obligated, he knows. but he sits down next to her at the table in the kitchen, truck were doing drills outside, so the room was empty. "i want you to know something," the lieutenant of squad three speaks, voice soft, but still remaining firm. makes sure there's endless notes of compassion: but the message is important.

"some people might think you came back too soon - some would argue i did the same when i lost my person. but this is family; we're your family. let people be there for you," kelly nods, blue eyes fixate on her. he lost shay; and he fell apart. he crumbled into pieces, only half a man left. but he found himself - and he found stella kidd. he isn't sure if violet even remembers it was kelly who held her back, who tried to hold her when the world was falling apart, tried to keep her from shattering into pieces. "whatever you need, i'm here."

the bau had been in charge of a case - you couldn't quite call it assisting when they were the ones to call the shots. agent prentiss in charge of her unit, agent jareau clearly her right hand. and the latter had been wounded during the chase of the man they'd been pursuing. so kim went to the hospital, holding out a coffee for the woman she had come to admire. jennifer was doing okay; kim had asked maggie at her throne of the er ( the front desk ) it kind of reminds her of the way trudy platt reigns over twenty first. and she likes it, brings some familiarity whenever she comes here.

kim takes a seat, hoping she isn't pushing her welcome to do so. "i didn't think you should be sitting here alone," she hadn't gotten confirmed that they were ... a couple. they could just be best friends, but kim had a feeling - maybe she was seeing ghosts. but the looks they shared reminds her of herself and adam ruzek. the stolen glances, small touches of reassurance. the way emily had left the others in charge of wrapping up, to sit in the chair outside agent jareau's room, haunting the hall like a ghost. "no one should be alone when someone they care for is recovering, so i brought two cups of coffee - and an obscene amount of reese's cups are in my bag. if that's not your poison though, i'll raid the vending machine."

they were at molly's ... it was a tuesday night, quiet. no sign of their significant others - not too many firefighters from stella's house, nor anyone from intelligence, which left all the room in the world for girlfriends to catch up on their gossip. kim had ditched the usual booth, sitting at the bar tonight. stella was behind it. they shared a shot before kim decided not to be too wild, so she ordered a beer instead of more shots. she didn't have tomorrow off like someone else did. "so tell me," she nods, tilting her head with a grin. "you met kelly at the fire academy?"