#theleafpile

“It’s his last day. He said with everything that happened with Pierce and Charlotte and Amenadiel going back home…He said he needs to go back home too.”

He’s going back to Hell, Chloe thought. “But he hates his home.”

Ella shrugged and went back to her lab.

Chloe kept standing, staring at nothing in particular.

_______________________________________________________________ 

She was breaking several traffic laws but she didn’t care. Her sirens were on and she was driving well above the speed limit. Finally, Lux came into her line of sight. She pulled up at the entrance and handed her keys to the valet. She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor as the elevator climbed to the penthouse. Most of the furniture was covered in white sheets and she nearly stopped in her tracks at the painfully familiar sight.

“Where the hell do you get off?” she shouted as soon as Lucifer came into her line of sight carrying another sheet.

“Detective? Wha—?”

“You do NOT get to run away. Not from me. Not from this.”

Lucifer looked terrified and he took a step away from her. That one action made Chloe’s blood boil.

“Don’t step away from me. You don’t get to leave. Not after what you’ve done. I am not picking up the pieces that you leave behind.”

Lucifer flinched but said nothing. He wasn’t wearing a jacket or a vest. He was in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His hair had no product in it and the curls were falling onto his face.

“I’m going back home Detective. I’m not running away.”

“Really? Because quitting your job and leaving without even saying anything sounds an awful lot like running away. Are you scared of me now? You think I’m going to out you or something?”

Lucifer snorted. It was a broken sort-of sound—full of sarcasm and self-loathing.

“No one would ever believe you.”

“That’s not the point!”

“Then pray-tell what is your bloody point? You haven’t spoken to me in weeks and now, you barge into my home and scream at me with no point at all.”

“You’re not going back to Hell. You’re not going anywhere.”

Lucifer sneered. “Are you going to stop me? I’m the Devil.”

Immediately after his declaration, his shoulders dropped and he looked down at the sheet still in hand. “I’m going back home. Then, you and your spawn can live in peace. I should tell you. Maze will still be here though I imagine if you asked her to, she would stay away.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Chloe asked Lucifer.

“There’s nothing to get Detective. I’ll be out of your hair soon and you won’t have to be afrai—”

“I’M NOT AFRAID LUCIFER.”

His eyes flared red and he growled. Chloe instinctively took a step back. His eyes turned back to his normal brown and he looked away.

“Do not lie to me Detective. Everyone is afraid of the monster.”

“You know what I think? I think you’re the one who’s afraid of the monster. You’re afraid that you’re evil and terrifying and not good enough.”

Lucifer turned away from her. He ran a finger over the piano keys and then, shut the lid. The small thud felt like an ending. Chloe choked back her tears and continued.

“You keep flashing your eyes at me, deliberately trying to scare me away so that I’ll validate your fears and you can just run off. Well, I won’t do that. I’m not the coward here, you are. You’re scared of you. I’m not.”

“Why are you here Detective?” he asked.

“I’m here to ask you to stay.”

“Why? Why should I? So, you can continue to ignore my existence?”

“Yes! I mean…I was engaged to a murderer. The Murderer. My best friend is the Devil and my room-mate is a freaking demon! And you all lied to me about it and what? I can’t be angry at you? Fuck you Lucifer.”

She stalked towards him and shoved him.

“You lied to me.” She shoved him again. “You promised you would never lie to me!” And again. “And you did!” Her eyes burned and tears flowed down her cheeks. A sob broke through.

“I let a murderer into my home, into my bed. He was near my daughter. I trusted you and you let me fall for a murderer Lucifer! That’s what you did! And I want to hate you but…”

“Detective?”

She looked up at him. His eyes were open wide and red-brimmed.

“I can’t. I can’t hate you because…I-I love you. So, stay. Please just stay. Don’t leave me again…please.”

Her knees gave out and her shoulders shook with the shock of everything she’d divulged, everything she’d forced herself to relive. She felt an arm encircle her and she leaned into Lucifer’s familiar warmth. She clutched at his arm and sobbed.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered into her hair. “I’ll stay.”

Lucifer:

Devilish Arrangements – Impending Nuptials (Collaboration with Valificent):

Official Synopsis:

Sequel to Deal with the Devil. Now that Chloe's gotten herself into a less than ideal situation with Lucifer, as a result of the deal they made with each other, she finds that planning a wedding may be the more stressful than managing a hostage negotiation. All the while, she slowly starts to realize that keeping herself emotionally distanced from her soon-to-be-husband is harder than she originally expected. Meanwhile, Lucifer's dealing with some otherworldly issues of his own as his wings get stolen and he comes to terms with his new-found mortality. At the same time, he slowly starts to realize that he might actually be developing feelings for the Detective and her spawn; a revelation that makes him build up walls of denial, and sends him to Linda's office more often than usual.

Chapter 4 Recent Excerpt:

“Doctor. I need advice.” I stated as I closed her office door behind myself, turning to find her with a Tupperware container filled with her lunch and a book sitting on her desk.

She took a moment to compose herself, swallowing the bite she had in her mouth before setting her fork down deliberately. “Lucifer, we literally just had a session a few days ago, you’re not due for another week.” On the surface the words were polite, but I could hear the strained undertone they held, the slight sheen of annoyance.

“I know, but this is an emergency,” I explained as I sat down on the plush sofa occupying the far wall, settling into it as the doctor shook her head softly, tucking a bookmark against the pages of her thick novel.

“What’s your emergency this time?” The soft sigh was all I needed to delve right into it, no point in giving her the chance to change her mind.

“The Detective asked me to supervise her spawn tonight and I need to know the basics on how to keep it alive.” The words left me in a rush, some of my trepidation over the situation managing to leak into my voice.

“You’re joking, right?” The pause in her voice wasn’t supposed to be condescending, but it was regardless. Why did she think I would know how to keep a small human alive? I was the Devil, not some nanny.

“Why would I joke about something this serious?”

A long beat of silence filled the air before the good doctor finally relented, “How old is Beatrice?”

“Seven,” I answered simply, watching a soft smile pull at the corners of her mouth as she shook her head, a quiet huff of laughter escaping her.

“She won’t be too hard to take care of,” Linda stated as she folded her hands over her lap. “She’s old enough to tell you when she’s hungry, or thirsty, or needs to use the restroom. Just make sure you listen to her, she’s still a child and she doesn’t have the self-discipline adults do.” Her simple explanation made it sound...easy. Could it really be so elementary?

“Really? That’s all it takes?” A hint of doubt crept into my voice as I asked, earning a wide smile from the doctor.

“To keep her alive, yes.” I let out a long breath at the answer. I’d been getting worked up over nothing...well, perhaps not nothing; I would have to figure out how to keep her from wreaking havoc on my home...but that was a problem for a different time. “You might want to look into child psychology a little bit if you’re so unused to children. You’re going to her father figure.” The doctor’s words made me cringe. Father figure. Well, I suppose that was certainly one way to describe my relationship with the little miscreant.

“Don’t remind me,” I muttered flippantly, moving my hand through the air in some futile attempt to push the topic to the side. Linda picked up on the movement, of course she did, she was good at her job; some calculating gaze filling her eyes as she leaned forward slightly.

“Why does that bother you?” For a moment I considered ignoring the probing question, I certainly wasn’t expecting the conversation to take this turn...and I really didn’t need to relive all of the fond father-son memories I had buried somewhere in my mind.

“I just...I don’t want to…” I trailed off with a sigh, running a hand through my hair as I wondered if she would let me deflect this question, or perhaps if I should just leave and be done with this for the time being. But before I could do the logical thing, before I could avoid dredging up things that should stay mostly forgotten, my traitorous mouth was already answering, “What if I wind up turning into Him?”

“Him?”

The simple word hung heavy in the air, and I swallowed thickly before answering, “My father.” A long beat of silence lapsed on, and I drew in a long breath before trying to explain, “He…” the words refused to come. What if she agreed with His decisions, what if she thought that He was right and I was wrong? “Let’s just say there’s a reason I don’t like him.”

“You’re worried that you’re going to hurt Beatrice the same way your father hurt you.”

An Angel may keep you Safe, but a Devil will teach you that Fallen things can be Beautiful too:

Official Synopsis:

Chloe and Lucifer go undercover as Mr. and Mrs. Dawson in order to solve a murder and bust a child trafficking ring. Chloe is looking forward to the case as an opportunity to finally have some much needed "alone time" with her new boyfriend. But recent developments in Lucifer's supernatural life make him worry that Chloe’s safety may be in jeopardy when the beast that’s laid dormant in him for so long decides to start rebelling, particularly when in her presence.

Chapter 4 Recent Excerpt:

“Mazikeen, listen to me, you need to tell me everything you know about it,” Lucifer’s voice was quiet yet still rough as he spoke into his phone while he paced back and forth across the bedroom. So far, all of the information his right-hand demon had been able to offer had been of no help at all; and honestly, if Chloe’s well-being wasn’t potentially at stake he would’ve given up on this futile line of questioning twenty minutes ago.

“I’ve already told you everything I know!” Maze’s clearly exasperated voice replied. The Devil growled under his breath at her statement as he stopped in his tracks; bringing his free hand up to rub his temples as he tried to quell his rapidly growing irritation.

“So you advised me to accept this…” Lucifer trailed off as he tried to come up for a proper label for the beast that had been rebelling against him lately, “...thing. When you had no real knowledge of what it’s capable of?” He finished, his voice taking on an accusatory tone as he let his free hand fall limply back to his side. “You said that I would be able to control it.” Lucifer’s voice grew louder and harsher as he resumed his pacing. At this rate, he was beginning to think that he was going to wear a path in the carpet. He couldn’t help but feel irritated with his demon, in a way this was all her fault; he never would have accepted this damn thing had she not pressured him to. Bloody hell, he never would have even known that it existed if it wasn’t for Mazikeen.

“You were the most powerful being I’d ever met! Of course I thought you’d be able to control it!” Maze hissed. “Why does it matter if it doesn’t want to play nice all the time?” She asked a second later, her voice remaining tense.

Silence filled the line for a few strained seconds before Lucifer finally dared to speak up, “Because it wants Chloe. And…” He trailed off before swallowing heavily, “...I don’t know how much longer I can keep it at bay.”

The Gods Live Among Us Now, And They Are No Longer Kind - Earth:

Unofficial Synopsis:

In a world where the color of your blood determines your worth, Chloe Decker has always lived with the simple burden that she’s justa Red. Justa human. Destined to serve under her Silver lords for the rest of her life, destined to serve the very beings that were created to protect her kind in the first place. When she learns about the Red rebellion that’s quickly growing, a group of rebels called the Scarlet Guard who are determined to end the reign of the Silvers, she joins without question, quickly putting her skills to use as a spy. But it’s not until she learns that her partner, Lucifer Morningstar, is not only a Silver, but one of the first ones that was ever created, that her life, and her loyalty, gets torn in directions that she’d never dreamed she’d encounter.

Recent Excerpt:

Lucifer turned at the loud clattering sound echoing through the room, his gaze immediately settling on Chloe as she stared at him with wide eyes. He quickly glanced down at the bag that spilled open on the floor, some medical supplies peeking out from under the burlap. “Are you alright?” He questioned as he finished pulling his fresh shirt over his head, it wasn’t like Chloe to freeze up like this, over anything, really.

“What happened?” Chloe’s breathless voice questioned as she took a calculated step towards him. She must have noticed the puzzled look on his face, because she clarified a moment later, “What happened to your wings?”

Right. The scars. He forgot about them sometimes, most people didn’t have the gall to ask when they did see them; but Chloe knew the truth about him, she knew what used to reside where the scars now were. “What do you think happened?” Lucifer ground out bitterly, his hands subconsciously tightening into fists at the memory of red-hot pain searing through his back as feathers were flayed from flesh.

“Lucifer,” Chloe breathed as she shook her head softly, something that would be pity if it wasn’t so gentle filling her expression. “I’m s-”

“Don’t, please.” Lucifer cut her off, lifting a single hand to silence her. He didn’t want to hear her apologize for something she had no control over, something she didn’t do. He didn’t want to be reminded of how he’d had his divinity stripped from him, the ultimate symbol of how his father had done everything he could to render him powerless, to render him human. “Do you have the stuff?” Chloe seemed to pull herself together at the question, her eyes lingering on his side where he was hurt as she nodded softly.

“Yeah, yeah.” She muttered, quickly bending down and retrieving the bag of medical supplies from the floor as she closed the last few feet resting between them. “Why don’t we find somewhere a little more private?”

Ignis:

Unofficial Synopsis:

After Amenadiel thwarts his mother’s plans to kill Chloe via bomb, the Goddess of Creation comes up with a craftier, and only slightly less lethal, remedy for her problem; trapping her in Hell, the last place Lucifer would think to look for ‘his’ Detective. While Chloe’s stuck in her own personal Hell loop, tensions brew between the celestials and humans in her life as they attempt to find her, hopefully, before Hell manages to leave a lasting mark.

Recent Excerpt:

Cold. Numbing cold.

It’s the first thing that assaults Chloe’s senses; and almost immediately she can taste a bitter, metallic tang on the back of her tongue, and a chill that emanates from within her.

The next thing she notices is the absolute darkness that engulfs everything. She can’t see anything, but she can feel the shadows slowly constricting like a snake coiling around its prey, slowly crushing the life out of her. These inky tendrils that reach towards her aren’t normal, they feel sinister, oppressive, insurmountable.

The ice growing in her veins begins to harden, making it difficult for her to will her limbs to move. But she’s been here before, she knows where to find him; and its that simple fact that wills her to summon the strength to turn around.

Her breath catches in her throat the moment she sees his faint outline, barely visible in the distance. He’s the only thing here that the darkness hasn’t yet consumed; and if she can just reach him soon enough, if she can cross the distance that separates them, then maybe, just maybe, she can save him.

Sweet Sin, Unholy Prayers (Collaboration with Calgrycgos):

Unofficial Synopsis:

AKA my cousin’s A/B/O fic. I’d post something from the upcoming chapter if I could, but really, he does the writing and I just throw in some ideas and polish up his sentence structure a bit. Needless to say, I was stoked when he started writing this (it is one hell of a guilty pleasure, pun intended) and I threw what little A/B/O scraps I had at him and told him he could use them if he wanted. Zachary, you’re doing great baby.

Official Synopsis:

In a world where one's gender seemed to determine their worth in society, Chloe had always hoped to be a Beta, or even better, an Alpha. So when she presented as an Omega she felt like God had abandoned her, forsaken her to a fate that she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.

But little did she know that God had larger plans for her than she could ever imagine. Plans that involved a fallen and forsaken son, the revolution of the society that she grew up in, and the defense of a universe that even God can't protect on his own.

Chapter 8 Recent Excerpt:

The moment she stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room she noticed Lucifer sitting at the piano, a lit cigarette hanging from his lips as he stared down at the black and white keys before him. He didn’t look up when she approached, and she wound up coming to a stop across from him; the massive wooden beast separating the two of them as she spoke up, her tone biting even though she wasn’t raising her voice. “Do you enjoy making me feel insignificant?”

Lucifer visibly tensed at the question, his dark eyes flicking up to meet hers as he slowly lifted a hand and pulled the cigarette from his mouth. “What are you talking about?” The words were mostly neutral, even if a hint of annoyance tainted them at the very end.

“Earlier,” Chloe began as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively, feeling far too scrutinized under the weight of his gaze, “when you oh-so-helpfully pointed out how much worse I could have it, how I should be grateful for how easygoing you are.”

Lucifer had the audacity to chuckle at her words, shaking his head as a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I never said that.” He replied as he reached up, resting the still burning cigarette in the ashtray sitting on the glossy black top of the piano.

“But you meant it,” Chloe growled, the nonchalant way he brushed her concerns away only serving to set her even further on edge.

Lucifer stood the moment her voice died away, the soft sound of his footsteps on the ground filling the air as he stepped around the piano. “I thought we agreed that you were going to stop assuming things about me, hmm?” He murmured, something dark underlying the words as he came to a stop a few feet away from her, “That you would stop putting words in my mouth.”

Chloe let out a huff of bitter laughter at his words, her gaze finding the ceiling as she shook her head. She forced her arms back down to her sides as she focused on Lucifer’s miffed expression. “I am so tired,” her voice broke on the simple word as she stepped closer, purposely invading his personal space, “of putting up with abusive Alphas.” The words trembled slightly as they left her lips, but she’d be damned if she was going to let the rest of her life turn into some oppression flavored nightmare that she’d never be able to escape.

“Abusive?” Disbelief blatantly laced the single word as Lucifer stared down at her as though she’d lost her mind. “I haven’t laid a finger on you.”

Soulmate/Daemon/Familiar AU:

Very Unofficial Synopsis:

This is some weird mixture of a daemon/familiar AU and a soulmate AU. I dunno man…I saw a prompt on Tumblr when I was drunk and I actually kinda like what I wrote…maybe this will actually be a thing. Basically, in a world where everyone has a daemon/familiar you can tell who your soulmate is because your daemon will only play with your soulmate’s daemon.

Recent Excerpt:

“Lucifer?” Chloe called out as she stepped into the empty penthouse. Looking around for any sign of her partner as she wrung her hands together nervously. She’d been on edge about coming over ever since Lucifer warned her about his familiar, she wasn’t even sure what she was expecting; a bear maybe, or something else equally dangerous, perhaps a crocodile.

“I’ll be right out,” Lucifer called back, his voice coming from the direction of his bedroom. The acknowledgment set her at ease a bit, and she blew out a long breath as she carefully approached the marble bar to her right. A soft ‘mrew’ sound filled the air a moment later, and Chloe glanced back over at the bedroom doorway only to see a massive black panther, or jaguar, or something, staring at her with huge golden eyes. She swallowed thickly as she stared back at the beast of an animal, part of her wondering how in the world Lucifer had run into a fucking panther only to have the damn thing imprint on him. She didn’t get to wander very far down that trail of thought before the huge cat let out a soft huff and started trotting towards her, gaining more speed with each step as the distance between them dwindled at an alarming pace.

“Lucifer!” Chloe yelled, not entirely sure what her partner would do to stop the massive cat, but hoping that he’d be able to do something.

“Mikhal!” Lucifer barked out a moment later, and the panther slid to a stop before her, coming to a halt with a soft huff only a few mere inches left between them. Chloe let out a long, relieved breath as she dared to pry her gaze away from the beast, her eyes falling on Lucifer, clad only in a towel as he stood in the doorway of his bedroom.

“That’s your familiar?” She questioned breathlessly, a tremor of worry seeping into her voice as Lucifer came down the steps, approaching her with long self-assured strides.

“Surprised, Detective?” He chuckled, reaching out and taking one of her hands in his own before holding it out towards the huge cat. Chloe tensed as it leaned in closer, tentatively sniffing her hand before pulling back and sneezing, the sound echoing through the penthouse. The panther stared up at her for a long moment before rearing up onto its hind legs without warning, and Chloe would have shrunk back if Lucifer wasn’t still holding onto her hand. A moment later she was standing there with its paws draped over her shoulders, the big cat towering over her as her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. She froze in place when it started rumbling, and she didn’t realize that it was purring until after it had licked her cheek, its tongue rough against her skin.

Chloe let out a shaky breath when the massive cat pulled back slightly, daring a glance over at her partner only to find him starting at the encounter with some mix of surprise and wariness on his face. “Can I...can I touch him?” She asked a moment later, not wanting to trespass over the line of touching a persons familiar without their permission. Lucifer only nodded slightly in response, and Chloe took it as all the consent that she’d get from him at the moment. Chloe drew in a long breath as she lifted her arms, slowly daring to bury them in the thick, glossy fur at the panther's shoulders.

The cat rumbled out another purr at the contact, leaning in and nuzzling the side of her face with its own, managing to pull a shaky laugh from the detective. “Ava is at home, correct?” Lucifer’s question broke the quiet with ease, and Chloe nodded as she silently marveled over the fact that she was petting a goddamn panther like it was a common housecat.

“Yeah, she’s hanging out with Trix,” Chloe answered a moment later, suddenly thankful for the warning Lucifer had given her earlier today to leave her familiar at home. She didn’t even want to imagine how scared she would be watching her sweet little red fox try to interact with this mammoth of a cat.

“Perhaps next time you should bring her,” Lucifer suggested softly, and Chloe froze at the statement.

“But...you explicitly told me to leave her at home tonight.”

“I did, yes, because Mikhal has quite literally ripped a person’s familiar to shreds before,” Lucifer explained a moment later, and suddenly Chloe didn’t feel quite so content with the huge cat that was lumbering over her at this very moment.

“Then why the hell would I want to bring Ava over?” She questioned angrily, shaking her head as she shot a glare at her half-naked partner.

“Because, I think that maybe-”

“We are not soulmates, Lucifer.”

The Good Die Young, But So Did This:

Official Synopsis:

A collection of prompt fic asks that I fill and then post on my Tumblr account.

Recent ExcerptList of the Prompts I have left to fill:

“I’ve missed this.”

“I can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending they’re you.”

“Do you regret it?” + “We need to talk about what happened last night.”

“I thought you were dead.” + “You could have died.”

“I should have told you a long time ago.” + “It was you the whole time.”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” + “Was that supposed to hurt?” + “I want an answer, God-damnit!”

“I’m not going anywhere.” + “You could have died.”

“You have to leave right now.” + “Just trust me.”

“Lie to me then.”

“We could get arrested for this.”

“I never stood a chance, did I?”

Fifty Shades of Deckerstar (Collaboration with Nesosana):

Really Unofficial Synopsis:

This is a collaboration that I’m working on with @nesosana…and really, she’s the brains behind the operation. She came up with the idea and it was so great that I asked to join in on the fun ;) This excerpt is basically written entirely by her, so go show her some love if you like it! The title is Fifty Shades of Deckerstar…do I really need to spell that one out, or can we just connect the dots?

Recent Excerpt:

Chloe just stood there, appearing unamused on the outside. But Lucifer had been with her for close to a year now, and he quickly picked up on the subtle cue of his beloved as part of her lip found its way between her teeth. It was clear that she was contemplating it, in fact, he had a feeling that she was doing everything in her power to keep her imagination from running wild.

He wanted to help her explore and fulfill her secret desires, they were his specialty, after all. He proceeded forward cautiously, as if he was approaching a wounded animal. He closed the gap of space between them as he placed a warm, encouraging hand on her forearm; he kept his voice soothing as he spoke, hoping that it would convey that she was safe with him, "Come on, there's got to be something you've always been curious about or wanted to try?"

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip nervously and rubbed her bicep as if it were sore before she began to speak, "Well...I..."

"Yes?"

"I've always wondered about..."

"Go on." Lucifer encouraged.

"This is silly...Lucifer, I can't."

Dishonored:

All Hallowed Eve:

Unofficial Synopsis:

When Jessamine asks him if he’d go with her to the spirit house that’s operating on All Hallowed Eve, Corvo agrees despite his better judgment. As if the threat of being arrested and branded a heretic if caught out after dark wasn’t enough, the Outsider himself had to get involved as well.

Recent Excerpt:

"Follow me, I need to speak with you in private," Jessamine ordered before grabbing the sleeve of my coat, dragging me away from the men staring at us with rapt attention. Ever since the Fugue Feast last year everyone had been acting particularly interested in us when we were near each other. It was nothing more than a mere annoyance. No matter how hard they looked it would be impossible to find something that literally didn't exist, and our rumored relationship was definitely something that didn't exist. We stopped near the end of the training grounds, a short wall dividing the grass from the ocean roaring against the side of the cliff. "Corvo, I'm going out with the Boyle's, the Pendleton's, and the Timsh girl tomorrow evening," Jessamine stated blatantly as she stared out at the ocean.

"I do advise against that, your grace, any civilians caught outside tomorrow night will be tried as heretics if arrested," I told her as I leaned against the wall. Her hair was down today, framing her face as the coastal breeze pushed it around. She must have gotten tired of wearing white, instead dressed in a dark navy tunic and pants which only made her pale skin stand out that much more. She looked over at me a short moment after I spoke up, her icy blue eyes boring into mine.

"Corvo! Stop acting like this!" Jessamine scolded me as she playfully slapped my arm, her voice an annoyed whine.

"Like what, your grace?" I questioned, a smile forming on my face. I knew exactly what she meant, I just enjoyed giving the young Empress a hard time. It was only fair I get her back for all the times she did the same to me.

"Like some stuffy version of my father! Where's the Corvo who's my friend?" She explained. She sounded exasperated and I decided to give her a break.

"Jessamine, I'm just thinking of your safety. What's so important that's happening tomorrow night?" I questioned as I let my Lord Protector mask down, something I only did for her and Geoff.

"There's this…" Jessamine trailed off as she stared at the grass under her feet for a moment before continuing. "This spirit house that some people are running in an abandoned place off the Wrenhaven, they're all going and I want to go with them," She explained quietly, as though she was scared that the men at least a dozen meters away would hear her. I couldn't blame her for keeping her voice down though. Oh, how the citizens on the isles would react if they found out that the heir to the throne wanted to go to a place where the Outsider was worshiped freely! The heresy!

"Oh, come on, Jess! Don't tell me you believe in all of this All Hallowed Eve, Outsider boogeyman nonsense," I chuckled as I shook my head, staring her down as I awaited her answer. I'd never known Jessamine to be religious except for when circumstance demanded it of her, and even then, she really only did religious things to uphold appearances. She’d never struck me as someone who would want to worship any deity, she was much too logical to get caught up in all that spiritual mumbo-jumbo.

"Of course, I don't! But it's supposed to be really spooky," Jessamine quickly answered, her voice still hushed as she began to tap her fingers on the brick wall almost as though she was growing impatient with our conversation.

"Since when do you want to be scared? You always hide behind me the second anything even relatively scary happens.”

“You’re my bodyguard! I pay you so I can hide behind you whenever something scary happens, that’s the whole point of your job.”

Modern Day AU:

Unofficial Synopsis:

When Corvo is given a new set of orders from his General he’s not particularly happy about it. Is babysitting some defense contractor representative really all he’s good for in his commanders’ eyes? It’s not until his assignment, Jessamine Kaldwin, is captured by a rouge sqaud of Al-Qaeda operatives that he realizes that there’s far more than just his ass on the line if he fails to get her back.

Recent Excerpt:

“Delta Squad, the west wall is being breached. Provide immediate support. Over.” The staticky radio ordered as another mortar hit the ground, closer than the last one, rocking the car I was hiding behind and sending dirt cascading from the air like rain.

“Avenger, I’m not gonna be able to do that for you.” I answered gruffly before shooting a few more bullets in the direction of the enemy.

“Delta Squad, that was an order.” The radio buzzed in response, and I felt anger boil through my veins. I was having a hard enough fucking time keeping myself alive.

“Shut the fuck up, Havelock! They’re all dead, the whole squad! It’s just me, so crawl the fuck outta my ass!” I yelled into the receiver.

“Attano?” I heard Havelock question, I didn't reply though because it was right then when I watched a grenade land next to Curnow. I threw the radio down into the dirt as I yelled his name, he looked over at me, then down at the grenade. He picked it up and tossed it back in the direction it’d come from, but it hadn’t gotten more than 10 meters from him before it blew up in the air.

“Curnow!”

I bolted straight up as I woke from the dream. My breath coming in gasps as I buried my face in my hands, the assault on our base had happened little more than a month ago, but I couldn’t erase the memories from my mind. Memories of my squad dying in front of my eyes, of Curnow…

“Sergeant Attano. General Moray is requesting your presence in thirty.” An almost nervous voice broke the silence, drawing my gaze up to the young man standing in the entrance-flap of the barracks tent.

“The General?”

“Yes, Sergeant.” The young private stated before leaving me be. I sighed as I stood up, quickly throwing on a fresh uniform before leaving the barracks. The General’s tent was across the base, which meant I was going to miss breakfast, but if I had to choose between going hungry and angering my commanding officer, I’d sooner starve than find myself walking into his office late. The base was bustling this early in the morning, the loud rumble of Humvees being warmed up for the day and the cadences of a platoon going for a morning jog resounding in the air as the sun began to peek over the horizon, painting the sky with shades of orange and red.

The General’s tent stood out against the rest, far larger than it needed to be, with the US flag and the guidons of every company currently on this base posted outside the front entrance. I paused outside for a moment, hearing the soft drone of a voice that sounded oddly feminine emanating from inside. Really? Did the General lack the common sense to bring a woman onto this installation, half the men here hadn’t seen a woman in months, he had to know that this was asking for trouble. I shook the thought away a moment later, calling through the tent flap as I made my presence known, “General Moray. Sergeant Attano reporting for duty.”

“Come in, Attano.” The Generals deep voice rang out after a brief moment of silence, and I entered the tent to see the General speaking to a young woman dressed in a business suit. Well shit. Maybe my commanding officer was starting to lose his mind, bringing a woman, especially one that looked like that, onto a base that primarily consisted of infantry units. “Attano. This is Miss Kaldwin.” The woman stood at his introduction, and I couldn’t really help it when my eyes started to wander, it’d been a while for me too and I was only human. “She’s a representative of Foster-Miller, one of our defense contractors. She’s here to identify and correct any weaknesses in the current TALON units we have in Afghanistan right now.” My commanding officer concluded, and I nodded at the explanation as I wondered why he felt this information was pertinent to me.

“Nice to meet you, sir.” Miss Kaldwin greeted me a moment later, her crisp bright voice ringing through the tent with ease. I grimaced slightly at the title she gave me, but I quickly decided that now wasn’t the time to have the whole ‘I’m not an officer, only officers are sir’s’ talk. Ugh, civilians.

“Sir, what did you call me here for?” I questioned, returning my gaze to the General as his murky, blue eyes bored into mine.

“I’m getting to it, Sergeant. Give me a moment.” The response was stern, and he didn’t need to scold me twice for me to take the hint.

“My apologies, sir.”

“As I was saying, Miss Kaldwin is here to check on our bomb deactivation units. I’m assigning you to be her escort for the time being, your only job is going to be making sure that Miss Kaldwin here stays in one piece while she checks up on all the robots.” I swallowed thickly as the words gave way to silence. He wanted me to play…babysitter? Was I supposed to be grateful for the opportunity to play bodyguard with some posh government contractor? Why did he want me for the assignment?

“Sir, with all due respect. I’m not sure that’s a good idea…the last time I was on the field-“

“You lost seven men.” The General cut me off, his tone unyielding as he stood up. “I’m well aware of what happened, Attano. I saw your report.” He stepped around his desk a moment later, his gaze roaming over me for a long moment before he continued; “However, you were the only one in your squad that made it out alive, and that has something to say for your skills as a soldier.”

I pursed my lips at the words, I wasn’t a better soldier than any of them, I was just lucky. “Sir, wouldn’t she be better off with a female escort?” Surely he would at least see the logic in that, not that I doubted my ability to control myself, but really, why tempt the devil when it wasn’t necessary in the first place?

“You’re in the infantry, Attano. There are no females.”

“Then give her to an MP, there are female MP’s,” I explained a moment later, quickly trying to recollect if a female MP had come over with the MP company currently stationed on the base.

“Pfft. Nonsense…MP’s. MP’s don’t know shit, Attano. They’re worthless out on the field.” The General dismissed my suggestion with blasé confidence. “This is your assignment. Take it. Or don’t, and I’ll Court Marital you for insubordination.”

Bodyguard in the Streets, Assassin in the Sheets:

Official Synopsis:

AU where Corvo wasn't a gift to the Kaldwins, but instead was sent to ensure either the Duke of Serkonos rise to power or the demise of young lady Jessamine Kaldwin. However, sometimes even the most battle-hardened assassins can change their ways, especially when there's a young, beautiful princess involved.

Recent Excerpt:

“Corvo,” I whispered softly, waiting for him to look up at me before continuing. As the seconds ticked by I wondered if he was going to do anything, or if he was just going to ignore my voice; but after what felt like an eternity, he finally looked up, his still watery eyes finding mine almost timidly. “I love you, and I hate seeing you like this. I hate seeing you in pain. Will you please just talk to me?” I whispered as I pulled my hands from his face and wrapped them around his hands, which were somehow colder than my own.

“There’s-” He stopped as his voice broke, pausing a moment before clearing his throat and speaking up once again. “There’s nothing to talk about,” He finished as he continued to stare at me, pain still more than evident in his eyes. I just wanted to understand, if he would just tell me what was wrong with him I could help.

“Corvo, please,” I begged, my voice so quiet that I didn’t know if he’d hear it even though we were sitting right next to each other.

“What do you want me to say, Jessamine? That I hate who I was in the past, and even though I thought I wasn’t that person anymore I know now more than ever that I am? That not a night goes by that I don’t hear the screams of a little girl who ran into her father’s room only moments after I slit his throat, his body still twitching with the last of his life as she crumpled to the ground absolutely broken?” Corvo paused a moment to draw in another shaky breath as another tear rolled down his face, he wiped it away almost instantly before continuing. “That I’ve killed more people than I can count; made widows, and orphans, and destroyed families? Because all of that is true, but I’m the one who did those things; and it’s my burden, not yours, to live with the guilt now,” Corvo finished, his voice taking on a hard, steely edge as he tried to pull on his unfeeling persona once again. I swallowed as I held his hands a bit tighter, I’d always known Corvo had a bloody and ruthless past, I just didn’t know that it affected him so much to this very day.

“You don’t have to do everything alone anymore Corvo, it’s okay to need help. If you’d just let me I’d…” I trailed off as I realized I had no idea what I could do. I didn’t know how to fix this, I didn’t know how to fix anything.

“You’d what? Make everything magically all better?” The question held a mocking tone, but I knew he didn’t mean it like that. He always pushed people away, it’s what he did when he felt vulnerable, and it was what he was trying to do right now.

“No, but I could help, we could…talk about it,” I stated softly as I tried to caress his jaw, but he pushed my hand away. I admired how he always tried to be strong, but he needed to learn that it was okay to be weak too, it was okay to need someone to help you through life.

“I deserve to feel this pain,” He growled, his voice hard and unfeeling. Full of self-loathing that had become more and more apparent this last day. But he didn’t deserve to feel this pain, and he certainly didn’t deserve to deal with it all on his own. Nobody did.

“No, you don’t.”

Red Queen:

I Have No Fuckin’ Clue:

Very Unofficial Synopsis:

Yeah…this isn’t really anything yet, perhaps it will be someday, but right now it’s kinda just where I dump random scenes my wild imagination comes up with…

Recent Excerpt:

“Who is it?” Julian called out as he heard one of the thick double-doors to his study slam shut, when no response came he quickly peeked out from the corner of the tall bookshelf he was behind, easily catching sight of his nephew as he took a seat at the cluttered desk in the center of the room. “Oh, Cal, how are you?” He questioned as he closed the thick volume in his hands with a dull thud, unable to ignore the way the temperature of the air rose exponentially the closer he stepped to the young prince.

“I’m a mess,” Cal ground out roughly, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes as he slouched against the back of the chair. “My life is spiraling out of control and I don’t know what to do anymore.” He explained, his voice growing louder with each word as he flung his arms in the air and spun the chair in a slow circle.

“Well, someone’s being a drama king,” Julian chuckled, setting the leather-bound book down on his desk as he took the seat across from his nephew. “Did something happen with your father?” Cal only shook his head at the question, his eyes focused on some faraway point in the distance as the chair’s rotation began to slow. “Did something happen with that girl?” The second the question broke the silence Cal stopped the chair, his eyes refocusing as a frown pulled at the corners of his lips. “Of course it’s the girl,” Julian muttered fondly, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at the novelty of it before he asked, “Do you like her?”

Cal’s hands tightened into fists at the question, his voice dark as he quietly ground out, “I want to end her.”

“Let’s calm down there,” Julian placated, lifting an arm out towards his nephew as a wave of heat filled the air, part of him worried that the loose papers spread across his desk might spontaneously combust. “You’re supposed to be making love, not war.”

“She hates me!” Cal explained, drawing in a deep breath before quietly grounding out; “Did you know she pushed me down in the Archeon river? I was soaked, in my military dress uniform.” Despite the dangerous tone his nephew's words held, Julian couldn’t help but smile at the mental image. The little lightning girl that he’d heard so much about had some spunk in her, then.

“I like her already.”

“Julian!”

Borderlands:

I Have No Fuckin’ Clue Ver. 2.0:

Very Unofficial Synopsis:

Much like the Red Queen excerpt above…I really don’t know what this is yet…or if it even is something. But really, I have the Rhysha feels, and I need them in my life. So, here ya go, have some angst.

Recent Excerpt:

“Oh, well, I kinda…own the company now,” Rhys explained with a nervous chuckle, silently wondering if Sasha hated Atlas as much as she hated Hyperion, if she would think that he was trying to rebuild the corporation to exploit Pandoran natives like it did before it faced its economic demise. “Atlas is mine. What’s left of it, at least.”

“Seriously?” Sasha’s voice practically raised an octave, her eyes growing wide as she stared at him in shock. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell if it was the good kind of shock, the kind that ended with her congratulating him on his resourcefulness before ‘playfully’ punching him in the arm hard enough to leave a bruise for the next week; or if it was the bad kind of shock, the kind that would inevitably end with her beating him with her sandal while screaming ‘I thought you changed, you corporate stooge’.

“Yeah.” He shrugged, trying his best to downplay just how proud he really was of Atlas, of the things he’d already accomplished in terms of building up the company to the glory it held before Hyperion ran it out of business. “Jack had the deed in his office, I took it after Helios went down.” Sasha’s expression twisted at the statement, and Rhys winced as he mentally slapped himself for bringing up Jack…God only knew that neither of them had good memories about his late corporate overlord.

“Right, Helios,” Sasha muttered, chewing on her lower lip as she stared at the ground for a long moment. “Rhys…I…” Her big, green eyes flicked up to meet his as she shook her head softly, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d swear that Sasha looked almost…distraught. “I thought you died in the crash.” The words were quiet, but her voice threatened to crack on the syllables regardless. “Why didn’t you drop by Hollow Point to say, ‘hey, I’m still alive guys, good talk’?”

“Sasha…I-”

“I thought I’d never get to see you again.” Rhys swallowed at the statement, suddenly feeling like more of an asshole than he had in a while, which was quite a feat, considering that the guilt of killing nearly three-thousand Hyperion employees as ‘collateral’ to get rid of Jack’s AI had been weighing on him every day since Helios fell to earth in a fiery hailstorm.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured as he reached out, carefully wrapping his fingers around her hand despite the knowledge that touching her would likely end with a concussion. Her eyebrows drew together as she stared down at his robotic prosthetic, and for a moment he wondered if that was the first time she realized that he’d been forced to ‘upgrade’ his biometrics…it wasn’t as though the shift from bright, Hyperion yellow to shimmering chrome was an easy detail to miss. “I just…when I saw the spaceship take off I thought…I thought you left without me on purpose.” Sasha’s concerned gaze flicked up to meet his own the second he stopped to draw a breath, and good God, if there was anyone who could make him feel guilty for assuming something like that just by giving him the right look, it was her. “I thought that, you know…you meant to leave me to die on a crashing space station.”

“I would never willingly leave without you, Rhys.”