Alex Tully

The knock at his office door drew Derek’s attention away from the case file he’d been studying. He found Penelope there and couldn’t help but smile despite the horror his mind had just been so deeply engrossed in. “Hey Sweet Thing, what are you doing here? Thought you went out to dinner with everyone else.”

“I did.” Penelope stepped into the office and revealed a plastic bag she’s been holding behind her. “But we decided since you were here being all work engrossing that we’d get you something and bring it to you. A growing boy still has to eat, right?”

Derek chuckled low and shook his head. “Think I’ve grown all I’m gonna grow. And by ‘we’ you mean ‘you’.”

“Technically.” She shrugged as she answered. “But there was talk and juicy gossip about what a good job you’ve been doing leading the team. Should I spill?”

Read More…


Muse: Derek Morgan
Fandom: Criminal Minds

Severus’ hands ran carefully over the steel of the sword. He could tell the value of the thing in the way a thief might or a Muggle; that it was very old and still cared for. Potter had used the sword to kill a Basilisk in his second year; and Snape knew the group was trying to smuggle it out to him and his little friends now. That was the what. He knew the how. The other questions were the tricky ones; the why, when and where.

Amycus and Alecto were quick to offer their services which successfully stopped any attempt on Severus’ own part to interrogate Ginny or Neville.

That left Severus with a Goblin-made sword and questions even Dumbledore’s portrait would not answer. Severus could appreciate, at least from his position as a Spy, Albus’ reluctance to disclose information. Severus’ true intentions had always been a mystery; and once more Voldemort so close to his ear was cause for concern. He understood all of that, as a servant he could even honor it.

As a Headmaster, it annoyed him. This was his school now, and Albus was playing games with it from beyond the grave. Snape wasn’t blind enough to believe that the war would not come to Hogwarts; he couldn’t afford to be. The best he could get was ensuring that last battle would be the only skirmish.

In a way, that was Severus’ skill. Spies could hold a lot of power; could control the “when” and “why” of battles, it was the where that usually beyond his control. The who…

A puppet Headmaster was as powerless as the sword in his hand; important and cared for no doubt, but in the end his position would forever hang on Dumbledore’s whim, or the Dark Lord’s.

His musing was interrupted by the stone stairway admitting the groundskeeper, and quietly Snape slide the sword back onto his desk.

“Thank you for coming, Hagrid.” He began. “I wanted to tell you I have decided upon a punishment for the children. They’ll be assisting you for one week…” A Spy could only play with the details. “I trust that won’t be a problem?”



Severus Snape
Harry Potter
365

The Ministry had fallen, and with Albus Dumbledore dead it had been as easy as the Dark Lord always promised. It happened one night simply, and tidily, like a school boy picking up toys after recess. Lucius would have admired the skill if he hadn’t been trapped in Azkaban.

He would have cheered the death had he not been waiting for news of his son and when he was released…

His last thoughts were of the war.

Lucius stared at the pattern of his drawing room carpet without moving. He didn’t so much as flinch when Voldemort circled, or put one scaly hand against the back of his neck. He was only vaguely listening to the Dark Lord as he spoke, paying only lip service as the man spoke. By now, it was natural for Lucius. By now, he didn’t realize he was lying.

“Aren’t you grateful, dear Lucius? I have given you life and liberty and yet you seem less than thrilled to see me. I ask myself why that is…have you forsaken me?”

“My Lord, my life and freedom is yours as it always is.…I live only as you see fit." Lucius braved a glance upward, towards the shut doors. A few feet never seemed so far away. “Had you wished me dead, you would have made it so.”

“Do you want to die?”

Lucius looked up, but could not bring himself to meet those red eyes. He doubted it was for the same reason Voldemort thought. No matter. Let the Dark Lord think what he would, Lucius attention returned to the door.

“Do you deserve to die?” Voldemort’s words were soft and curious; testing loyalty. Lucius knew a cue when he was offered one, and he sang right on the mark.

“For what I have done, yes.” Lucius whispered. “But I will die when my Lord deems it so. Not a moment before.”

He forced himself to catch those red eyes; knowing the Dark Lord could see right past every defense. He didn’t know how, but the man before him always did. Voldemort smiled a thin, ugly grin before moving past him. If he was satisfied for a moment, that was enough.

The doors opened as Voldemort left; admitting Narcissa and Draco moments later. The seconds it took for wife and child to find his arms were worst then any Dementor, any Auror’s curse. Lucius touched Draco’s face and hair without thinking, unsure if he trusted the moment.

His hands found his son’s left forearm, running over the smooth skin, before Lucius finally began to breathe again.

Severus was watching from a corner as usual and for a split second their eyes met over Draco’s head; before the Potions Master bowed his head once towards Lucius and disappeared after the Dark Lord.




Lucius Malfoy
Harry Potter
465

Listen?

I don't think you can ever completely understand anyone. We've all got entirely too many facets to ourselves for anyone to know us inside and out. We've all got some little part of us that makes the people we love stare at us and be all..."What is she on about?"

I know I do.

It's mostly my Twilight love. Which okay, if you don't like it fair enough. But do I go and tell you that your love of Elves and people from the Shire is stupid? NO. NO I DO NOT. So I think I should be given the same courtesy! If I don't go around mocking the things you love don't mock the things I love.

And maybe you should listen more to why people like the things they do love. Or just listen to people.

But too often it seems like everyone gets it in their heads that they don't have to and that their way is right and blah blah blah. That just leads to a lot of people not listening and a whole bunch of mean spirits.

NOT that life has to be sunshine and daffodils. Come on, it's so not. I know that. Believe me. But why do we have to go around deliberately making it harder for everyone?

If I didn't try and listen to people then I totally wouldn't be able to do my nifty new teleportation spell. Which is so awesome. One second I'm here and the next I'm there. So listen! You can learn new things! Which is totally better than not listening and annoying the Supreme Sorceress of Limbo. Seriously, people. Have you seen what she looks like when she just gets up in the morning? I'm totes not messing with that...

Um! Anyway! Just try and listen!

Megan Gwynn (Pixie)
X-Men
300

Who do you think I am? Sherlock Bruce?

There’s nothing that irritates me as much as someone determined to understand me. I don’t want to be figured out, I’m not a game to be won or a puzzle to be conquered. I am who I am and you either accept that on face value or move on and find someone you can accept – don’t try and rationalise me into someone else. Someone better, someone more like the story you want to be in.

So, I pay others the same courtesy. I don’t sit around trying to work out who they really are. I trust if they want me to know them, I’ll know them and if they don’t, I won’t. And I respect them enough not to try to understand them but just to take them for who they want to be with me for as long as they want to be it.

I just enjoy the ride. Too much analysis and thinking and worrying and understanding does nothing but get in the way of people just getting along and ask anyone, I’m what you call a people person: I like everyone just to get along and have a good time. It works for me.

Bruce Wayne is the world’s greatest bachelor, not the world’s greatest detective. I’ll leave all that understanding to the Dr. Phil’s of the world. I’ve never been able to pull off a southern accent.

OK, so you want to know what I do when I don’t understand someone? Well, part of being a kid is finding out stuff, right? So I find out stuff about them. I ask them about themselves, what they like, what they enjoy doing, what they think and believe about things. And I watch them. How they act towards and around others. What sort of things they say, and how what they do is the same or different from what they say.

I basically want to like people, OK? And I want them to like me. I want to believe that people are good and kind and they have good hearts. So understanding them is important in getting to know who they are and what they’re about. I don’t want to believe that anybody is a bad person or evil or unkind. I try to see the good in everybody unless they prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are evil.

Words: 163
Muse: Carol Anne Freeling
Fandom: Poltergeist

What do I do when I don’t understand someone?

I make an effort to understand them, of course. Whether the person is a loved one, a friend, a colleague or even a total stranger, I always make that effort.

Human beings are fascinating, on all levels. Part of what I do has to do with human behavior, after all. What motivates people to do what they do intrigues me. Why do they believe what they do, and what convinces them to make the choices that they end up making? And why, oh why, do so many of them not appreciate what a wonderful thing life is, how lucky they are to simply exist?

My work is about helping them to understand themselves, in a way. So many people actually don’t. I help them to understand how far they would go in order to survive. What they would be willing to do in order to save their own lives.

Words: 158
Muse: John Kramer AKA Jigsaw
Fandom: Saw

When I was young, I often fantasized that my parents had survived the explosion.

It made things a bit easier, to lie in bed and pretend that they weren't home not because they were dead, but because they were both safely tucked away in hospital. They couldn't call because they were both in a coma, but they would eventually wake up. And then one day they would come home and life would be the way it was before I saw them die.

I could have never dreamt that one day, my fantasy, my small tendril of hope that I clung to so tightly, would be my own daughter's reality. ( And I doubt that it gives her any of the same comfort that it once gave me. )

Muse: Alex Drake, Ashes to Ashes
Prompt: #305: Write about something you've outlived.
Verse: Open/Canon Verse
Word Count: 282
Note: This is a really old prompt, but I forgot to post it in the comm when I joined.

There's a tattered, leather bound book that sits on her nightstand. No one opens it but her, and even she rarely writes in it. Usually she doesn't think about it, but every now and again, an overwhelming need overcomes her to write down the things she can no longer say. ( The secrets she no longer has anyone to tell. )

------------
Cut for length and spoilers for Children of Earth.
------------
Muse: Gwen Cooper, Torchwood
Prompt: #311 - Thank somebody for something.
Verse: Open Verse
Word Count: 461

I thought this was a human place, but I’m fairly sure the new family upstairs are Velourian demons. I wasn’t too happy when Mickey the Zipper told me, but he told me to look on the bright side. Some people like them – it’s not always a bad thing to have rodent-eaters living locally.

They say that there’s nowhere in the city where you’re more than ten meters from a rat but the right neighbours can clean up that problem fast.

I suppose I should be thankful. I really should. I’ve never really got used to being just on the edge of sleep and then hearing something scuttling in the walls; a gnawing sound somewhere in the room can be worse, though.

(We didn’t have that problem at the Hyperion. I wonder if having a vampire that didn’t bite people on the premises had something to do with that? I never thought of it at the time. He just kept blood in the fridge, but it can’t have felt natural to him. Perhaps he sometimes fancied a warm meal? I’m just as glad that I never found out, but it’s a bit late to thank him for that.)

It’s been quite quiet since they came. They don’t play loud music, either, you’d hardly know they were there. Maybe I should thank the Velourians for being good neighbours? I don’t think I will, though. They keep themselves to themselves. I don’t think they’d want to have a stranger knocking on their door just because he lives in the same building.

I suppose they might be lonely. They might be really delighted if I did knock … but I don’t think I’ll bother. I wouldn’t want them to invite me in for a snack.

Muse; Doyle.
Fandom; Angel, the series.
Words, 291

The topic for the week of 27 November - 3 December 2009 is:

Thank somebody for something.

1. Put current season TV spoilers behind a cut.
2. Your post must be a minimum of 150 words to count towards your community membership.
3. Put posts longer than 450 words behind a cut.
4. Put the topic number and/or text in the subject header of your post.
5. Sign your post with your muse's full name and fandom.

Reminder: To remain current, you must have answered at least one of Topics #308, 309, 310, 311 by December 3rd.

I try to understand them. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Take Sissi, for example. When I first enrolled at Kadic I couldn't understand why she was such a bratty snob; how she could act so rude to me or any of the other students one minute, and then turn around and act so sweet to Ulrich- and expect him to fall for it! The more I saw, the more it made me dislike her. Sure, Sissi revealed brief snippets of humanity here and there, but those were usually erased by Returns to the Past.

Then we defeated XANA and shut down the supercomputer, and Ulrich extended an olive branch to Sissi. At first I couldn't understand why he had done it, not after Sissi had been nothing but nasty to us. Obviously he had seen something where the rest of us hadn't. I tried my best to at least act civil toward her.

But the more time I spent with Sissi, the more I started to understand how she acted. She was the principal's daughter, a girl from a rich family who was being raised primarily by her father. She was used to getting her way and acting out when she didn't. She had always wanted to be a part of our group, but trying to get our attention the only way she knew how worked against her. Once we started being nicer to Sissi, she started being nicer to us.

Muse: Aelita
Fandom: Code Lyoko
Word count: 243

happy turkey day. turkey and ham are in the oven.

What do you do when you don't understand someone? When I don't understand someone, I try to make an effort to understand.

I was recently in Seoul, South Korea. It's a very beautiful city. I found it to be like any big city one would find in America or Europe... only with a far more high-tech infrastructure than most. And made up of those whom spoke Korean, and not English. A difference in language did make it harder to understand the people. But I found them to be like most others I've encountered on my travels. The people was friendly and nice. Even to a stranger different from them, they showed kindness and understanding.

When I was in Korea, they was celebrating a three day harvest festival called Chuseok. Its apparently something like the American holiday Thanksgiving. Only Chuseok is more about honoring ones ancestors than about being thankful for a good harvest of food. I found the people of Seoul to be like those of other countries. Despite the difference in appearance, language, rituals, and beliefs. They had the same love of family. The same fears and worries as all other people's. Like most others around the world, they want to find happiness and love in life. They want to have a nice peaceful life with their loved ones.

I'm young, so I know there is much I don't understand. When it comes to understanding the ways of all the different cultures of the Earth. Humanity and all their unusual practices can be very confusing. There is so many different cultures and ways of living that I don't understand. But just because I don't understand allot of stuff. That doesn't mean I will choose to remain in the dark. I want to learn about all the diverse cultures and countries around the world. I want to have a better understanding of people. I'm not going to judge anyone based on stupid stereotypes or prejudice born of hate and misunderstanding. No matter how difficult, I will always try to respect everyone regardless of differences. I will try to be tolerant and accepting of everyone. My hands will always be open for a respectful handshake to all who wants one. And my arms will always be open to a warm embrace as friends.

Topic #310
Muse: Power Boy
Fandom: DC Comics
Words: 392