Alex Tully

It feels like he's been living on borrowed time ever since he'd arrived in Camelot.

Not that it's just time he's borrowing, there's been: borrowed books from Gaius, borrowed courage from Arthur, borrowed insight from Gwen, borrowed information from the dragon, borrowed cleverness from Morgana, borrowed magic from the very heart of Camelot itself.

But none of it frightens Merlin more than the borrowed time. It's a constant game of give and take, push and pull and the only place he seems to be getting with it all is deeper and deeper into the pit. He borrowed from the dragon to save Camelot but the price may very well cost all of Camelot. He borrowed from his mother her very life in order to spare a kingdom and for his oath he got what he needed: a command to murder. He poisoned Morgana to save the kingdom but he knows he's simply borrowing time. Morguese won't allow Morgana to die and eventually the two of them will return and Camelot will once again be under siege - but only if the Great Dragon doesn't destroy it first.

Merlin's been constantly borrowing time every since he's come to Camelot. But now he fears time has run out and all his debts have are coming due.


Muse: Merlin
Fandom: Merlin
Word Count: 214

In the first place, being given a gift is a fairly odd circumstance for me. I received the odd treat and such as a child, of course, but have managed to abstain fairly thoroughly from any gift-giving practices as an adult.

(It helps to be from the Soviet Union.)

But I have nonetheless received gifts as an adult. Usually for Christmas, in staff gift exchanges, or at birthdays if somebody discovered the date of the accident of my birth. Small trinkets, sometimes charming, sometimes not. Pens, a lot of the time, or potted plants. I could have a veritable garden at my apartment if I were so inclined from all the plants I have received over the years.

Napoleon Solo once gave me a rabbit's foot. No holiday, no birthday, no apparent reason whatsoever. He had never struck me as a particularly superstitious man, nor does he now. And yet, when I asked him why on earth he felt compelled to give me such an odd little trinket, he merely smiled and said, "You never know when you might need a little luck."

I admit, I have a superstitious expectation that the thing will save my life some day. Probably by stopping a bullet.



Illya Kuryakin
Man from UNCLE
Approx. 200 words

There are a dozen portraits in Lucius’ parlor; and each one has a dozen stories Lucius knows. As a child, their lives were his bedtime stories and he memorized each tale as if they were fantasy- like Merlin himself. He can tell you it all, point to a picture and he’ll tell you who they were and why.

The Malfoy family has been a constant force in England for centuries- a descendant of the Founders themselves. They’ve built up the country, have suffered in want and flourished in wealth like England himself.

They can tell the stories themselves if they want: all except Eadric and his silent picture; those who were Headmasters, and womanizers, those who ran Gringotts, and those who gambled their fortune to almost ruin. There were champions of progress adoring the walls, great-grandfathers and uncles who charted treaties, fathers and sons who waged wars. Each one of them have the same excuse for whatever they did- be it great or terrible.

They were Malfoy.

There are times when Lucius can walk into this room and wear that pride like a bird’s plumage; where he is every bit their son, and their heir, the good and the bad. There are times when he wonders what his son, his great grandchildren will say when they view his portrait and what little additions will adorn the walls then. He thinks- only fleetingly, however- about the brand on his arm- and wonders what history will say.

And usually, the private joke that plays in his head is enough to calm his fears, or humor his mood; they will say he is Malfoy.

What else?



Lucius Malfoy
Harry Potter
237

Timeline: At the end of the Season 6 two part episode "Dreamland"

(Really, Mulder's first reaction was that it had to be some kind of elaborate prank.)

Fox Mulder
The X-Files
479 words

The necklace was his dad’s, a simple gold cross that had belonged to his granddad before his father. Derek had only seen his Grandfather wear it in photographs from time passed. But he could clearly remember the necklace hanging around his dad’s neck as if it were yesterday. It dangled from his father’s neck when he was working on the car or the sink. When his father read a story to the kids at night or when he held Derek close, Derek’s small fingers always wrapped around the metal of the cross, warm from his dad’s body heat. Even when the cross was tucked safely away in his father’s shirt, Derek knew it was there. The golden chain that the cross hung on was always visible unless his father wore a collared shirt.

Read More…


Muse: Derek Morgan
Fandom: Criminal Minds

Tony had sworn that he was done with benefits and charity balls after taking his role as Iron Man, but December 12 was an exception. The Maria Stark Foundation had its charity ball on or around his mother's birthday, and there was just no way he could really miss that one. Not when it was such an important date. Not when he needed something to keep his mind busy with, because there always seemed to be an emptiness inside him around his mother's birthday - especially since the day fell so close to the day when his parents had been killed, and the holidays.

( I'm a like the ringleader, I call the shots (Call the shots) I'm like a firecracker I make it hot When I put on a show All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus When I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip just like a circus Don't stand there watching me, follow me, show me what you can do Everybody let go, we can make a dancefloor just like a circus )


Tony Stark
Iron Man

Teleportation is Pixie's favorite new thing to do. She's managed to annoy nearly every resident of Xavier's with her popping in and out, leaving behind a nice puff of pink smoke. At least it doesn't smell like Mr. Wagner's does. She often reminds the others of that before disappearing.

She figures that she needs to practice so that she can do it without concentrating too hard. So that in the middle of a battle it will become second nature for her. And isn't that the point of practicing your powers?

Except this isn't a power. This is a spell. And sometimes she doesn't quite end up where she wants to. Usually she's only a few feet from her destination but one time she ended up somewhere awful. Somewhere that the sun burned bright but all the colors seemed to fade. Somewhere she never wanted to go again.

Pixie didn't stay long and she concentrates hard on where she is supposed to end up now. She has no intention of letting the magic take her back there. She's not even all that sure how she managed it. She doesn't want to look to closely at the reasoning because she knows she probably won't like it.

But flittering from place to place is fun and eventually it will be useful. For now she's quite content to flick here and there. Even if she secretly hopes Illyana will teach her how to make a time-turner.

Megan Gwynn/Pixie
X-Men
242

The topic for the week of 11 - 17 December 2009 is:

Write about something old, something new, or something borrowed.

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 #310, 311, 312, and 313 by December 17th.

Rerun - #178: Mommy/Mummy

( Age 17... )

Muse: Chris Sánchez
Fandom: S.W.A.T
Word Count: 533

"I was just following orders."

( It's probably one of the lamest excuses anyone can ever give, though it is the cry of underlings across the world and through time, is it not? )

Muse: Julian Sark
Fandom: Alias
Words: 284

Dear Brayden,

Thank you for the lovely note informing me that I am going to be a grandfather again. I truly appreciated it. It was good of you to think of your poor father stuck in the bowels of hell dealing with incompetents. Unfortunately your letter got to me after your mother's, aunt's, and sister Alana's.

Have you and your lovely Claire given any thought to actually coming home and possibly settling down any time soon? It would be nice to see you two and the grandchild in person instead of just through letters and photos.

Your mother is already sighing happily and looking over old baby pictures and dusting off old baby items and talking with your aunts and your sisters. I think that she is going to invoke maternal privilege and insist you move back somewhere the family has a house so that she can come and visit often. She also knows that while Claire is good at what she does, she'd like to have one of the family physicians examine just to be on the safe side.

For my part, the Zabini estate in Cornwall, just right there on the coastline, near Tintagel, will pass to you on the event of my demise...you might consider it opening it up and taking it as a temporary home. Just to appease your mother and aunts. I have keyed it to recognize both you and Claire for Apparition. Anyone will have to come up and knock on the gate. This way of course allows the two of you to maintain your privacy.

Let me know of course what you all will do. I promise to aid both of you within the extent of my power.


With affection and love,

Your father

Blaise Zabini
CEO, Zabini Enterprises
111 Hunt Street
London, England

www.zabiniworksforyou.com.uk

Blaise Zabini
Harry Potter

Yes, I know I haven't been posting lately. I do have a pretty good reason.

I've just moved to a new state (yet again) from a dry as hell one that has a habit of spontaneously combusting every single year to a wet as hell one were if the army's not playing war games then it means there is a tornado warning in effect. Predictably, my immune system went bonkers on me two weeks ago. Although I've never once had the flu (I grew up playing in an open air sewage drainage ditch which gave my immune system one hell of a jump start) I caught it this time around and spent one week in something near a state of "zombie" and last week in bed. I'm just now getting back into the swing of the normal routine.

Please forgive my absence and any third rate nyQuil inspired posts I may have written in the past couple weeks.

Gaius finds the King in the council chambers; alone save the tankard and uneaten food he’s used as a paperweight. Stretched out before him are a dozen scrolls, and vellum manuscripts he will show the four crowns of the neighboring kingdoms when they arrive. A future of peace rests on wording, and Uther takes great pain to make sure everything is as it should be.

He favors the physician with his sharpest look as he crosses the table, to scoop up the parchment that has fallen. “I will sleep soon. No lecture.”

“I don’t believe you.” If Gaius meant it was a jest or as a subtle reminder of the truth; Uther had lost the privilege to question but still the King glanced up and watched him for a moment. Memories of the Witch finder were still fresh in both their minds, and it was enough to stay Uther’s rebuke and his hand for now.

There was a flash of uncertainty in Uther’s face before he returned to the papers as before. Every so often Gaius glimpsed a little of the Knight that had taken Camelot two decades ago by force and ushered in peace. That man had been quiet, humble and terrified of the crown he took; but just as determined to wear it as he had been to free the people from tyranny. There had been something insecure about the man, like a wary soldier who despite his prowess on the battlefield, seemed incapable of resting without a reassuring word; a promise someone was covering his flank. And every so often the warrior King peeled back to reveal that unsure Knight.

Occasionally, it made it harder for Gaius.

“You’ve checked on Morgana?” Uther said after the silence had made him shift in place. He wasn’t reading the paper in front of him Gaius could tell that even in the dark, but he made a good show of it.

“Yes Sire. She seems to be sleeping much better now, even without my help.”

“And Arthur?”

“The same.”

Uther nodded, disinterested but Gaius caught the subtle relaxing of the King’s shoulders, and the crease of his brow disappear. They were only a handful of words but taken from Gaius they were gospel and only then did Uther allow himself to yawn and the exhaustion to pepper his features. “Thank you Gaius,” He muttered more to the paper then to the man and when he looked up, he gave him a tired smile so much like his son’s, and that long forgotten Knight. “I’ll take that draught now.”

Gaius inclined his head for a brief second as he placed the bottle within the King’s reach. “Get some rest, Uther.”

“I will,” He promised and meant it. “Goodnight, Gaius.”



Uther Pendragon
Merlin BBC
457

This has been quite the year, for both myself and for Coventry.

The country has been slowly but steadily rebuilding after the end of the war. Lord Aron and Lady Miranda have been spearheading everything, of course and for the most part they have the full support of Coventry. I say "for the most part" as there are those who insist on making things difficult.

Most of our problems seem to come from the Furies. The Furies are a group of young witches and warlocks, about the age equivalent of high school and college students on Earth. They enjoy the thrill of causing problems, just for the hell of it. My biggest fear is that they may be working with Vey and Tsuris, Aron's nephews by his youngest brother Fredo. After Fredo died Vey and Tsuris were raised by Thantos, which means his ideals are now theirs.

This was the year that I also became a father. Ileana told me about her pregnancy at the end of April. I'll admit, I was stunned and more than a little scared at first. I had so many questions, doubts and worries - especially worries.

But Nia is a month old, now, almost five weeks. I still have doubts and worries about fatherhood, especially now that she's here. But she's my daughter, and I love her. That's all that really matters, right?

Muse: Karsh Antayus
Fandom: T*Witches (DCOM Version)
Word count: 229

#21. What is good and what is evil?

( Good vs. Evil )

Sally Blevins/Skids
X-Men
175+

Would you rather lead or follow? Why? What role do you see yourself playing out over your life, leader or follower?

( Lead. )

Muse: Ororo Munroe
Fandom: X-men
Word count: 434

( Well, that's... )

Muse: Cecily Stephenson
Original Character
Word count: 261