A Taste Of What You Paid For

Michelle Radcliffe, though that's probably not the name I'm best known by.

[mvchellerad-blog]

joshrad:

“No, I’m not.” Josh admitted easily, of the pair of them she was more comfortable with lying. It flowed from her easily, and yet despite that skill, he rarely had cause to feel like she was lying to him. 

“I’m getting better. Learning. Could steal all your tricks before you know it.”

Michelle crinkled her nose before laughing at her husband’s claims. It didn’t take a fortune teller to see that Josh would never be able to accomplish that, but she had always loved his refreshing honesty. 

It helped that she knew he would always be that way even when she didn’t want to hear it. “Just as long as I don’t catch you in a wig doing an accent. I don’t think we could survive that.” 

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joshrad:

“Must be all the disguise glasses.” Josh joked – or as close as he got to one – gesturing to hers in much the same manner. “Finally caught up with you.”

“We’ve talked about this, Josh, you’re not even in my league.” Michelle tilted her head at him as if daring him to try and argue that point. She was almost certain the biggest lie Josh had told her was that he hadn’t used up the last of the milk- even then, it had been a poorly done lie. 

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“What?” Josh asked, as though the marks on his face weren’t glaring. His latest hit had more fight left in him than he anticipated. It had mirrored his own own will to survive when he had been held captive. Distant days that still crossed his mind. Empathy hadn’t been enough to deter him from finishing his assignment. 

“Few cuts and bruises. It’s nothing.”

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“Right, this is definitely nothing.” Michelle narrowed her eyes at her husband, gesturing towards his face. “My mistake, my eyes must not be working anymore.”  

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masxnwilliams:

“Your family is part of this crew.“ Mason told her, folding his arms across his broad chest. “Josh is one of us, whether you like that or not. If you didn’t want any part of this then maybe you should have picked a man who didn’t kill people as your husband.” Despite the anger that was fuelled by Michelle’s accusations and claims, Mason kept his voice flat and unwavering. Very few people had the luxury of being spared from Mason’s wrath — Michelle was one of the few.

“Nobody made Josh do anything he didn’t want to do. He has a job to do and a loyalty to the Captain, Josh knows he has a part to play. We all do.“ Mason never wanted Michelle near this part of his life, that was never a secret he had tried to keep hidden. Neverland was dangerous, corrupt and deadly and if it had ever tried to claim her then Mason would kill everybody involved — no matter what side of the border they swore loyalty to. From the stony and stubborn look across her face, Mason doubted that Michelle even knew how far he would go for her.. for his family. 

“I am aware of that.” Michelle may not have been happy with Josh’s decision about remaining in Neverland- hell, a few years prior, she had left him for that very reason. But she had returned because like it or not, she loved him more than she hated this place. 

“Josh is a grown man, he makes his own choices and we figure out how to live with them afterwards. But you encourage him to be like you to make all this easier to stomach and that’s what terrifies me.” 

She often wondered what her life would have been like if she had never met Josh, never met Eric, never saw the devastation that her own brother left behind. So many men had shaped her, leaving her to wonder at times if her lies were the only thing that had been left of the person she once was. “I love him because none of this is easy for him. It’s too late for any of us to be good but the more you try to smooth this path, the further he gets from the person I chose. I can help him weather these storms, I can stand by him when it’s too much to bear, but do not ask me to watch as my husband becomes someone else so that you and Hook no longer have to concern yourself with his emotional wellbeing.”  

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joshrad:

Josh only made it a few steps before his foot connected with a bin that was just before the overpass, sending it’s contents flying. He tended to cycle through the five stages of grief in the immediate aftermath of a hit, more often than not taking some solitary time to process that before he returned to a comfortable numbness, ready to do it all again. 

He slowed then to a standstill, looking skyward before he looked at his wife. 

“It had to be done.”

“I know.” 

The strike against the Cinema wouldn’t stand- she had known that for weeks now, and Josh was too loyal to disregard what he was told to do. If that was enough to send her running, Michelle would have been gone by now. 

“Do you want to hear a joke?” 

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cptnhook:

“Mrs. Radcliffe.” Hook greeted, a stern look around the church clearing it without the need for words, leaving just the two of them for what he imagined was going to be an unpleasant conversation. 

“Your brother is indisposed, so that leaves you with me. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Don’t play that game with me, we both know I’m better at playing innocent.” Michelle kept her tone even, unwilling to budge an inch even if she wanted to scream and rage until he had to find another dusty den to house his men. 

“You killed Dante Blackwell, now I want to know what’s next.” 

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masxnwilliams:

I don’t take commands. Michelle’s words echoed in his mind, and boy did he know just how much his sister wasn’t fond of taking orders— from his parents, from him, from anybody. Half of his teenage years had been looking after his siblings, despite not being the eldest. He always wanted to protect them, even when they didn’t want his protection. Mason sighed as he came to a halt, his blue eyes were as cold as ice as they looked around the church. Michelle might not listen to him, but everybody else would. 

“Everybody out.“ Mason demanded, his voice booming around the church like thunder. His cold, pale, blue eyes scanned around the other thieves, collectors and dealers who had gathered around when Michelle had made her presence known. The crowd of criminals quickly disappeared, some heading for the door Mason had paused in front of and the rest disappearing further inside the abandoned church. 

“What do you think you’re doing?“ Mason growled, turning furious eyes on her.

Michelle crossed her arms as she waited for the room to pile out, unable to stop thinking of how unnecessary it all was. Mason tended to look at her like she was about to make everything he loved fall apart- she had always been good at pretending that it didn’t hurt much. 

“I want you to stay away for a while.” The sentence was almost laughable when she remembered how long he had stayed out of her life already. If it wasn’t for her marriage to Josh, she could have probably counted on a few more years without Mason sparing more than a passing word. “I don’t know what you are planning but whatever it is hurts my family.” 

Her face remained stony, unwilling to give an inch despite her heart catching in her throat as she spoke. “I don’t want a visit from you to perk Josh up enough again just to get him to do whatever the Captain wants. If you want to talk as my brother then we’ll talk, but as Hook’s man, my door is closed.” 

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theothersibling:

“What are you doing, Michelle?” She said softly. This was one of the few times she couldn’t read her sister. 

“I want to know what his plan is.” Michelle didn’t bother lying, well aware that Roxy would see through it. Mason believed what he wanted to, whereas Roxy didn’t trust anything that she didn’t see with her own two eyes. 

“It’s too late to stop whatever he’s put into motion, so I need to be prepared for what comes next.”  

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masxnwilliams:

Mason heard the familiar voice of his sister, but he couldn’t understand her words. No doubt she was here about Josh. Michelle never stopped by unannounced, not unless she needed something and even that happened less than her friendly visits did. For a moment, he thinks about ignoring the sound of her voice and continuing in his attempt to get some sleep but he knows how stubborn and persistent his sister can be.

“Follow me.” Mason ordered, rounding the corner into the common area after climbing out of bed and pulling his t-shirt back on before coming to see what bone she had to pick with him this time. “Now.“ His voice was stern and commanding, he wasn’t going to do this in the middle of The Church in front of everybody else. Mason didn’t like to make a spectacle, he liked his privacy. He intended on leading her outside, away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers. 

Michelle rolled her eyes at the order that for most people, she assumed would sound scary. To her it just reminded her of days when she had barged into his room without knocking or embarrassed him in front of friends- God, she had loved that. 

“I’m not one of your subordinates, Mason. I don’t take commands.” 

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theothersibling:

Roxy moved slowly from around the corner, her eyebrow raised. “Great minds think alike… But is this a fight you want to have?”

“I’m not here for a fight.” Michelle was many things but she was not stupid. Fighting Hook was useless and it wouldn’t actually yield any results, except to cause tension with Josh. 

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“Someone get me either my brother or your Captain, now.” Michelle didn’t need to raise her voice to make it clear that it wasn’t a question as she walked into the church. She had dealt with enough horrors in her life to know how to make a point without making a scene. 

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joshrad:

Home. That was the word that had started all this. The Lost Boys had taken their home from them and they had to pay for that. It seemed just in his mind when he went round and round on it, but his home had never been a run down cinema, it was the woman who’s hand gripped his shoulder and teetered him to reality. Was Dante that for somebody? Who’s home had he wiped from existence. 

He said nothing but abandoned his glass, his self-destructive tendencies lessened with her presence. The stool’s legs screamed against the floor as he pushed it back and walked out of the pub, heading off in the most obscure route possible to their flat. 

Michelle followed him silently- a first in her life, but she knew better than to try and speak now. Reaching Josh when he was like this was like trying to make gold out of yarn, and she was no fairytale creature. 

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joshrad:

Josh’s hand gripped the glass tighter when he heard that familiar voice, feeling a mixture of relief and horror that she was there. She was here which meant she was okay but she was here now which meant her having to see him in a state he tried to shield her from. 

Staring forward, he focused on a bottle of Jim Bean on the shelf, the label peeling ever so slightly at the corner. Where dust brought other’s up and granted them the high of their lives, it made Josh hyper focused. His mind focusing on one thing rather than the ten things usually plaguing him was a high in itself. 

“We have a few minutes.” He would know, after all. 

“Josh.” Michelle put her hand on his shoulder, silently imploring him to listen to her now. When he was in a state like this he didn’t think rationally, or worse yet, his logic told him to do what went against every survival instinct that he had left in him. 

“Please come home with me.” 

[joshrad-blog1]

Josh slipped into the Sheep once he had ditched the evidence of what he had done where no one would find it. He made sure now to be the one thing he usually tried his best not to be – seen. 

Hook had been very specific that they would claim the blame but not the rest was need to know. 

It had been a long time since he felt this way, so desperate to disappear into himself, to hide in the prison of his own silence and not face anything or anyone. In his earlier days he managed to do that with a line of dust and whatever mermaid caught his eye. The wedding ring on his finger halted him from the latter, but the former was still within his grasp. 

His thumb was still pressed to the side of his nose when he emerged from the bathroom, you never had to go far in Neverland to find a dealer or a stash. Glassy eyes stared ahead and ordered a double vodka, and he waited. Waited for the blast, waited for the carnage, waited to see just how much damage he had caused. 

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Michelle had only caught a glimpse of her husband as he disappeared into the bathroom. She had come to the Sheep to meet with Roxy, but chaos soon descended, leading most to run out to survey what had been done. 

Josh running in only meant one thing to her- an idea proven when he emerged looking more doped up than she had ever seen him. 

Standing up from her table, Michelle calmly made her way over, never one to play her cards in the first hand, even with her husband. 

“We can’t be here, right now.” 

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thcpreciousone:

“You’re welcome.” Opal answered pleasantly; she was all about women supporting women. Tilting her head to inspect the woman, the small Fairy decided that her eyes were enough to inspire her to draw up an outfit she could imagine the blonde in.

“That’s definitely your color. Not enough people were Zac Posen for daytime fashion, if I’m being honest.”

“Well, not enough people are me.” Maybe it was vain but Michelle knew she could pull off most looks- it came with the territory of needing to blend in without looking like herself. 

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thcpreciousone:

“I’ll call the doctor immediately.” She retorted, tilting her head as she looked at the older woman with a friendly smile. “You have, like, a stunning everything.”

“Thank you?” Michelle raised her eyebrow at the compliment, not accustomed to them without an agenda attached. 

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thcpreciousone:

“You look like someone who needs coffee.” Opal piped up, never one to shield her words. “And I’ve been around enough women without their caffeine.”

“A full IV drip of it, if you can spare it.” Michelle smiled lightly at the girl, leaning back in her seat.