–– closed starter for @delvedinto ; florence’s rehearsal ’ 7pm.
" you needed a ride? " dylan had appeared entirely quietly in the doorway , slinging his backpack from his aching shoulder. one of these days he'd actually dislocate it again , but luckily today had not been that day. it'd been close though , he could tell. the muscle ached and the joint felt a little warm and swollen. nothing he wasn't used to though. his gymnastics training and military training meant he could be surprisingly light on his feet. " how's the rehearsal going ? "
𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: probably inside the musala. ––– FLASHBACK.
𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐: @delvedinto
“ your hearing is in a week. ” the words, while accompanied by a written version of the declaration, seem vacant & distant as the male stands from his seat. he pushes through the door with little desire to even glance at what the paper said, mostly because he knew it’d be pointless to study before he had to stand in front of a judge & explain why he shouldn’t be exiled. lukas was still unsure if it was the worst thing in the world.
head turns as he feels somebody approach him. if it was oliver, he might want to be careful. lukas still had a perfectly unscathed fist & a burning need to let off steam still pent up from their fight earlier. well, it was more of lukas pounding on oliver because he’d managed to actually catch him off - guard, but it’s not like that was an important detail. at the sight of helena, his jaw falls slack & against his will, his heartbeat picks up just a tad. “ listen, i don’t know what the fuck he said to them, but he started it. ” he didn’t care what most people thought about him, but helena wasn’t really most people. his steps don’t slow, though, continuing to walk until he’s right in front of the door to the stairs.
that’s when he turns, extending the packet of papers out to her as a scowl twitches at his lips. “ if you’re curious, you can take a look at every other time that asshole has tried to ruin my life & gotten away with it because i decided to do something about it. ”
with no moral compass, the world was her playground, which is why it wasn’t unusual for the girl to have climbed through a window in ace bishop’s home. making her way up to his bedroom, she rid herself of her clothes and skipped into his closet, pulling a black l.a kings jersey over her head as she let the oversized fabric take over her frame. grabbing one of the white ones for good measure, she made her way out of the closet, offering a wide smile to florence when she saw that she had entered the room, completely unbothered and unapologetic about it. “what do you think?” she asked, standing in front of the mirror as she looked at her self, holding up the white jersey next to her. “the black is sexy, but the white looks more pure, just like me.”
he’d come to be sort of a master in living in his own graveyard , a ghost wandering and weaving to avoid the rest of the living in hopes of keeping his peace protected . running into people on the street was easier when the sun was out and the sunglasses could keep wandering eyes from accidental contact with someone from his past . kels doesn’t mean to stare when he sees her , catches himself after only a couple brief seconds as he turns away quickly . “ shit . ” male murmurs , teeth grinding momentarily before he turns in time to be met nearly face to face with dilys . “ hi . ” the greeting is forced , obviously , and kels can’t remember the last time they actually spoke . “ i , uh . . . thought you’d still be in new york . ”
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 the vibration of his phone against the long marble kitchen isle disturbed the conversation unfolding between him and his father ; azure hues almost as a reflection , glimpsing at the screen . frown draw upon features when the name caught his attention , immediately picking the device to reply but the urgency has large frame upon his feet to grab the car keys and get out the door . never has him made the drive to his ( former ) sister in-law so fast . replaying the recent trip they both took , the unhinged behavior of the blonde and flicker of fear in the hotel . actors mind playing wild with the possibilities of what could have gone wrong . the travel down to beverly hills , cut by half , squealing the tyres somewhere in the avenue until it come to stop in front of actresses’ home . jumping off the car to get to the door when the familiar car was making a turn .
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 she had known something was wrong for a while, but athena kept pushing her away - kept insisting everything was fine, kept telling her she was being too overbearing, too over protective. and she hoped that she was. she hoped that her fears were wrong. but as her phone rang with the text message from flynn, her worst fears were confirmed. did she take it to far with the drug use? was her feeling of being followed actually correct? she had no idea, but she knew she had to get over there right away. she received the text right after getting off the stage at the hollywood bowl, not even taking the time to change out of her sparkly gown before hopping in her car, and rushing to her beverly hills home, thankful she wasn't all the way out in palm springs. reaching into the glove compartment to pull out the tiny, pink pistol she kept in there, charging towards the door like a bat out of hell when she saw julian standing there already. "out of my way, julian."
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 fear afflicted upon sharp features at the sight of the eldest sinclair : he knew it would take a lot of convince before he can ask for something . hues expanded wild at the glimpse of pink ornament ; hands up in surrender when he stands promptly in front of ex wife . unsure of what they might find inside . heart caught on his throat ; fighting to not allow his mind to even imagine the worst scenario . he loves athena deeply : it’s family . “ p —- “ single word tumbling his lips , controlling the woven that inflicts underneath . yet , as he is about to continue , the sound of something falling and followed by a groan cants his head to the front door . the open window and the male voice making him alert . there is not way he is letting persephone inside . “ let me go first , “ he requests . now realizing the third car parked near . “ let me see if they are inside “ /
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 fiercely protective, especially over her little sister. she never wanted her to have to go through anything that she did, never wanted her to feel like she had to fend for herself or that she was alone in her problems. never wanted her to feel broken or taken advantage of. and it may have came off as controlling, as trying to parent her, but she would've done anything for her sister. and as she hears noise coming from the house, she steps forward once again, chin lifting as hand grips the gun in her grasp tighter. "that's my sister in there, tony." she said, trying to keep her shaky voice steady. "it's my job to protect her and you're not going to stop me."
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 reaction comes as expected from years of knowing her , the fire that boils underneath her skin when it comes to those she care , more so the only attachment to old family she carries . afraid to see the sinclairs do any hurt to little sister . the thought alone increasing the fear of what they may encounter behind closed doors ( still ) creeping his mind . bodyguard’s encrypted message to denounce something must be too out of common for having both of them to come . “ —— fine “ word muttered against grip teeth . arm , stretched out in order to keep her from stepping forward in front of him . there’s no way he is letting her inside first , and definitely not with a ~gun~ . “ give me that , ” he wasn’t going to negotiate . “ please “
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 she’d throw herself into the fire to protect the people she loved most, Julian included, despite how terribly angry she was with him at the moment, she didn’t want anything happening to him either. But time wasn’t on their side in this moment, and all she wanted was to see Athena’s face and know she’s okay. Deciding agains arguing with him, she glares at him as she hands over the gun, stepping closer once more. “Just get the door open, tony.”
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 protective frame overstep in front of her , somehow taller and more angular , to keep him in the front line , cold metal of the pistol slipped against his waist band . two more steps until his hands are twisting the handle , a laborious lungful of air to keep mind at alert when he opens the wide door . shit . one arm to moved persephone further behind , throat swell and ache with the knot that forms and matches the fear balled tightly at his stomach at the sight of his sister - in - law , unconscious on the floor . breath catches in his throat , heart thumping louder against rib cage but he approaches with caution . " thena , it's me . " a whisper closer to her , checking her pulse and voice woven with solicitude . " i'll get you out of here , okay ? " azure eyes glimpses over at persephone . " call 911 " firmly requesting , when a new sound coming from upstairs caught his attention . a maniac peal of laughter ; somber enough to send a chill down his spine . " get out of here , now . " arms passed around athena's fragile body . keeping her close in his embrace before moving outside the house and gently laying in the front poarch . " call an ambulance and call 911 , and don't come inside . "
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 she’s a woman on a mission and all she can think about is getting in there and getting her sister - was too much of an optimist at a fault to even have the thought of anything being terribly wrong cross her mind - they had been through hell and back together and they were always okay. but as Julian opens the door and her eyes land on Athena unconscious, her heart drops to the bottom of her stomach, eyes go wide and throat goes dry. “Athena, oh my god.” She choked out, pushing past the barrier of Julian’s arms as she ran toward her sister in a panic, moving to the floor next to her as she lifted face off the floor, gently patting her cheek as Julian check her pulse. “thea, thea, we’re here, we’ve got you, okay? wake up!” she said eyes shooting towards the staircase at the sound of noise and a cynical laughter, fearful gaze shooting towards Julian and before she could comment she’s, using one arm to get to the otherside of Athena to help Julian lift her, the other shaky hand fumbling with her phone to call the police, trying her best to inform them of the location and getting them to bring the help that was needed. they asked her to stay on the line, moving to sit on the front porch to use her lap as a cushion for Athena’s head, hands soothingly running through sisters hair as she hopes to see her eyes open, but attention is shot back up to Julian when he said not to come inside, hand instinctually reaching up to grab his tightly. “Julian what the fuck? Are you insane? You’re not going in there!” she shouted at him
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 with both of them outside , safe and ( somehow ) out of reach , he is one step further to get pass the door again . previous feelings vanishing to give it space for anger , another glimpse at the unconscious blonde on the floor enough to send him out of his right senses . “ p , “ freeing his hands from her grab , not until give it a gentle squeeze . “ it might be flynn in there , we gotta do something . “ and the venomous glare that flickers his eyes at the satisfaction of , if unable to run into the bodyguard or help . have both hands wrapped around whoever made this to his sister . “ I’ll be right back , I promise . “ it doesn’t matter how unsettle things are for them right now , at this moment , he doesn’t care . kneeling to place a kiss at her forehead .
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 knows not to fight with him - knows that every second is crucial. and selfishly, she doesn’t want him going in there, wants him safe out here, waiting for the authorities - no matter how mad she is at him, she loves him, as much as she does her sister that lays in her lap at the moment. and she knows he’s not a coward, knows that he’s not someone who’s going to standby when he could help. that’s just the man that he was. eyes well up with tears as bottom lip trembles, eyes squeezing tightly shut for a moment as she takes a deep breath as she feels his lips against her forehead and without hesitation, free hand moves to cup the side of his face, lips pressing against his own in a passionate kiss, pulling away with a shaky break as forehead leans against his own. “Please be careful” she chokes out quietly.
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 warmth echoes with psyche , lips locked with hers in the taste he has been deprived , missing the burning feeling of having her lips with his . the sanctity of whatever it was they had , holding on the hope of things to fit along somewhere in the future ( hopefully ) . but as selfishly he wishes to do so , lost on the seconds that seemed to hang in there , knowingly that he’d still choose the well being of a child . pulling away , back inside the lavish house , the actor peeks up into the stairs . carefully , moving up the steps until he spies the back of attacker . standing still to further his movements praying for bodyguard to see him .
* 𝐅𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐍 flat on back , refusal to hold hands in defence against a man who’s put his soulmate at risk , unconscious the last time he left her somewhere safe. eager to return to her but stuck underneath the rubber , decrepit , soles of intruder’s work boots. manic laughter beginning to wind him up , going through him like sharpened nails against a chalkboard. mahogany optics meet a familiar set of hues between bannister bars , a silent predator climbing the stairs but sensation of being watched causes attacker’s ears to prick. before he can swivel around , flynn’s leg manages to swing & connect with outstretched pistol to knock it out of grip , scrambling to reach it before the male does. another battle commencing , advise called to julian over scrap. “ j , get thea out & go wait with her & p outside , i can manage here. “ he reassures , pistol held to chest & guarded with body from grappling hands , desperate to regain control of the situation because the stalker knows his end is graver than anyone else’s.
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 .stationary point to give a clear vision of the two . only briskly glimpsing the struggle , the heavy metal of the pistol in his possession weighting on his waist when he debates if this was a moment to have it in hands ; but never has he handle a weapon , not off the safety of a set . yet , the resemblance of athena lying on the floor is enough to set him back into blind mode . he's not leaving . the actor doesn't have the training , former swat officer carries , only a few black belts : only used in the early fights into his youth . all that vanishing in a real-life threatening situation . " they are outside , " only thing he is able to vocalize . grabbing a metal ornament to strike against his back , ready to pull him away from flynn . this was idiotic in many ways . shoving him away , to give bodyguard a chance .
* 𝐅𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐍 upon impact , the stalker grunts & stumbles to the side. rage is a perfect picture painted across his face , complexion almost red - hot like in a cartoon , flynn's immediate response is to grab ahold of the gun. he's back on his feet , steps taken backwards to be in front of julian , gun outstretched & pointed in stalker's direction. " i'm not asking you julian , i'm telling you to go be with the girls until the emergency services get here. " irish lilt's stern , he couldn't afford to have someone else's blood on his hands , to reduce the list of casualties was his main priority. the risk was more severe if the actor remained indoors , a sense of duty to protect still out poured his want to reunite with athena. she was still a target of his , the top one even , so flynn knew he couldn't let the intruder leave. " i need you to get her to the hospital. "
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 at the very least , the sinclair sisters were okay . help was on its way & athena will be okay . it's what he repeats to himself , voluntarily choosing to walk up back in there . the twins were old enough , persephone can always take care of herself but then , there was the baby . faceless child whose grasp is already engraved around his heart , there's a beat of hesitation ; listening to flynn's instructions to leave . save himself , to name his child and get to known them and let them know they were loved , a lot . but he couldn't . he couldn't cowardly leave the other man out there ,." ––– i know you want to play superhero but we are both getting out of here , " he explains, teeth sinking on bottom lip to control the beating under rib cage . hand firmly grasping his coat to guide them out . " besides , athena will not let me hear the end if i leave you here . " yet , he should have expected the reaction , the demons dancing behind attacker's orbits .
* 𝐅𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐍 stubborn in every way , he's firmly planted atop of stairs. an unmovable mountain , only a single sway happening as julian attempts to escort him outside. he's not leaving until the man's gone , his soul sent to the depths of hell beneath concrete earth. " go outside , julian. " his anger was building , responsibility of that in the stalker's hands , he couldn't let the actor witness what he had to do , to share the blame of another life being lost even if it would be self defence. " tell her i love her & i'll be out within seconds of you telling her , i promise. " vocabulary's spoken beneath gritted teeth , slightest of movement from the attacker causes the hairs on his forearms to stand. " we don't have time to argue so go. " he instructs a final time , further sentence interrupted by the charge of a bull seeing red. scrambling to retrieve gun from bodyguard's grasp , fighting for bedazzling metallics , fingers switching to hover over trigger. one shot rings through ghost town home , followed by a second & a third.
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 phone is resting against ear as the 9-1-1 operator is still on the line, saying that the cops and ambulance are just a few minutes away, telling her to make sure to keep athena's head elevated, to keep checking her pulse, to try and get her to be alert. as she's gently patting her cheek, trying to talk to her, trying to pinch her and poke her to get her to wake, her motions freeze when she hears a gun shot. and then another one, and then another one. she's frozen in place, unable to move because of the weight of athena in her lap, and the shock, all she could do is let out a loud scream. "julian! get out of there now!"
* 𝐅𝐋𝐘𝐍𝐍 struggling to gain ahold of pistol , palms becoming slippery from excess perspiration. three gunshots vibrate through silent home , grip tightening around barrel of firearm & using final strength to smack attacking male across the room with a pointed elbow. cheekbone shattering beneath his force , gun in his palm & directed to opposing masculine. aimed , fired three times into his skull , body growing limp & collapsing like a house of cards against a gust of wind. pistol's unloaded & tossed to meet corpse on first floor , staring in disbelief at the body. fight finally over , his team eventually winning regardless of the cost. sound of sirens alert him to outside , blue flashing lights illuminate the quiet house. a scene he couldn't return to , an act of self - defence would weigh on shoulders until custodian status is officiated. guiding self to front door , hands held above head to show he wasn't the convict , breathing becoming laboured & complexion floods a pale grey , he's clammy & vision's a blur. he feels rough but severity of result hasn't kicked in yet , adrenaline pumping to keep him afloat until he's on gravel driveway again. three gunshot wounds dotted in abdomen , realisation not hitting him yet until he's collapsed to ground , pool of blood increasing in size beneath where he lay.
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 heart is pounding and blood thrums loudly in eardrums ; sound halted by the momentaneous thunderous discharge . the first one . by the third , makes his head tip and turn , hand pulling the metal laying on his waistband but shoulders knocked back by strong vibration , one step closer to the staircase and the pink pistol dropped close to the entrance . actor moves rapidly to open the door , deflecting from the new sound of more shots but beams of blue and red lights invade through the window . door wide open , hands instinctively up but right arm loosely hanging ––– there's an aching to it . azure orbits , following when flynn leaves for last . screaming for help as he jogs to his direction .
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 red and blue lights come into field of vision, the sound of sirens ringing in her ears as swarms of cop cars and ambulances and before she could even process it, people are running towards her, getting athena into their arms and onto a stretcher. "i...i don't know what happened, me and my....julian found her passed out on the floor and then we heard screaming and shouting upstairs and i don't know what happened...he ran in....and there were gun shots...and....and...i don't know." she said, practically hyperventilating at this point as they watched her whisk athena into an ambulance, turning around when she saw flynn stumbling out covered in blood. "oh my god...." she choked out quietly, hand covering mouth. running towards the man as he collapsed into the driveway, she rolled him over onto his back, screaming for help from the ambulances as they began to gather around him and then came julian, walking out of the house with his hands up and without hesitation, she pushed through the crowd of cops running towards him, only freezing when she caught sight of his arm. "jul...." she said, gently grabbing his elbow as she looked at the spot, only to be pushed away from him as the emergency workers approach him and began working on him.
— 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲 adrenaline rush and natural body painkiller by the release of endorphins to keep body under alert ; the sight of flynn widens azure hues to only increase heartbeat. fuck . he screams again , only now , a grunt that vibrates in the back of his throat makes him fall to the side . up on his feet to jog back closer to the front door , dodging police officers and paramedics finally making sense of what happened but the question was : three shots got the bodyguard but the other three .... julian's gaze fall down to his body . untouched . but red marsala taint running down his sleeve tells otherwise . more importantly , the expression on his ex - wife's features that only makes julian pull away from the paramedics for a second . " hi , p " hands caressing the side of her face , brushing the hair out of her forehead before left arm pulls her into an embrace . ignoring the calls of the doctor . the pain could wait .
𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 paramedics are running around them, her eyes unable to focus on one thing, watching her sister getting wheeled into the ambulance, watching them pick flynn off the floor, watching the cops rushing into the house. so many questions rushing through persephone's head but as julian grabs the side of her face, teary eyes focus on him, thanking whatever higher being was looking out for them that he was okay, paramedics observing his right arm as they bandaged it up, letting him know that they'd just need to stitch him up once they got to the hospital. "hi." was all she choked out quietly, arms wrapping around his torso for a moment, face burying against his chest, only if for a moment before lifting her head, looking towards the ambulance athena was being loaded into before looking back at him. "ride with flynn, okay? he shouldn't be alone." she said with a shake of her head, hand momentarily cupping the side of his face, thumb brushing against the skin there before turning on her heel and making her way into the ambulance, sitting next to athena's stretcher as she took sister's hand in her own, squeezing it tight to make sure she knew that she was there. and she always would be.
when athena had finaly assured her that she was okay and that she could leave the room to use the restroom, persephone hesitantly lifted herself from her side that she had been glued to ever since they arrived to the hospital, making her way into the bathroom and finally getting a glimpse of what an absolute wreck she looked like - glittery gown that she had been performing in just hours ago stained with blood, perfect makeup smudged under blue eyes and golden locks in a tangled mess. so she took a moment to get herself together, to wash up as best, and as quickly, as she could before she headed out of the bathroom, ready to make her way back into athena’s room before she stopped in front of the door of flynn’s room, seeing that he was finally awake. placing a hand over her chest as she let out a sigh of relief, she stepped into the doorway, offering a soft smile as tears that she had been holding back for the sake of keeping up a strong front for athena started to blur brims. “hi.” she choked out quietly, making her way into the room, slowly taking a seat next to him on the edge of the mattress as she reached out to grab his hand, giving it a squeeze. “there’s not...i...i just don’t know how i’m ever going to repay you for saving my sister’s life.”
