#foggyjack

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"Allow me to introduce myself: I am your biggest fan."

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Its a Foggy Night~

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I love drawing Foggy Jack's suit... it's so easy for me x3 ^^"

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What if he doesn't come back?

A quiet evening falls upon Wellington Wells as Edie and George have dinner. After they finish eating, Edie diligently does the dishes while George gets ready for his night shift. When George is ready, he returns to the kitchen.

"I'll wish you a good night later, take care, and don't go out. See you in the morning. I love you, Kitten," he says, giving her a final kiss before Edie sees him off to the door.

"Take care, my Puppy," Edie replies, closing and locking the door after he leaves. After finishing the dishes, she prepares for bed in the bathroom, putting on her pajamas and brushing her teeth. When she's done, she turns on the bedroom television, and Uncle Jack's Good Night Show begins, with the second episode of Hansel and Gretel playing. She lies down in bed and falls asleep quickly.

George's shift is relatively quiet until he hears something in a dead-end alley. It's a foggy night, making it difficult to see with his flashlight. He grips his nightstick and cautiously enters the alley.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Show yourself!" he calls out, but there's no response. He continues further, scanning the area. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Suddenly, a rat leaps out from a trash can and runs past George. "Damn vermin!" he exclaims, startled. He retreats to his post and continues his rounds.

A few calm hours pass until he finds himself in the same alley again. This time, he hears something, but he dismisses it, thinking it's another rat. "Not again," he mutters, moving closer and catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure with two red eyes in the fog. He stops, fear creeping in. "Is someone there?"

Naturally, he receives no answer but takes a few more steps. "You'd better not be another rat..." He looks around but finds nothing. Suddenly, a figure appears behind him and laughs.

"I'm afraid you've come to the end of your time." the figure says, startling George. He reaches for his nightstick, but before he can strike, he receives a cut on his arm. "Damn it!" he cries out in pain, dropping his nightstick.

Before George can react, the figure in the fog strikes again, causing George to fall to the ground, screaming. George isn't dead yet; he struggles to defend himself. He manages to grab his nightstick and hits the figure's legs.

Suddenly, the sound of approaching Bobbies can be heard, likely drawn by George's screams. The figure in the fog vanishes as the Bobbies arrive at George's side. They rush to him as he fights for his life, trying to stop the bleeding.

"George! Hang in there, buddy... a doctor will be here soon!" one Bobby says, but George can barely see anymore, mumbling.

"Foggy... Jack... it... was... Foggy... Jack," George stammers before closing his eyes and dying in the arms of the two Bobbies.

Both of them, who tried to keep him alive, remain silent and briefly remove their helmets. "Thank you for your service, George. You were a good comrade."

When the doctor arrives with the third Bobby who fetched him, they pronounce George dead. They take him away and cordon off the alley. The Bobbies continue their night shift.

The Bobby who had spoken with George makes a detour to the Pride residence. He hesitates as he stands before the house, just as the sun rises. He knocks loudly on the door.

Edie is awakened by the knocking and rushes to the door. "ONE MOMENT, PLEASE!" She goes down the stairs, forgetting to put on her Joy mask, and opens the door. She is surprised to see a different Bobby than George.

"Good morning, what can I do for you?" she asks.

The Bobby looks at her with a serious and sad expression. "Miss Pride? I have something to tell you..."

He struggles to deliver the news, knowing how much she loved George. Normally, Bobbies and doctors only say that the deceased are on "holiday."

"I'm sorry to have to tell you, but your husband George passed away during his duty last night..."

Edie can't believe his words, and tears start to flow before she can speak. She hopes it's just a bad dream, but the Bobby's hand on her shoulder makes her realize it's not. She breaks down in tears and collapses into the Bobby's arms. He allows her to cry and comforts her as best he can. It's hard for him not to cry as well, but he tries to remain strong and hands her a Joy. He knows that Edie often forgets to take her Joy, but he doesn't want to burden her with it now.

Several minutes pass, and Edie is still crying in his arms. The television sets in the house turn on, playing Uncle Jack's Good Morning Show.

"Edie... I know this is difficult for you, and I'm here for you. Stay home for now and be with your friends. I'll come back later this afternoon to check on you. George asked me to tell you the truth, even though it's difficult, but I wanted to be the one to tell you. Take care, and George still loves you, and he's always with you," he says before giving her another brief hug.

Edie looks at him with tear-filled eyes and nods. "Thank you... Constable."

With that, she closes the door and collapses to the floor, continuing to cry. She repeats to herself through sobs, "George... I love you... why did this have to happen?"

A few hours pass, and Edie is still sitting on the floor, her tears now dried up. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. Edie startles and gets up, wiping away her tears. She remembers to put on her Joy mask before answering the door.

She opens it to find a doctor standing there. "Good day, Miss Pride. I must inform you that Mr. Pride is on leave starting today. After such strenuous work, he's earned it."

Edie knows he's lying, and due to her fear of doctors, she only nods slightly. The doctor sniffs lightly and extends his hand with a Joy pill in it. "I think you should take your Joy, Miss."

Edie silently takes the Joy, but this time, it doesn't seem to have any effect. The doctor doesn't notice and bids her farewell.

Edie is puzzled as to why her Joy isn't working anymore. She knows it should make her feel better, but it doesn't. Panic sets in, and she picks up the phone and dials the number of the Bobby who had been with her earlier that morning. A woman answers, but before Edie can say anything, the Bobby picks up the call.

"Edie? Is that you? Should I come over? Can I bring you something?"

"Please come over... I'm not doing well... I..." Before she can finish her sentence, he interrupts.

"Don't worry, I'll be right there. Give me a few minutes; I'm on my way."

He hangs up and rushes over to Edie's house. Edie hangs up as well and sits on the sofa. She starts to panic, wondering why her Joy isn't working. She's grateful that the Bobby told her the truth.

After a while, there was a knock on her door. She got up and opened it; it was Bobby. He entered and closed the door for their safety. He was doing things for Edie that he shouldn't. They both went to the living room and sat on the sofa.

"What happened, Edie?"

"A doctor came... and told me he's going on vacation now. He gave me my Joy, but... it's not working."

"How? It's not working?"

He was confused, not knowing what else to do. "Do you want one of mine? I know they're not for regular use, but maybe it'll help you."

Edie nodded and took the Blackberry Joy he offered. But she showed no reaction either.

"Damn... I think it's not working for you either."

She panicked and didn't know what to do anymore. Bobby held her and tried to calm her.

"It's okay, Edie. No one will betray you to the doctors. You just need to avoid getting caught by them. Try to calm down for now."

Edie nodded slowly. "Yes, but George... he's gone... forever. I don't know what to do without him. He was... he was my everything."

The Bobby nodded. "I and the other Bobbies are here for you. Whatever happens, we'll help you. We're so sorry it happened to him tonight. He was a good person."

"Why? Why him? ...he didn't do anything to anyone... who was it?"

"We think it was Foggy Jack... he mentioned him, and the crime scene looked almost like the others, just not as severe... but we couldn't catch him, let alone save George... I'm sorry, Edie."

Edie remained strong, as she couldn't cry anymore; she simply stayed silent. After a while, she looked at him. "Can you stay here today? I can't be alone..."

Bobby looked at her and nodded. "Of course, I'm off today anyway, and I told my girl I'd let her know if I stay with you. I was prepared for this."

Edie was so grateful and hugged him. She was thankful that he told her the truth and that he was staying with her.

"Thank you... George would be proud of you for doing all this for me."

"I know how important he was to you. He only spoke good things about you. Plus, I heard you're a good cook?" He tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe I'll get something good from you tonight!"

Edie smiled slightly at his words and nodded. "Of course, whatever you want! We just need to go shopping."

He was glad to see Edie smile briefly. "It's on me today! We'll go shopping together, and then you'll cook us something nice."

Edie nodded. Suddenly, the TV turned on, and Jack with Famous Britons came on in the living room. Edie looked at the TV and rushed to turn it off.

Bobby looked at her in surprise. "Why did you turn it off? You love Jack!"

Edie sat back down with him. "I can't handle it right now... that was his favorite show..."

"Oh, I see. How about we go shopping now?" Bobby and Edie spent the rest of the day shopping for the evening and cooking together. The distraction seemed to help Edie a bit. Fortunately, the day passed quickly.

After dinner, they both sat on the sofa and talked when Edie suddenly fell silent and looked at him.

"Do you think we can secretly make a grave for him somewhere? So I at least have something to go to and talk to him?"

He looked at her and nodded. "We can try. We'll find a place for him. Don't worry about it. Try to get some sleep for now, and tomorrow we'll look for a place, okay?"

Edie nodded and got up. She brought a blanket and pillows for him to sleep on the sofa.

"If you need anything else, help yourself. I'll be upstairs... trying to sleep."

"Alright, Edie. Sleep well, and feel free to come to me if you can't sleep, okay?"

Edie nodded and went upstairs. "Goodnight." She turned on the TV in her room, Uncle Jack with Red Riding Hood part 1 was playing. It took her a while to fall asleep, and she didn't sleep through the night. She was plagued by a nightmare and woke up in a panic. She jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to Bobby, waking him up.

He immediately got up, wrapped her in a blanket, and sat her down next to him, comforting her until she fell asleep. When he noticed that she had fallen asleep after a while, he carefully lifted her and took her to her bed. He put his blanket back on the chair in the room, covered Edie with her blanket, turned off the TV that was still on but showing nothing, and sat in the corner chair in the room. He covered himself and, after a while, fell asleep in the chair.

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Come here little thing~

New Foggy Jack entry for @joyful-downer

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A Foggy Day

a little drawing for my darling @joyful-downer 🖤🌫

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Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/70950861

Chapter 47

It was still nighttime when the stream of memories finally released him. The house was quiet, only his own breath blustered in his ears. His glass was empty, but his head was full of thoughts. Everthing he had revisited now demanded an appropriate reaction, but Nick had no idea what to do. He only felt a heavy weight on his chest. The night is ruined, he thought, and he felt tempted to silence his misery with another dose of Joy. But he didn't want to make it worse. He had wanted to make it better.

When he left the kitchen and made his way upstairs to his bedroom, he tried not to make a single noise. He wanted to keep the peaceful silence that made his surroundings look invulnerable, as if at least in this precious moment nothing bad could happen. In front of the bedroom door he stopped, listening in awe. Then he fetched a pen and paper from the side room and wrote a message to Morrie, that he shoved through under his door.

Some time later he sneaked through the dark and dank town, that was his second home by now. It still attracted him, even though the person he had been looking for was now sleeping in his bed. Perhaps he hadn't been looking for Morrie, he wondered. Perhaps he had been looking for his sense, his ability to make the right decisions. Or he had been trying to run from himself. He didn't know what he wanted now. He only believed that there was nowhere to run anymore. Instead, walking around aimlessly was exactly what he needed. He knew the routes where he was most likely safe from the patrols and drones. And just in case, he carried a bottle of brandy with him.

"Strolling around at night again?", asked the Bobby who was really hard to avoid. Fortunately, Nick got along with him. "I was hoping you'd feel better now, Mr. Lightbearer." "I'm alright, Constable", Nick replied. "I just thought you might miss me." Saying this, he pulled out the brandy and handed it to the man, who was visibly delighted. "Well, I can't deny that I miss attentive Wellies like you. One is so alone in these eventless nights." He opened the bottle. "But you're going home now, right?" "Of course", Nick said with a confident smile. Then the bobby surrendered himself to the brandy and forgot about the whole endeavour. Nick passed by him and walked into an alley that led into a small park. Scurrying through the meadow, his footsteps were much quieter. At a favourable spot he sat down in the grass and looked up to the starry sky. Why can't I do anything right?, Nick asked himself. A trickle of tears ran down his cheek.

He remained like this, with his hands clawing the grass, and trying to get rid of all the unnerving thoughts in his mind. Then he felt something. It was about time he took his next dose of Joy. Pulling out the package, he considered to take two pills. But after musing for a while, he only took one out and put the rest away. The pill was as black as the night. He popped it and soon he was given the pleasant, vitalizing feel of a new Joy-phase, while the stars twinkled in all colors. Slowly, he relaxed.

After sitting around like this, he again felt something different. As if someone was approaching him. Even though he didn't hear any sound. He dived deeper into the grass, searching the park with his eyes, but he didn't find anyone. Now certain that it had been an illusion, he sat back up and looked at the stars again. "You really have sharp ears", a quiet voice suddenly said. "Only your eyes fail you." Nick jumped and span around until he stared into a shiny silver mask. "James", he gasped. "My goodness...I didn't hear you. I only felt that someone was there." James smiled a secret smile. "In that case you have trustworthy feelings." Nick's hearbeat slowly calmed down. "And you are a trustworthy agent. As soon as the golden calf breaks the rules, you're on the scene. How did you find me?" "I simply followed the trail of alcohol." "Hey", Nick faintly protested, "It was only a present for a good friend. That's not a crime, isn't it?" "No. I figured you made him rather happy. That's a virtue." Nick smiled. He liked that agent who took liberties with the rules.

"Come here, join  me if you don't plan to snitch me. Unless sitting in the grass is too vulgar for a classy man like you." James didn't seem to mind because he promptly accepted the invitation. "Looks like you're in a good mood tonight, beacon of hope," he said as he sat down next to him. "Oh...", Nick sighed. "It's the end of my time. That's making things easier." James eyed him. "What gave you that idea?" "I remembered more of my past", Nick answered wistfully. "You are right, this stuff really helps." He tapped the package of Joy in his jacket. "I got my past back. And you know what? I didn't change one bit. I'm in the same shit as before. I made the same mistakes without knowing." He blinked. The tears wanted to come back. "This time it's even worse. I'm hurting  two wonderful people." He shook his head. "I'll end up all alone again. And this time I won't get a second chance." "You forgot something, Nicky", James said softly. Nick looked at him. "You're not alone. Not this time."

Nick gulped.  A storm was raging in his chest. He felt like he should give in to it. Carefully, he leaned sideways, into James' direction, and laid his head on the other man's shoulder. It was comfy, and when his cheek touched the fabric of his suit he felt a cozy warmth spreading inside his body. Tensely, he waited for James' reaction. First, the man didn't move, so Nick assumed it bothered him, and now there would be awkward silence between them. But then he felt how James leaned his head against his and relaxed. He gave him a sense of conversance he had thought he would never feel for another person again. Perhaps he was still able to find new friends. Perhaps his fate wasn't as set in stone as he had believed. He wasn't alone. And the stars twinkled at him.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?", James whispered. "Oh, yeah...I haven't seen such a clear sky in a long time", Nick affirmed quietly. "Would you like to have a walk?" "An illegal walk?", Nick giggled. "With you?" "The illegal ones are the best." "Huh...yeah, I'd like to", Nick said and slowly lifted his head. They got up and left the park. Soon, Nick's thoughts were wrapped into a pleasant, untroubled fog.

He was standing in a dark alley, motionless, watching closely how James finished his work. "Do you want to hold it, Nicky?", the other man suddenly asked and showed him his shining, sharp cleaver that was dripping with blood. Nick cautiously accepted it. He noticed it was heavier than he had imagined. The blood that was dropping on his hand was warm. "I think I held it before", he said to James, who eyed him. "Do you know how to use it?", the man asked and put an arm around him to lead him closer to the lifeless body on the ground. Nick followed, knelt down next to the body, just like James used to do it and inspected it. Asking, he looked back at James. "Go ahead," the man said and gave him an encouraging smile. Nick raised the cleaver and took aim.

Light was blinding him, yelling and the noise of applause were roaring in his ears. Nick blinked. He was standing on a stage, but the audience didn't look at him. A second later, Uncle Jack entered the stage from behind a heavy curtain, solemly smiling. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a new episode of 'Love Wins'! Today's candidate is no less a figure than Nick Lightbearer himself!" Now Jack gestured towards him, drawing the attention to him. Nick waved and blew kisses, trying to hide how confused he was. "I promise you, today's guests will give you a very thrilling episode," Jack announced happily. He made an expansive gesture towards a corner. "On the left side we have: Nick Lightbearer's great love, the light of his life, the title holder Morrie Memento!" The audience cheered when Morrie arrived on stage and walked towards Nick. Nick's heart missed a beat. He had a bad feeling, but Morrie didn't seem to mind. He confidently winked at him, with his head proudly raised, and looking gorgeous. "On the right side: the man who stole his heart, the king of his dreams, the challenger Arthur Hastings!" Now Nick's heart raced when Arthur walked on the stage, looking a bit shy amongst all the fuss, and awkwardly waving at him. Nick would've loved to jump up and yell at Jack to stop the show. He didn't like the way Morrie glared at Arthur. But something paralyzed him. "Oh, yeah, this is gonna be one hell of a fight!", Jack rejoiced. "But this wouldn't be 'Love Wins' without a special guest." Oh, no, Nick thought. Whos next, Virgil? "Let me introduce you to...you know what? Let's cut this short. See for yourself!" The man who walked through the curtain was wearing a black suit. His face was covered by a mask with sharp edges. His eyes blazed at Nick him from underneath it, glowing red like blood. Nick screamed now, but his voice was drowning in the cheers of the audience.

A second later he found himself in a room that looked familar, but before he could look around someone was pressing him down. "Stay down," that someone hissed, then they whooshed past him. Nick closed his eyes and tensed, waiting for the fight to break out. But it was quiet. So quiet that Nick dared to take a look again. He saw the man who had pressed him down, searching the room. Then the man turned around. "No one there," he said and sat down on the bed that Nick had apparently slept in. "We're alone. It was just a bad dream, Nick." His hand carefully touched Nick's back. "A...Arthur?", Nick stuttered. "Yes, it's me," the man said, looking tenderly at him. Nick jumped up again. "Where am I?" "Ssshhh...In your tunnel...Our tunnel...It's alright." "The tunnel...", Nick sighed, sinking back into the pillow. "Yes, you came back." "How long did I sleep?" "Not for long, you just had a nightmare after all", Arthur joked, then he furrowed his brows. "Aren't you happy to see me? Didn't you want to come here?" Nick froze. Arthur hung his head.

"I'm sorry. I thought...when I saw you lying in your bed...I thought you wanted to visit me. So I laid down next to you. I didn't mean to bother you." Nick now acted just as quickly as after the nightmare. He hugged Arthur tightly. "It's alright", now he sad, as if they had swapped their roles. Looking into the other man's eyes he tried his most charming smile. "I was just puzzled...It happens to me a lot. Please don't worry about it." He hugged him again. "You can join me whenever you see me lying somewhere. Except when you see me in a grave, then you don't have to follow me." It had slipped out of Nick's mouth. Arthur made a choked noise that sounded like the hint of a giggle. "You have quite a morbid sense of hurmor for a Wellie." "That's because of the crazy life I'm living...Sorry." Arthur didn't answer. He looked like he was hesitating and pondering. Then he pecked Nick's cheek. Nick was melting. Arthur was so shy. The kiss had felt like a question. Nick pulled him closer and kissed his black hair that was a bit tousled. Now that he was here, he couldn't just run off. Arthur was so happy to see him after all. Nick decided to spend time with him before he would start back.

[sea-side-scribbles]

Watch them run...