Chapter 10: The Devil's Eyes

Notes: I'm finally updating this! :') For now I'll just let you get to the chapter and leave a longer note at the end.

tw for homophobic slurs towards the end

Once Dupree is finished questioning Jorge, he gets into his car and drives to the address Jameson texted him. He calls to let her know he's on the way, and is soon pulling up to the apartment building and being buzzed up.

Dupree knocks on the door and after a few moments the door opens. "Don't any of you sleep?" he asks when he sees everyone crowding around him for answers.

"Sorry, sir," Cortez apologizes. "We're all very eager to hear what you learned at the hospital."

Dupree sighs heavily. "Not a whole lot," he answers, looking over where the Milkovich siblings are huddled together - particularly Mickey. "There is one thing though."

"What?" Mickey asks. "The hell are you giving us that look for?"

It's probably better if he rips it off like a bandaid, Dupree decides. "Your Dad's back in town."

"What?" Mickey repeats, flabbergasted.

"Terry's here?" Mandy asks, while Iggy and Colin simultaneously mutter curses.

"Yes," Dupree confirms. "That's what Jorge, Mickey's old boss, told me. He said he was just calling it a day when Terry came out of nowhere and started beating the shit out of him. He thinks Terry didn't want him dead though. I mean, he wanted to make sure Jorge wouldn't get away so he was wailing on him pretty bad, but Jorge doesn't think that Terry killing him was his immediate goal."

"Ok, well what the fuck did Terry want? Where is he?" Mickey asks, heart rate picking up considerably.

"I… don't know," Dupree says hesitantly.

"Is this in anyway related to what's going on with Jimmy?" Ian questions.

"I don't know that either."

"Fuck!" Mickey curses in frustration. "So, basically, you know jack shit!"

"I told you I didn't," Dupree reminds them. "Look, whatever this is, whatever's going on, we're gonna figure it out."

Mickey laughs ruefully then. "Who the fuck do you all think you are, seriously?"

"Mick…" Mandy tries to pacify.

"No, I wanna know. What is your end game here? You don't seem to get that you're not dealing with people, you're dealing with vampires. What do you plan to do when you catch them - if you catch them?"

"I agree with him, Ian," Nika states.

Ian looks back and forth between his family and the officers, sighing and drooping his shoulders. "Fuck… Look, officer Dupree, they have a point. This isn't your area, it was never meant to be. Some of our vampire leaders believed humans were ready to know about us, but I disagree. Maybe it would be best if you let my sister and I handle things, or at least let us handle how it all ends."

"Now, wait a minute," Dupree begins. "I have a job to do. I have people I need to answer to, too. What about Terry?"

"What about him?" Iggy asks. "He might not even be connected to any of this."

"Yeah, and whether he is or isn't, you do what you need to," Colin adds. "You can have Terry. We're done with his shit. We've been done."

"You heard them," Ian continues. "We're happy to receive any details you find, but just let us do the rest."

"So, you just want to use us for information now?" Jameson asks.

"It's better this way, safer," Ian assures them.

"What do you say?" Cortez asks Dupree. "I don't see that we have too many options here."

"And I don't see that we're being given too much choice," Dupree points out. "But despite that, you might be right." He takes a pause to collect his thoughts before he goes on. "Fine, we'll help you out. We'll do this your way - the vampire way. But if any humans are helping Jimmy out, you hand them over to us. No exceptions. That clear?"

"Crystal," Ian answers, holding his hand out.

Dupree takes it, sealing their alliance and agreement.

"Well, this is just dandy, folks," Mandy remarks, "but what are we actually going to do about the mess we're in?"

"Maybe we do this all wrong," Nika says, thankful she doesn't have to wait until the following night to make her thoughts known. The sooner everyone is on the same page, the sooner they can all put a stop to this madness. "Maybe we just need to let things happen."

"See how everything plays out," Ian adds.

"So, we do nothing?" Colin asks.

"Last time we were gonna try something, Jimmy was two steps ahead of us and blew up our house," Iggy reminds his brother. "I think Nika's right. Jimmy's a wildcard, we can't predict what he's gonna do next."

"Best we can all do is stay on our guard," Dupree says with finality.

The following morning was tense to say the least. Svetlana did her best to make her guests feel welcomed. She cooked them breakfast, something she hadn't known she liked doing for people, what with being around Ian and Nika for so long. In these moments, she found herself wondering what other things she could have an interest in if she decided to stay human. Maybe that would always be something she wondered about, but she could never forgive herself if she let herself wonder what a life without Nika and Ian would be like. She'd regret it too much.

Svetlana sets down a plate of eggs and a plate of bacon at the center of the table for everyone to serve themselves. There's not enough room for everyone to have a seat so the officers, along with Iggy and Colin, eat their breakfast in the living room. Everyone is tired, too anxious to have gotten a proper amount of sleep the previous night. Especially Dupree and the other officers. They still have to work this case.

"Gotta go talk to the families of the victims today," he says, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Again?" Mandy asks from beside him. "How many times do police have to bother people? Can't you just let them grieve in peace?"

Dupree sighs. "It's not like I enjoy making them feel bad, making them remember the pain of losing somebody. It's just important to be as thorough as possible."

Mickey snorts where he sits across from the detective. It earns him a prompting gaze, which Mickey indulges. "When cops keep bugging the shit out of people for info they don't have it's because you all don't know what the fuck else to do."

"Yes, it has been well established that after working on this case since the beginning, we have yet to learn much of anything," Dupree admits. "Which is why we have to keep going over anything we might have missed."

"Whatever," Mickey answers dismissively, letting the subject drop. He's even too tired to argue about this right now, and too worried. He takes a small bite of his bacon, crunching it between his teeth longer than necessary. Mickey turns to stare at the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.

"He is asleep, he is fine," Svetlana says, bringing Mickey out of his daze as he faces her. He doesn't say anything back, just tries to glare, tries to look mean, but it kind of fails. Svetlana rolls her eyes at him and stares pointedly at Mickey's half finished plate of food. He huffs loudly and resumes his meal.

The corners of Mandy's mouth turn up a little as she witnesses the scene. She clears her throat before speaking, "So, I was thinking I'd check up on Allen. See if he's gonna open the diner up again."

"I will go too," Svetlana offers.

"I don't think so," Dupree interjects.

"Not this house arrest bullshit again," Colin groans irritably from the couch.

"You're going out too?" Dupree asks, motioning between Colin and Iggy.

"We need to go back to our construction gig," Iggy answers. "We don't have the luxury of staying unemployed during all this vampire drama. 'Sides, last time we stayed put, our house kinda got torched."

"Fuck, fine. Just be as careful as possible, and call me if anything goes down."

"Got it."

"What about you?" Dupree asks Mickey. "You going out too?"

As much as Mickey would like to joke about Dupree talking like a concerned mother he holds back. "Nah, I'm staying."

"C'mon, Mickey," Mandy tries to persuade. "What, you just gonna stay here all day?"

"It's what I said, isn't it?" Mickey almost snaps. He sighs heavily before continuing. "Sorry. I just think I should stay, keep an eye on Ian. And Nika."

Svetlana knows Mickey mentions Nika mostly for her benefit. She knows Nika and Ian wouldn't go down without a fight, and that Jimmy wouldn't even be able to enter the building without being invited, but she appreciates the offer anyway. And Svetlana knows Mickey has a lot on his mind, can sense it from his quietness all morning. Most of the time she's exchanging challenging looks with Mickey, but when they meet each other's eyes this time, there's a look of understanding between them.

"I think it is good idea," Svetlana says. "Just to be safe."

"Alright," Dupree relents. "Let's get a move on, everyone."

Allen had opened the diner again, but it had been going slow - what with the murders and all. There had been no reason to alert Mandy or Svetlana to come back into work.

There's only two people in the diner at the moment, and one of them, an older man who looks to be in his fifties, seems to be getting ready to leave. Having nothing else to do, Allen has seated himself at the counter and is working on yet another sudoku puzzle. He doesn't know how many he's done now, and he wishes another customer would come in, if not for any financial reasons then at least so he's not so bored anymore. He hears the bell on the door chime and instantly perks up. Allen turns around in his seat expectantly, but he finds it's Mandy and Svetlana. Not customers, but he's glad to see them. He can guess what they're probably here for though, so he doesn't look forward to disappointing them.

Allen forgets his sudoku puzzle and smiles at the two women, running a hand through his greying hair. "Hope you're not looking to get your jobs back," he says with a long sigh. He gestures with a hand at his near empty diner, now only with one occupant. "As you can see, there's not much need right now."

Mandy blows her bangs out of her face. "Great," she says dryly. "Well, you mind if we hang a bit? Not like job hunting is really something we're in the mood for right now. And apparently getting out of the house is supposed to be good for you or something."

Allen snorts. "Help yourself. We can catchup, gossip even."

Mandy laughs and Svetlana rolls her eyes but smiles despite herself and takes a seat opposite from Mandy at a booth.

"I have idea," Svetlana says.

Mandy and Allen wait for her to elaborate.

Svetlana addresses Mandy. "Your brothers will have better luck at construction job, yes? City won't stop building no matter who dies or how they die."

"I'd believe that more if it didn't take like over a year just to build a damn Starbucks," Mandy answers. "But I get what you're saying. I'll call them and ask them to send some of their construction buddies over for their breaks."

"Nice thinking, Svetlana," Allen praises.

Svetlana forces a smile, not used to receiving compliments from anyone other than Nika and Ian.

Mandy calls her brothers for the favor. It's not much, with everything that's been going on, but at least they have this. At least they can help Allen, and distract themselves for a few hours.

Mandy hangs up promptly and she, Svetlana, and Allen eagerly await their customers. They kill time with some small talk, unbeknownst to them of the man watching from across the street. The same one who was in the diner a few minutes ago. He sits on a bench, pretending he's waiting for a bus, smoking through his last cigarette. He stays put until he sees a few more people walking into the diner, the ones Mandy surely asked her brothers about.

The customers are seated quickly, Svetlana and Mandy taking their orders. As Mandy sticks the paper she scribbled an order on to the spinning rack, she senses someone's eyes on her. Admittedly, that's not uncommon in a diner, but this feels different than when she can sense a guy checking her out. However, when she turns around she doesn't see anyone obviously looking at her. Across the street she barely catches a man turning a corner, but she doesn't think she should find that odd. Still, her brows furrow momentarily before shaking the unwelcoming feeling off with a shrug, and goes back to work.

Back at the house, Mickey was getting pretty bored. He had been idly surfing channels for a while now but he couldn't settle on anything to watch. His mind was just too preoccupied. He wanted to be with Ian, just be close to him. Maybe everything that had happened was making him a little clingy, but he honestly didn't care anymore. Mickey clicked the television off with the remote and went to the spare bedroom he was sharing with Ian for the time being.

Mickey instantly breathed a sigh of relief and calm when he stepped into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The room was dark. The windows had been painted with black paint and then sealed with cardboard and tape. It was the best Svetlana could do for Nika when she got the place. Clever, Mickey thought. He sighed again, and half smiled at Ian sleeping soundly on the bed.

Ian can't breathe, or rather, he doesn't. Mickey knows that, but he still likes to pretend he can see Ian's chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He makes his way to Ian, who's sleeping above the covers. Ian's not affected by heat or cold, so it really doesn't make a difference. Mickey chuckles slightly. There seems to be a lot of perks to being a vampire. And for Mickey, the greatest perk of all would be that he'd get to be together with Ian - forever.

Or at least, a really long time.

Mickey settles on his side, facing Ian. He stares at him briefly before bringing a hand to Ian's cheek, stroking it gently. Ian stirs under Mickey's touch. He places his own hand over Mickey's and wills his eyes open.

"Y'know," Ian begins, voice heavy with sleep, "it's dangerous to wake a sleeping vampire."

Mickey smiles. "Guess it's lucky you like me then."

"Guess so," Ian replies. He and Mickey are quiet for a moment, and then Ian reaches out to bring Mickey in for a soft kiss by the back of Mickey's neck.

Mickey is willing, easily melting into the feeling of Ian's lips against his. There's no desire between them to go further at the moment. They're just kissing. And it feels pretty great.

Ian eventually pulls away. "I more than like you, Mickey. I love you."

Mickey's eyes widen, surprised by the sudden confession. He smiles again though, wider than before. "I love you too." Ian's face turns sullen abruptly, confusing Mickey, but he waits for Ian to respond.

"Do you think it's strange?" Ian asks.

"What?"

"That we can say we love each other?"

Mickey furrows his eyebrows, not liking the direction this conversation seems to be going. "Why would I think that's strange?"

"We haven't been together very long," Ian points out. "Haven't even known each other that long either."

"Would it make a difference if we did?" Mickey asks. He doesn't wait for an answer though and continues speaking. "Since we met, we've been through more shit than most people have."

"Maybe that's not such a good thing." Through their blood bond, Ian can sense Mickey's heart rate pick up a few beats. "I'm not - I'm not gonna end this, Mickey. I would never… I couldn't even if I wanted to."

Mickey scowls unappreciatively. Sometimes he rather enjoys his bond with Ian, other times it just flat out sucks. "Then why are you talking like this?"

"Because I can sense that you wanna ask me to turn you soon, and I don't think that I should."

"Why the hell not?"

"I just wonder if it would have been better if you hadn't met me that night at the garage. Maybe you wouldn't be in all this."

"Jesus Christ, Ian," Mickey huffs and sits up cross-legged. "Stop talking like you're so fucking guilty. I chose this. I chose you… I'm still choosing you."

Ian sits up as well, matching Mickey's pose. "I don't want to take you away from your family."

"Who says I'd be going anywhere?" Mickey answers back. "Just because I'd be a vampire, doesn't mean I still couldn't see my brothers and Mandy. I mean, you're not gonna keep me on lock down or anything, right?"

"Well, no, of course not-"

"Then what's the big deal?"

"It is a big deal, Mickey!" Ian stresses. "You may not think it is. How could you? But it's a pretty big change, like an actual life and death change. Technically, you would be dead."

Mickey suddenly flashes back to the first night he met Ian. Death isn't something to be taken lightly, Mick. Maybe when Ian had said that, he wasn't just talking about taking a life."Alright," Mickey sighs deeply. Their argument seemed pointless, and it didn't seem he was going to win. All he had wanted was to be near Ian right now. "This isn't going anywhere. It's not like I want you to turn me tonight."

"Yeah, but still pretty soon."

Mickey glares at Ian again but it's hard to keep up when Ian leans in to nip at Mickey's neck, sensing his desire for closeness. He turns his head to capture Ian's lips. Mickey smirks when Ian begins to emit a low growl, but is taken unawares when Ian pushes him onto his back with Ian's vampiric speed, gasping into Ian's mouth.

"Shit," Ian swears, pulling away. "I should go back to sleep before the bleeds start."

Mickey groans in vexation.

"Enough with the sexual frustration," Ian chides. "I got enough of that on my own."

"Neither of us would be frustrated if you just fucked me."

Ian huffs out a laugh, sitting up again. "Okay, you know what this is? This is my blood making you horny. Well, hornier."

"So?" Mickey whines.

"There will be plenty of time for me to fuck you when all this over."

Mickey rolls his eyes but doesn't push any further. He hops off the bed and kisses Ian softly before letting him lie down again. He waits for Ian to fall asleep again, which doesn't take long, before exiting the room.

Across the hall, Mickey peeks into Svetlana's bedroom to check on Nika. The room doesn't look much different, other than it had more stuff than the spare bedroom, and Nika is sleeping quietly on the bed. Mickey lingers at the doorway a moment or two and returns to the living room.

As much as Mickey liked staying in, he is still bored as hell. He wonders if he should have gone with Mandy and Svetlana anyway, but he just really hadn't wanted to leave two vampires unguarded during the day. Mickey decides he should at least take a walk to stretch his legs. Maybe he'll get a late lunch. The diner isn't far, but it's not that close either. There is a decent little bakery around the corner though that Mickey spotted on the way over last night. With his mind made up, Mickey grabs his wallet and extra set of keys Svetlana left him, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Mickey walks the short distance to the bakery and orders a chocolate chip muffin, along with a cup of coffee. He sits down at a small, circular table with his mid-afternoon snack, absentmindedly thumbing at his neck. He knows there are no new bite marks there, but he can still feel the memory of them. Sometimes he thinks people can see them, or know that they were there. It's silly, but it makes him feel a little self-conscious. And if he's being honest with himself, he kind of misses them too. He doesn't like people staring at him more than they already do, but he likes carrying a reminder of Ian on himself when Ian isn't around. Rubberneckers be damned.

Finishing his last bite, Mickey crumples up his trash and throws it away as he stands up to leave. The sight Mickey sees as he exits the bakery has him feeling a little clueless. He doesn't even fully register it until he's walked a couple steps. But then he stops and frowns at himself, turning back, hoping his mind was just playing a mean trick on him.

No such luck though, because he can feel his stomach drop, the dessert he just ate threatening to come back up his throat.

Across the street, leaning against an out of order pay phone is Terry, and he's looking straight at Mickey. His eyes cut through Mickey, just as evil as they've always been, as they'll always be.

This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening.

Mickey doesn't know what to do. He's nearly frozen in place. He knows he can't go back to the apartment. Terry would just follow him. Hell, the bastard probably wouldn't even let him get that far. And there's still hours of daylight left. If Mickey made a break for it, Ian and Nika wouldn't be able to help him even if they wanted to. But Terry's just staring at him - waiting. It's obvious to Mickey what he has to do now. He swallows hard and forces his feet to move towards the crosswalk. Terry smirks at him. Clearly Mickey is walking into some sort of trap, but he doesn't seem to have much choice right now.

Ian stirs suddenly, and sits up abruptly in the bed. He thought he felt Mickey in a panic, in danger. It was only briefly, but it had been strong enough to wake him. He glances at the clock on the nightstand and it's barely a quarter to three. Ian curses and exits the bedroom. There's a stream of sunlight coming in from the curtains that haven't been pulled completely closed, but Ian is able to avoid it and closes the curtains carefully. There's no sign of Mickey anywhere in the apartment and Ian is now definitely worried.

Cursing again, Ian fishes his phone out from his sweat pants and dials Svetlana's number. Svetlana picks up on the third ring, and Ian starts before she can get a word out.

"Is Mickey at the diner with you and Mandy?"

"You should be sleeping."

Ian grunts in frustration. "Is he, or isn't he there?"

"No, I thought he stay with you."

"He's not here."

"Maybe he go out."

"No, you don't understand. I felt something, something bad. And now he's not here… Lana…" Ian trails off, willing himself to calm down as much as he can. Svetlana doesn't reply for a few moments but he can hear her voice on the other end. "Lana," Ian demands.

"I am here. I tell Mandy to call her brothers. They left a little while ago."

"They were there?"

"They came for lunch. Maybe they are with Mickey now."

Ian doesn't know how likely that is, but he hopes and prays Mickey is with his brothers. There's another silence, and then he hears Svetlana exchange words with someone, probably Mandy.

"Ian?"

"I'm here."

Svetlana sighs before she speaks. "Mickey's brothers do not know where he is."

"Fuck!" Ian curses. "I have to go look for him!"

"How?" Svetlana questions. "There is still light out. You will die before you take ten steps!"

Ian yells and flings a desk lamp across the room, the glass shattering against the wall. "Well, what the hell do you expect me to do?"

Svetlana swears in Russian at Ian's outburst. "You don't even know if anything has happened to him."

"Hey! What is going on out here?" Nika demands, unappreciative of being woken up. She rubs the sleep from her eyes and then flips Ian off when he ignores her.

"I told you, I felt something bad. It was short, but I know this isn't good." There's more muffled words before Ian gets a response.

"Alright, we will be there soon. You should call that detective."

As soon as Svetlana hangs up, Ian is dialing Dupree's cell.

"Ian!" Nika practically shouts. "Tell me what is going on?" Her face is hard, but beneath that there is concern, genuine worry. Not many people would be able to pick up on it. A vampire has to be good at concealing their emotions, but Ian sees through Nika, as sure as she can see through his anger covering up his fear right now. Suddenly Ian is reminded he's not in this alone, and he's thankful.

"Mickey's gone," Ian answers. "I felt him panic. It woke me up and when I saw he wasn't anywhere else in the apartment… I don't know. I'm kind of freaking out right now." Ian releases a shaky breath. "He's not with any of his siblings, and right now I'm calling-"

"Hello?" Ian's voice is cut off, Dupree finally answering his phone. "Ian?"

"Yeah, Detective. There wouldn't be any chance Mickey's with you or out with Cortez and Jameson, would there?"

Dupree snorts. "That a fuckin' joke?"

"Is he with you or not?"

"No. I'm at the hospital again. There something going on?"

"I think Mickey's missing."

Mickey hasn't said anything to Terry since he started following him to wherever he's leading Mickey. Terry hasn't said anything either, but he keeps looking back at Mickey to make sure he's still there, his face just as mean as Mickey remembers. Mickey's no fool though, he's keeping his distance as much and as long as he can. Mickey glances around the neighborhood they're in. It's residential, but it looks mostly empty, just dirty abandoned houses on either side of him. He's distracted by the spooky looking houses that he doesn't notice Terry standing next to an old dark green van with the side door wide open. Mickey halts abruptly, closer to Terry than he's comfortable with, and waits.

Terry snarls, actually fucking snarls at him, and grabs him roughly by the back of his shirt collar. "Get in the fucking van."

Mickey suppresses the shudder that wants to pass throughout his body and lets himself be shoved into the back of the vehicle. There are no seats, so he settles on the hard metal surface. It's cold, and he can almost feel it seeping through his clothes. He tries to calm himself down as much as possible. Mickey knows that if he lets himself be in the moment too much, Ian will be able to sense it. And then Ian, knowing how he is, will undoubtedly try some hero shit and go outside with the sun still out.

The car rumbles to life and Mickey is momentarily brought out of his daze. Terry casts him another glance over his shoulder and smirks.

During the ride, Mickey and Terry are silent. Mickey wishes that wherever they're going, they won't reach until it's dark. That way he knows Ian would be able to make it to him in time. Somehow, though, Mickey knows that's not going to happen. And sooner than he likes, the car comes to a stop.

"You know what's about to happen, don't you?" Terry asks, eyeing Mickey through the rearview mirror. "'Course you do. Fuckin' serves you right, little bitch. Not only are you a fag, but now you're a fangbanging fag."

Terry's words are harsh and cruel. It doesn't matter how many times he's heard them, Mickey isn't used to them. They're words no one can ever get used to.

Mickey closes his eyes momentarily and breathes in deeply. If there is one thing he's used to, it's steeling his features, making sure what he's feeling is expertly masked. When he opens his eyes again, Mickey looks directly at Terry through the mirror. "Let's get this over with. Or are you just gonna sit there spitting out the same old shit you used to before Mandy ran you out of town with your tail between your legs?"

As if a conditioned response, Terry storms out of the van and yanks Mickey out, shoving him against the side. Mickey slumps to the ground, the pain biting into his back. When he's hauled to his feet, he notices the house they've arrived at is nothing short of a mansion. There were no other houses or buildings Mickey could see, just trees in every direction.

Mickey lets himself be forcibly steered towards the house. Terry keeps a tight grip on the back of Mickey's neck as he opens the door and pushes Mickey inside. Mickey takes in his new surroundings. The house has wooden floors, he doesn't know what kind, Mickey doesn't know about types of wood. There's a lot of carpets though, each one with an intricate and colorful design. The walls are lined with expensive paintings, and Mickey thinks he can even hear classical music coming from somewhere. Honestly, Mickey could roll his eyes at how cliche this is turning out to be, if it weren't for the fact that he's in serious danger right now.

"Through there," Terry instructs, nodding at a room with double doors.

Mickey's feet are moving before his mind can catch up, and when he enters the room Mickey sees him.

Jimmy is casually leaning against his desk, smiling, happily waiting on Mickey. "Hello, again."

The calm in Jimmy's voice makes Mickey queasy. Like, this whole situation is normal. Like luring people to their deaths is normal. Then again, for someone like Jimmy, it probably is. And then Mickey realizes he very well could die at any moment right now. There's not much he can do at this point to slow down his heart rate, and he knows Ian must be losing it right now not being able to do anything. Then, Mickey asks what he knows is a dumb question given his predicament. "How are you awake right now?"

Jimmy smiles, seemingly understanding Mickey's train of thought, even if Mickey himself doesn't. "I don't need sleep like younger vampires do. I mean, of course, I need it. But I don't need it as much."

Mickey visibly swallows before speaking again. "Whatever you're gonna do, just do it quick."

Jimmy smiles again, his fangs slightly protruding, and then he laughs. "No… like I said the other night, it's not you or anyone else I want to hurt - it's Ian. Though, hurting you would hurt Ian, and there's plenty of ways that can go… but I think I've come up with something better."

"You said I'd get him after this is all done," Terry speaks up.

With a bored look on his face, Jimmy turns to him. "And you will. Just sit back for a while, Terry," Jimmy says, motioning to one of the couches on either side of the doors. "Relax, for Christ's sake."

Before Terry moves, Mickey snorts rudely at him. "Who's the bitch now?"

Terry only gets a few steps in before Jimmy knocks him down on his ass faster than either he or Mickey can see. Jimmy bends down directly in front of Terry's face. "Go sit down on the couch now." He doesn't glamour Terry. Instead, he speaks slowly and clearly, daring Terry to make a move against him. But Terry does as he's told, and Mickey would be lying if he said he didn't get some sick satisfaction in seeing Terry being ordered around.

Jimmy turns back to Mickey. "You too, Mickey," he says, gesturing at the cushioned chairs in front of his desk. "We have much to discuss."

Notes: Oh my god, there it is! I can't believe I finally updated this fic!

I am infinitely sorry this took me so long to update. After the mess that was season five, especially the last few episodes, it was so difficult for me to get back into writing anything really. I did manage to write a few other things, but I just couldn't get back to anything I'd written prior to s5 airing. Ultimately, I think I just needed time to process everything, something I'm still doing, and not sure I'll ever be done with. Idk maybe that sounds dumb, but Shameless meant a great deal to me (as I'm sure it did to many of you) and it was truly heartbreaking seeing it crash and burn the way it did. /SIGH/

Anyways, as I promised, I am finishing this fic (and all my others) no matter how long it takes me! I still haven't gotten back into a writing schedule, but I am already working on the following chapter, so I hope to get that out sooner than this update took. And I think this story only has a few more chapters to go now. We're nearing the home stretch, here.

As always, I'm on tumblr at i-like-em-sweet :)