The Wilderness • •

[jilli harmony farron]

Jilli savoured her days off. On her days off she didn’t have to pretend that everything was alright. The gun that she was afraid of was locked in the safe in her apartment and she didn’t feel like she the weight of her own anxiety pressing down on her chest. How she had passed her psych evaluation to be allowed back into the field was beyond her, but she had been cleared for active duty a few months back now and no one had questioned her since her return. Her hesitation was deemed normal after what she had been through, and since she hadn’t been put in a situation anything like the last there hadn’t been time for her colleagues to glimpse the fear that lingered in the young CSI. She didn’t want to transfer back to the labs permanently. She liked doing the work she did; it was just the sidearm that made her nauseous. When she got home it was the first thing that came off, and she sought comfort in the pets that were the closest thing she had to family in the big city.

Her pets were the very reason she was out today. They needed some new things. Bramble had outgrown her kitten things now and Ghast would be insanely jealous if the cat got something and he didn’t. They were like daft siblings if Jilli ever saw them. One minute they’d be cuddled up on the couch and five minutes afterwards Ghast was barking at her and Bramble was hitting him in the face with her paw and trying to steal one of his chew toys. It was tiring after a long day of work, but it was what she actually liked coming home to. They had gotten her through everything after the shooting and when she had come round in the hospital her first concerns had been for them, and who would look after them before she could.

She shopped around for a few hours, dipping into the various stores to grab new collars, toys and beds for her beloved pets. She was spoiling them and she damn well knew it. Jilli didn’t care though. She didn’t have a boyfriend or children to splash her cash on. Her family lived in Illinois and were old enough to take care of themselves. If she couldn’t spoil Bramble and Ghast then she couldn’t spoil anyone. Jilli’s final stop of the day was at the veterinary clinic. Colton had taken care of her babies when she couldn’t – something she would forever be indebted to him for. Ever since then though, her pets had been ruined by the standard treats sold in stores and she needed to pick up biscuits from there for the two of them. Plus, she figured there was no harm in purchasing some shampoo from them either. She knew what she was buying from Colton, whereas the stores had more brands and variety than Jilli probably had for herself in a shop. Laden with her previous purchases, she was regretting leaving her car at home by the time she opened the door to the clinic. “Oh my god. I think I left the last of my energy back at the corner. I need a minute.” She said to no one in particular as she dropped herself into one of the chairs. It was late in the day, the waiting room empty of pets and their owners by now. Jilli herself hadn’t quite realised just how late it was. Absentmindedly, her hand came over her scar and she rubbed it gently. It was a habit now, one she didn’t realise she had developed.

• • •

TAGGED! Colton Hugh Davies
WORDS! 611!
OUTFIT! Scarred Sweetheart!
LYRICS! We Found Each Other In The Dark - - City And Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Colton Hugh Davies]

Colton was one of those guys who absolutely loved his job. He didn't dread getting out of bed in the morning and finding out what was in store for him. If he'd continue doing what his father had wanted from him, Colt would have ended up hating his life and resenting his parents for pushing it on him. In his mind, he wouldn't have had a life; he would have been married to the job, working those long hours. Sure he would have had money and a nice fancy home but he wouldn't have had anyone to share it with! At least with the clinic, he had the money, he had the home but he was also happy and he had hired people he enjoyed being around. He had time after hours and on weekends to do things, get out there and explore the city he now called home. He had friends that he didn't just work with! It probably seemed so simple to those with the nine to five gigs or had the freedom to be flexible but for so long, Colton hadn't had that option when he'd been young and even those first years of university. 

It had taken everything he had in him and his sister's support to tell his parents the truth about what he wanted to do with his life. Thank god it worked and they'd been persuaded enough to give him a chance to pursue what he really wanted from life. Colton loved animals, wanted to take care of them all and he had been able to prove that. And show up his father who had said he wouldn't make it as a veterinarian. Not only had he made it through school to become one, he even opened up his own clinic. His father would never admit that he was proud of his son, and really, that would have been too much to ask of the lawyer; the entire family knew it. But he had the support of his family and those loyal clients who returned to him for treats, food and medical service for their furry family members proved that he was as good as he’d thought he could be.

Colton heard the bell for the front door from where he was in the clinic but he was in the middle of writing something out and knew if he’d stopped, he would forget completely what he was trying to say. Instead he sent Monty out to entertain whoever was out there until he could get out there himself. Neither of his receptionists were in at the moment, since it was a rather slow time in the day. He was only still in because his business hours weren’t quite up yet and he had some paperwork that needed to be finished up. “There’s water in the mini fridge behind the desk. Help yourself.” He called out, finishing up what he’d started and saving it. With that finished, he came around the corner with a friendly smile in place that brightened at seeing who was in his clinic. “To what do I owe this honour, Jilli?” He asked, leaning against the reception desk.

Tag || jilli harmony farron
Words || 542
Clothes || Very Sexy Vet
Music || After the Storm Blows Through --Maddie & Tae
Notes || <3

[jilli harmony farron]

Jilli loved her job, she still had no reservations about that. There were elements of working a case for her that were like solving a puzzle and that sort of thing soothed her mind even when the case was frightful and came with a lot of stress from her boss and those above him. She didn’t want to quit or move to something else. She liked it, but there was just a fear beneath all she carried now that she couldn’t shake off and she knew it was the kind of fear that she had to face to overcome it. The only problem was that to face it again head on came with the risk of dying and Jilli did not want to go there. She had flat lined during her surgery after her shooting and she didn’t like the thought of her heart stopping again. Jilli just kept telling herself that her actions that day had saved a life and she was still around to tell the tale, even if she had been in physical therapy for several months to rebuild her strength and off duty for a time, too. The nightmares could come but they could never change the fact that she had, in reality, survived.

There was a lot to live for, and Jilli was stubborn. As terrified as she was she did want to overcome the fear and hatred she currently held for her gun. She wanted to get back to being the girl she always had been, no matter what. She’d fight for that, too, when she felt ready. A lot was still so very raw for her, and since no one knew how she truly felt she was worried that opening up might see her removed from the team again until she was over her doubts. Bills and rent didn’t really make that an option for her. She needed to work and she wanted to work. She just didn’t want to get hurt again, or see someone else get hurt. It was difficult, but Jilli was trying to take each day as it came and focus on also creating a life for herself away from the crime labs and the NYPD. That bit wasn’t quite as easy as she thought. She didn’t have too many friends in the city to start with and most of the people she met these days she met through work.

She greeted Monty when he came out, burying her fingers in her fur to give him a good cuddle before she moved to grab the water she heard Colt shout about. It sounded absolutely perfect after hauling all her shopping around. She uncapped it and took a few gulps before greeting Colt. “You spoilt my pets when you had them, Colt. They’ll only eat your treats now.” She said with a smirk, leaning on the counter before wincing and straightening up again. She wasn’t back to total fitness yet and hunching or stretching sometimes pulled the skin around the tender scar. It was annoying more than it was painful. “And I was going to buy some shampoo while I was here. I’ve been putting it off, but I need to wrestle the pair of them into water sometime soon.” She hadn’t wanted to accidentally take a paw to the chest while she was recovering, but her Bramble and Ghast were getting mangy and it was a risk she would have to take. She couldn’t afford grooming parlour prices, not after her medical bills.

• • •

TAGGED! Colton Hugh Davies
WORDS! 588!
OUTFIT! Scarred Sweetheart!
LYRICS! We Found Each Other In The Dark - - City And Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Colton Hugh Davies]

For a long time Colt did as his father expected of him. He was the oldest. The one to be looked up to and somehow that meant compliancy. He could remember clearly all the times he'd slipped out of the house without anyone knowing and it was probably because of those nights that his little sister managed to become so courageous and stand up to their parents. Not that they expected her to follow in daddy dearest's footsteps. Somehow it had become perfectly acceptable for Nadine to do as she pleased with her life but their father somehow expected Colton to do what he was told with no questions asked. It was partially his fault, he did exactly that. And that probably paved the way for Nadine to get away with a hell of a lot more; not to mention the fact that she was a girl and daughter's seemed to get a different set of rules. Plus she was the second one born so parents became less harsh the more children they had. At one point, Colt had almost wished his parents had a brood of kids and not just the pair of them. But "what ifs" and "if only's" went only so far.

It was pointless to think about it really, especially since he knew that being the oldest meant he would have to watch all the younger ones anyway and his life wouldn't have changed much from what it had been. He might have resented his parents a little more, he might have rebelled long before going into his second year at university. It was all useless and it made his head hurt to think about. He was happy, Nadine was happy and his parents had an excuse to visit New York City more often. It seemed to be a win-win for everyone. He got out from under his thumb, found his passion and opened up a place that he could be proud of. And he was more proud of the little animal clinic and the client list he'd established since opening the doors than of anything else he'd ever accomplished in his life.

His only wish for the clinic would be that someone else could do the paperwork for him. But that couldn't be the case unless he brought in another vet and that also was not about to happen; at least not ever on a partnership level. Wren was a good student and she would do very well in his practice but he knew her aspirations were much bigger than small animal vet. But he also knew talent when he saw it and would happily keep her around for as long as she wanted. "I can't exactly be blamed for that." He told her even though he definitely was at fault. He had a hard time finding treats he was willing to give his own dog and after looking for too long and finding nothing to his liking, he'd found a recipe and tried it out himself. His patients loved them and Monty was the biggest fan around so he made tons of them when he was home on Sunday afternoons and packaged some up for a select few; Jilli being one of them. Colt had known by the time he returned her babies to her, they would be just as big of fans as Monty was. "If you've got the time, I've still got the back room to clean up, I can take care of that. You'll have to dry them though. I am strictly the suds and water guy." He offered. It really hadn't been all that long since he'd been taking care of her pair while she'd been recovering. He didn't know what recovering from a bullet wound entailed but he knew it would probably be unwise to try and bathe a couple rascals like Ghast and Bramble.

Tag || jilli harmony farron
Words || 646
Clothes || Very Sexy Vet
Music || After the Storm Blows Through --Maddie & Tae
Notes || <3

[jilli harmony farron]

Jilli knew her parents longed for her to go back to the labs, just so she might be safe. She couldn’t blame them, the temptation to hide behind a computer screen and run analysis day in and day out had called to her plenty of times since she had been shot. They had never wanted her to put her bright mind to such a dangerous job, but she had been the one to tell them she was fine, that everything was okay. Then she went and took a bullet to her chest and nearly died and all those promises were false. They didn’t – couldn’t – believe her when she told them everything was okay now. She had scars and aches that she had never had before, nightmares and anxieties that she’d never even considered until a few months ago. Her parents would never believe she was safe again, not even if she screamed it at them until she was blue in the face. Jilli wasn’t so sure she believed it either, but she loved her job and she didn’t want to walk away from it and retreat back to her old position in the labs, breaking encryptions and cracking passwords.

Fear was not something Jilli was fond of. It rattled her too much, and she just wanted to get back to herself, to the life she was used to. She didn’t like jumping at shadows, or worrying about what might happen the next time she reached for her sidearm on the job. She wanted to get back to normal and the best way to do that was to start off small in other areas. Her pets were one, shopping and trying to get back into a routine was another. Colt had helped her out so much already, just by taking care of Ghast and Bramble when she was too sick to do so. She didn’t know how to repay him properly for that, beyond what she had already done. Still, it never felt like enough. Her cat and dog were all she had in the city really. Her colleagues were not really friends who she saw outside of work unless it was a quick drink at the end of a very rough day, and she wasn’t entirely the sociable type. Jilli had a habit of scaring people away with how much of a computer geek she could be, or by talking too much. Her whole life she had never really had people who stuck by her side, but she had been okay with that.

Jilli smirked, folding her arms across her chest. Colt was easy to get along with; something that happened rarely in her life. She almost always said too much, or bored people quickly when she started babbling on about her passions, but that hadn’t happened yet with Colt. Most likely she had been too ill when they first met and their other encounters had been short enough that she hadn’t had the chance to lose her way with him in conversation. “Oh really? Then who should I be blaming?” She asked, raising her eyebrows and waiting for his answer. She couldn’t be mad in the slightest. All she had cared about was that Ghast and Bramble had been cared for properly, by someone who wouldn’t ignore their needs. They got the best from Colt, even if they had come back to her a little pampered. “Bramble runs away the second you give her free reign. And then glares at you, dripping from the highest spot she can find. And Ghast, well, he’ll shake and use every available surface as his personal towel until he’s content.” She explained with a grin. “You really don’t have to help. It gets messy with those two, and I’m sure it’ll be hours of cleaning up after them.” She knew she didn’t have the strength to fight Ghast into behaving, not without getting hurt in the process. Bramble was far less of an issue, but still she would drip everywhere and at least get one scratch attack in purely because she was a delicate cat who loathed water. She even glared at Ghast’s water bowl in the kitchen, Jilli was sure of it. Plus, beyond all of that, Colt had done so much for her already.

• • •

TAGGED! Colton Hugh Davies
WORDS! 719!
OUTFIT! Scarred Sweetheart!
LYRICS! We Found Each Other In The Dark - - City And Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Colton Hugh Davies]

It was nice to see Jilli up on her feet and moving around without help. When he'd dropped her pair of troublemakers off to her, she'd been a sight and it was nice to see that she was healing well. He hadn't been able to think about what might have happened if she hadn't been able to recover at all. Her boy's would be orphaned and he would have been without a friend. But he never once told her she should go back to the lab, sit behind microscope and provide those forensic puzzle pieces. He hadn't been able to live as a lawyer and he knew she wouldn't have been content hiding within the sterile walls of the forensics lab. Sure, he would have kicked ass in the courtroom when he needed to be there but his heart hadn't been in it. It was that drive that lawyers needed to be sharks and Colt hadn't been born with it.

Colt had always been meant to be a vet, working with animals and helping them to live the best possible life. He didn't always agree with what the medical facts said but then, each veterinarian had their own quirks like anyone else and preferred this over that or that instead of the other because of this reason or that one. Colt liked to keep things simple, don't do this or that but another thing is perfectly okay. He especially loved it when people asked questions. It proved to him they were just as invested in their pet's life as he was. It felt good and he didn't mind spending an extra few minutes answering those questions. Jilli asked questions but she'd asked them about him and that had surprised him and intrigued him, though everything about that first meeting had been interesting. He liked her as a person as well, she was interesting. Colt liked interesting people, gave something to life, he thought.

Cold grinned, immediately throwing his assistant under the bus without a lick of shame. "Wren. You know how she loves to treat the animals." he said though it was hardly with a straight face. He had a feeling though, that the redhead had been handing out treats whenever she saw them, just like he had been. They had needed a little extra care since they were without their owner for quite some time and they missed her terribly. Colt and Wren could only do so much with them and Colt had hated the thought of them being stuck at the clinic when he had a perfectly good, and very dog friendly home they could be staying in. Colt shook his head, brushing away any concerns. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, I still have to clean that area so all that soap and water would actually be helping me." That particular room didn't take much at all since it was the room he regularly provided for baths so a rinse out at the end of the day usually did it.

Tag || jilli harmony farron
Words || 504
Clothes || Very Sexy Vet
Music || After the Storm Blows Through --Maddie & Tae
Notes || <3

[jilli harmony farron]

Jilli would not recommend getting shot to anyone. She didn’t regret her actions. They might just have saved a young child’s life, but at the same time that hot white pain eventually set in. Her psychologist went on about maternal instincts overpowering the pain, but Jilli didn’t care about that. It wasn’t the delayed response that her body had to the near deadly bullet that shocked her, even though it amazed everyone else. No, Jilli was held back by her own fears of doing it again. Her palms were sweaty when she held her piece these days, and she felt her whole body shake when she tried to aim steady. At the range she had landed perfect shots, perfect enough for the NYPD to sanction her carrying again. Out on the streets it was an entirely different story though. Thankfully, she hadn’t been in any real danger, and a literally cat fight in an alley behind a crime scene had been her only threat so far. It didn’t take a bullet to drive two hissing cats away.

There had been very little in Jilli’s life beside work though. She gamed, but mostly solo quests and adventures that didn’t leave her with friends in that world. Her MIT grad friends moved in different circles, but the years had pulled them apart. She wasn’t likely to turn to them unless there was a meme to post in their group chat, or someone was having a get together for some cause or celebration. There was a wedding in a few months she was an evening guest to, and Jilli was worrying about making sure she could hide her bullet wound. Everything in fashion was so low cut nowadays. There was so much out there that Jilli needed to explore, to try, and getting shot made her see that. It was also the excuse she was using to not do any of those things.

Smirking, Jilli folded her arms and stared Colt down as best as she could while still looking amused by him. “And because you’re such a perfect angel, right?” Her words dripped with sarcasm. Colt had gone above and beyond when he looked after her pets when she was in recovery, but she knew better than to think he did everything by the book. She knew he fell for those big puppy eyes worse than she did, and Bramble probably wrapped around his ankles and purred like a pretty princess to get her own way, too. Animals were not stupid, and they knew exactly how to play their humans like a fiddle. Jilli arched an eyebrow and dropped her arms back to her sides. She shook her head once and sighed in resignation, letting Colt win this one. Sometimes she knew when it was best to give in. It was a rare defeat on her part, but after dancing with death, her stubbornness had been exhausted. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She sang at him, tightening the bandana in her hair; a fashionable choice and not one that provided any function whatsoever.

• • •

TAGGED! Colton Hugh Davies
WORDS! 516!
OUTFIT! Scarred Sweetheart!
LYRICS! We Found Each Other In The Dark - - City And Colour
NOTES! <3 <3 <3