Last Lucid Moment

[forrest beau stark]

Forrest hated handing Alysha back to Lauren. He never knew when the mother might let him see his baby girl again, and the tiny thing was growing up too fast it seemed. No matter what he seemed to do, Lauren seemed to hold a negative opinion of him; he was a criminal, he was the man who knocked her up and stole her dreams. Like she didn’t have some responsibility when she fell into bed with him four years ago. He couldn’t understand why she hated him so much when their little girl was such an angel, and the greatest thing Forrest had done with his life. He knew he was a screw up, and the furthest thing from Prince Charming, but he had been trying. He didn’t do the big jobs anymore when the boss called, and he knew when to flat out say no to something that was put before him. He kept his daughter out of his lawless life and only did what he had to do to make ends meet. No one legitimate wanted to hire a man who had no real skills beyond breaking and entering, and being a half decent boxer; his criminal record saw to that.

With Alysha back at her mother’s now, Forrest had time to himself again. His apartment seemed too quiet now without the sounds of the cartoons she liked so much, and without the noise of the toys she played with almost constantly. He wanted to avoid going back there for a little while. It would only make him dwell on how little he got to see Alysha and that would make him mad, and Forrest was prone to doing stupid things when he was mad. If he was trying to sort himself out then the last thing he needed was to slip up because he had been annoyed at Lauren’s untrusting nature. It wasn’t like he was going to take Alysha on some heist with him, or catch the next flight out of JFK with her, though there were times when he was more than tempted enough to do just that.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Forrest sighed and turned in the direction of O’Malley’s. It was still early in the day, but he didn’t care. He wanted a drink and he had nothing better to do. Trouble only lurked around every other corner, and there was probably some at the end of this street, but for now beer was going to be his friend. Walking the blocks to the Irish Pub, Forrest pushed open the door and slipped in, noting the quiet atmosphere and the few regulars already propping themselves up. He was pretty certain they were part of the furniture in O’Malley’s since he saw them every single time he went in, but Forrest wasn’t the type of guy to ask questions. He just got on with it. “Beer, please.” He ordered, sliding himself onto a bar stool and settling himself in for what he expected to be a long stay.

• • •

TAGGED! @libby
WORDS! 508!
OUTFIT! Bad Boy!
LYRICS! Maybe - - - Next To Normal
NOTES! <3

[Deleted]

Ever since Libby had gotten back on her two feet, she had been a lot happier. She still got upset when she thought about Trevor and his death, but she knew he would be proud of her. He never wanted her to get sucked into the drug scene. He always told her how much he regretted getting hooked and swept into the drama of dealing. He was vocal about how much he disapproved of Libby's addictions, but there wasn't much he could do, since he didn't deal to her and she got it from another person. Libby often wished he were still with her, and that they had gotten clean together. Being in a new city sucked, especially when you were all alone. But at the same time, she knew that if he were still alive, she would probably be dead by now from an overdose or still hooked on drugs. 

But, just because she was sober from drugs didn't mean she couldn't drink every now-and-then. She made her way to her favorite little pub, O'Malley's, and she grinned as the bells indicated her arrival to the bartender. She rarely came here, and when she did, she always noticed the same people here. Sometimes she wished she could just sit down and talk to them, to tell them that life got better once you did something to help better yourself. She knew that people didn't take kindly to strangers telling them they needed to get off their lazy-asses and do something, though. She'd probably end up in a shouting match with someone. 

She bound over to the bar, hopping up on the bar stool. She bit her lip, looking at the menu. She wasn't sure what she wanted today. Beer didn't feel right to her today. Fruity drinks didn't feel right, either. She chewed at the inside of her cheek, finally deciding on a draft beer. She ordered her drink, and she noticed someone sitting next to her. She turned to face him, legs crossed, elbow on the counter. 

"I feel like I've seen you before..."

She said. The thing about Libby was that she spoke her mind. She didn't really think before speaking, and she had no filter. She didn't care that her statement could've come off as creepy or unwelcome. She just knew that she had seen him before, and she wondered if he remembered her from anywhere. 

**************************************************************************

For:
Kim with Forrest
Outfit:
 Click
Words:
400
Notes:
I couldn't remember if they were going to know each other or not, so if you don't want them to know each other from the Bronx, just pretend he has a familiar face. 

[forrest beau stark]

Forrest couldn’t even remember exactly how he had ended up working a life of crime. He knew he had always been a troublemaker, but since there was never really a moment of his life when he had been entirely well behaved it was hard to pinpoint the moment when he fell in with the bad crowd and found himself descending into a life of crime. No one had ever expected anything good from Forrest. He had been the kid even the teachers thought would never amount to much, and his parents weren’t far behind them when it came to giving up hope on their son either. It was really no shock when Forrest did find his place in the world, and that it was with the villains of New York City, working his way up through the ranks until he was one of the more trusted players in the underworld. It was too bad that now when he wanted out he had nothing to fall back on. All he had ever known was a life of trouble and crime, and his boss knew that even when Forrest said he was out it was only a matter of time before he would be back, needing another job to pay his bills and make ends meet.

Frustratingly it was his reality. Forrest had no other skills apart from those that were excellent when it came to working against the law, and with his criminal record already looking rather colourful no one wanted to give him a chance. Not that Forrest could blame them. He wouldn’t trust him either. There was too much he was capable of, too many dark roads he had already walked down that he couldn’t come back from.

Grabbing his beer and downing a good chunk of it, Forrest leaned forward on the bar with both his elbows. He had intended to spend his afternoon alone, but when someone slid onto the stool next to him that idea appeared to be blown out of the water. Glancing sideways he recognised Libby instantly, but being the ass that he was felt like messing with her. He remembered her from growing up, had seen her about through acquaintances – he never said he had friends – and the Bronx, for being a big place, was actually rather small in the sense that the right crowds seemed to know everyone. Forrest also made a habit of remembering people in case he needed to get revenge on someone for selling him out or screwing him over at some point. That was just how little he trusted people. “I’ve got one of those faces.” He said, speaking in a bored tone before taking a mouthful of his beer. “Or maybe you’re just wishing I was someone you knew.” He added, deciding to be a complete asshole rather than just remind her where she might know him from.

• • •

TAGGED! @libby
WORDS! 485!
OUTFIT! Bad Boy!
LYRICS! Maybe - - - Next To Normal
NOTES! They can know each other, but Forrest is just a major ass -__- <3

[Deleted]

As soon as the man opened his mouth to speak, Libby remembered exactly who he was. A big, sly smile spread across her face as memories from the Bronx flooded back. Sure, the place was big, but when you were in the crowd Libby and Forrest hung around with, you tended to know everyone in the group. But it had been years since Libby last saw Forrest. He had grown up a little bit, and so had she. But there was no way Libby could ever forget his voice and attitude. 

"Ah, Forrest. You're always such a lovely person to run into. How the fuck are you?"

She responded with a laugh. The last time she had seen Forrest, Trevor had been alive. Trevor had actually introduced them. They never really went out of their way to hang out, but they were constantly around each other. They talked and got to know each other, but Libby wasn't as close to him as she had been to Trevor. 

"Are you still living in the Bronx?"

She asked him. Libby had moved from the Bronx to help keep her clean. She knew if she went back there, she would be back on drugs, and she would probably be dead by now. But here, in the city, she was doing exceptionally well.

"Or are you just visiting the city?"

She asked. Sometimes their group had done that. They would just roam the town at night, reeking havoc. In fact, she remembered one time where Trevor had spent the night in prison for starting a dumpster fire. Libby had help create the fire, but when they were caught, Trevor told the cops that she had just been there to talk him out of it and he hadn't listened. As her thoughts kept going to Trevor, she realized that Forrest probably didn't even know Trevor had died. Forrest also probably didn't know that Libby had gotten clean. Unless he kept in touch with members of their gang, he wouldn't have known. She really didn't want to tell him about Trevor; she was trying to move on from it still. Trevor was like her older brother, and when he had died in her arms, she lost it. If the cops wouldn't have given her an ultimatum, she probably would've spent a few nights in jail and then gone back to find her group. 

But when the group ran, something inside of Libby changed. She thought they were ride or die. She never thought they would leave another one behind like they had. They had left Trevor to die on his own just to save their own skins. To Libby, that was a breech in their code. She would've either tried to kill each and every member of her old group or she would've just left them. Even when she was messed up on drugs, she didn't want to be a part of a group that went against their word. 

As her mind wandered back to the night Trevor died, she chugged the rest of her beer, asking for something stronger for her next drink. She hated reliving the night he died. It was the one memory she wanted to escape from, but also the one that wouldn't leave her alone. It haunted her each and everyday, some days more than others. And today, Forrest had been a trigger. 


**************************************************************************

For:
forrest beau stark
Outfit:
 Click
Words:
562
Notes:

[forrest beau stark]

Forrest prided himself on never forgetting a face. If anything was ever going to get him killed it was probably going to be that skill coupled with his bad temper. There had been plenty of times when he was out at a bar and spotted someone who had screwed him over way back when, and after a few drinks Forrest wanted nothing more than revenge in the form of a fist fight. He liked to think he had mellowed out since his release from prison for Alysha’s sake more than anything else, but he knew he was still far away from being the good guy. However, he could remember people from the old crowd who didn’t piss him off, and though he was still something of an ass to them at times, he considered himself pretty loyal if they needed his help. It was the way of the world he had grown up in. Gangs were gangs because of their loyalty, and rivalries existed because of the betrayal of that loyalty. It sure as hell wasn’t as complicated as the media and politicians liked to make it out to be when they made their excuses for avoiding those poverty stricken areas where crime was rife, and violence was as common as litter in the gutter.

Chuckling under his breath, Forrest barely smirked. “Never better.” It was his response to that question no matter how he truly felt. He knew better than to answer anything honestly when he played the game the way he played it. Life was far too dangerous to go around showing off your hand to everyone you met, and these days Forrest didn’t know who he could trust. “A guy like me never leaves that hellhole.” He answered dryly, fingers coiled around his beer, eyes fixed on the label though he wasn’t really looking at it. He might give everything he had to get out of the Bronx for Alysha, but life wasn’t that simple. He had done things that had him tied to it for life. There was no walking away unless he went on the run and he couldn’t do that without abandoning Alysha; something he would never do as long as he was still breathing.

He knew the city could get under the skin of the people who were born there. Classmates of his were doing damn fine for himself and he’d see them in suits and ties, talking on cell phones about business deals. All he thought about when he saw that was how to bring it all down and tear it away from them. It was jealousy at its finest but he would never admit to it. He wouldn’t confess to being envious of the kids he had once kicked about the school yard and taunted for being so good in class. As much as Forrest wanted their lives, he knew he was always going to walk on the darker side of life, and he would probably always be a criminal, no matter what. Sighing inwardly, he swigged from his bottle and then glanced quickly across as Libby. “How’s tricks?” He asked, wanting to forget about his own twisted problems for a minute and maybe laugh at someone else’s. Cruel, but Forrest had never been nice.

• • •

TAGGED! @libby
WORDS! 550!
OUTFIT! Bad Boy!
LYRICS! Maybe - - - Next To Normal
NOTES! <3