Sunday Snippet: Losing the Light

Happy holidays to all who celebrate. We're having a quiet weekend at home to avoid spreading all of our cold germs to anyone else. I'm very okay with that.

Started two new projects this week and slowly getting back to semi-normal while fighting the cold making the rounds through our house. My husband currently has it again.

Made an almost full run through of my current slate of television shows. I've been trying to make sure I get plenty of sleep, so I hopefully don't end up with a setback with the cold.

Watched an episode of My Life Is Murder and remembered I'd seen most of this episode before. Enjoyed watching it again.

Started another two-part Agatha Raisin and rather enjoyed the dynamic between James's sister and Agatha. Looking forward to the second half.

Finished the second half of a Silent Witness two-parter. I'm kind of excited to see where things go with a new person on the team.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise. I don't remember watching much of this one before, but I do have recollection of at least one scene. Interesting that one of the guest stars is a regular on Agatha Raisin.

Watched another episode of Elementary. Thoroughly enjoyed it. This show definitely intrigues me.

Enjoyed another episode of The Batman. I think there might be one more episode of season one left.

Caught another episode of Classic Rugrats. I remembered both of the vignettes and enjoyed watching them again.

Watched another episode of The Secret Life of Amy Benson. I'm still intrigued by everything and can't wait to find out more about Amy's past.

Finished the week out with an episode of VIP. I have vague memories of watching this during the initial run of the series. Lots of fun.

That's it for the personal life update this week. Tonight's post is from Losing the Light, a novella that brings a couple back together after a bad breakup.

Here's the miniblurb:

Walker Garrett always does the right thing—except when it comes to Barret Danks. Barret never listens when she doesn't want to hear what's said, but Walker's ultimatum has her accepting a post on a newly terraformed planet. With him in the air and her on the ground, working out their issues doesn't seem likely … until Walker gets a call to meet with Barret's boss.

And a sneaky peek…

Walker shot up out of the chair. "You want me to do what?" He raked a hand through his hair.

Laura held his gaze. "I think I made myself clear. I'd like you to pick a group—a small one—of trained soldiers to help form a security force down here." She leaned back in her seat.

Walker snorted. "You want an official goon squad." She's mad.

Laura shook her head. "No. Not official and not a goon squad. This would only be temporary assistance." She got up and walked the length of the small room.

Walker huffed out a breath. "Temporary show of force you mean." He pinned her with a hard stare. "That's how the public will read this, especially with the word force in the title." She should know better than anyone how word choice worked.

Laura hand-waved his concern. "Call it whatever you want. A tactical unit, a unified detail, the semantics will work themselves out. The key idea is promoting safety and our current police enforcement isn't trained or equipped to handle the kind of maneuvers the opposition is using." She sighed. "I wish this wasn't necessary. The group opposing unification is well organized and vocal. But the majority of settlers elected me and I'm the duly recognized leader whether the rabble rousers like it or not." She paced back and forth. "We're in a unique situation here, Captain Gansett, not one I like being in but here we are."

Walker found her argument sound even if he didn't like it. "When you lay everything out, I see the hurdle you have to overcome. So, okay, I'll find a team to help out down here." Hopefully without stretching themselves too thin.

Laura paused. "I don't think you understand. You need to lead the team. I trust you and I want you to head up the new task force." Her emphasis kept getting stronger.

Walker bit back another sigh and sank back down into his chair. "You realize that's gonna put me in a very uncomfortable position, right? I'll have to assign someone to take command up top." And he barely had his 2IC on board.

Laura gave him a pointed look. "You're not going to like my next request either. Barret Danks will be your second in command. I insist on it."

Walker blew a gasket. "You've got to be kidding me." He got up and paced. "First you steal her, and now you're going to make working with her a stipulation?" He met her gaze. "You know our history, don't you?"

She would. Laura researched everything down to the last detail.

She had the grace to nod. "I do. But I also know you two to be professional and more than capable of putting aside any personal drama you might have for the greater good."

Well and truly trapped, Walker put the ball back in Laura's court. "If this is a dealbreaker, you should probably let Barret in on her new role." Because no way did Barret know yet.

Laura's cheeks went pink. "I already planned to do just that." She gave him a small smile. "I didn't mention our meeting to her because I wanted your agreement first." She hooked her hand around his bicep. "I'll have quarters assigned to you and expect to see you in two days."

Resigned, Walker gave a nod. "Yes, Madame Premiere. I'll see you then."

Heading back to his transport, he not so calmly accepted his life would be chaos for the foreseeable future.

Reunion romances are some of my favorite to write and Walker and Barret's story is one I'm enjoying a lot.

 

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Losing the Light

So far, February has been cold and snowy in Ohio. Not a complaint or anything. It's been a while since we've had snow that stuck around for longer than a day or two.

Had a fairly busy work week but I did manage to get a couple of shows watched. I started with the last two episodes of Queens of Mystery and also caught the behind the scenes and easter egg specials. I'm looking forward to another season of this show if they decide to go ahead.

I started another episode of Silent Witness and should finish it up over the next day or so. This two-parter will round out the eighth season and I'll start nine in the near future.

Caught the first episode of a new-to-me series, No Offence. Set in Manchester, I really liked the first episode. It's a bit of a dramedy which isn't usually my cuppa but I'll give this one a solid shot.

Also got another episode of Blue Heelers almost finished. This had a fun crop circle thing going on to offset a tragedy. The only thing left is the reveal of who committed a murder.

Caught my usual Ovation mysteries also. And I found a channel that's showing Poltergeist: The Legacy, which I loved when it originally aired. I really miss old-school Syfy channel sometimes. The current incarnation annoys me to the point I can't really watch it anymore. I think the freak of the week movies really ruined the entire channel for me.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Losing the Light, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Walker Garrett always does the right thing—except when it comes to Barret Danks. Barret never listens when she doesn't want to hear what's said, but Walker's ultimatum has her accepting a post on a newly terraformed planet. With him in the air and her on the ground, working out their issues doesn't seem likely … until Walker gets a call to meet with Barret's boss.

And a sneaky peek…

"How long do you think it will take for the unrest to settle down?" Barret Danks dropped down beside her current, but unpublicized, better half, Walker Garrett.

He glanced up from the pile of reports he reviewed. "With the political nature? Probably the standard two or three years." He set the files aside and brought her legs up onto his lap.

Barret flicked her gaze toward the hatch. "Is this a good idea?" They hadn't gone public about their status.

Walker shrugged. "If we're going to be here for a while, people will figure it out." His tone implied they probably had already.

His hands wrapped around one of her feet and massaged, his fingers digging into the arch. Any concern about being caught in a compromising position dissolved.

Barret groaned. "I swear you have magic in your fingers." And other parts of his anatomy.

He grinned. "It's why you keep me around, right." He used his knuckles to work over a knot.

She did what he expected and laughed, but the comment jabbed a little. To date, their relationship hovered somewhere between casual friends with benefits and exclusive almost long-term. Seriously, after working together as long as they had, he'd become her best friend. She never wanted to lose that.

She nudged her other foot closer. "You're good for lots of things but foot massages rank pretty high on the list." She grinned when he took the hint and started rubbing again.

She turned her attention to the reason they were orbiting a newly terraformed planet. The shaky political situation had the entire ship talking. Nothing like the threat of failure to make tongues wag.

Barret shifted to a sitting position. "We're going to be doing a lot of policing aren't we?" They probably wouldn't be able to help doing so.

Walker nodded. "Maybe at first. But the electoral delegates should set up a law enforcement faction within the first six months. After that, the military hangs back and usually manages engineering projects on a large scale until the infrastructure is up and running." He got up to file the reports he'd been viewing earlier.

Barret waited until he settled back beside her. "Ugh, makes my head ache." She shifted her position and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'd rather eat gears than deal with all the intrigue and craziness on the planet." She had better plans for her time with Walker tonight.

He got up and held out his hand. "Sounds like you need my magic fingers somewhere else." He wagged his eyebrows.

Barret grasped his palm. "Damn, you take hints really well." They made their way to their favorite hookup spot—the training room on the lowest deck.

Barret had her shirt off and her pants halfway down before Walker had the hatch secure. When he turned, she crooked her finger and let her fatigues hit the floor. He yanked his shirt over his head and popped the button on his pants. Barret stepped away from her clothes and laughed when Walker stalked after her.

He caught up and hauled her close to his chest. "Are you aiming to misbehave?" His voice went low and smoky.

She tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. "Don't I always?" Dragging her tongue along his jawline, she nipped at his lower lip.

Walker growled and caught her face between his hands "You're a wicked woman, Barret." He leaned in close.

She grinned." I know. It's one of the things you love most about me."

At least she liked to think so.

This story took a few turns I didn't expect and I'm excited to see what else the sages throw my way.

 

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Losing the Light

What an incredible episode of The Last Ship! I loved the whole storm at sea and the cat and mouse game with the Greek ships. My fingers are crossed nothing happens to Master Chief. I'll be very upset if he dies.

Teen Wolf brought back even more former Beacon Hills faces. I'm excited and a little melancholy about tonight's episode. I'll be totally thrilled if Monroe finally dies a spectacular death.

I'm four episodes in on The Defenders and pretty much love it so far. Even Danny isn't as annoying as I thought he'd be. Jessica and Luke make me happy. Not as a couple or anything, I just love their shorthand conversations. And, of course, Matt is pretty much my favorite, always.

Hawaii Five-0 is pretty terrific in season seven. I like the interactions and pretty much like Steve getting some closure with Katherine. I'm not even halfway through the season yet, but here's hoping the remaining episodes are as good.

Gotham returned! I completely missed the premiere date but got caught up the next day. I LOVED the first episode of the season. I'm thrilled the show seems to have found its footing and delivers great television on a consistent basis.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Losing the Light, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of "crying, a new place, and a flashlight". I kind of liked the randomness of this one.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Walker Garrett always does the right thing—except when it comes to Barret Danks. Barret never listens when she doesn't want to hear what's said, but Walker's ultimatum has her accepting a post on a newly terraformed planet. With him in the air and her on the ground, working out their issues doesn't seem likely… until Walker gets a call to meet with Barret's boss.

And a sneaky peek…

Butch and Linda took Elsie and headed back toward their section of the tent village, leaving Barret in the uncomfortable position of being with Walker.

Alone.

She drank in the sight of him—tall, rugged, and dressed for being down below. The man wore civilian clothes well. He also looked damned good in nothing at all.

Stop it, Barret. No going backwards. You no longer have a place in his heart.

Because she'd cut and run… her modus operandi. If she could turn back the clock, she might do things differently but the primary conflict would be the same. Walker always wanted more.

More discussion. More plans. More commitment.

He didn't understand and never would. She didn't talk about her innermost feelings—she loved him and said so, but sharing fear and uncertainty, of waiting for their life to implode. Yeah, not so much. She never planned for the future—she didn't know how. Committing to a monogamous relationship proved easier than she'd expected, but pledging to spend her life with one person? She had zero point of reference of what that looked like.

Walker hefted his pack over his shoulder and started down the main thoroughfare. A meeting with Laura… one Barret didn't know about. Her curiosity got the better of her.

She followed and caught up with Walker. "Did Laura really not say why she wanted the meet or were you trying to maintain a cover with the Aldermans?" Barret didn't like not being in the loop on private meetings with someone from up top.

She usually advised the premier on matters involving the protection detail orbiting the planet.

Walker spared a brief glance in Barret's direction. "She didn't go into specifics, but asked for a cover of darkness meet-up." He lifted a shoulder. "I wasn't ordered to keep anything under wraps and the kid recognized me so I stuck with the truth." He made a turn at the next left.

Barret frowned. "The Commonplace is this way." She jerked her head to the right.

Walker paused and his shoulders tensed. "We're not meeting at the official residence." He didn't elaborate, but he didn't have to.

Laura requested an off-book meeting, which meant no public record of Walker's presence. Interesting.

And a little off-putting since Barret had no idea of the scheduled event.

Walker angled his head around. "Don't you have a patrol to complete?" His eyebrow quirked.

As far as dismissals went, he could've been harsher. He didn't owe her an explanation. And he certainly had no reason to satisfy her curiosity.

Dammit.

Barret sighed. "Yeah, I do." She fought the trickle of longing to ask if she could walk him to his destination.

He wouldn't welcome her company. And since Laura didn't mention anything about the meeting, Barret had to assume the premier didn't want anyone else there. A cause for concern, certainly, but Laura did things her way.

Barret nodded toward the thoroughfare. "Take extra care walking in that direction. The rabble-rousers start early down here." With a shrug, she started back in the direction of the tent settlement.

Walker didn't respond and when Barret glanced over her shoulder, he'd already disappeared into the dark shadows.

She squared her shoulders again. "Good luck, man. Here's hoping you don't run into any of the disgruntled element that's been causing trouble." He'd bring a nice bounty if they got their hands on him.

But… not her problem. If Laura wanted her out of the loop, Barret would stay there.

Didn't make her roiling stomach calm down any.

Or maybe that came from seeing Walker again…

I'm actually not completely sure where this one will end up going, but I like the tone it's taking.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Losing the Light

So… the new season of Banshee started and blew my mind with the first episode. I have no idea why I'm so drawn to the show, but it never fails to push just a little further than I think it will. The opening scene equaled sheer perfection.

The Librarians is still making me smile and I’m getting ready to start Miss Fisher's Mysteries on Netflix this week. I've heard super awesome things about the series and can't wait to get into a new to me show.

OH! The CW also renewed ALL their fall dramas and I read the showrunners for The Flash and Arrow plan a once a year crossover for the two shows. WOOHOO!! Seriously happy for that news.

Bitten starts next month on Space and my unblocker app and Chromecast is going to be busy each week while I stream the episodes multiple times from the website. (Then watch again when Syfy airs them. :D)

And that's enough about TV, right?

Tonight's post is from Losing the Light, a novella of love lost to an ultimatum and dealing with the reunion of the main characters.

Here's the tagline:

Walker Garrett always does the right thing—except when it comes to Barret Danks. Barret never listens when she doesn't want to hear what's said, but Walker's ultimatum has her accepting a post on a newly terraformed planet. With him in the air and her on the ground, working out their issues doesn't seem likely… until Walker gets a call to meet with Barret's boss.

And a sneaky peek… (A little longer than usual)

Walker rarely went down below. He had zero desire to run into Barret. But he couldn't refuse a meeting with Laura… and of course, she wanted it under the cover of darkness. The unrest continued brewing and she wouldn't risk drawing the military into the fray. His unwavering support of her during the election process the only reason she'd even make the call.

Rounding a corner, he stopped and listened carefully. Muffled sobs came from up ahead. He didn't want to stumble onto anything domestic, but he couldn't ignore the sound either… his route would take him directly past the area. Shit. Moving quietly, Walker got up close to the makeshift checkpoint, eased his head around the side of the building for a quick look, and blinked with surprise. A small child, probably four or five, huddled close to the entrance, her head bent forward to rest on her knees. She hiccupped with tears, but remained fairly quiet.

He didn't want to scare her, hell, he didn't want to deal with her, but he couldn't leave her alone out in the dark. Why would she be by alone? Where were her parents?

He feared scaring her so he backed up and shuffled his feet on the gravel, making his presence known. Her head shot up and she peered around, her gaze landing on Walker.

He approached with caution, hands in his pockets. "Hello, are you okay?" He stopped at the base of the raised platform.

Shaky and frightened for a moment, she tilted her head to one side before a big smile crossed her lips. "I know you. You're the man who flies in the sky, aren't you?" She nodded. "We had pictures of the pilots who protected us on our journey here."

Walker frowned. Her words were news to him, but it broke the ice and made his life easier. A small amount of trust should help him find out where she belonged.

He crouched down, bringing him to her eye level. "Yes. My name is Walker. And who are you?"

She glanced away. "It's okay to tell you my name, isn't it? Because I know who you are?" She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment.

Walker moved up and sat on the edge of the dais. "I think it'll be okay. I can't help you if I don't know your name."

She brightened. "I'm Elsie." She stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Walker."

Her action charmed him and he grasped her small palm, shaking it. "I'm glad to meet you, Elsie. Now, did you get lost? Are you hurt?" With zero clue how to deal with a small child, he hoped he asked the right questions.

She shook her head back and forth. "I know where I am and I'm just fine. My flashlight quit working and we live in the back end of the camp." She pointed in the direction of the tent village. "The lights didn't reach our section and I’m not supposed to walk around in the dark."

Walker bit back a chuckle. Smart girl.

She continued. "I sat and waited under the big light so my parents can find me." Her lower lip quivered. "But I missed dinner and they'll be really mad, because I should have changed the batteries in the light." She glanced away. "My mom told me to do it yesterday and I forgot." A loud rumble came from her tummy.

Walker had a sandwich in his pack. He got up and retrieved it from beside the building then settled beside Elsie and gave her the food.

She unwrapped the ham and cheese and tore it in half. "Thank you. But you should have some, too." She handed one half to Walker.

He grinned. "Thank you, Elsie."

She smiled and bit into the bread.

Walker ate his portion then dug out a bottle of water. He unscrewed the lid and gave it to Elsie.

While she drank, he asked. "Do you want to go home?"

She frowned. "I don't know which tent belongs to my family in the dark." Her voice wobbled.

Walker reassured her. "I'll bet we can find someone who knows where you live. Why don't I walk with you?"

A wide grin spread across her face. "You'll come with me?" She got up and brushed off her leggings. "Maybe I won't miss my bedtime and my mom and dad can still read me a story." She grabbed his hand and started for the steps.

When they reached the bottom, three people approached, a man and two women. Elsie ran forward to be swept up by her dad. She chattered away, apologizing and telling him everything she'd done, down to eating half of Walker's sandwich. The women continued forward and Walker came face to face with Barret.

She stopped short, but the other woman rushed up to Walker. "Goodness, thank you so much for being here. We were so worried about Elsie." She grabbed his hands. "I'm Linda. Butch and I were beside ourselves until Barret came along."

Walker shot a glance in her direction.

She shrugged. "I'm on civilian watch duty. A favor for my boss." She went back to a stony silence.

Great. Her boss. The woman Walker got the call to meet.

He inclined his chin. "I was on my way to meet her when I stumbled across Elsie."

Barret's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware she called you. Did she say why?" Her shoulders squared, angry tension making them stiffen.

He shook his head. "No. Just asked me to come down after sunset." Not his problem Laura didn't fill Barret in.

The awkward meeting set his teeth on edge, but Walker tried for the kid's sake not to be an ass. Butch approached and shifted Elsie to one hip.

He stuck out his hand. "We're so grateful you found her. Thank you." He pumped Walker's palm up and down. "Especially for sharing your food and water. She's had nothing since lunch today."

Barret snorted. "Yeah, that's Walker. Always does the right thing."

Walker gave her a tight smile. "Not always. I miss the mark sometimes." With her.

He turned to Butch. "It's no problem. You've got a great little girl there."

I'm loving the awkward interaction and can't wait to write more.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye