Sunday Snippet: Yearly Vigil

Whew. Ended up being a long week between work, home, and other projects. The biggest and best one is helping my daughter edit her final paper for her master's degree. I'm so proud of her!

I made a small dent in the great cleanout project. Didn't get a lot accomplished but made a bit of progress, which I'll take.

Finished up two work projects and continued on with two more. I have another two in flux and two new ones coming sometime this week. Excited to stay busy!

Pretty good week for viewing. I got through my full round of shows and finished up one from last week. I'm still working on one of the others.

Started with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and it was one of my favorite episodes. I love a good masquerade or costume party.

Caught another episode of Madame Blanc Mysteries and enjoyed Gloria and Nick working together. Hope to see more of that in future episodes.

Enjoyed an episode of Death in Paradise. The run-up to Neville leaving is turning out to be a lot of fun. And always good to see Dwayne back. Looking forward to the next episode.

Finished up the two-part Poirot and loved how the resolution came together. I like it when the infallible Poirot gets off on the wrong track for a bit.

Watched another episode of Elementary and quite enjoyed the mystery. Also enjoyed Joan handling her detractor and Sherlock acting as the support system afterward.

Enjoyed an episode of Batman Beyond. I remembered this one from my original watch. A lot of fun.

Caught an episode of Lower Decks and, again, ended up being equally charmed and annoyed. I think that's my standard for this show.

Finished up the Reacher episode from last week and wow. Gotta say I didn't see the ending coming, which is always a good thing. Hoping I can get a full episode in this week.

Almost finished an episode of Peak Practice. Things are getting very messy in the relationship departments for everyone, and Sam, whew, what a huge pile he's getting ready to step into.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Yearly Vigil, a novella that pulls a couple together over a shared loss.

Here's the miniblurb:

Venessa Broyles makes a yearly vigil to the graveside of her former lover, Hamish Blesdale, where she runs into his best friend, Hogan Baird. What starts out as an awkward stroll down memory lane eventually brings two lonely souls together.

And a sneaky peek…

Hell, why do I care?

He cocked his head. "I care because Hamish loved you." And Hogan wanted to understand her mindset.

Why she would refuse the honor of having the flag.

Maybe because she'd killed his best friend. Indirectly, but the responsibility rested on her shoulders. When he figured out how he felt about that specific instance, he might be able to start the grieving process.

Until then, he needed to conduct himself as Hamish would expect. "He'd want you to have the flag."

Venessa shrugged. "I don't need a flag to remember him."

Hogan frowned. "Or to remember your role in his death." Harsh, but the shrug got to him.

She flinched like he'd slapped her, and he regretted the accusation, but he didn't take it back. He did blame her … a little. Might not be rational, but too bad.

Venessa popped the door open. "You're right. I'll never need a reminder about why he died." She moved behind the door, using it as a barrier between them. "Good that you came, Hogan. Hamish deserved to have the people who cared about him most to see him laid to rest." She slid behind the wheel.

Hogan put a hand on the top of the door. "If you change your mind … let me know." He met her gaze. "Take care, Venessa."

She blinked and gave a nod. "Yeah, you too." Then she pulled the door shut and started the engine.

Hogan didn't like the subdued but dangerous look in her eyes. He quickly made his way to his rental vehicle and decided to follow her. No matter how he felt about her role in Hamish's death or her current lack of emotion, he'd make sure she got home okay.

Pulling out behind her, he stayed a few car lengths back. "It's the least I can do for my best friend."

Pretty happy with how this story is coming together. Hamish and Venessa have a long road to travel, and I enjoy this journey.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Yearly Vigil

Had a crazy week with new projects sliding into my inbox and each of them is interesting and a little different for me. I love diving into new areas. I'm also trying to get ready for a vacation and it's a little daunting because I haven't traveled much recently.

Ended up getting a lot of television viewing in this week. I had a good handle on my work stuff and kept the shows going in the background.

I finished up the first season of Moon Knight and ended up enjoying the series overall. I wouldn't mind seeing more at all.

Also finished The Hardy Boys and I'm a little torn over how I feel about where everything ended up. On one side, there are so many possibilities for a third season. On the other, I'm struggling to buy-in to the whole swap at the end and a miraculous wish being granted that one of the characters had. I'll let both sit with me for a while and see how I feel if and when a third season comes around.

Watched an episode of Peak Practice and I kind of feel for Joanna. Also kind of wondering when Andrew will be back and if he'll still be as self-destructive as he always seems to be.

Caught two MasterClass lessons with Roxane Gay. The first one discussed writing about trauma and the second offered feedback for an essay. I thoroughly enjoy the way Roxane presents information.

Enjoyed two episodes of The Babysitters Club. Again, I'm so disappointed there won't be more to the story after this season ends. This is such a great show!

Watched another episode of The Ready Room. Anson Mount had some great moments during his interview. It's always fun when the actors are huge fans of the Trek 'verse.

Caught two more episodes of Driven. I have one left and I'm excited to see how this series ends. I have a lot of love for this one.

Ended up viewing two episodes of Chicago Med. I'm starting to feel the same way about April as I do about Natalie, which is disappointing. I realize both are leaving the series, but the dings to their characterizations don't seem fair.

Watched a two-part Batman: The Animated Series and forgot how much I liked the origin story of Clayface in this one.

Started Ted Lasso after a lot of pestering from my brother. I have the first two episodes watched and, so far, it's quite good. Everyone raves about the show so I'm confident I'll enjoy the whole thing.

Caught another of The Agatha Christie Hour. Really enjoyed this one. It was actually kind of campy and fun with a lot of mistaken identity and misadventure.

Watched a two-part Silent Witness and loved the twisty turns in the show. Ended up being surprised a couple of times by things I didn't expect.

Enjoyed two episodes of Classic Who. Wrapped up the second arc and should start a new one this week.

Caught another episode of Strangest Things. This one focused on relics that were supposed to help see the future.

Finished up season three of Harrow. Gotta say I ended up being very happy with the conclusion. I truly hope we'll see a season four, even with annoying boss lady.

Enjoyed another episode of Blue Heelers. This one had some interesting reveals with Adam, which is probably long overdue.

Watched two episodes of Classic Rugrats and finished out season three. I'll be starting season four this week.

Also caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. This one had a great mystery with some fun twists. I'm kind of hoping Gina is done pining for Mike but I somehow doubt she is.

That pretty much sums up the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Yearly Vigil, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Venessa Broyles makes a yearly vigil to the graveside of her former lover, Hamish Blesdale, where she runs into his best friend, Hogan Baird. What starts out as an awkward stroll down memory lane eventually brings two lonely souls together.

And a sneaky peek…

Hogan broke the silence. "You're soaked through." His gaze swept over her as if seeing her for the first time.

She didn't know whether to be insulted or grateful. Neither, stupid. Just get through the moment. Say goodbye, walk away, and give Hogan time to be with his memories. She needed to get out of the rain. Unlike him, she'd left her dress overcoat back on base. When she'd left, the light drizzle didn't really warrant the heavy outerwear, but the heavier deluge started after she arrived.

She wished she'd thought ahead now. "I'm fine. Just need to get out of this rain." And get away from the memories. Glancing his way, the night they spent together came roaring back.

Hogan's face softened and he shrugged out of the overcoat, draping it over her shoulders, his fingers brushing her cheek. "Gads, Venessa. You're like ice. We need to get you home and warmed up." He wrapped an arm around her and guided her to his car.

She didn't argue or try to talk him out of opening the door for her. Her plan to walk home in the rain appeared stupid in hindsight. She hadn't slept well, the alarm went off too early, and she'd been fuzzy-headed since she woke up.

Hogan slid behind the wheel and waited for her to fasten her seatbelt before he pulled away from the graveside and exited the cemetery. He kept the small talk along the way, still stilted and impersonal, to a minimum. A kick of regret struck her. Hogan's show of concern didn't mean anything … just something he felt obligated to do.

She lifted a shaky hand to her forehead. She felt horrible. Heavy, weary, achy, terrible. She should really thank him for insisting on giving her a lift. She didn't want to go home, but had no will to make a fuss.

Hogan rolled to a stop at the corner of her apartment, dropping her at the curb. "Get inside and take a hot shower. You'll feel better once you're warm." He flipped his hazard lights on to signal his short halt.

Unbuckling her seat belt, Venessa mumbled her thanks then crawled out of the car and trudged toward her apartment. She had her key in the door before she realized she hadn't said anything about feeling ill. Dismissing the thought, she entered the residence and shrugged out of her coat. No … Hogan's coat.

Her shoulders slumped. "Shit." Now she'd have to track him down to return it.

And that meant seeing him again. She didn't want to analyze the mixed feelings the idea gave her. Keeping a tight rein on her emotions would get her through the day.

I love how this story is coming together. Venessa and Hogan are in a dark place but things eventually get brighter.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Yearly Vigil

Well, hello there, June. To be honest, considering it's only the second day of the month, June isn't starting off too badly. We're actually having a spring in Ohio and it's oddly unsettling. LOL

Not a bad week of television viewing. Finished up the second episode of Banshee and started on the third of the first season. I want to search around and see if the mini-episodes of the origin storyline are available. Definitely filled in some blanks.

Caught two additional episodes of Blue Heelers and started a third. I really do enjoy this show a lot.

I'm almost finished with Chicago Fire's seventh season. I'm up to episode eighteen. I loved the focus on luck and also the interaction with Severied and Foster. Great to see Donna again too.

Gotta say, I'm actually pretty satisfied with Iron Fist's season finale. Well, I guess it's more of a series finale and I freely admit that disappoints me. That said, I'm thrilled with the potential for what could have been the third season's story elements. Misty ended up in a good place even if she's not completely certain where her career is going to take her. Joy and Walker could have some terrific potential for figuring themselves out. Colleen, quite simply, kicks ass no matter what she does. But the best part is where Danny and Ward ended up… on the adventure of a lifetime to figure out what their roles are in the big picture of life. So… I would have been thrilled and happy as hell to have a third season but I'm very okay with how the show ended this iteration of itself.

Caught the camping trip episode of Classic Roswell. I remembered this one and Kyle's snark coming out if full force was so much fun. I also enjoyed the interaction with Jim and his dad. Considering the episode is all about fathers, it was a great piece of the puzzle.

Watched the second episode of Frankie Drake and enjoyed it. The show feels different this season and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'll see how the rest of the season goes.

Caught another episode of Riverdale and, man, it's so… poignant to see Luke Perry on screen. Being behind like I am, I've had time to deal with the loss of the actor but I haven't had the chance to deal with losing the character on the show… because it hasn't happened yet.

Arrow's episode ended up being excellent! Nice to finally have Black Star's name and to know her relationship with Oliver, Felicity, and William. Have to admit, my heart kind of broke when William decided to leave with his grandparents. And… I'm going to miss this show so much when it's over!

Watched the penultimate episode of The Murders and it definitely didn't disappoint. I'm excited to see if this show returns. I'm crossing my fingers because I really love the cast and the storylines.

Discovered I didn't watch the penultimate episode of Painkiller Jane. I'd forgotten this had a full season of twenty-two episodes. I'm ready to see what else happens now.

Caught the third episode of Durham County and, yeah, still dark. I truly love the character dynamics and watching Mike kind of fail at holding shit together is compelling. There's a very fine line he has to walk to stay sympathetic and so far the actor is pulling it off.

Midsomer Murders had a good episode featuring Jones in a way I haven't seen him before. I like it. Looking forward to another episode this week.

Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and Classic Who. I started the Gunfighters arc and it's not bad at all.

Watched two episodes of In the Dark and both were excellent. Good to see more of Darnell's story and I really like the detective and the bartender maybe getting together. As usual, I'm on the fence with Murphy… just when I get so damn pissed off at her, she had a moment of clarity or remorse and shows her softer side. I'm definitely intrigued and can't wait for another episode.

Caught another episode of Blade and remembered it from the first time around. Watching Krista deal with her mom kind of kicked hard and watching Chase completely screw over the pureblood did not surprise at all. Just saying.

And that's pretty much it for this week. Tonight's post is from Yearly Vigil, a novella that got its start with a writing community prompt of "write a scene at a cemetery one year after a character's death".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Venessa Broyles makes a yearly vigil to the graveside of her former lover, Hamish Blesdale, where she runs into his best friend, Hogan Baird. What starts out as an awkward stroll down memory lane eventually brings two lonely souls together.

And a sneaky peek…

Venessa Broyles sat, dry-eyed, at the side of Hamish Blesdale's grave. I'm not worthy to be here. The refrain played over and over in her mind.

But Hamish had no family. And they'd been together three years. Other than a few of the officers in his company squadron and his best friend, no one else had a connection to Hamish.

Why did I send him on that op?

Because the quick jaunt to pick up a few stragglers on a remote space station constituted as a "milk run". Hamish and his three-man team deserved a low-risk mission after spending four months on a planet with hot battle skirmishes every day.

Too bad his team got ambushed by a marauding enemy ship looking to cash-in on the decommissioning of the space station. They fought for nothing because the skeleton crew had already offloaded all the equipment and data. Didn't stop the stupid foes from following the small shuttle and eliminating the ten souls aboard.

The chaplain cleared his throat and Venessa glanced up, surprised to find him directly in front of her. He held the flag of nations and slowly held it out to her.

Venessa balked. "No, please…" Why hadn't she thought of this?

Of course, they'd think she'd want the flag of her fallen lover. But she didn't. And she hated the awkward situation.

She nodded toward the man next to her. Hogan Baird. Hamish's best friend.

He sent her a sharp look but accepted the tri-cornered flag.

Venessa got up and walked to the edge of the ground where Hamish would be laid to rest. The attendants began lowering the casket and she fought the wave of guilt threatening to consume her.

It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault.

A large form moved to stand next to her and Venessa closed her eyes. Hogan must hate her. The scuttlebutt made the rounds. His best friend's significant other basically sent him to his death.

A fact Venessa struggled to comprehend even now. Almost a week later.

Hogan tucked the flag under his arm and saluted when the casket found its final resting place. Venessa followed suit then turned, unable to watch the grave being filled. The sun sparkled in the cloudless blue sky, the weather definitely not fitting her mood.

A smoky bar with a dingy décor should do nicely.

Hogan fell into step beside her. "Why did you refuse the flag, Venessa?" His cool tone took some of the brightness out of the day.

Venessa sighed. He could address her by rank. They were at a military funeral. She didn't want the personal connection they shared right now.

She ignored the question and stopped by her car, hoping he'd get the message and continue on.

He didn't.

He paused by the hood of the vehicle. "It's a simple question. Why did you refuse?"

A simple question with a complicated answer. One she didn't feel like diving into.

She met his cool gaze. "Why do you care?"

Venessa's guilt is going to be a tangible thing and Hogan isn't going to let her off the hook right away because of it. I'm having a lot of fun with writing these two.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Yearly Vigil

Well… The Walking Dead returned with a killer episode. Holy zombies, so much happened. LOL I didn't know what to really expect and lowered my expectations but color me surprised by how incredible the episode ended up being. Although, why is no one talking about how Carol is pretty much responsible for wiping out a whole family? *grins* Not quite how it went down, of course, but something to ponder.

Forgot to mention The X-Files last week for my Monday night lineup. I, for one, have really been enjoying the six-episode run. Final ep airs tomorrow and I actually rather hope we'll see another six or eight episode arc in the future. Wouldn't mind seeing a few more familiar faces either.

The other Monday shows were suitably excellent. I'm staying interested in The Magicians and kind of love the various sides we're seeing. Also thrilled to see Lost Girl and Bitten. But I watch with sadness, knowing they're each in their final seasons.

Tuesday's The Flash ended up being terrific. I'm kind of amazed the earth two turned out so well. Looking forward to seeing more from that verse, if there is more. Also really want to see what the whole deal with Jay is. Agent Carter's final episode airs this week and the lead up to the finale turned out awesome. I really hope Peggy gets to punch Vernon in the face at least once. Twice would totally make the entire wait for a season three (if there is one) worth it.

Arrow continues to blow my mind. The whole tease at the beginning of the season with Oliver standing by a grave now has so many possibilities my brain hurts from thinking about them. LOL

Legends of Tomorrow keeps getting better and better. I'm thrilled with how the cast is being utilized and the way the teams are always mixed. Snart (or Snark as I like to call him) is a favorite and he keeps growing on me more and more.

Gotham and Agents of SHIELD return soon and I'm looking forward to both being back on my screen.

And, whew, that's it for television this week.

Tonight's post is from Yearly Vigil, another manuscript that originated with a prompt. In this case—a cemetery, one year later. I took the idea and ran with it.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Venessa Broyles makes a yearly vigil to the graveside of her former lover, Hamish Blesdale, where she runs into his best friend, Hogan Baird. What starts out as an awkward stroll down memory lane eventually brings two lonely souls together.

And a sneaky peek…

Venessa knelt in the wet grass, the rain a fitting companion for the anniversary of Hamish's death. She closed her eyes and said the Prayer for Lost Souls, her lips moving soundlessly with the comforting words. So will it be. Her eyes opened and a white rose entwined with a red bloom—the symbol of unity in brotherhood—rested atop the marker. The flowers hadn't been there when Venessa started the long prayer.

She lifted her gaze and scanned her surroundings, catching sight of a swatch of dark hair through the trees. Hogan. She hadn't seen him since a few days after the funeral. They barely acknowledged each other. Especially after they pretty much baited each other into grief sex. Both woke up the following morning full of remorse for trashing Hamish's memory.

But Hogan should be able to spend time with his friend.

Rising, Venessa took off in his direction, calling out. "Hogan."

He stopped, under the cover of the trees.

The rain picked up and soaked Venessa to the skin. "You could've stuck around. I'm done here." She waited a beat. "Or you could've at least mentioned you were here." Instead of being all stoic and silent.

Somber and unapproachable, Hogan shrugged. "Didn't want to intrude." His nostrils flared slightly.

Ah. Prayer. Words to the gods gave Hogan the heebie-jeebies like nails on a chalkboard did her. Venessa wondered if it would always be so awkward between them… after— no, she wouldn't think about their mistake again—now that Hamish was dead. Her heart twisted. She really liked Hogan. They'd hit it off and she'd have been happy to call him friend.

Probably not possible. Especially after… the thing she refused to think about. So, no, Venessa wouldn't be able to call Hogan a friend.

She shivered and not just because of the rain.

Seriously can't wait to finish this one up. I'm pleased with how it's all coming together.

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

ML Skye