Sunday Snippet: Nothing Special

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. It's rainy and chilly in Ohio and a nice day to stay in and be pampered. A few quiet hours alone is on my agenda today.

Had a solid television watching week. Since I watched so many penultimate episodes last week, this week ended up putting me in the finale zone. I started with the final episode of Underbelly: Razor. I'll admit I ended up being pretty satisfied with how things turned out. Kate and Tillie ended up living to ripe old ages for the times and Nellie, oddly enough, had an ending that rather suited her. Big Jim definitely got his due as did Phil the Jew.

Caught two more episodes of Midsomer Murders and thoroughly enjoyed both. I do like John and his wife along with their dog Sykes. Also watched two more episodes of Peter Gunn.

Started a new show from the CW. In the Dark ended up being more than I expected and, honestly, I enjoyed it. The heroine is messy and prickly and I like her flaws. The supporting cast is excellent. I'll watch more and see how it goes. It's been renewed for another season so I hope I like the rest of this one.

Watched another episode of Blade and remembered most of this one. There were a few bits I missed the first time around so it's nice to have those blanks filled in.

Also caught two more episodes of Classic Who and finished out the time meddler episodes. If memory serves, this is really the first sighting of the Master. Kind of like his origin story.

Watched the finale of Strike Back and I'm happy to say everyone I lived that I wanted to see still standing at the end. With the exception of Wyatt's marriage, which I have a feeling didn't survive. I can't wait for the final season now.

Caught Chicago Fire and enjoyed the episode. I'm not sold on Grissom being an okay guy yet but here's hoping they go in that direction. I really don't want to see Severied used as a pawn on the chessboard so I'll be pissed if that happens.

Iron Fist had a decent episode. Danny and Colleen are walking a very fine line and I'm hopeful their relationship can withstand the coming nightmare of dealing with Davos. Joy and Ward had some personal growth and Mary's storyline meshed well with the others. Davos is Davos and I'm still struggling to find some kind of empathy with him. It's not working.

Caught a great episode of Arrow and thoroughly enjoyed. I'm not a big fan of Diggle and Lyla keeping big secrets but I'll hold back from judging too much. Really loved Oliver and Laurel's reckoning with past sins. I love Oliver the most when he's pushing to be better than his parents.

Watched the finale of Murdoch Mysteries and, whew, I'm so glad things worked out the way they did. Miss Hart should probably watch her step and I'm kind of hoping she ends up becoming a good character. Nice to see where everyone is at the end, mostly in great places with their personal relationships.

Caught another episode of The Murders and I'm really loving this show. I'm excited to find out who is messing with Kate and I liked seeing Nolan not dealing with his personal life. Also loved having Kate back him up.

Watched the finale to Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and, wow, I truly hoped the stupid superintendent would get what he deserved. Of course, he didn't and Peregrine might have lost her edge with him. We'll see what happens… if there's a second season. The chemistry between Steed and Peregrine is so delicious.

I'm nearing the end of my Painkiller Jane rewatch and I completely missed the episode I caught the first time around. Glad I got it in. I think there are two episodes left in this season, but I can't remember for certain.

Started another new show for me, Durham County. It's dark and twisty and I think I'm going to like it a lot. The first episode had a good mix of creepy happenings along with some good exposition. Looking forward to more.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Nothing Special, a holiday solstice sexy short.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Masha Tuck and Ryce Reynoldson work tirelessly around the winter solstice to help provide a meaningful celebration to their fae and non-fae neighbors. Masha uncovers the perfect gift for Ryce—just a book, nothing special—but if she gives it to him, it'll add depth to their weird relationship and she's not sure she's ready for them to be a 'thing'.

And a preview snippet…

Masha's eyes widened. She didn't expect anything from him and didn't quite know how to react. The idea he'd thought enough to pick something up gave her… not a bad feeling… more like an unsettled one. Had this thing with Ryce become a thing?

Ryce nudged her shoulder. "The box won't bite, Masha. Go ahead. Take a look inside." He snagged the book, sliding it onto his lap.

Masha eyed it a moment longer before picking it up and popping it open to reveal an alchemized crystal. She let out a little gasp. Reaching with a gentle touch, she removed the crystal from the bed of green satin and turned it over.

She let out a surprised chuckle. "It's a brooch." How incredibly awesome!

She glanced up to catch a look of wonder on Ryce's face. Okay, the kicking boost to her confidence shouldn't matter so much. But she loved how much he seemed to love the gift.

His gaze flashed with something indefinable. "Where did you find this?" His fingers turned another page and the tips slid down the list of ingredients, carefully offset from the hand-drawn image beside it.

She grinned. "You'll never guess. At the dispo center, they have that room where they put all the donated items." Her fingers traced the crystal then played with the clasp on the back. "I had time to kill and spent a morning digging through boxes. Found the book and thought you'd get a kick out of it." She met his gaze. "Because you're always going on about how much of the ancient arts we've lost." The results of the constant struggle and mad power grabs between the dueling houses.

Ryce closed the book. "I do. I love it." He moved some items on the table and placed the tome in the center on prominent display. "I've been looking for something like this for a long, long time." His fingers traced the title, raised up on the leather cover.

He shifted sideways and tucked one foot under his opposite knee. Masha continued to study the brooch. The crystal alchemized two metals, silver and copper. Holding it in her palm, the piece attuned to her, the flow of energy began to transfer. She closed her hand and put it back on its satin bed.

Ryce nodded toward the box. "Oddly enough, I thought it was fortunate to stumble across the brooch given your affinity for the crystal. Now I'm thinking it was fortuitous, because I found it at the same place. The dispo center donation room."

The coincidence couldn't be an accident. Nor the timing. Masha didn't want to delve too deeply, but she might have to.

She met and held his gaze. "Are we having a moment?" The idea made her queasy but she swallowed the fear and let a little hope take its place. "Gotta admit I'm not sure I'm ready for big moments yet." Hell, any kind of moment would be a new thing with them.

Ryce didn't argue. "Is anyone ever ready?" His eyebrows shot up in question.

Masha shrugged. "I don't know about anyone else. I can only speak for myself. And big emotional moments aren't really in my wheelhouse." Hard to let anyone in when the present jammed up against an uncertain future.

Ryce reached over and grasped her hand. "Okay, then, how about starting with small moments? Like this one." He squeezed her fingers. "Thank you for the gift. It means so much and, whether you want it to or not, shows how much you get me." His lips twisted in a lopsided grin.

Her heart swelled to bursting. But, hey, it didn't explode or anything so points for progress there.

Masha returned the smile. "Okay, that wasn't so hard." She scooted forward, closing the space between them. "So… what's next in this grand experiment of having a moment?"

I like the small beats between this couple. They're slowly revealing what they want to say on the page and I enjoy waiting to see what they share with me.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye