Story [Dark Matter + Others] Drabble Race Entry (Olympic Challenge)

This is my entry for the Fanfic Olympics Drabble Race.

Fandoms: Dark Matter, Dark Matter / Stargate: Atlantis, Dollhouse, Final Fantasy (VIII and Dissidia), Psych / White Collar

Drabble Count: 35

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Index

Dark Matter (below) - Episode Eleven (Blood, Child, Save, Regard, Dislike), Episode Six (Farm, Pasture), Post-Episode Thirteen (Detention, Pain)

Dark Matter - Episode Twelve (Anomaly); Final Fantasy VIII (Witch)

Dark Matter / Stargate: Atlantis (Lost, Double); Final Fantasy Dissidia (Travel, Team, Magic, Tail, Delicate)

Dark Matter / Stargate: Atlantis (Vengeance, Hidden, Control)

Dark Matter - Post Season One AU (Space, Broken, Scandal, Consume, Luggage, Survival, Test)

Psych / White Collar (Insanity, Warden, Respect, Adore, Father)

Dollhouse (Deranged, Own)

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The below entries are from Dark Matter. They include spoilers for various episodes, including major spoilers for the last seconds of the season finale (season finale spoilers are behind spoiler tags).


Episode Eleven

Blood

The taste of blood was thick on his tongue. Streaming from his nose into his mouth, One couldn’t wipe the blood away because his hands were bound to the chair behind his back.

He truly didn’t know the answer to the question. But that didn’t matter. They would never believe him. He did his best to muster his focus despite the throbbing across his face. He wasn’t much of a fighter, but that’s because he was the smart one. If he couldn’t convince them he didn’t have the answer, he’d have to give them another reason to stop hitting him.


Child

Oh, gods. Not Five.

They tied her to the chair across from him. Sometimes he would forget that she wasn’t an adult—she’d saved their hides with her gift for computers and technology so often he’d wondered how they'd gotten by before her arrival. On occasion, he’d even found himself envying the easy way she seemed to integrate with the crew, as though she belonged among mercenaries.

This was not one of those times. Tears of terror streamed down Five's face and she looked at him desperately. She appeared every bit the child she was. He had to do something.


Save

Why was protecting Five up to him, anyway? The other three were the fighters. They had numbers, and weren’t even tied up. Yet they’d let the captors take Five. But what could he do? He couldn’t fight. His attempt to outsmart the captors is what led to Five being here in the first place.

Still, his mind and his words were all he had. As he continued to talk, they stopped threatening to tear off Five’s fingers, and instead made even more indecent insinuations. Somehow, he'd continued to make things worse.

An alarm from the bridge. Saved by the bell.


Regard

One regarded Five. It occurred to him that this was the first conversation they had shared, just the two of them. He wondered why. They had a lot in common—they were the only ones not part of the original crew.

He was tempted to tell himself it was because she was just a kid. Yet she was clearly close to Two, and spent a lot of time with Six. Four had taken her under his wing to train her. He’d even seen her laughing and bantering with Three.

The others had formed a relationship with Five, why hadn’t he?


Dislike

One had only ever paid much attention to two other crew members: Two and Three.

He could admit it—he’d been taken with Two from the first time she beat him up for control of the ship. It was a confusing and complicated relationship, made all the more confusing and complicated when they started spending nights together.

His feelings for Three were quite the opposite: he simply hated the man. He’d disliked and distrusted him from the start, but when he’d learned the truth, his blood boiled at the mere thought of sharing the same air as the soulless assassin.



Episode Six

Farm

Five stared in the farmhouse mirror at the reflection of a young boy. It probably wasn’t healthy, to stay trapped in someone else’s memory for so long. But she didn’t care.

Obviously, it wasn’t Two’s memory. Not unless she’d changed gender since childhood. Wasn’t Six, or Four, unless they’d managed to change race.

That left One and Three. Oddly, the reflection didn’t look much like either of them. People changed with age, of course, but she couldn’t find any resemblance at all. Despite this, she was leaning toward One. Three wouldn’t be so… Three, if he’d had a happy childhood.


Pasture

She stayed here, in the happy farmhouse, because she’d seen too much. Everyone had such terrible memories in their heads, no wonder they were thieves and killers. Then she’d found an oasis. Loving parents, a warm home, fresh air, big pastures.

“Have you heard the story of Narcissus?” Ma startled Five. “He fell in love with his own reflection.”

“I’m not in love!” The words sounded far too defensive, Five realized even as she said them.

Ma smiled at her. “I was only teasing, sweetheart. I just don’t remember you spending so much time in front of the mirror before.”



Post-Episode Thirteen

Spoiler: Detention (contains Season Finale spoilers)

Detention

The first person Five saw when she awoke was Two. She gasped and scrambled away. She still didn’t know if she could trust Two. She bumped into someone else.

“Calm down, kid.” Five looked behind her to see Three. She was momentarily relieved. Not only was Five not alone with Two, it looked like Two could be trusted after all.

She continued to look around the small room. One was there, and Four. No one else.

Dread rose in her chest. “Where’s Six?”

One shook his head sadly.

“He’s dead?!”

“No,” Two replied. “He’s not dead. Six is the traitor.”

Spoiler: Pain (contains Season Finale spoilers)

Pain

“No!” Five cried. “He can’t be!”

Six was her friend. The one she trusted more than anyone. He couldn’t be the traitor.

The others looked at her with varying degrees of sympathy and pity.

It didn’t take long for logic to overwhelm emotion. There was no reason for them to lie to her, and no other explanation for why Six was gone. He must be the traitor.

Five felt a sudden sob rising in her throat as emotion once again pushed its way to the forefront. Even if he had to turn in the others, why hadn’t Six spared her?

 

Mira_Jade I wondered if anyone would be familiar with the show. Thanks so much for reading, I know they must have been a bit hard to follow--even watching the show consistently it's difficult to keep up with the details of the universe.

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One more drabble from Dark Matter, and one from Final Fantasy VIII.

Dark Matter - Episode Twelve

Anomaly

When two anomalies arose at the same time, logic dictated that the possibility of a causal link be analyzed.

There was the original anomaly—the flaw in her personality matrix or, as Five had defined it, the “feelings.” Then there was the more recently identified anomaly—the fact that she was a “machine with friends.”

Did “feelings” lead to “friends”? Or did “friends” cause “feelings” to spontaneously arise?

The Android spent hours analyzing her data logs.

She was not able to confirm or deny a connection; she needed more data. She headed towards the mess, in search of the crew.



Final Fantasy VIII

Witch

“Hey, Squall. So, if I’m a Sorceress, does that make you my Knight?”

“I don’t know, Rinoa. How do you tell?”

“I’m not sure, but all Sorceresses seem to have a Knight.”

“I… don’t think I want to be your Knight. I’d… rather be your Guardian.”

“You’d rather be like Tidus?”

“I’m serious.”

“In that case, I’d be honored to have you as my Guardian. But I have one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You can be my Guardian… if I can be yours.”

“Alright. Then it’s a deal.”

“Oh, yay! One more thing, Guardian Squall.”

“Yes, Guardian Rinoa?”

“I love you.”

 

Oooh, fascinating glimpses into the Dark Matter fandom. You imply relationships and connections very well with the prompts. And you know I squeed for the final Fantasy one.

 

This intrigued me! I've never heard of Dark Matter, but you definitely have me interested now!!

 

Nyota's Heart Thanks! I'm of course very happy you liked the Final Fantasy drabble!

NYCitygurl Thank you! I won't claim Dark Matter is the greatest show ever, but I enjoyed it. I think it has a lot of the same people working on it as Stargate, in case you are familiar with that show, and I think it has a similar feel. Speaking of which...

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Author Note: Well, so far I've actually written more drabbles than I ever thought I would. But they seem to have taken a turn for the weird, especially the next two, which are crossovers. They may not make any sense anyway, but it might help to know that Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Commander Truffault are played by the same actress, and it will definitely help to know Rodney and Calchek are played by the same actor.


Dark Matter / Stargate: Atlantis

Lost

“I’m Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Commander of Atlantis. I demand to know what’s going on.”

Commander Truffault regarded the other critically. “Atlantis, you say? As in, the lost city of Atlantis?”

Weir ignored the question and turned toward the exit. What a waste of time this had been.

“Mikkei Combine is always eager to help people who are down on their luck.” Truffault placed a hand on Weir’s arm.

“We’d be happy to lend our vast resources to assist you in finding your way home.” Truffault’s grip tightened, and Weir realized this was not an invitation that could be easily declined.


Double

Sheppard and Ford exchanged a glance and tried to keep from laughing.

Rodney let out a disgusted sigh. “That guy is such a tool. Why do we even deal with him?”

“Seriously?” Ford snickered.

“Doesn’t Calchek seem… familiar to you?” Sheppard asked.

“What? No. Okay, so maybe there’s a slight physical resemblance. But did you see how that guy was dressed? Ostentatious, much? And it takes him what, like, a year, to get a thought across?”

Sheppard turned toward Ford. “Aren’t you glad I invited you along?”

“Very much, sir. I really needed that.” Ford broke into a broad grin.

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Author Note: These next few drabbles are inspired by Dissidia Final Fantasy, which is sort of a crossover of all the Final Fantasy games. The characters come from Final Fantasy VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X.


Final Fantasy

Travel

Cloud approached Squall, his sword resting over his shoulder. “Time to switch.”

It had only been an hour, definitely not time to switch yet. Squall raised an eyebrow. “Having trouble with the Behemoths already?”

“No.” Cloud shifted the sword on his shoulder.

Squall adjusted his hold of the sleeping girl he carried on his back. She weighed almost nothing, carrying her was hardly a burden. Cutting down monster after monster got tedious in a hurry. Squall felt sympathy for Cloud, but not enough to give in. He’d spent twice as long yesterday hacking down Malboros while Cloud played pack mule.


Team

Cloud sighed and turned around. He hadn’t really expected Squall to switch with him, but he was tired and bored. They all had to stay in shape, they never knew when the final battle with Chaos would occur. It was clear that he, Squall, and Terra would be the chosen team. So every day they found the most challenging monsters they could to train against. It was always better when they first started out, and Terra trotted alongside chattering about nothing. But the last few days they’d been trying to enter the dragon’s den, where Cloud and Squall became overwhelmed.


Magic

Once the swordsmen were overwhelmed, it was up to Terra to get them out. She would summon her magic, powerful spells that could level a dozen enemies at once. But the magic had a price. After unleashing havoc on the unfortunate beasts, Terra would collapse with exhaustion.

She could have been awakened after a few minutes to walk on her own, but Squall and Cloud had decided it was best to give her maximum rest, so she’d be fully replenished before she’d be called on again. They took turns carrying her, each step bringing them closer to the final battle.


Tail

Predictably, Tidus and Zidane were goofing off when they returned. Zidane was hanging from a tree branch by his tail, tossing a ball to Tidus, who would jump and kick it back. Cloud gave Zidane a light smack on the back of the head as he passed, startling Zidane and causing him to fall.

“Geez, guys! Talk about the Silent Squad! Would it kill you to give us a little warning before you sneak up?”

Cloud sighed. “Maybe you could hear us, if you two weren’t making so much noise we can pinpoint your location from half a klick away.”


Delicate

“Sleeping beauty again, huh?” Tidus watched as Squall carefully set Terra on the small cot. “Sometimes… she reminds me of something, when I see her like this.”

Squall looked skeptically at Tidus. “You think you got a green-haired goddess waiting for you back home?”

“Maybe. Don’t you think you might have someone?”

Squall scowled. “Do I seem like the kind of guy who has someone waiting?”

“Not especially. But it’s not impossible.”

As Squall gazed down at Terra, he muttered, “I hope she has someone, at least.”

Surprised, Tidus asked, “Why do you say that?”

“Seems like… she deserves it.”

 

Those crossovers cracked me up! Especially the second

 

Excellent weaving together of the prompts for "Final Fantasy". Nice seeing their teamwork and adventures.

 

Mira_Jade Thanks for the support! Trying to write several drabbles together as one story is always an interesting challenge. I'm always happy when I can make someone laugh, I wasn't sure if the joke would come across if you didn't know the characters already.

NYCitygurl So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for reading!

Nyota's Heart Thank you! Glad to hear the story flowed alright in drabble form.

Chyntuck Thanks for the likes!

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More Dark Matter / Stargate: Atlantis crossovers. Contains spoilers for Dark Matter Episode Twelve and potentially the Season Finale (and some earlier episodes too). Also includes a lot of speculation. Takes place a couple years in the future of Dark Matter. Once again, this will probably have a lot more meaning if you are familiar with both shows, but hopefully it will make some sense if you aren't.

Dark Matter / Stargate: Atlantis

Vengeance

Spoiler: Vengeance (spoilers for Episode Twelve)

“I thought I might find you here.”

She looked up as he approached, but said nothing.

“Do you know who I am? I certainly know who you are, Rebecca.”

“My name is Two.”

“My apologies. I don’t care for the moniker the humans gave me either.”

“I’m human.”

“My apologies again.” He smiled as he took a seat across from her. “It seems you and I have a lot in common.”

“Such as?”

“Both of us were created by and then rejected by the humans.” Two stared impassively as he continued. “And we’re both finally ready to strike back.”

Hidden

Spoiler: Hidden (spoilers for Episode Thirteen)

“You seem to be confused. I’m not preparing to ‘strike back’ against anyone, Michael.”

“So you do know who I am.”

They sat in silence until he continued, “Which one are you trying to protect? The one who turned you into the Galactic Authority? Or the one who left you for dead to reclaim his throne? Or the one who abandoned you, when he found out his wife was in fact not-so-conveniently still alive?”

“What do you want from me?”

“I know. It’s the little one. The one with turquoise hair, whereabouts unknown. To most.”

“You know where she is?”

Control

“I know many things.”

“If you can’t tell me where Five is, this conversation is over.”

“Funny thing about humans, no matter what galaxy they are from. They are always trying to control that which they do not understand. They even have a saying about it, one they never seem to heed: ‘Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons.’

“You and I could be great allies. Together we could teach the humans their place in the universe, and save who knows how many others from their meddling.

“My question for you is: Are you a human or a dragon?”


Author Note: Control contains part of a quote borrowed from Suzanne McMinn: “Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.”

 

A few more drabbles on the same timeline as above. I want to call it an AU, but I guess since it's in the future, it isn't technically AU yet.

There are spoilers for various episodes, possibly including minor spoilers for the last couple episodes.

Dark Matter

Space

He twisted the ring in his hands as he looked out into the blackness of space. He didn’t know why he still had the ring. He ought to get rid of it, just space it and forget it.

Every time he saw it, he felt the rush of unbridled joy he’d experienced the first time he learned his wife was still alive. Inevitably, the joy was quickly tempered by guilt and regret.

The choice had seemed obvious at the time. His wife needed his help, needed him, so much more than Two. He’d sworn an oath to her, after all.


Broken

Even once his memories were restored, he’d never felt like he belonged in his old life. The Raza had changed him. He still felt he may have adjusted to the daily grind, if given enough time. His relationship with his wife was a different story.

So much had changed, for both of them, it probably wasn’t surprising. He wasn’t there for her recovery, he knew she resented that, despite her claims to the contrary. His changed appearance was rough also—she woke every morning to the face of stranger. He understood all that. What he’d never understood were the accusations.


Scandal

He was not a cheater, he never even looked at another woman. He didn’t know why his wife didn’t trust him.

Yes, he sometimes dreamt about another woman, but that was beyond his control. Besides, how could his wife have even known? Even if he muttered her name in his sleep, it shouldn’t have given him away. When awake, he’d never once called her Portia, certainly never Rebecca. He doubted it was different in his sleep. She was and always would be Two to him. Reciting a number in his sleep was hardly grounds for divorce. Yet here he was.


Consume

Consumed with rage, he’d literally killed for his wife. That was the part that really got him. He’d killed to avenge a murder that had never occurred.

He couldn’t go back to being Derrick Moss, because Derrick Moss had died. Somewhere aboard the Raza, Derrick Moss had been irretrievably replaced by a man known only as One.

And given that, he couldn’t help but recognize the same applied to Marcus Boone. Derrick Moss had not killed Marcus Boone. One had killed Three. There was no vengeance. No blood debt satisfied. It was simply the murder of one crewmate by another.


Luggage

“Hold up.”

One had just hit the button to raise the ramp of his ship after a brief stop for supplies, when a man carrying two large packs and a ridiculously oversized gun hopped onto the rising ramp.

“What—? Who are you? Get off my ship!”

The man slung his packs to the floor and turned toward One. “What kind of greeting is that? I thought you were supposed to be the one with manners.”

One could hardly believe what he was seeing. There, standing right in front of him, was the very man he’d killed six months ago—Three.


Survival

One stared. “But I…?”

“What? You think you killed me? That’s rich. You vaped a clone. Figured you needed to get that out of your system.

“Anyway, I figure we find Two first, then we’ll look for Five. But first we’re gonna swing by Zairon.” Three headed toward the bridge of the ship, gun in hand.

“Wait…” One shook his head, then jogged to catch up to Three. “Why Zairon?”

“ ‘Cause Four’s got something that belongs to us. Didn’t you hear? He ended up with the Android. I figure he owes us at least that much, after the Pyr incident.”


Test

“I tried to think of a test,” Three said, “To make sure it was you and not the real Jace Corso. But when I saw you walking away from this shiny new ship, in that port, with nothing but factory-standard security, I knew it had to be you.

“Also, the look on your face when you first saw me. Even now, I can’t picture the real Corso with that look.” Three contorted his face, attempting to recreate the expression, before breaking down into a fit of hearty laughter. “Priceless.”

One suppressed a sigh. This was going to be long journey.

 

I think today is two weeks from the last two episodes, so I put up a spoiler tag for now, just to be safe.

It's always fun to introduce someone to a new fandom. I have to warn you though, Luggage and Survival are pretty far afield, as far as events that actually happen on the show. Thanks so much for reading!!

And now for something completely different....

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Author Note: When they were on tv at the same time, I was desperately hoping there would be a Psych / White Collar crossover. I thought Shawn and Neal would really hate each other and it would be really funny. When both shows ended and the crossover never happened, I figured if I wanted to see it, I'd have to write it myself. But I was never sure of a plot, and doubted I could keep a coherent story for an entire "episode," but it turns out you don't need those things for drabbles. So here it is: a group of related, if not necessarily consistent, drabbles.

Psych / White Collar

Insanity

Neal was aghast. “You’re not seriously going along with that grifter.”

“Do I detect a note of jealousy?” Agent Burke asked.

“Jealous? Of that adolescent goofball? No. I just think you’re insane for listening to his half-baked theory.”

“Don’t be so closed-minded, Neal. It’s not impossible the murder was committed to an elephant-trainer with a sweet-tooth for pineapple. Stranger things have happened.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“It is interesting to work with a consultant who isn’t a convicted felon.”

“He may not be convicted yet, but the way he’s working that police precinct has got to be a crime.”


Warden

Lassiter was still looking star-struck when he mused, “Do you think we could get one?”

“A criminal consultant?” Chief Vick asked. “I don’t think so.”

“The ankle-bracelet. I’d be a lot happier about working with outside consultants if we could keep them on a leash.”

“An ankle-bracelet for Shawn?”

“Yeah. Maybe one with an electric shock setting for when he gets out of line.”

“No, Detective. You are not going to shock our consultants whenever they displease you. Get back to work.”

Though if they invented an anklet with a setting for focus, that would be different, Vick added silently.


Respect

“He’s a federal agent, Juliet. Stay out of his way.”

“Thank you.” Neal nodded to Lassiter. “The respect is very much appreciated. Not something I get a lot of in New York.”

“Are you kidding? You closed fifty-seven cases in three years. That’s the stuff of legends. I mean, I closed fifty-nine cases over that same period…”

“Fifty-nine? That’s impressive. You must do very good work, Detective Lassiter.”

“Excuse me?” Juliet interrupted, “I hate to break up the love-fest, but could we focus on the current case? Aren’t you supposed to be analyzing these artworks?”

“Already done. They’re all fakes.”


Adore

“Why is everyone so obsessed with this guy, anyway? I’m the one who came up with a theory first.”

“Let’s see, he’s smart, good-looking, well-dressed, rich…”

“He’s not rich—he’s a prisoner!”

“You don’t have to have money to be rich. I mean, he obviously has an appreciation for the finer things. Art, wine, fashion. I bet he even subscribes to Safecracker Magazine.”

“He does not subscribe to Safecracker Magazine.”

“You’re right. He probably doesn’t need it. I wonder if I can get him to show me a few tips.”

“Oh my god. You have a man-crush on him. Betrayer!”


Father

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?”

“Calm down, Shawn.”

“Why is he here? And why are you half-naked?”

Henry set down his paintbrush. “I’m not half-naked. It’s called an undershirt. It allows for comfort and flexibility.”

Neal did not look up from his painting as he added, “I needed an out of the way place to work. The Chief suggested here.”

“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing, Dad.”

“You know I’ve been trying to get in touch with my artistic side. I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to learn from a real professional artist.”

“He’s not an artist! He’s a forger!”


Author Note: I just realized I never identified the speakers in Adore. Hopefully people familiar with the show can guess that it is Shawn and Gus, talking about Neal.

 

I don't know these fandoms, but I can tell you your dialogue is pristine every time, and your drabbles are great!

 

Admiral Volshe Aww, thank you! I do try to get the dialogue just right. I know my fandoms are fairly obscure, thanks for reading anyway.

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These are probably my last set. From Dollhouse. It's been a while since I actually watched the show, but I think these would best be described as slight AU.

Dollhouse

Deranged

Bennett was Topher’s dream girl. Brilliant and gorgeous. Even better, she recognized and appreciated his brilliance, and seemed to genuinely like him. She would have been perfect, if it wasn’t for that one sociopathic tendency.

“Take it easy. This is Echo, not Caroline.” Topher stood between them, one hand on Echo’s shoulder, the other reaching toward Bennett to keep her away.

“I don’t care.” Bennett brandished the device in her hand.

Topher looked toward Echo. She stood completely relaxed, her expression blissfully serene. Any sane person would have run the second they saw Bennett approaching them with the wicked-looking device.


Own

If only Echo had the right imprint—or virtually any imprint, for that matter—she could easily have taken Bennett down in a matter of seconds. But in her current docile state, Echo was completely helpless. Bennett took a step forward, grinning manically.

Holy crap, she looked sexy right now. Maybe if he let her have Echo for just a few minutes… No, he’d never cared too much about the morality of his work, but he wasn’t that callous.

Topher balled his hands into fists and planted himself squarely between Echo and Bennett. “Back off, Bennett. This is my doll.”

 

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons.’

“My question for you is: Are you a human or a dragon?”

AHHH!! Those lines are FANTASTIC!! I. Love. Them.

And I have GOT to watch this show. Do you know where I could find it (Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime)?

I also love both White Collar and Psych; the crossovers are awesome

 

NYCitygurl First I want to clarify that "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons" is not mine--I should have listed a reference to start with, I will add one now. The full quote is: “Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.” It is from Suzanne McMinn. (I love the crunchy and ketchup part of the quote, but I didn't think it quite fit with the tone of the story ) I should also clarify that Michael is from Stargate: Atlantis, not Dark Matter.

It looks like you can watch the last few episodes of Dark Matter for free on SyFy.com now. The series is available for (paid) download on amazon (but unfortunately not on Prime). I don't think it's available on Hulu, not sure how to check on Netflix. The series just ended two weeks ago, so maybe it will be available later? (I don't really know how that works. I'm personally hoping for a DVD/Blu-ray release, but who knows.)

Anyway, your review made me very happy, it's great to know my drabbles got you interested in the show! Also very pleased that you like the Psych / White Collar crossovers. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

 

I've heard that quote before, but I love the way you combined it with "Are you a human or a dragon"

I'll have to see if I can get it, then! I definitely want to watch it