A Joining of Shattered Lives

[VandalHeart]

It had never occurred to him exactly how much he hated the town until he came back to it. It had been ten years. He was 14 back then, and a very mature one when he decided to run away.

Hmmph...decided...yeah, that's the word.

In all actuality, the only decision he had made was to keep running once he realized that he had been in the first place. As he clutched the newspaper clipping in his calloused hand, he thought what an insufferable child he had been back then. It almost hurt.

Almost.

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese McManus

Nobody seemed to recognize him when he came back. He wondered if it was because they didn't remember him well enough, or if they just didn't care to pay that much attention. Not that it mattered. He was only going to be here for the week, then he'd be gone. No grand reception, no old friends to talk to...they were most likely gone anyhow.

Everybody seems to be just disappearing lately. Funny how that works out: they disappear after looking for me after so long, and I come back once they leave. Maybe once I leave they'll come back.

It wasn't likely, but chaos sometimes developes patterns, and vice versa, as he often said. He looked like the steryotypical vagabond. Denim jacket, fingerless gloves, wild hair, worn shoes. It was the jewelry that gave him away. The stainless silver ring and locket were herald of a boy that left this town and never returned, sending his single mother into fugues and delirium for her son, but he never returned until almost a year after her death. She was buried, and he was going to see her.

He went to the old house, and it was already starting into the decay you'd associate with it's last owner, while the house next door was still beautiful and well kempt, just as it always had been. As he trudged up the steps of the yard and followed around to the backyard, he thought to himself...

I can't figure out which house I hate more.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel Flanningan

3 months ago, she came back to this miserable little town for the sole purpose of burying her husband.. next to her son. She had left ten years ago with him, more importantly, she had forced her husband to leave with her.

After Jimmy's death, nothing had been the same. And still the scars that lingered were all too fresh in her mind. So why did she move back into her old home? The same home they had never sold, couldn't part with. Jimmy's room was still the exactly same as she left it, only dirtier.

She sat in the dark silence, down in the basement. She hated this town, these people, this house, her life. All of it. And yet she was here, still.. After 3 months. Why?

Why?

She hadn't been in town more than a single hour before the whispering started all over again. She didn't wish to think about it, and being down here in Jimmy's little haven was torturing herself more than she should let it.

She got up from the chair and made her way into the kitchen above. She needed a drink, something strong. She didn't want to deal with the past or the present right now. She just wanted left alone.

Ghosts walked the halls of her mind, always haunting her. Peace would be a nice thing for once these past ten years. A matured woman at forty-one didn't fear the dark and sleep, but she did.

Too many memories here. Too many happy times now shadowed. She heard the side gate open and shut, tensing a moment, wondering if it was the wind? Since her husband's suicide she'd been on edge here, always restless. He just never gave treatment a chance, why did he think about things first? Cancer patients managed to live beyond their time with today's medicine.. She didn't want to think about it though. Not now.

She caught her reflection in the mirrored wall and stiffened. She was pale and thin now. Thinner than what was healthy, she looked... as miserable as she felt. A tear fell from her eyes, but she long since giving them credit for anything, they never seemed to stop until she was too busy to remember.

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese McManus

He came to the back porch of the old house where he used to live and looked across the fence at the yard next door. The Flannigans. The family next door. Right before Reese had bolted, kid had died somehow.

Joe, Jason, Jake...James -- Jimmy. Yeah, Jimmy. That was his name. Yeah, he was cool, I guess.

In reality, Jimmy was the best friend he had ever really had, even though that didn't seem like saying much. Especially right now, when he was completely alone, that really didn't sound like any kind of accomplishment. Never really knew the rest of the family. Not really, anyways. His mother did though...

As he sat down on the back porch, he pulled out a sleeping bag from his ruck and bedded down for the day. With as far as he'd walked, he might sleep until the next morning. With any luck, he'd sleep through the entire ordeal...the funeral included.

It had taken him a while to find out which one was his mother, because there was another burial the very same day with almost the same address.

Now that I think about it, the other stiff was listed as coming from next door...

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel Flannigan

She poured herself another drink, her mind refusing to go over all the little details tomorrow would entail. Mourners coming and going, in and out of her house.. a ceaseless parade of people who really didn't give a fuck about Richard. They wanted to appear to care, and so they came.

And as her duty set out, she had food to feed those coming, hired help to see to serving the mourners.. She snorted aloud, they merely came for the food and to peek at the house. She felt like a freak show attraction.

Widow. Her new title.. She felt like a widow ten years ago, losing the only real thing holding her marriage intact.. Jimmy.

She turned from the window, her gaze had been fixated on the house next door. Marie was now gone as well. How did she die? She couldn't remember the details, she only knew that Marie was being buried tomorrow as well. Did she have any family left to attend?

Angel had sent roses, found out the coffin was paid for, as were the plot and arrangements.. But by whom? She didn't want to think about it, she'd seen enough death for one life time.

She moved like a wraith, slowly, making not a single sound, up to her room, curling into a ball upon her old bed.. Sleep never really came to her, she dosed in and out, but her mind was constantly asking God one question, "Why?"

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese McManus

The next day

He left the ruck on the back porch. He didn't figure he'd really need it at the cemetery. Since it was a bit of a hike, he left early, unseen by the next door occupant. He didn't even know she was there.

It was not exactly what you'd call a pleasant walk. Four hills and one section of morning rush traffic with no sidewalks later, he was arguably safe within the walls of the graveyard. People were already showing up for Mr. Flannigan's funeral. There was no sign of the same for his mother. He wondered if anyone would actually notice that she was dead.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

The prosession was long, the prayers and speaches long winded and boring. No one really knew Richard, not if they all had these glowing things to say about him.

They didn't know about his abusive side. His alcoholic behavior, his hitting everything in sight, including her. His forced sexual encounters, his rank breath as he shouted in her face time and time again..

And these people stood up before his casket, making up what could only be called lies.. She was never more grateful when it was over and people began to leave.. Heading for her home.. Where they could pretend to care, speak of the 'good ole days' and stuff their faces.. She only hoped they'd be too stuffed to speak such bullshit aloud infront of her.

She saw the single stranger standing at Marie's burial sight but paid him little mind. A co-worker probably, perhaps a relative she hadn't ever met? She knew from the hours of conversations that Marie's son vanished off the face of the earth ten years ago.. pressumed dead but Marie never gave up hope.

At least when she spoke to Angel about him. Marie was very quiet about her son, saying little, knowing with Jimmy gone that Angel had little control for happy mother moments, or worries. Angel herself would always go into a coma like state for days whenever Jimmy was mentioned, whenever Richard was home drunk.

She lost contact with Marie about four years ago, and now she regretted it more than anything else that had happened in her life. Marie had no one but Angel, and angel had let her down.

Now as she approached Marie's grave, she felt that grief welling up inside, honest tears of regret and pain fell unchecked down her covered face. The tears she couldn't shed for Richard were easily falling for an old dear friend.

She said nothing to the loner, she plucked a beautiful white rose from her gardens just this morning, intending on placing it within Richard's grave... A man she cared nothing about.. But she couldn't do it, she had no love left for him, and no forgiveness. Instead she carried it with her to Marie's grave, kissing the petals, she whispered "I'm sorry Mare." And set it gently on the closed lid.

She stood there in silence for the longest time, reliving alot of things she missed most.. back when life was normal. Back when Jimmy and Reese were inseperable.. Back when Richard was a husband, not a monster.. before.. She turned off her thoughts, not wanting to make an ass out of herself.

Lifting her veil to wipe her eyes, she caught the young man looking at her strangely.
"She was a dear friend.. Sorry." She muttered an excuse for her tears, trying to give a smile. She didn't recognize the young man, but something nagged at her about him. Something in his eyes.. Definitely a relative.. He looked alot like Marie... only not the pretty of a girl, but the ruggedness of a man emerging.
"I'm Angel Flannigan... incase you were wondering.." It was the only opening she could think of, maybe he'd offer his name, and perhaps not. She heard her ride honk the horn and motioned with her hand, "Jesus.. A second alone would be nice." She stopped short, feeling rather horrible for even saying that aloud over Marie's grave. She flushed a little, putting her veil back in place..

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese McManus

"Fuck 'em," he said. Then he caught her looking in a kind of shock at him. He hadn't meant to take her by surprise, but after realizing he had, he decided to reinforce it.

"Fuck 'em. They shouldn't be pushing you onto a schedule today." His voice was steady and measured, without a hint of anger, or brashness...or passion. Very matter-of-factly. "You lost somebody, and for all they should care, what you do with all this is your goddamn business."

He walked over to the car that had honked, and leaned down to the window. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry about it. Who the fuck are you?" he asked the driver.

"Wha-...how dare you!"

"Shut the fuck up. That's the widow, right? If she wants to be irrational, you'd better let her. She didn't just lose a husband, she lost TWO friends. So you're being ten times the asshole I'm being right now, so go fuck yourself." Again, just the facts. And as he walked back to his mother's grave, he turned to the utterly stunned driver once again. "Since you can't really do anything useful, and obviously don't give a shit about anything but the procession's sanctified time limits, you can go on...I'll walk her home."

And with that he returned to the grave and stared once more into the pit that was now his mother's final home. And in the back of his mind:

What just happened? Where in the fuck did that come from?!?

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

She heard every word he said to the drive, she even heard the driver sputter and grunt.

She should have been shocked by his actions... Certainly disapproved of it, but she couldn't contain it by the time the young man came back she actually giggled!

Very undignified really, for a mature woman her age, at a funeral of all place. But she did, she chuckled, then bit her lip to stiffle the sound.

Behind her, the driver threw the car in gear and sped off, but stopped just twenty feet down. He knew who was paying the bill, and in knowing that he had no choice but to wait.

"Thank you.. that was.." She had no words to describe it, but she felt a little better already. She still had to learn from freedom meant, even now with Richard in the ground, about to be covered up with six feet of dirt.. He didn't seem to be gone from her life.

"Unorthodox to be certain, but well worth the look on his face." She smiled warmly, nodding her head in agreement. She really did have to get going, although she didn't want to leave Marie here.. She had no choice.

She turned to study him a little closer, noticing his poor attire and unkept appearence.. He was no co-worker.. So who was he?
She almost asked him who he was, but thought better of it. She still had a group of people to see to at her home and then the lawyers to speak with on his life insurance policy.
"You should see Daniel Langston. He was my family lawyer and he also worked for Marie. Handled things.. I don't know who you are, but you resemble her so much, I just assumed you are kin?" She glanced at the car, the driver would be tempermental now, but she didn't regret this young man's comments.
"I best go.." She glanced at Marie's coffin once more and gathered her nerve to see this thing through. She made it a few feet before turning back, "Do you need a ride?"

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese McManus

The very thought of riding with the assmuch that he just told off was very appealing to him. Like Chuck, his favorite author would say, he was in everybody's hostile litte face with no regret. However, meeting his mom's lawyer could be problematic.

Fuck it, he thought, maybe she was loaded. I could use the cash anyhow.

"Sounds good. I can't promise anything about the disposition of your driver, but I'll take you up on it." He walked with Angel over to the car, and as he leaned down to get in the car, the locket fell out of his hoodie. As her eyes widened, he looked down at it, then said, "oh, yeah. Yeah...we were related alright."

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

"I'm sure he'll behave himself." She offered meekly. What prompted her to offer him a ride when really he didn't look all that trust worthy said how little her mind was with her that morning.
But what did she have to look forward to anyway? Living longer? It seemed pointless ten years ago, and today it hadn't changed her mind.

She was no coward, nor a brave soul, but it was just the truth of the matter. She saw no point to her life continuing.. That and she really doubted this young man would be remotely interested in harming her.

She scooted into the car, making room and plenty of space they'd never come into contact on the bench seat. But her eyes had caught the sight of the locket as the sun glittered off the surface to reflect in her eyes.

Her eyes went instantly to his face, he couldn't hide the fact any more, so he admitted he was.. past tense.. related.

Past tense? Now what made him no longer related? Death never seperated into past present and future? She nodded her head and turned her face away to stare out at the passing scenary.

It was none of her business really. It didn't matter who he was to Marie, but it did in a small way. Marie had been the sister she never had.. But could she dare to claim that now? After ditching Marie to whatever horrors that took her life prematurely, for four long years? What right did she have?

Her husband always said she was nosey and needed to mind her own business. The harsh words could still be heard clearly in her mind.. She felt it was best not to ask probing questions. She was leaving anyway, as soon as she sold the house.

That too was a problem. She had hung onto it for ten years.. She'd used the life insurance policy to pay for Jimmy's childhood home, to keep it forever in the family.

What family?

She had no family now, and holding onto the past meant she remained in this town. It was best to part with it and continue her nomad style life she adopted with Richard. Keep moving, no ties.. No more pain.

She noticed the car had stopped moving and her home was crowded with people who were probably pacing, waiting for her arrival. Muttering how inconsiderate she was.. Or maybe thinking she needed time to compose herself before facing them?

"This is the end of the line." She opened her own door and stared at the driveway a long moment. She should invite him in, but he was a stranger.. But was he? He was no stranger than the rest of these people now crowded into her home.

hell with it.

"Want to come in? Get something to eat before .. Well, going where ever?" She said it quietly, not bothering to turn at look at him. She did want to ask though.. How did he get Marie's locket?

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese Mcmanus

The ride over was a bit akward. After he had hidden the locket, Reese didn't talk much. The driver didn't deserve the time of day in his opinion, and this lady he barely recognized from the shell ten years had turned her into didn't look like she wanted to talk. Tell the truth, he kind of shared the sentiment. He also kept his right hand in his pocket so that the slip up that happened when he got in the car wouldn't have a repeat performance because of the ring.

When she invited him in, it was a little disconcerting. He wasn't real keen on the idea of a prodigal son returning scenario, but he'd already volunteered to walk her home, and it seemed like the right thing to do.

"I probably should if I'm going to meet this lawyer you were talking about" For some odd reason, saying that sounded like an excuse, but only to himself.

As per usual, he found that the right thing to do sucked. It's not like he'd forgotten. He kept asking himself why he was doing it.

Inside the house it was really fucking creepy. It was like a museum of a house in whose cleaning staff had gotten high about ten years ago. Didn't look like they'd sobered up until yesterday, either, because the state of the house was still in a state of "needs some more work."

What was worst, however was that he recognized the house. Every last inch of it. He asked her if he could have something to drink. She simply nodded. Without even thinking, he made his way right to the kitchen, right up to where the glasses were kept and removed one, filling it with water only a moment later. He turned around and saw her standing right behind him. He couldn't move. He now knew what it meant to be one of those deer in traffic at midnight.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

She followed him silently, watching him walk, watching how he never met anyone's gaze inside the living room. She never blamed him for that, she didn't feel social at the moment either, but something kept nagging at her.

She had suspicions but couldn't say aloud until she knew for a fact. It had to be Reese, that was the only thought in her mind. The age, the likeness, the locket. So when he asked for a drink, she merely nodded her head, too intent on watching him to really offer to get it for him. Not that she needed to do so, he went right into the kitchen, opened the correct cupboard and it was then he paused.

With frightened eyes, he turned to look at her knowing smile.
"Welcome home Reese." She patted his back a moment, letting him know he was alright here as she hadn't said his name loud enough to be overheard by a single soul.

Without another thought, but many lingering questions, she left him in the kitchen and joined the other's in the main room. She didn't make pretenses that she was happy to be there, nor that she could laugh in the face of all this. Even the humorous stories rang false.. It had been so long... Too long.

How could anyone expect her to remember what Richard was like before he died? She could only remember the shouting, the anger, the blaming game and mostly his fists.

People came and went, but Reese didn't. Why he lingered here when she uncovered his little hidden identity escaped her.. Unless he had something more to say?

Often through the afternoon she found herself getting up, hunting him down, and pushing more drink or food into his hand. Nothing more said, she'd merely hold his hand a moment before vanishing again.

Sometime before six people began to leave, no more were coming.. And it was time to meet with Daniel. Mixing lemonade, she carried it with her to the back patio and sat down with Daniel at the glass table. She hadn't spotted Reese in the past fifteen minutes, but she was certain he was around somewhere.
It would be up to him to introduce himself and learn what was left to him.. Much more than he probably thought too, but it was there if he wanted it.

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese McManus

It was the first time he'd been hugged in a long time. Not quite ten years, but this was the fist time since then it had felt real. He had to stand there and let her hug him. It felt like divine mandate. Nothing else to be done; no alternative.

Should've known. Please, please, please don't make a big fucking deal out of this.

She didn't and after a while he calmed down. She kept showing back up every once in a while, making sure he was comfortable... well as much as possible in the current situation. He also got the impression that she was making sure he was fed.

I've been running for ten years, not locked in a Vietnamese gulag box... then again, I guess you wouldn't know that.

After a while he decided to take the not-so-grand tour of where he used to play and hang out with his friend. He made his way upstairs and before he realized it he was in Jimmy's room. It was worse than a shit-hole. It was a descicated husk of the place he'd slept, the place he'd hung out, played video games, make-believe, hide-and-go-seek.

It was the room in which he promised Jimmy that he'd always be his best friend and that they'd never be seperated.

Shit. Guess I fucked that up, didn't I?

As the memories came rushing back to him, he felt sick. He barely made it to the upstairs bath in the master bedroom before the sum total of everything since breakfast came rushing back to the outside world.

That was about ten seconds after the last guest left.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

She checked her watch and then the yard. Reese was no where in sight, but she hadn't seen him leave?
"Excuse me a moment Daniel." She left the lawyer seated at the back table and went inside to search for Reese. It didn't take her long to find him, considering the house was only a split level home. She went upstairs and seen Jimmy's door ajar. Not wishing to enter there, she was glad when a flushing toilet noise came from the master bedroom.

She quickly shut the door and went to investigate. Reese stood in the bathroom, looking a little paler than normal, had all the food upset his stomach? Perhaps it was something else? She could smell the faint odor of vomit however.. Maybe nerves.

"Mr. Langston is downstairs with the will.. for well both of us. I can give you a few minutes and go over my own affairs while you compose yourself?" She gave a small smile, it was heart felt but still did not quite reach her eyes.
"I told him you were here, so he has Marie's things in order and with him downstairs as well.." She grew a little nervous, not sure what more to say?
"Well.. yeah. Ok, come down when you're ready Reese." She wanted to hug him again, assure him things were alright, but the realization of her thoughts caught her in time. She wasn't a hugging type person.. Not any more.
She turned and paused, "Back patio..We're back there." Then hurried back downstairs to get this ugly business over with.

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese

"Wait," he called after her, before she could descend the stairs.

She stopped, turned.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. And I'm sorry for your losses. Take care of your estate...I think I'm going to be a while."

With that, he slowly swung the door, but it didn't close. He felt another wave coming, but he wasn't quite ready. He missed his own jacket sleeve by mere inches as he pulled his hair out of his face. He hadn't heard her footsteps cross the staircase yet, so he opened the door again after the short burst of wet heave.

"Do you have an extra toothbrush," he glanced at his hand clutching a tuft of mane, "and some hairties?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

"What's wrong with you?" She moved into the bathroom quickly, hunting through everything to find what he needed. He looked very ill, but hadn't earlier.. Was something wrong?

"Here." She thrust an unopened tooth brush at him, one she had found in the drawer. None of her things were here, they were all in her car outside. Opening drawer after drawer, she finally found an old hair tie and handed it to him as well. Grabbing one of the fresh washclothes from the countertop, she ran it through cold water and wrung it out.

"Place this at the back of your neck.. Sit down." She pushed him towards the edge of the huge tub and made him sit. He was close enough to the toilet, thank god.

"Now put your head down a little and put the cloth on the back of your neck.. I will.. Go hunt some crackers down." She didn't know what else to do really, considering she only threw up when she had been.. pregnant.

She shut off the light not to irritate his eyes and cause a head ache and went quickly down stairs. The best she could find however was ritz crackers, not a single saltine in the cupboards..
"Figures." She grabbed what she had and took them up with her, stopping to grab a towel out of the hall closet.

"here, nibble on these a moment.." She grabbed a glass of water as well, handed it to him and then chuckled. Her hand withdrew the cup of water as she stared down into the clear liquid. "I guess I went a little over board didn't I?" She shook her head, setting the glass down.

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese

She acted as if it was a relief to be taking care of someone again. Frankly, it was nice to be taken care of for once.

"No, you didn't. Thanks," he said as he took the crackers and the water. The first swig he used to wash his mouth out, after that he sipped.

"I went in Jimmy's room. It..." he studdered. Luckily, there was nothing left to throw up. Unluckily, dry heaves are a bitch. "I wasn't ready to go back in there, I guess." He looked up at her and gave a half-smile. "Too many memories. Know what I mean?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

She nodded in understanding, she too had yet to go within the shrine. She bit on the end of her tongue, keeping herself quiet until she trusted herself to speak. She didn't want to spill out anything, she didn't want to remember.. She didn't want to be here.

She took the glass from him when it was emptied and filled it once more. Then refreshed the cloth as well, little mundane things that meant nothing to anyone watching, but meant a whole hell of alot more to her.

She was of use.. For now, to someone. It was enough, that little sparkle came but would not linger for long. Jimmy would be only seven months younger than Reese was right now..

"Don't do this to yourself Angel!" She cursed herself mentally and pushed the thoughts aside. If it weren't for hippie parents, she wouldn't have this name.. And if it really was contradictory for an angel to be in so much pain.. But such was life.

"There isn't much for Daniel to do. Merely hand over the deed and read the rest of the will. There was a small amount left of her life insurance policy she had through work, after paying for burial... And I am left with this ... house and a bit more cash. But that's about it.. And of course this needs handled the very day of the funeral.. " She wrung her hands again, pacing in a small confined space. Richard died of poisoning.. He did it to himself, life insurance was null and void thanks to that, but she still had their retirement and such to see her through..

She ran a hand across the back of her neck, feeling the need to leave the confines of this place, too many memories.. She understood better than Reese thought.
"Think you can go out there now?" She felt like an eel for trying to push him outside, but outside she could breathe much easier.. Without the past biting at her heels.

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese

Feeling woozy still, but not even half as much, Reese decided to chance it. Besides, it's not like there was anything left to puke.

"Sounds good. You can go ahead if you want, just help steady me first. I can make it from there." He took her hand when she offered it. It felt nice...soft, like he always imagined her namesake's to be. Once he was steadied, he wasn't sure which one of them didn't want to let go.

So he looked straight at her...for the first time, really...and said, "tell you what, let's save the lawyer some time and do this together. I'm not real sure I want to sit through it alone myself."

Lie.

"I'm sure you could make it through the process just fine,"

See above.

"but I don't exactly feel like trying."

Mostly true, but still not completely honest.

Who are you trying to impress, asshole? Your dead best friend's mom? Huh? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK GIVES YOU THE RIGHT?!?

She never saw the inner monologue. You hear it too much, you learn how to tune it out without looking crazy.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

She held his grip as tightly as he clung to it, she only reinforced his desire to hold on by gripping tightly himself.. An anchor in a world of darkness.. And always in the darkness was fear.. With an anchor however, the fear was lessened.

"Thank you Reese.. I do need time to.. adjust.. Alone is always so hard, and I'd like to be there for you..."

Unlike Marie, whom you weren't there for as promised?

The cruelties of that inner voice, mocking and aloof as always. She ignored it, she wasn't going to think like that, it would do her no good.

As she walked her mind turned back regardless of how much she didn't want it to...

What happened to them? When Jimmy died, everything just fell apart. No more weekend get aways with Reese's family.. Reese vanished, Marie's husband long gone too.. Then Richard turned into a monster.. She hid herself from Marie's prying eyes, knowing her friend would try and help her.. Only end up abused by Richard as well.. She had used Jimmy as an excuse to leave her home.. She made Richard leave, convinced a change of scenary would do them both good..

She had stopped calling and writing Marie, didn't want to read her friends letters any longer. Didn't want to witness her friends loneliness she could practicly feel ebbing off the sheets of rose scented paper.. Marie's pleas for her to return where she would protect Angel... Frail.. kind.. Marie..

But was she? Did she know her friend? What drove Reese away from home all those years ago? Marie never said, and Reese was never seen again until now.. She couldn't bring herself to ask.. It was just too personal.

"Angel. Reese.." Daniel Langston nodded his head, looking a bit put off by the wait but also understanding the reasons.. Both just dealt with the last of their family's deaths.

She listened and nodded when expected, her hand held tightly in Reese's under the table. She only released him to sign her papers, watched him sign his.. It all became a big long blur in her mind.. Daniel had handled things when Jimmy died too...

She shook herself out of it to realize Daniel was saying good night. She managed a small smile, a hand shake, and only sagged in relief when the sound of a car starting out front came to her ears...

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese

"I don't want to keep you guys up for too long, and you're both sole beneficiaries, so I'll just leave the list of belongings with you; let you read them alone," Daniel had said. "It's good to see you again, Reese...you're mom never gave up hope."

Annoying voices in the back of ones head, that was one thing. But some things are harder to supress, even with practice. The lawyer had never met Reese, so to him Reese's face just looked like emotional pain. Angel knew that face all too well, even if she hadn't seen it since he vanished.

It was anger.

Before Daniel left Reese caught him at the door. "Hey Daniel?"

"Yes, Reese?"

"Do me a favor, and don't spread word of my homecoming around town, will ya?"

The lawyer pondered for a moment and agreed before finaly leaving. He was just as releived when Daniel left. But he found himself unwilling to leave. Whether it was an urge to comfort and be comforted, or just an unwillingness to sleep in that fucking sleeping bag again, he wanted to stay here...stay with her.

So once again, he came up with an excuse. "OK. Now that the bullshit is over, I say we get back to our emerald roots and get drunk. What do you say?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

She nodded to Daniel, taking the stack of papers but sparing them not a single glance. Right now, property was the last thing on her mind.

"Do me a favor, and don't spread word of my homecoming around town, will ya?" What was he hiding? No, why was he hiding? She studied him a little closer, unsure what to even say about that. Daniel easily agreed, what did he care who came and went in this town? Daniel was thinking of moving to the 'Big Apple' and into a prominent law firm. It didn't surprise her when he agreed and vanished.

"OK. Now that the bullshit is over, I say we get back to our emerald roots and get drunk. What do you say?" He gave a little eager glance her way, making her wish she had the nerve to consider it.

Her head was shaking no as she spoke up, "Sure."

What the hell was she thinking?

"I have some.. wine." She gave a tentitive smile, should she worry? She had never been treated with disrespect from Reese before, she had no reason to fear him..

But memories just don't vanish.

"I suppose a few would be alright.. Care to come in?"

 

[VandalHeart]

Reese

"Sure. Just lemme get something right quick." He slowly made his way back around the fence next door and retreived his ruck. When he returned, She was already looking for the wine. She wasn't quite paying attention to him, but she was on tiptoes in the kitchen stretching to reach things on the top shelf. He hadn't noticed until now how attractive she was.

You know, there are lines, buster...lines you're toeing right now, his mother used to always to say. Those words seemed to ring true in that very instant, so he put a bit too much effort into putting the ruck down. The sound was a bit too loud. It's a common tactic to get someone's attention on you when you're not looking at them specifically to put the idea in their head that you weren't checking them out.

Yeah, I know, he thought to himself, it's juvenile. Leave me alone.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Angel

She jumped with a start, her balance totally lost. She would have slipped if not for her hands grabbing onto the counter top.

"FUCK!" She swore out loud turning around to see Reese. "Oh, sorry." She gave the required apology for swearing. "Startled me."

She grabbed everything and nearly ran for the table. Seating herself, she nearly opened her mouth to ask the dreaded questions, but stopped herself.

In time he would open up to her, if he stuck around that long.. If she did too.

"Alright, this is supposed to breathe for awhile, but I am in no mood to wait.. you?" As he shook his head she poured them each a glass. "To roots.." She toasted, not bothering to clink glasses together but down the entire glass.

It had been too long of a day, too damned long. She really hated funerals, she hated everyone he came today as well. The farce really made her edgy, her anger bubble up.. Something she hadn't felt in a long time.. Anger.

Most of her emotions were self-pity, misery, whatever made her feel the lowest at that particular moment. If she had a fun moment, she felt bad even for that..

"No more.." She muttered to herself as she poured another, her eyes catching Reese watching her as she drank. She smiled, her lips closed within the glass. Putting it down, she felt her face flush. She wasn't behaving too.. well.. matronly. Or was that motherly? Whatever she was doing, it wasn't like her.. Not the old her.

"Well since I have nothing really worth telling.. Why don't you tell me what you've been doing with yourself Reese?" It would distract her from her own pity party and occupy her mind.. Both were great ideas in her mind.