A Salute To What Might Have Been

Participants:

abby_icon.gif brian_icon.gif

Scene Title A Salute To What Might Have Been
Synopsis Brian stops by to help move. Only he shot himself up with a bit of Refrain and it's a little strange.
Date August 23, 2009

Old Lucy's - Upstairs Apartment

Description of location, if any.


The rest of the syringe is pumped into his arm…

"Fff…" His back thuds against the brick wall behind him, his head tilting back as the Refrain begins to set in. "God." He breathes sharply, stumbling towards the back door of the bar. The syringe is tossed carelessly behind the trash cans in the alley before Brian emerges into Old Lucy's and his past…

Stumbling down the stairs, one hand heavily on the railing the man is wearing a suit, and a pair of aviators. Though the aviators are tipped down as his eyes take in the wondrous sights. It's like being with the Ghost of Christmas Past.

The memories swirl together, so many happened in this place. They all flow along his vision like an elegant ballroom dance. Over there Abby is grabbing him by the collar and kissing him on the lips, with several people watching. Then over there by the stairs, he is carrying Isabelle up, and again, then again. Then over there a ring is being handed over, an engagement ring. So he really did do that. What a wanker. The visions of memories continue to pour through him, elating him and filling him with a powerful yet somehow distant joy. One hand lands on the staircase railing roughly as he peers up.

"Abby! I'm here." Winters calls out, before looking over his shoulder. Isabelle's arms crawling around his shoulders… Then over there a woman that isn't familiar to Winters' eyes at all is taking Brian by the hand and leading him out. There are a lot of women in Fulk's memories. His lips splutter as he watches the events unfold in awe.

Izzy's stuff, is being put into Storage. What of it that Abby can't use or is not really keen on using. The heavier pieces being moved by the menfolk later. Not much really needs unpacking as she's been doing it throughout the week. There's likely a garage sale in the near future or a run to goodwill with a bunch of stuff. If Thalia really does turn out to be Izzy's sister, she'll ask the woman what she wants to do with the things. Right now, the blonde is pressing lemon halves against a citrus press when Brian calls out from the stairs. "Up here Brian!" The lemon seeds are picked out and the juice poured into the pitcher. Wiping her hands on a towel to dry them, the blonde moves towards the open door, peering down the stairs towards Brian.

One black loafer thuds against the bottom most stair, his other foot follows. A slow but purposeful march upward once Abby gives him the signal. Pressing up, his hand clings to the railing heavily. That is until he presses his back against the wall to make room for the spectre of a memory of he and Isabelle clinging to each other as they make their way up the stairs. Watching the couple pass, Brian straightens out and goes to follow them again.

Finally reaching the top, his grey eyes settle on Abby.

Reaching out, his hand twitching, it is barely able to fasten to her hand. The warmth from her touch fills him. Blood leaks from his stomach rapidly, the ceramic knife practically tortures his insides, but he saved her. And her touch makes everything alright…

"Hi."

"Hey.. You okay? You look.. " you look strange Abby wants to say. "I'm making Lemonade for everyone. Others should get here at some point. Thanks for coming to help. I have extra clothes tucked away if you decide to pop out more of you" Her touch doesn't make people alright anymore. Not like it did. It can soothe, apply bandages, a myriad of other things. But that touch that brought all that warmth and security - the knowledge that things would be okay. Abigail can fix it - Has left her bereft.

"I'm fine." Brian says with a smile. One hand comes up slowly, his fingertips going to touch her cheek tenderly. "You look beautiful." He lets out in a rush of breath, letting his hand go back a bit to her hair before he drops it.

"No problem. Happy to help." He smiles stepping past her, he looks around the room, watching himself do different things.. around the upstairs flat of Isabelle's. "Am I early?"

"Bet you say that to all the blonde former healers" The touch to her cheek confuses her. "You shouldn't do that. You don't do that to me unless i'm yelling at you in your apartment" Abigail cautions. "Folks won't be here for another 45 minutes or so. A few others are running late. I had enough time to grab some Lemons after service and hightail it here." Abigail turns away from Brian, letting him venture in further as she returns to the open Kitchen to carry on with her lemon juicing task. "Promise, this will be the last time that I move in a long time" Two orange pill bottles are on top of the microwave.

"How has it been going? Any other questions you have that I can answer about who you were?"

"You yell at me in my apartment.." Brian repeats, tilting his head at nothing in particular or so it seems. He slowly turns around to face her, following her at a very gentle pace. "Did you love me?" He asks quite seriously, his brows narrowing somewhat. One hand traces the counter as he nears her before stopping dead.

"Just once. We got in a fight. We always argue" Half a lemon taken up and pressed onto the ridge concave green glass. Left, right, get all the pulps. Did she what?

Blue eyes swivel from the task at hand up to Brian. "As a sister in god Brian. I do. Like a brother, no more no less. Why do you as…." Her eyes go to a box in the far corner marked Abby's closet. "The ring?"

"You kissed me. I saw it." Brian murmurs, lowering his shoulders to stare intently at a piece of counter. "That's not how a sister kisses a brother." He notes, tapping the counter with his fingers. "What were we fighting about?" His voice sounds soft, subdued. Then he glances to the closet. "You kept it?"

"It was my birthday. We kissed on my birthday, at a karaoke bar. I kissed Magnes right after. I had affection for you Brian, but it was never returned and it .. became something else less. We settled into friendship and you found Kameron" That lemon squeezed for all it's worth, she picks up the other half, a glance over to him repeatedly as she works. "We fought often about what I was doing, where I was going. You at one point wanted me to move in, so that you could take care of me, and I'd be safe. I wouldn't need for anything. But I refused. Heavens, we fought over my belief in fate, which you don't. We fought over the ring"

She might as well let him see it. The towel taken up again and wiped hands, Abigail eases past him to go to the box and start digging through it. "You gave me a diamond ring. Real. At one point you were running around pretending to be my fiancee, to explain how you being around me all the time, walking me back and forth from work to home. You gave it to me just before.. Christmas? I wanted you to take it back because it was real" There's her safety box. It's pulled up and settled on a counter. The key's fished for from her purse and eventually it's opened.

There's the little blue leather box and she slides it across to him. "If you want it back now, you can. You told me to keep it regardless, that every woman needs something pretty and to know that they're worth it"

"Happy birthday." Brian mutters as she says it was her birthday. Looking up at her, the memories that she speaks of dance behind her while she iterates them to him. It leaves him grinning a little as he watches her. "You liked me.." He says for his own benefit. "Affection. Never returned." It's repeated much like the way Abby says it. He looks down at the ring, watching it intently for a moment as if it has something special to say.

His hand comes up and thuds on it deadly before pushing it back. "That's not mine." It's said plain as day. And really it isn't. He looks back up to make eye contact with Abby. "I wonder if things would be different…"

She didn't expect him to take it back. Maybe someday she'll take it somewhere and have it turned into something else. She hasn't wanted to take it to a jeweler and get it sold. It's unworn and a good ring. Someone somewhere could get joy from it. So she closes it again, tucking it with two other long white jewelry boxes and closes the lid on them and the papers within the fireproof security box.

"You wonder if things would be different if what Brian?" Abigail looks up, hands resting on the grey box. "You're not him, and yet you are. You're one of his that seems to have manifested a life of it's own. But you're still him on a genetic level. If I could heal still, I'd try and see if they mind wiped you. See if I could give it back to you, all that he was"

"If it was returned." Brian answers quietly, watching the little box. "Things could be different." For a moment he speculates on the lost series of events that will never be realized. A potential future that never happened. And then with a shrug he dismisses it. He gives her a subtle nod. "I was wiped.."

A small step is taken forward. "But I can get it back. Get it all back. I just don't know if I want to." His words are degraded almost to a whisper as he nears her. Stepping into her personal space, though not in a offensive manner.

"Is it worth what might come of getting it all back Brian? If you learn something you wish you never had, you can't unlearn it. They don't have people here who can erase that and if only you forget it, would your clones forget it too?" Her hands still rest on the box as she glances over, blue eyes to his. "How are you getting them back right now?" She's not touching the what could have been. It never would have been. It's the past.

His hand floats up to rest on top hers, his grey gaze drifting away from her eyes to watch their hands for the moment. "Do you know something I don't? Is there something I don't want to know?" Watching his hand on top of hers his thumb gently goes to glide under Abigail's palm, pseudo holding it.

"A lot of bad things happened to you. Things you might not want to remember. like dying. Like the church. Some people, would die to have what you have, the blank slate. Others… they'd kill to have it all back" His hand comes down on hers and she squeezes it once before pulling it away, pausing long enough to pat the top of his hand before she eases off the stool and heads back into the kitchen.

"I did die to have this.." Or part of him did, for that matter. As she squeezes his hand then turns, his hand flies out to grab her wrist. Not in a violent manner, but in a 'wait you forgot something manner' "Abby." Brian says quickly, commanding her attentions.

Arm outstretched and caught in his hand, Abigail looks over. "Brian?'

Stepping forward again, he gently guides her wrist so that she's fully facing him. Releasing her wrist one hand comes to rest on her shoulder, his other going to rest on the opposite. The memory of them downstairs, on Abby's birthday reverberates through his mind. "I'm sorry." He offers, before pulling her forward.

His lips meet hers, much like they did less than a year ago. It's not the world's most passionate kiss, but it's not a kiss you would give your relatives either. Then after a long moment, he pulls back.
Brian has partially disconnected.

Unlike down at the karaoke bar so long ago, it's not returned this time. Her hands rise to rest on his and pull them away and when he's finished with the kiss, Abigail too pulls away. No anger on her face, but neither is there elation or joy. Just a lick of her lips and a release of his hands. "I'm not someone you want to get involved with Brian. You are a good man, you were a good man. But i've already screwed up something with Victor and I'm not going to cheat on him again in any fashion once more. Do you understand?"

"I understand…" Brian says, as she steps back. He doesn't seem disappointed or angry either. He didn't want anything. He's quite happy in his relationship. A salute to the future that never happened and never will. "I'm sorry it didn't work out with us, Abby." Then he looks down at the counter. "Think I can lay in your bed.. take a little nap until everyone else gets here?"

"Yeah, you can. There's a spare room too though. It still smells a bit like Flint, but if you don't want to, my rooms straight down the hall" Thank the heavenly lord. "Want me to bring you something to drink? The spare clothes are on top of my dresser if you need them" It made her slightly uncomfortable, but it's done with, Brian tried and she understands slightly, in her own way, why he did it.

By the time Abby gets done talking Brian is already down the hall and collapsing on Abby's bed. Fully clothed, not even taking his sunglasses off he faceplants into the pillows and quite abruptly passes out.


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