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Scene Title | Baggage and Claim |
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Synopsis | Finn comes bearing gifts and news regarding a recently-discovered bit of his past coming to haunt him. That doesn't deter Lucille. |
Date | February 4, 2020 |
Ryans Residence, NYSZ
Finn parks the truck at the curb and jumps out, frowning at the rain that hits him and pulling on a baseball cap to keep his head mostly dry. He reaches into the backseat for the bouquet of tiger lily and clematis bouquet wrapped in a purple ribbon, and the bottle of wine beside it. White wine — a riesling, because he has the palate of a five-year-old.
He closes the door and glances at the Ryans residence. He knows there’s no danger of meeting the patriarch of the family today, but he’s more nervous than usual. Mostly because he’s now a patriarch.
Fuck.
He strides the short distance to the steps and knocks on the door.
The door swings open and Lucille's face wears a warm smile on her face, "Well hello there." Dressed in loose fitting clothes, she must have just got out of the shower not too long ago because her hair is still wet and she smells like some nice body wash as she moves in to wrap her arms around his neck, spotting the flowers and wine as she goes to give him a kiss. "Being romantic are we?" Eyebrows raising a bit and she grins.
Lucille doesn't have an inkling of why he's here, she mostly thinks it's time to head upstairs to the bedroom. That point is made clear by the way she pulls Finn inside and shuts the door, pressing him against the door, "I missed you," It hasn't been all that long since they've seen each other but the woman has been getting better at not being insecure about saying how she feels in the moment.
His brows lift as she leans him up against the door, smiling as he wraps arms around her — mindful not to conk her on the head with the wine bottle.
“I missed you too,” he murmurs, lips finding her neck to brush against and he takes a deep breath of her clean, sweet, fresh-from-the-shower hair.
Upstairs sounds good to him, too.
Finn’s lips find hers again, less cheerfully greeting and more hungrily needing, before he groans and breaks it, nosing her and turning her toward the sofa. “I have to tell you something,” he says quietly. “It’s not bad, but it’s… well, it’s a thing. It might be something that you don’t want to deal with and I wouldn’t blame you, but you should know.”
It sounds like he has an STD, he realizes. He grimaces.
“Nothing medical,” he adds, before she worries about needing antibiotics.
When Finn stops the canoodling Lucille has a quizzical expression on her face. Okay not a STD… she allows herself to be led to the couch and sits, tilting her head at her boyfriend. Her immediate thought is that an ex or something must have walked back into his life. Maybe they slept together? The tall woman tries to punt whatever assumptions she has out of her mind as she pulls for Finn to sit down on the sofa as well.
Face confused but she keeps a hold of his hand.
"Must be… a big something?" There's no sexual undertones there and she's keeping her emotions in check. Maybe he had to go away soon? What the fuck was it? "You know you can tell me anything, I've… definitely unburdened on you a bunch." Her daddy issues, war issues, issues in general.
He sits, setting the wine and flowers on the coffee table. They look inadequate in light of what he has to tell her, but he smiles at her words. “I’ll give you a big something,” Finn says with a cheeky wink, but it fades away again, quickly enough. He can’t keep up the jokes until he explains.
Reaching for her hand, he takes it, twining his fingers through hers. “I wanna say first that I think you’re amazing and I am in this for as long as you’ll keep my dopey ass around,” he says earnestly, eyes searching hers as if he could will her to believe him by eye contact alone.
Maybe he can.
“But,” he says, and of course there was one of those coming, “I want you to know if it’s too much for you, I would never blame you. I’d be sad. Super sad. But I would one-hundred-percent understand and never think badly of you, White Rose.” He looks to the tiger lilies and makes a face. “Damn it, I knew I should’ve brought you roses. White ones! Red ones were like, too cliche, right? So I was like, no, give me something colorful and vibrant and wow, I’m an idiot.”
"Well I was giving you the opportunity…" She also flashes a grin his way but she drops it after a moment, he wanted to tell her something serious it seemed. Squeezing his hand in return and looking him straight in the eye. "Well dopey ass or not, I enjoy our time together. I really do." Lucille didn't want it to end, inside she sighs in relief though that he doesn't want to break up with her.
And then he's rambling and being cute and the tall woman can't help but smile and squeeze his hand reassuringly. "I love the flowers, Finn it's fine." Laughing lightly and leaning forward to distract him with a quick kiss. Leaning her forehead into his with eyes closed.
"You can tell me anything. I won't freak out, promise." There are only a very few instances where Finn tells her whatever that would make her freak out.
Finn glances at her hand in his, nodding. Then nodding again. He finally closes his eyes and speaks, the words quick like he’s afraid he won’t say them if he slows down.
“I apparently have a daughter who’s fifteen and has come to find me. We’re in a hotel over in Elmhurst but I told her I needed to come talk to you for a while and gave her carte blanche for room service. Hopefully she doesn’t pick the fish or the room’ll smell like it for hours.”
He might have a little trouble determining which details are key and which are not necessary for this first bombshell.
His eyes open again and he seeks hers. “Her mom’s in Vietnam. She’s not an issue. We were just kids and I never even knew about June,” he adds.
"Huh, fish." Lucille leans back into the sofa staring ahead with slightly widened blue eyes, thinking for a moment. It takes a moment to digest but she slowly nods her head until it's a more bouncy nod and her eyelids flutter a bit before Luce's gaze slides back to Finn's face. She's still holding his hand, "…she's fifteen and traveled all the way here from Vietnam, alone?" There's a small smile, "Badass as fuck. …like her dad…" Yea that doesn't sound too weird, she says it like she's working out a new flavor on her taste buds.
"Well… okay then." Nodding firmly and leaning forward to give Finn a slow kiss, "That, is not the strangest thing family wise I've ever been told. If I can deal with wayward siblings, nieces and nephews from the future I can deal with my boyfriend having a badass teenager."
This is really less about how she's feeling right now though and more about Finn's feelings, he was the one that was learning he was a parent after all, "How do you feel, hm?" Tapping under his chin with a finger, that was wild news to be dropped on you for sure.
He watches as she digests the information, nervous fingers reaching down to fiddle with the cuffs of the jacket he hasn’t bothered to take off yet — like he might be expecting her to kick him to the curb any moment.
The kiss surprises him.
Her words after surprise him even more. “Siblings, nieces, and nephews from the future?” he asks, brows lifting. “Do I want to know?” Of course, weirder as weird of things have happened to his friends, from what he’s learned and gleaned in his time in Providence.
“Some people get time travel. Me, I get this nebulous thing no one even believes I have.” But Finn realizes there is information to correct. “Her mom just went to Vietnam. They were in Virginia, so yeah. She came all this way from Virginia. She’s a tiny badass for sure. More so than me.”
"A dark, dark future timeline that they averted by coming back here, long story not nearly as important as your news," Also the future all those kids ended up getting might have been better but it was still bleak and they couldn't get home, as well as Kincaid still being missing. Lucille waves her free hand in the air.
"I believe in all of your things," Nebulous or not," Luce scoots in closer to Finn, she wants him to feel that she supports him now, this isn't her hiding her reaction she's taking it in stride. His life was changing much more than hers was in this moment. Hearing more of June's story the woman nods, its a gesture she's gonna be doing often while he explains. "Okay, very badass still. So… she's come to live with you? Nice."
It was good that June gets to know her father, it was something Lucille had wanted at that age.
"When do I get to meet her?" It's said quick but Lucille makes sure to look Finn in the eyes, she wants him to feel how much she means it. "Any part of you is a part of me yeah? We can handle this together, or however you want… not saying I'm a mother or trying to take anyone's place because that can be considered a hostile move but-" she stops herself mid tangent and smiles sheepishly, "You know what I mean,"
“That sounds pretty important,” Finn says with wide eyes and a shake of his head. “Shit. The people you know.” He seems to think about the ramifications of that, then shakes his head again. “I can’t even fathom it. I guess, uh, tell them thanks? For saving the world?”
The rest of it — his news — seems smaller in comparison, though not less important. Certainly not less earth-shattering to him.
Finn leans to kiss her forehead. “So we’re… like, a couple?” he asks, brows lifting. “We haven’t really had that talk, but I mean… if you’re not running screaming for the hills, I guess that’s a good sign. If you want it to be, I mean. It doesn’t have to be, if you don’t want it to be.”
He rolls his eyes at himself. Time to change the subject.
“You can meet her tomorrow if you want,” Finn offers, almost shyly. “I don’t think she expects anything to be any particular way and she’s totally capable of taking care of herself, so I don’t know what to even do for her except be here. Maybe get a better job so she can go to college or something.” His eyes slide to the side, then back. “Or, you know, a job that pays.” Providence is work but it’s not a paycheck.
Cheeks burn red as Lucille realizes how she just sounded with the we are part of each other and whatnot. Fuck.
Before she can backpedal out of pure embarrassment Finn asks her the question and she looks up at him sharply but luckily just after he kisses her on the forehead. "I guess…. we are." And just like that. "Yea I would say so, I'm not hanging around with any other hot goofballs." Leaning into Finn and laying a hand on his chest she stares forward into the kitchen. That wasn't so hard, Lucille wasn't rejected and now that they have put it out in the open they feel like real partners. Changing the subject is fine and all but Luce angles her body so that she can sit basically in Finn's lap.
"Okay, tomorrow it is. I'd love that." Being supportive as she can be and letting him know she really isn't gonna run for the hills. He's stuck with her through all her drama. She chuckles lightly at his dading already. "I know that all a girl wants is love from her father, that should be enough."
A beat.
"And money for college is nice too," Though there were programs still for gifted students, June was maybe one of those. On the prospect of work, "You know, Wolfhound is in need of new blood…" Trailing off with eyebrows lifting.
Finn’s brows lift and his eyes widen when she agrees, his grin broad across his face as she says there’s no other hot goofballs in her life. “How the hell did I get so goddamn lucky?”
A beat.
“Oh, right.”
That joke over, he wraps his arms around her as she slides into his lap, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. “I had a good dad,” he says, brows drawing together a little with some wistfulness. “So I hope it’s genetic.”
He tips his head, at the mention of Wolfhound. “I think your boss man might not like that,” he says regretfully. “The people out in Providence, the ones who were out in Sedro Woolley, they’re mostly pretty good people, normal people just trying to make ends meet.”
Then there’s the Horsemen.
“The others, the one Epstein knows, I don’t know. I know there’s history, but they’re my friends. I don’t regret working with them, but I don’t blame him if he doesn’t trust me. I mean, our circumstances of meeting weren’t exactly what you’d call…” he gestures with one hand, “ideal.”
Closing her eyes at his touch and grinning openly, "I got lucky, I'm sure there are plenty of women that were just throwing themselves at you. What's not to like?" Chuckling as she lays her arm on her chest and drums her fingers above his heart. "You're gonna be great, you already have the dad jokes part down. That's half the hurdle." Listening to Finn's past with the Providence group makes her tilt her head not because they've necessarily shied away from the topic but because whenever he speaks of it she's truly interested to learn more about him and where he comes from. The people he aligns himself with.
"With Eileen," Lucille looks off to the side at that and smiles softly, "We thought she was dead and then to see her with the Black Conduit, it was, jarring." That was a weird time and thinking about it only makes her think of Nathalie and before she can linger there Lucille continues, "Those guys haven't ever been that sweet of a crowd. Is that the way to say it? You must have been a ray of sunshine, I feel like Avi eventually will get over it. He's worked with and grown to care about people who were on the 'wrong side'," Luce shrugs her shoulders and laughs thinking of Finn's joking landing with the Horsemen.
"You know, we share family. A niece… one of those future kids. Benji, sweet kid. But where she and the others came from… things were so much worse." That's also a rough topic but while they were opening up about each other's pasts… or well futures in this case? "Whole group of kids, just dumped back here. It's, truly insane." Not as insane as multiple ancient entities running around their world today but it was still fucking insane.
"We both have some crazy stories huh?"
Finn covers his face playfully like he might be blushing when she talks about women throwing themselves at him. He’s like a grown up version of the little kid gif. “I mean, maybe? I’m sort of dumb when it comes to that. I was a total dork growing up and sort of a klutz. Always the last one picked for dodgeball. Loose shoelaces. Got my finger broken playing tetherball. You know the type. My ability sort of counteracts that shit, I think.”
Regarding Eileen, he sighs. “Not that sweet of a crowd,” he repeats with a chuckle. “That’s a euphemism, I guess, but not the sexy kind. Yeah. I think…” he looks to the window, as if he could see Providence from her Safe Zone residence. “I think the ones I know aren’t as rough as the ones from this timeline. They’re not bad people, but Eileen’s situation made her do some weird shit.”
That’s putting it lightly.
His green eyes return to her face. “Yours are crazier. Well, maybe. I did come across a zombie pig that talked and a zombie chimpanzee once that tried to eat us. That was some fucked up shit. But I’m not related to Marty McFly or anything.”
Without warning, though, since she’s draped over his lap, he slides his arms under her knees and around her waist to lift. “But those can wait.”
"Zombie pigs," Allowing herself to be lifted and kissing the man on the lips for a long while but Lucille eyes squint as she laughs a bit, "Yes," Squaring him with a look and wrapping her arms around his neck, "They can."