Participants:
| Scene Title | Beautiful Words |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Victor and Abby talk, joke, choke and have some apple crisp while planning on killing some time between classes |
| Date | June 30, 2009 |
Cliffside Apartments - Victor's Apartment
Sparse would only begin to describe the decor in this apartment. It's not very well furnished, featuring only a discarded (but clean) couch that probably came from a garage sale or Craigslist giveaway ad and a motley crew of folding chairs and eggcrates used for storage furniture. The good news is that the place is mostly clean and there's no evidence of any roaches or rats or other vermin. Here and there a t-shirt can be seen draped on a chair or tossed unused in a corner, and there are quite a few college-level textbooks in the place.
The kitchen really deserves to have the obligatory "ette" on the end of it. There's a sink, a dishwasher, fridge, and a rangetop oven. The sink is conspicuously full of dishes that don't particularly smell but also don't look very clean either.
A bedroom that really deserves to be considered more of a large closet has a camping-style cot in it with blankets folded on it like cushions and a pillow. It's clear that's the only thing that passes for a bed in this place.
Vic came home not long ago, door shut literally less than five minutes. He stripped off his duty belt and radio and threw them on his old third-hand couch. This is the ritual of being freshly home from work. The heavy black boots he wears are off, and he's walking around in uniform shirt, slacks, and socks. It's straight to his fridge that he goes to grab a chilled bottle of Wal-Mart water and chug practically the whole thing. There's a pile of uncleaned dishes in the sink there, and various of his clothes hang around the apartment on doorknob, couch arm, chair…places clothes really don't belong. They're not filthy. He's just not a very tidy guy.
But his place is about to be invaded possibly by a very tidy woman. The knock at the door the only real hint that he's having company and pretty soon. Abigail cools her heels outside, having used the internet to go from phone number to address in about five minutes telephone conversation with Alistair. It's amazing technology, when you actually use it.
She was hoping that Victor was home and that he'd answer the door, cause the apple crumble in her hands was gonna get stone cold soon.
There's a hesitation as Vic blinks and looks at his door like a hunted animal, though there's really no reason for it. He trots out of the kitchenette and around his counter toward the door, light footfalls audible until he cracks the door open and wide-eyes. "Abby!"
Doorslam!
There is a rush of frenzied activity on the inside briefly, and it becomes clear that Things are happening very quickly in the apartment. Then Vic is back and the door is thrown open for her. "Sorry, come in!" He stands back, door wide open.
The apartment looks well….modest. But gone are the several loads of laundry all over the place. And the dishes in the sink. And other stuff. In his bedroom behind a closed door is one huge pile of mess.
She was not expecting the door slam. No. And for the time that the door is closed and the first few seconds of victor opening the door, there's a crestfallen look on her face. He was mad at her. She's told him she might be out of town, she had stuff to do. But then he's inviting her in and she holds up the barely warm crisp. "Hey. No. It's okay, I should have called first but I thought I might surprise you" In she steps, looking around quickly, politely. There's even the presumptuous offer of a kiss to the corner of his mouth as she goes by.
The kiss, as semi-chaste as it is, is followed by Vic hugging Abby tightly for a long couple of seconds. "Missed you. I hope everything's all right?" He kicks his door shut and stands back to let himself be admired. "What do you think?" He is more or less still in uniform, although of course it's not ready for work. He's got a bad, a blue police shirt, the slacks with the piping down the side. The NYPD shoulder patches. "Come on, I'll get you something to drink. Do you want water, kool-aid, Mountain Dew, or water?"
"Victor, when did you actually GET on the force…" Abby's surprised as she takes a step back to take it all in. last she'd seen was the slack and polo shirt uniform. "Yes and no. Everything's going to be fine though" Towards the kitchen area she heads so she can put down the food. "Kool-aid"
"Well uh…my graduation was when you were wherever. I told you like five weeks ago it'd be in four weeks. I'm in training now." And as he says it Vic thinks he hides his disappointment in not sharing it with Abby. He's pretty sure he keeps that nice and tucked away, and it's helped by the fact that he turns to beat Abby to his fridge and grab out the kool-aid. He's got some clean cups, thankfully. "So we're supposed to have a third date!" He doesn't have to force his excitement much. Vic is after all naturally upbeat.
"Well… fuck"
She's kicking herself now. "I'm sorry Victor, really I am. I was needed to help a friend, and.." And she's not gonna go further in that train of verbal thought. "I'll try and make it up, I'm sorry, really" All this while the casserole dish is being put down on a free spot on the counter. "we are. We are supposed to have a third date"
"Abby, it's fine." Vic says, holding up a hand while he pours kool-aid into the cups for them both. Then he spares her a look. "Seriously. And that's like the first time I've EVER heard you say fuck." He grins at that. Because it immediately occurs to him that if she blurted out 'fuck' then she might be serious about it. And something about that strikes him as good. "I'm glad you came over. I mean, I'm a crappy housekeeper. I'm like the worst. But I missed you."
"Not fine, I'm needing to make an effort and if you told me about it, I should have made… time.. for it, but I couldn't, I had to help a friend, and I was trying to .. get my gift back and I do swear. But there's, you know, a time and a place for those words" Abby sighs regardless. "I missed you too. Thought about you a few times. Thought about you when I got really… really drunk"
That makes Vic raise an eyebrow. "You got really really drunk? What were you doing?" He cranes his neck over to check out the casserole dish contents. "And what's this?"
"Apple crisp and I was.. I was being a friend to a friend in need and doing what she needed me to do, which was sit beside her, complain about men and drink.. a lot. Whereupon she tattoo'd me… more" SHe'll tell Victor about the tattoo. The NEW tattoo. The apple dessert is uncovered with a flourish and tilted towards him. "Graduation present I suppose, this will be huh?"
"Hey, you better not have been all complaining about me. I didn't do anything!" says Vic in playful defensiveness, grinning. He oohs at the apple stuff. "Oh wow, Abby. I love apple." He leans against his counter top and asks suggestively before taking a drink of kool-aid, "So what's this tattoo?"
"Wings. When she's back, I'll see about getting them remo…" Yup, stopping there. "Like BIG wings. Shoulder blade down to my butt. She was really drunk" But, complaining about him, yes and no. "Can I ask you a question victor?"
"Yeah. Abby, you can ask me anything." says Vic with quiet seriousness. Because duh, he can tell when something sounds like it might be serious.
"Do you really think, that you need to one up me, when it comes to what we do on a date? Is it like.. a game to you, to see if you can make it better than the last one?" It's an honestly asked question from the blonde.
Vic screws up his face a little like that's kind of a silly question. "No. That was me making a joke, Abby. Did that bother you?"
It was a joke. Well, isn't that all fourteen shades of red on her face. Apple crisp has just become mortified/humble crisp "yeah" spoken quietly, looking down towards the Koolaid
There's a quiet moment before Vic sets down his cup and then reaches for Abby to draw her into another hug with his too-new starchy scratchy shirt. This one more or less just reassuring. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that'd bother you. Really didn't mean anything by it, I swear."
'I just.. I didn't know you meant it as a joke and I just.. I was trying to figure out why you thought that it was a competition to be won when it's not it's, us, you - me trying to see if going out is a good thing or whether we're better off as friends and then.. I don't.. want a guy who thinks it's all a competition" She doesn't object to the gathering in his arms, though for a few moments she's stiff, but that starts to give way to relaxed in as much as Abigail can relax.
"Abby, it's only winning if we finish together." murmurs Vic while holding her and swaying a little. "Can I tell you something? Kind of hard to say." He's not looking at her, but over her shoulder at the floor, eyes distant.
"You can tell me anything. I promise. If it's bad, I won't even hit you over the head with the apple crisp" Slowly, carefully, she winds her arms loosely around Victor's waist and lets him sway the two of them.
"It's not like we just met a few weeks ago and then started dating right away. I've known you on and off for a while. But I think I'm really falling for you, Abby." confesses Vic over her shoulder quietly. "I just know how kind of distant you were at first. And I think I understand why. It's just I don't want to make it worse by telling you that, but also you kind of ought to know."
"Why do you think I was distant?" He's falling for her. He's fell for her. What was it Teo had said? She'll break hearts and not even know it? She settles her head against his shoulder, cheek against the round of it, watching the other wall, one of our, in his place.
"Because you didn't want anyone to get close to you, because you try to protect people around you." says Vic, probably guessing, but making a good go of it. "I don't know that I agree with the method, but I understand. And you're such a good person. I really can't say that about a lot of people. Monica's about the only other one."
"At one point I did that. That and about every red blooded male who came near me wanted to date me and I swear bed me" Abigail points out. "Becuase what I did needed a measure of.. buffer between me and other so that they wouldn't get pulled in" She offers up in explanation. "because I don't rightly know how to be with a man. I need a manual to date, much less relations in the bedroom"
Here's one of those points where Vic proves he's a gentleman. He pulls away from Abby just enough to look her in the eyes, keeping his arms around her. "Uh…in all honesty? It's pretty well hard-wired. Kind of like walking and talking. But I'm not trying to bed you Abby." He smirks then, "Not that I wouldn't be thrilled. I just don't want it to turn into some kind of wedge. I'd rather it was something you were ready for and wanted."
"Really?" That makes sense. There's a soft sigh from Abigail. "Well, I mean, I know you're not trying to.. bed me, just.." yeah, she's going to shut up. Going to pull away and set about to locating plates for apple crisp. "We still have at least, minimum, one more date, possibly two or more. When you're not running around like some officer and writing up speeding tickets"
Vic can't help it. He grins widely when Abby pulls away in her modest embarassment. Then he hip-bumps her teasingly before grabbing up his cup again. "Oh so two more dates and I can pencil you in for nookie?" he sing-songs, "Awe-some!"
That's Koolaid that's swiftly trying to make a break for it down the wrong hole, Abigail coughing as he makes that comment, shooting him a look.
"Jeez don't choke!" says Vic with a big grin. "You okay?" He grabs out two of the three plates that are clean and hands one to Abby. Then says with patient children's show earnestness, "No, I didn't mean it. That was another joke."
"I think my sense of humor was something the Lord neglected to put in me when I was born" When she's able to clear her throat. "We tried to get my gift back. While I was gone"
He's probably just letting that whole mis-handled joke thing slide because Vic easily slips into asking, "So what happened?" He flashes a glance at Abby that has just a tinge of worry to it. About her? For her? Hard to say.
"well. The person managed to change my hair back to blonde" There's a spoon dug up and she starts portioning out some of the crisp. "And, nothing else happened. There was nothing wrong for her to fix. Absolutely nothing wrong" Blue eyes looks over to him. "I went to the police station, took the evolved test. They gonna start the process to try and un-register me" In other words… "I'm not evolved. I shouldn't have been able to heal"
Vic looks skeptical. Or at the very least confused. He props an elbow on a hand and stands squared off with Abby, clearly thinking this over. "So…why could you? I mean you put me back together when I had a lot of broken bones. So something was going on."
"That, Victor, I suppose, there will be many theories on. I have my version but most people think that I am crazy for it" Abigail shrugs. "It's gone. I'll still try the last chance, till it's not available anymore but.. I'm not getting it back, I'm sure of it, the lord has made it very much plainly spoken"
"God really did give you a gift." Vic says plainly, watching Abby. He's never been ultra-secular, even if he is something of the lefty liberal in most things. "I'm a spiritual person. I can believe that God gave it to you." The matter-of-factness with which he says that is only emphasized a little by how he casually has a drink of kool-aid after.
"God's special snowflake, till I'd done what the needed me to do" That, that right there is what she likes about Victor. no effort made to tell her no, she wasn't, she isn't, that there wasn't something, somewhere in her life where God went 'Abigail, I choose you' and bam, she could do it.
With his cup Vic gestures gently toward Abby, "You are special, Abby. You really are. But you know what else I believe?" he pauses just a beat before explaining, "I don't think you're done. You're still part of God's plan. And you know? Maybe it's God's plan that this is the part where you're free from the burden of that gift, and you get to be normal. You can be with real friends and get drunk and get tattoos and date and…not have to be defined by the power to heal. Maybe God's giving you a new gift."
Thunk goes the plate as she looks over at him. Surprise dawning on her face. "That.. those words victor" There's not much space between them and there's even less when she's suddenly crossed them and pressing her lips to his. "Those were beautiful words Victor" Before another and another are laid to his lips by hers.
Surprised, Vic spills some of his drink on the floor, but priorities are priorities, and having a kissing girlfriend in your arms always ALWAYS trumps kool-aid. Even if you'll die without it. He fumbles past Abby to set the cup on the counter and try to kiss her back before she changes her mind. If only he could bottle exactly what it is he stumbled on to make Abby this happy! He'd freakin hose her down with it. Once they part, though, he seems a little breathless. "…you know I totally don't know what I said now?"
"I do, and that's what counts. Grab a movie, and i'll finish scooping up dessert. I have a few hours I can spend before I have to head back out for a late class" There's a smile on her face, that's still there, and doesn't look like it will likely be disappearing anytime soon.
"Okay! Gonna change real quick though. If you were like five minutes later knocking on the door I would've been in my underwear." Vic drains his cup and gives Abby an affectionate shoulder-squeeze on his way past her and to his bedroom door, which he opens and ducks inside of. Muffled behind a door he asks, "What kinda movies you like?"