How Could We Not

Participants:

abby_icon.gif elisabeth_icon.gif

Scene Title How Could We Not
Synopsis Elisabeth's on escort duty to the police station as well as temporary lodgings.
Date March 13, 2009

Dorchester Towers - Elizabeth's Apartment

This is a pretty standard two-bedroom apartment, although the occupant has gone to some effort to make it her own. Although the carpet is the ubiquitous beige, the walls are painted a soft rose-gray mauve shade, giving the main living space warmth. A dark gray sectional sofa sits in the living room facing an entertainment center that contains a state-of-the-art stereo system and a less upscale television setup. A coffee table sits in the curve of the sectional, and floor lamps bracket the ends of the furniture. The dining area hosts a four-seater square oak table and chairs, with the table generally host to a slew of mail and papers. An oak sideboard against the wall has candles on either end of it and a glass bowl with a fake arrangement of flowers. A small wine rack sits next to the sideboard, home to no more than nine bottles. The kitchen is small, but functional, painted a soft yellow color with a transparent blue glass backsplash. Off the living room are two bedrooms, one of which has the door closed and the other appears to be a home office. Its walls are a soft shade of green, and it contains a desk with a high-end computer setup and a bookcase stocked with textbooks.


When the call came in, Elisabeth was out on a case — her plate is ridiculously full these days. When she tied up what she was doing, though, she called Teo back and told him to go ahead, she was heading for the apartment. So when Abby arrives, Elisabeth's merely inside waiting for the bell to ring. And when it does, she throws open the door. Her eyes skim over Abby's form, taking in the changes that have been wrought over the time of her captivity — Liz herself is looking around ten or fifteen pounds lighter than she was a month ago too. It doesn't look *bad*, certainly not as drastic as Abby's slimming, but it's definitely there. If the sheer relief and joy in her expression don't tell Abby how utterly thrilled Liz is with her safe return, the hug that the young woman is hauled into without regard for the 'don't touch' aura that Abby's always sort of had around her certainly should. "Girl…. don't ever, ever do that again, please?"

"Everyone's saying that, like I had a choice in the matter. I was just trying to go home, it's not.. like I went willingly with them, not after I blew three hundred dollars on a plane ticket home" Is groused good naturedly by Abigail. Mary's parting gift from the safe house was a few bottles of various drugs left by the doctor who'd patched her up. One of which was something that was so far staving off hysterics and panic attacks. Chemicals can do wonderful things and she was going to take them for now "I was told there's an open file on me, at the police station. That probably needs to be made into a kidnapping and the names of some people given up" Touching is tolerated, the stick thin blonde letting herself be shuffled in and away from Teo's good graces to put down the second hand purse and jacket that were now hers. Her cheeks red from the motorcycle ride that took forever, she favors Elisabeth with a smile before she wraps her arms around the officer. "Thank you. Thank you for coming Elisabeth"

Elisabeth closes the door behind the blonde and locks it for now, taking her into the living room, and then she holds Abby tightly one more time and says softly into her hair, "It's been a kidnapping since I could show that you were nabbed, Abigail. It was never even a missing persons report, it was always a kidnapping." When she finally lets go again, tears glitter in her eyes that she won't let fall. "How could I not? How many times have you helped me?" She smiles a bit. "You sit in my house, have my food, give Conrad hell…. you're mine, hun. Some of the people we know? They're my friends and all. But some of you are just plain mine. You're sorta starting to become like an extended family. So how could I not?" Maybe it's sappy, but well….

Abby nods into the affection shown, for the moment, not a tear to spill that's her own, just fingers gripping tight. "I told them, I warned them, that I had a lot of friends. Teo and Eileen came and they got scared. They moved me" They did other stuff but she's not going to elaborate now. "Then Richard came all those times, and I sent him to my friends, and everyone came. Your arm, hows your arm? I can't heal it right now, I promised Mary that I wouldn't do any healing for a few days, not till I'm eating like a horse again" She lets go of Elisabeth, pulling back now that the obligatory and actually enjoyed affection is exchanged. "Richard says you arrested him. But your good people" Not quite those words, but that was the gist she got.

Elisabeth shakes her head and laughs softly. "No, my arm's okay. Cat and one of the guys in the chopper were able to talk him through getting enough control of his power to change it back. I'm okay." And then she laughs more at Richard's words. "He did, hrm? Well… I did my job, but I'm not sorry he got away." She shrugs easily. "You do need to eat, that's for sure. You're skinny as a rail; your mama'd kick all our butts for letting you get so skinny," she says with a smile. "Can I get you anything before we go?"

'"I'm eating, I promise" Holding up a thin wrist for inspection then back down. "I was fed, before I left, I promise that I'll get stuffed full likely before the day is over. What I do need, is probably a place to stay. Teo says it's safe but I don't want to go back to my new place, not yet. I got a friend staying there, or was, taking care of the cat and pila. But there's no answers at Niki's and I don't want to take up the ferryman, and" the list could go on.

There's an instant frown at that. "Shit… I was hoping it was just my calls she was dodging," Elisabeth says quietly. "The last time I saw her, Jessica was going over to Staten to try to find *you*. I haven't heard from her since." Now she looks worried, but she tries to force it down. "Of course you can stay with me, if you'd like, til we can get you set up. Heck… Cat's got room at the club, Abby," the whole floor of safe house apartments, "or even the apartment downstairs that she used to share with Dani — none of which you've ever been affiliated with. But if you'd feel better staying here, you're welcome to — I'm hardly here though, what with my work shifts."

"I think, I'd feel safer here, just till I can find out how much money I have and see what Isabelle will loan me from my future paychecks and see what I can afford" because life goes on. She'll have her security deposit at least. That's what you get for not even moving into a place a few days. "Something big enough, for Al and I. For when they get Al out" This way too, Elisabeth could stuff her full of food and maybe Abby could get Elisabeth to eat because she looked thin too. "I didn't know, about Cat's place. But might not be good, just in case, homeland and everything. They'll want to talk to me, I was supposed to go to Louisiana and then come back, keep in touch with them" She didn't know whether Parkman had passed on that message, of where she was, to his superiors in relation to her.

Elisabeth grimaces slightly at the mention of Homeland. "All right," she says easily. "It's perfectly fine for you to stay here while you get back on your feet." She hesitates and then says baldly, "I'm not used to having a roommate; it's been years. You going to have any weirdnesses if I have a guy overnight?"

"Elisabeth… I lived with Teo and Alexander" That in and of itself speaks volumes to those who know. She's used to weirdness. "Long as he doesn't mind a bible thumping refugee on the couch. It's your place. Not mine, I promise that I'll be here a day or two that's all" Abby musters up a smile from the depths of somewhere for the other blonde. "Hows Trask?"

There's a soft laugh — it is enough of an answer. "He's…. probably doing a bit better than you, considering they didn't spend any time torturing him." Liz shrugs a little. "Honestly? I don't really know. I stayed with him the day we got back, and I think he's trying to decide whether to add his charges to whatever you put in there…. or whether to keep his name out of it all. He hasn't really told me. Since his superiors knew he was injured before he went off the bridge, he's actually still got some time off before he reports in, if he wants it. So I think he's going to take a few days to figure it out." She shoves a hand through her hair. "And don't worry about how long you stay, Abby — It really is no imposition at all." She offers a smile. "I'm so damn glad to see you okay, right now, I'd literally tell you to stay for a year."

"You don't want me for a year and we'll see if you'll even want me for a night. They said I was screaming a couple times through the night. So, we'll see" But it adds to the list of good things, Elisabeth's happiness at seeing her alive. "We should, probably, go. So I can get this over with before I have to take whatever they gave me, again. Then you can get to looking for Jessica. Richard said he'd got a hold of her I just, I don't know when he did, they didn't exactly give me calendars down there"

Elisabeth nods a bit. "I'll touch base with him," she says quietly. "If he's seen Jessica, that would make me feel a lot better about this whole thing. I thought maybe she'd gone undercover in the fight ring, but I haven't got any kind of indication that's actually the case." She runs her hand through her hair. "I'll go by her place and check it out first thing in the morning. Let's go ahead and take you in to file your report, all right?"

"Alright" Gathering her things up again, jacket, purse. Not that there was much in it except some cash for incidentals and her pills. "Get new ID. New everything. Pick my life back up where it derailed and try and… something. Thank you. For everything"

There's a grimace at that. "Tell me thank you after they've interrogated you to within an inch of your life. I'll stick by for the entire time if I can — I warn that I'm pretty much on call 24/7 here lately." Elisabeth hesitates. "Abby…. you are the victim here. Don't let them lose focus of that. If they do, call Cat immediately as your lawyer." She shakes her head. "Homeland Security can be a bunch of serious assholes." She grins a bit. "And if for some reason I get called away, I'll make sure you're covered for a ride back here, okay?"

oh, she knows she's the victim, but there's a nod to calling on Cat. "I know, I figured, but, at least i'm not walking in there alone" There's a pause. "Parkman told me that I was to bring you or bring someone named Damaris in with me last night. That I could trust a SCOUT officer named Damaris"

Elisabeth lifts her chin and nods thoughtfully. "You can. Kaydence will cover your back. If you ever can't get to me, Abby… Trask and my partner Darius Johnson are a given. You can tell either of them anything, and they'll help you. Kay Damaris, Ezra Grimes, or — and Teo might tell you otherwise, but don't believe it — Felix Ivanov. If you need a cop and can't get to me, those are the people you look to, okay?" She smiles a bit. "It's a small list — I'd actually trust MOST of the people on the SCOUT team with a lot of stuff. Damaris and Grimes, don't tell anything Phoenix-related, obviously."

The names are comitted to memory, a nod of her thin chin. 'Grimes, Damaris, Ivanov, Johnson" Johnson, well, maybe, she wasn't sure "Trask. Lets go, before I loos emy nerve" Letting Elisabeth open the door before she slips out. This day was going to be long, longer than her ones beneath the brothel or in the warehouse.

Elisabeth says, "C'mon, lady," Elisabeth says with a wry smile. "I'm pretty damn sure you couldn't lose your nerve if you chucked it in the river. You've got more steel than I ever thought possible, Abigail Beauchamp." She doesn't know the details of what Abby went through, not yet. But the sight of the girl is enough to tell her it was bad. The fact that she's waking screaming? Liz will deal with that. "And don't you let anyone tell you otherwise."

Or that Liz will probably have access to the case file, that might help too. "I'm here, by the miracle of god, friends and umm… Whatever's in my purse" But you never know. There's a lot of questions ahead of her. "Just.. don't cry, when you hear what happened please. Cause if you do, more than you did, then I'm going to and I'm trying to avoid that, deal? And no coffee, well no more than two cups"

Elisabeth laughs. "Deal," she says as she closes the door behind them. If she has to cry, she'll do it later, where Abby won't see it.


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March 13th: Arisen
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March 13th: Clear Cut
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