Participants:
| Scene Title | Paradise Will Come |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | When Paradise is supposed to come. Liz checks in on Abby to see how manifestation is going amoung other things. |
| Date | April 19, 2010 |
Maison Allegre - Third Floor
Disgruntled agents in a rather obvious truck notwithstanding, Elisabeth has no reason to avoid Francois Allegre's home. And since one little blonde Southern belle is in residence there at the moment, there's a big reason to brave the blizzard to go. She did wait until it had mostly blown itself out, though that happened only out of sheer necessity to be quite honest.
She couldn't travel the city in anything approaching safety during a whiteout. Finally she manages to make it to Francois's door, perspiring beneath her winter gear because well…. it's at the 0-degree mark out there and she wasn't going WITHOUT the layers of clothes in spite of the workout slogging through the newest snowfall gave her.Elisabeth bangs on the door and waits with her hands shoved into her pockets for one of the occupants to answer.
There's blonde hair, not short like Teo's but one that is assosciated with Abby. Liz spied, the woman is let in, allowed to discard clothing at will and after a brief pit stop for drinks, she's tugged along up to the third floor of Franois's humble - or not so humble - abode. Third floor right now being the granted residence of the blonde in question and stairs taken quite carefully. It's when they're up there, comfortable in the spare bedroom and Abigail laying across the bed that she deigns to look over to the FRONTLINE officer with a slightly goofy grin and slightly glassy eyes.
"Hi"
No more, no less, a little flushed from more than the stairs. "How's Richard? You visited him yet? I assume he told you what he asked me to do?" Artificial happiness that isn't anti-depressants.
Worry darkens Elisabeth's features as she looks at her friend. And then she nods slowly. "Not until after the fact. Are you….?" She bites her lip; Abby is clearly not all right. "Is this an effect of the shot or the Evo flu?" She has left all her clothes at the front door, including boots, and she curls up on the bottom of Abby's bed so the feverish blond can pull up the covers and sit without being exposed to the cold.
"Shot. been like this since. Sometimes, like under the sun, others, I barely notice. It's freaking peter and was freaking Mel out. Haven't heard from Mel. The rest, the rest is all my ribs. Teo got his wish, laying low on medical leave. Peter's stuck with the vegan" Which, if you take by Abby's tone, it's not a good thing.
She burrow's under the covers, the upstairs not that bad off because heat does rise and she motions for Liz to join her if she wants to. "You can tell him I haven't manifested yet. Just feeling hot is all. I keep hoping it will be soon, for his sake. And that it's healing at all"
There's a moment of pause, and then Elisabeth does something she and Abby used to do back when. She climbs in, under the covers with Abby, and wraps her arms around her friend to hold her. "I don't…. know what to say to you about the formula," she whispers. "Part of me is so desperately grateful there aren't words. And the other part is so damn terrified for you… there aren't words." The confession is entirely in whispers, tears ruthlessly held back. "I'm scared… that you did it hoping to get your ability back for all the right reasons, and that if you don't… you'll blame yourself somehow." It's rare that she offers such candor about her own fears. In this case, her fears for Richard must take second place to her fears for Abby, though — because her friend has gambled everything.
"If it does, it does liz, ohh careful, no squeezing please. Be more terrified for Richard, if this doesn't end up healing… then I don't know how to help him and I'm sure the lord will not give me something that I cannot handle. Joseph already showed me the Lord plan. Matthew three eleven" She settles in though, all touchy feely and cuddly.
"I won't blame myself, regardless, because I took it knowing full well what I was doing and it's not going to kill me, and it will be… It will be okay Liz. I promise"
Elisabeth nods, her arms gentle around Abby. And she whispers, "So long as you're okay with whatever comes, that's what matters, sweets." Resting her head against Abby's lightly, she whispers, "Richard's … a big boy. He understood all the risks. And frankly, I …. I think we're both just grateful to be able to have this small amount of time together to just talk. If something helps, then… it helps. If it doesn't…" The knot in her throat she swallows forcibly. "Then we were able to say goodbye, which is more than we had in Antarctica. It's time I'll treasure." What little of it they get to spend together. Liz kisses Abby's head. "I'm not familiar with the verse. Tell me what Joseph showed you?"
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" She's been murmuring it to herself at times, trying to figure out what could mean. "Maybe holy fire? I'd be just like Izzy was!" It's a joke really and she runs her fingers through Liz's hair, bringing some locks up to inhale deeply the scent of the woman's shampoo.
'You're hair smell nice Liz"
Another inhale and she lets her fingers just tangle, then awkwardly braid Liz's hair. "They're not taking care of Sasha. I sent over clothes and blankets for him. They're treating him like an animal Liz and he's sick. yes, he's done terrible things and i'm scared of him, but he's sick with the evolved flu and he's hallucinating."
Abby's fingers tangling into Elisabeth's hair make the ex-cop a little nervous. Kozlow is hallucinating? Well, she can't help but wonder if Abby might be starting to hallucinate soon too. She files the verse away for future reference, and then she says quietly, "I'll see what I can do about Kozlow." If nothing else, she should probably go see the man personally. But that will be something she talks to Francois and Teo about before going to do. Primarily because we appear to be back at square one unless Kozlow divulges anything of use. "I won't condone us treating him any worse than you and I were treated in Russia."
'Good. Good. Cause he's healing bad. He needs his bandages changed. He thought I was someone name Milenky, that he left in Berlin. He wants to die too. I gave him a bottle of water and he used it like it was gasoline and kept asking me for a match. If the flu doesn't kill him, that bullet wound on his leg will Liz. I can't go too often, I got my watch dogs and i'm surprised i've not been followed as it is"
Elisabeth isn't so sure, honestly, that Abby hasn't. But she's trusting Kershner to keep certain things buried for now. "I'll do what I can for him, Abby. I can't promise it will be much. But I will try." She sighs heavily and just holds the feverish ex-healer. Strains of Silent Lucidity run through her mind with disconcerting regularity lately, though she doesn't mention it. It seems an odd tune to have stuck in her head.
Seems that's a satisfactory answer for now and she starts to push herself up, coaxing liz to do the same so she can braid the other woman's hair, giggling a bit while doing so. Francois would likely be doing the same if he was up here. Teo would be mortified. "Arrested by homeland yet?!"
There's a blink…. and Elisabeth snickers softly. "Oh, so Teo and Francois told you the plan?" She scoots a little to let Abby have her way. What's it matter to Liz if her hair is braided? The point is to spend a little time with her friend, and …. maybe she didn't realize just how much she's missed Abby until just now. Though she's never seen her quite as high as whatever meds she's on have her now. Liz is hoping that it's just not the Evo flu, that's all. The fever worries her. "No, but… given the fact that this run on Vanguard played out so poorly, I have a feeling it'll happen in short order here. If that plan doesn't work out…" She sighs. "Shit, Abby, I'm entirely at a loss as to how to draw Dreyfus into the open."
"God, through Joseph, told me the plan" Sure of it. "You, in a desert in your FRONTLINE suit, and they barreled past me to grab you and escort you into the back of the black SUV. Was the only thing, not confusing" She points out, sectioning off Liz's hair. No cough, cold, anything else and the flush is going away, one of the times when it sinks back to un-noticed by the younger blonde.
Elisabeth listens quietly, soothed as she always has been by Abby's hands in her hair. It's one of the few things that gets through almost all stresses. "More like in a snowpack, but…. I suppose a desert of sorts," she mutters softly. "What else did you see?" The question isn't simply a matter of idle curiosity. Elisabeth has often wondered what Joseph …. or God through Joseph's hands.. might show Liz of her own future. If anything at all.
Abigail relays the rest of the vision, the confusion that comes with Delphine, the flower that burns into soggy ash in her hands, the book with it's marked passage and Delphines question of whether she was still searching for Paradise, all within the desert. She gathers tendrils of hair, french braiding the womans locks carefully like her mother did so many times for her, moving Liz's head this way, that, pulling an elastic from her own in preparation of making sure it doesn't come out when she's done.
She's silent while Abby talks, and then Liz says quietly, "Arthur was going to use Delphine to put Midtown to rights. It would have killed her to do it, if I understand right. And when we stopped Arthur, it seemed too much to ask of her. It's one thing to offer something like that, but to be forced into giving it is wrong." She goes quiet again. And then offers in an even softer voice, "I'd offer my life for that. I'd offer my life if it would save … just one. Not just someone I love." Which is kind of obvious considering the suicide missions she's been willing to undertake to save so many. "And yet God leaves me here to keep looking out for people as best I can. I figure I haven't done what I've been put here to do yet. I sort of hope you keep looking for a long time too, Abby." As awful as it may sound spoken that way, she figures Abby will know what she means.
"Paradise will come, when it comes" there, all done, elastic secures the braid and Abigail moves from behind the woman so she can curl up in the bed again, close her eyes. "She game me a plant, that she grew from the soil in midtown. Chocolate vine, just like what we have at home. I think I'm going to bring a clipping home to Momma to plant at the new house. Sorta, symbolic" There's a sigh, then grimace as she breathed in too deep that brings about a necessary cough. "Ohhh lordy, gonna need Francois to wrap my ribs again. You should go Liz, the drugs make me sorta loopy. Not as bad as the percocet but… in a few days, I'm gonna downgrade to advil and things'll be better. Teo won't be laughing at Francois and I just laying out on the couch watching movies"
Chuckling softly, Elisabeth scoots around and tucks Abby in. Then she slides off the bed. "You and Francois take it as easy as you can." She knows exactly the state Francois was in — she's the one who carried him out. Smoothing Abby's blond strands back gently, she says softly, "Love you, kiddo." Showing it sometimes comes hard to Liz, but she does. "I'll let the boys know you need to wrap the ribs again on my way out. Sleep well, Abby." She plants a kiss on Abby's head and then she slips out.