Participants:
| Scene Title | Unfortunate Good News |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Melissa visits Abby to tell her the good news about Kendall. The reaction she gets isn't the one she was expecting. |
| Date | September 26, 2010 |
Le Rivage: Abby's Apartment
It's been a while since Melissa's visited Abby. Too long, really, which is why she's ignored Ling's advice and left the house to go visit her. Friendship doesn't stop for evil psychic suggestions. She didn't call ahead, and just rapped on the door before opening it and sticking her head in. "Abby? It's Mel, and I've got some good news!"
Just after the words are out she sees the boxes piled against a wall and frowns, forgetting her good manners enough to come fully inside and peer at them. She does, however, shut the door behind her. She wasn't raised in a barn, you know. "If you're leaving the city and didn't tell me I'm going to be very angry. I'll…I'll…take back that painting I gave you!"
"Not out of town" Abigail's coming out of the spare bedrooms in the apartment, slowly starting to weed out things that she accumulated, things that Leonard left and need to go into storage, things of Peter's into boxes for him to take back to his place or have her drop off. "Hey can you come grab this box, my backs bothering me" Soft shirts, jean capri's and flip flops, there's the GPS tracker around her ankle and the blonde looks a little tired. "And you can't take back the painting Mel. The lord doesn't like Indian givers"
"Well if you're not leaving the city then I don't need to take it back. Where are you going though, and what the hell is that on your ankle?" Melissa asks, frowning as she moves over to the other woman, to grab the box.
"That, Mel, I don't know yet, but I'm moving somewhere. I'm getting a jump on things. I'm going to move in with Robert and this things around my ankle is a GPS tracker because I am a willful subverter of the registration laws. SO they want to know where I am at all time" The box is given up to Mel with a smile. "I think it's just so that they can keep track of when I actually go up in flames. Too bad they don't know about the negation drugs huh?"
Melissa perks up. "You two are moving in together? That's awesome!" Then she can't help it, grins slyly at Abby. "Who knew the nun would ever be living in sin with a man," she teases. The box is set aside and she looks back to Abby. "Sorry I haven't been by in a while. Things have just been…" She gives a short laugh and shakes her head. "Not even sure where to begin."
"It's not like I've been home Mel. This time last week I was fresh out of the hospital and sitting in Homesec holding and Cat was paying my bail. I've been dealing with other stuff since then, like the bar and… I got let go from the Hospital. I haven't had much time for anyone else who isn't working at the bar or named Robert. Even Peter had to find me at the bar to track me down" Abigail heads back down the hall back to what used to leonards room, inviting Mel to join her.
"Bail? Jesus, Abby. Why didn't you call me? I would've bailed you out," Melissa says, frowning in concern as she follows the blonde. "And let go from the hospital? They fired you? Why? And how did Homesec find out that you weren't registered? Or, well, that you were evolved?"
"I didn't call because Cat is my lawyer and Cat was there and they found because they do blood tests at the hospital when people are brought in injured and they take blood. The par to the panel also includes whether the person is evolved or not Mel. The results, didn't match up with what the little card in my purse said. So the moment I was released, I was brought in and I got arrested. Plain and simple" Very straight forward. "I got let go from the hospital in the ambulance bay because of the nature of my ability Mel. I don't blame them. I dunno what to do from here about that, I'll figure out something" She's packing up the few books left in the room, some movies, tucking it all into the box.
"Oh, right. Lawyer." Duh. "Still sucks though. Sorry I haven't been around for you," Melissa says, sounding guilty. "But with finding out about my uncle, and getting another roommate, and all the stuff at the club, and time traveling and getting Kendall…Things have just been fucking insane."
Whoah, wait a minute. "What was that again?" Abigail tosses a book into the box, turning around to regard Mel properly. "What is that second to last thing, before the whole swearing and things going insane?"
"Second to last thing? Time travel?" Melissa does smile a little. "Yeah, sorry. Like I said, things have been insane. Got to meet not one, but two time travelers last week, and both of 'em had me jumping through time. But let me guess, you don't believe it either? Think I'm on Refrain or something? Ling does."
"No, no, I believe you. Hrio's forever taking cinnamon buns when I'm not looking and leaving containers in his wake, or just, stopping time to tell me something… I mean the whole going back in time and… bringing Kendall… back?" Abigail looks at Mel. "Was this… something Hiro had planned? He's no stranger to doing that… once"
"Hiro? You know Hiro? Naka-something or other?" Melissa asks, sounding surprised. "He's the second one I met. And yeah, he said he did something like that one. He…It sounded like it was complicated. It was an old guy who showed up first. Told me he'd take me to when Kendall died to save him, if I delivered some cash to some people in the past. When I got there, Hiro showed up. Said he'd been waiting until the old guy wasn't around before he approached me. But then we went ahead and saved Kendall, and I got to keep the money, so…It all worked out well?"
"It was Francois. But it had happened in the past, there was evidence of it, so it was supposed to happen" Abigail regards Melissa, lips pursed slightly, taking a seat on the sparse bed. "Mel.. You changed the … past. What has it done? What's the effect now?"
"Honestly? I don't care. Besides, we were careful to keep from changing much. Kendall still appeared to die in the fight. He didn't get teleported out with the rest of us. We took him directly from that time to the present. So really, there wasn't much possibility of change, and Kendall is alive." Melissa sighs and leans against the wall. "Why can't anyone just be happy that he's alive? Ling kept saying I was on Refrain or something, you just talk about consequences."
"Because there are consequences. They may not be right now but may be some down the road. You don't know much about time traveling. You know that stuff that made me an evolved again? That came from a future, one that doesn't exist because someone came back and changed something. Some things still happen Mel, and some things change, and just like that, what you did could… could change so much that you don't know right now. I know you grieved for him, and we grieved for you and how it was… but…" Abigail reaches out, grabbing Mel's hand.
Melissa doesn't stop Abby from taking her hand, but she doesn't look entirely pleased either. "If there are consequences I'll deal with them. I'll pay whatever price I have to. But there was no way I was going to let a seventeen year old kid stay dead for me if I had a choice in the matter. Besides, how do you know that this isn't just like when he saved Francois?"
"Because Eileen carved a poem on a tree fifteen years ago, Mel. That was there through it all while I was growing. Because it had already happened, while I was growing up. The mysteriously disappeared man that I had found in the woods, who wasn't there and only blood on the tree. Then last winter, I went back with Hiro and Eileen to save him like we had already done in the past."
"Mel, you re-wrote the last month and change. You didn't just go back and do what had already been destined. You went back, with an eraser and you took out a part of what people know" And Hiro let it happen. She can't fault the woman for wanting to do it. If it had been Teo or Robert or Deckard, she'd have done it, in a heartbeat.
Melissa looks at Abby for a long moment before she retrieves her hand. "I'm sorry I brought it up. Just don't say anything like this to Kendall. He's already freaked that he was dead for a month. If he starts feeling guilty because I brought him back, because of something you said, I will never forgive you." And she sounds like she means it.
"why on earth Mel would I even say something like that to him? It's not his burden to bear" She points out. "That's like going to a teenager and saying that the condom broke and you were a mistake' it's something you just don't do" Abigail shakes her head, dropping one hand to her lap, the other rubbing at pink healing skin on her chest that's itching.
"We do things, Mel, in our grief. I only pray that what you did doesn't have the ripples that it could have. I'm glad, very glad, that you got him back even if I don't approve of the how just…"
Melissa still doesn't look happy, so rather than continue to harp about it, she changes the subject. "So I've got a full house again. Attic's been taken by a really sweet guy. I'm thinking of adding onto the house so there's an extra bedroom or two if they're needed. Went on a date too, though it was a fake date, complete with a fake proposal. Was entertaining. And finally got to curl up on the couch in the dark with a guy and watch movies, but he's pulling a white knight, and at the same time made me realize that I can never have a boyfriend. How's your month been, arrest and injury aside?"
TO a different topic. She can do that. "Yet another into your house of strays, and I'm paring down to just one and he's not a stray. Who's this one now and who was this date you went on that wasn't really a date Mel" The topic of her month has in truth, already been covered.
"Yeah, but now I'm paranoid about my house of strays, thanks to Eileen," Melissa says, sounding bitter. "His name's Edgar. Really funny guy, really protective of his friends. We were in Moab together too. And the date was a guy named Brad Russo. He's host of a show called the Advocate. Sweet guy, funny, but major issues. Namely a dead fiance he's still totally hung up on. Still, he could be a good friend."
She knows neither of these people. Be it Edgar or the host of a television show. Maybe she'll end up watching more with Robert, television. No twelve hour shifts on the ambulance. No shifts with peter. "Careful with adding additions. If they catch wind of you doing it and no permits" There's a wince. 'get it done fast, if you're gonna do it. But I'm sure you'll have folks who can help with that"
Guy with the dead fiancee though. 'How on earth did you get a date with… the fake date guy mel? Is he living in your place too?"
"Technically I don't own the house and the last owner is likely the guy we buried in the cemetery," Melissa says dryly. "So I'm sure that adding a room or two to my house won't be a problem. Besides, I know a couple speedsters. Doing it fast isn't a problem. And no, Brad has his own place. I met him when Edgar dragged me to the store to buy a card for the girl who popped his cherry. Was a bit of a clusterfuck with them, me and Eileen's brother. There was yelling and drama, then me and Brad went and got drunk."
Buy a card for the girl who popped his cherry.
"They make cards for loosing your virginity?" Abigail blinks at Mel.
"I'm sure some places do," Melissa says, shrugging. "We found a card that worked well enough before the chaos ensued." She's quiet for a long moment, before she straightens. "I should probably go."
"If you like. Robert will be coming back soon, and I'll have to start thinking about dinner soon" Abigail muses, getting things straight in her mind about the rest of her day. They make cards for that? "At least you got drunk with someone safe Mel" Eileen yelling at mel? Not so much a surprise. The woman had been through a bit and then… the whole brother thing. Well.
"What makes you think he's safe?" Melissa says, arching a brow. "But have fun with Robert. Sure I'll see you soon," she says, before heading out of the room and towards the front door.
"That you're standing here in my spare bedroom Mel and not dead in a ditch somewhere?" Common sense, at least to Abby. Abigail stands, following her friend out the door, the cat giving a passing glance to the people who interrupt her slumber while Rhett's busy in another room. "Drive safe back home okay?"
"Maybe he's just biding his time," Melissa says with a shrug as she continues walking. She doesn't seem too concerned though. Or show much emotion at all, really, not right now. "I'll get home alright though." The corners of her mouth tilt up, just a bit, before she opens the door and slips out.