Room 406, after detention

[izzyalienqueen]

She'd woken up in detention terrified and fighting back tears.

It was difficult, but she made it back to her room without letting them fall. Yet she could feel the control she'd kept so tightly in place for the last two weeks starting to slip.

Perched on the side of her bed, Isabel rocked back and forth as silent tears fell.


[Locked to someone who knows who he is]

Comments

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

After dealing with Logan still being played, zomg Angel decided to take a chance and check on Isabel.

He went up to the fourth floor. He experienced a moment of deja vu as he looked at the door, then knocked.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel took a deep breath and tried to pull it together. Unfortunately she wasn't as successful as she'd been earlier in the week.

She opened the door, still wiping tears from her face. "Was it as much fun for you?" she asked when she saw Angel standing there.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel gave a sympathetic wince when he saw how she appeared.

"Oh yeah," he said, trying for joking. "I think I'll make it my regular Saturday night thing."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

She stepped back and opened the door more. "Come on in she said so she wouldn't have to worry about whether or not Angel would still be able to get in the room since he no longer lived there."

"I'll pass," she said as Angel came into the room. Isabel took a seat on her bed a motioned for Angel to take a seat as well. "It seemed so real." She shuddered just thinking about it. "I thought it was real."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel stepped over the threshhold that in theory he'd need an invite for though Lord knows how aliens affect that. He looked around at his old room, noticing the changes. Strangely, none of them less girly than his decorations had been.

"Prof. Dream does that," he said, putting his hands into his coat pockets. "Or... I think that's how he works. I had pretty much the same thing."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You did?," Isabel asked and then winced because she could only imagine what Angel's nightmares would be like.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel sat down in his old desk chair. "Yeah. Worst nightmare I could imagine, in full technicolor surround sound."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Better then any virtual reality," Isabel agreed and then looked down. "People died because of me. You died because of me."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel quirked his eyebrows. "How'd I go?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"The common room blew up. You were in the blast zone. Pretty crappy way to die isn't it?" Isabel shook her head, "And then the FBI came in and finished off everyone that was still standing. I guess they thought everyone had been contaminated by me or something."

Angrily she reached for a tissue and wiped at her face. "Between that, and the rest.... Oh God, it was everything I've ever been afraid of happening."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Hey," he said, gently. He moved over, holding an arm out. The posture indicated he could sit beside her and give her a shoulder to cry on, or he could stay where he was if she preferred.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel moved over and leaned against Angel's shoulder. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"My parents, my dad called me an alien freak. And then common room, there were so many people there with you, Peter, Xander, Cam. They all died." The tears were coming a bit faster now and her voice was starting to shake. "And Parker blamed me for it all. She was right."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel hugged her close. "Sounds pretty scary."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It was. And top of everything else, it's just too much," she admitted. "I thought I could keep it together, but between everything last week. And then Veronica. And then radio..." She couldn't say anything more and just cried.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"It's okay," Angel said. He stroked her back as he held her. "I gotcha."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

After a while the tears stopped and she sat back, embarrassed. "Sorry about that."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"S'okay," Angel said with a smile. "I'm water proof."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Good," Isabel said with a tiny smile of her own. "Because that was a lot of water."

She sighed, "I guess I needed to do that."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"You've had a rough... well, life," Angel said, with sympathy. "I can't blame you for wanting a time out."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Does time out mean denial?" Isabel asked. "Because that's what I was doing. Just denying it all happened, or at least denying that it mattered. Thus the stupidity in Art yesterday."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"I was worried about you," Angel admitted. "Also freaked out by Parker, but worried about you was up there."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Go here

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Parker was pretty freaky," Isabel laughed. "But she had every right to be. She's in love. And thanks, for being worried. It means a lot."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"That's what that was about?" Angel asked. "God, nobody tells me anything."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel laughed and patted Angel's arm. "I'll make sure to invite you the next time we have a hen party. I'm sure I have a shade of nail polish that would be just perfect for you."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"All I'm saying is that I wanna be in the loop," Angel said. "I keep everybody else in the loop!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I promise. If I suddenly find the love of my life, you'll be one of the first to know."

She opened her mouth to say something else but was cut off by a yawn. "Sorry, you'd think I wouldn't feel tired after that nap, but suddenly I'm exhausted."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"It's been a long day," Angel agreed. He stood up. "You gonna be okay? Need anything?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No, I'm okay," Isabel said as she got to feet as well. "I feel better then I have in a while."

She reached out and gave Angel a quick hug, this one, thankfully tear-free. "Thank you. Again."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Glad I could help," he said, hugging her back. "Need me, need some quality puppy time, whatever - you know where to find me."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I might take you up on that puppy time," Isabel said as she let go. "He's a cutie. And I still owe him a walk since we got so involved with ink removal that I never got to take him out."

"Good night Angel."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Anytime," Angel said. "I'm sure he'd love it.

He gave her a wave and headed out.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel waved back as Angel left and then started getting ready for bed. It was early, but she was exhausted. Still, she felt better then she had in days.

Ten minutes later, teeth brushed, face washed and dressed in her most comfortable pajamas, Isabel climbed into bed and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.