Roswell, New Mexico - Monday afternoon
Dec. 22nd, 2008 02:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izzyalienqueenOne of the benefits of the Parkers thinking of Isabel as family was that they didn't mind when she collapsed into a booth after a long morning of Christmas shopping, ordered a hot chocolate and then didn't move for a few hours while she waited for the guys to get back from their own frantic last minute shopping trip.
Head resting on her arm, she watched as Maria and Liz bustled around the crowded diner without missing a step.
She must have been more tired then she thought because suddenly her eyes closed.
Balancing a stack of presents, Isabel smiled as she let herself into her parents' house. She stopped for a moment, enjoying the excited sound of her nieces and nephews as they decorated the tree with their parents.
"Aunt Izzy! Aunt Izzy!" Max's Alexis cried out when she caught sight of her in the doorway. "Did you bring me a present?
"I did," Isabel promised, as she set the boxes down. "Several of them in fact."
Molly, Sam and Jake had followed Alexis over, before they could speak, Isabel held up her hands. "There's plenty for you guys as well. But I want hugs and kisses first. I've missed you guys."
Always happy to indulge Aunt Izzy who spoiled them rotten, the kids tackled her, bringing her to the ground in a heap of giggles.
Much, much later, after Michael and Maria had taken their kids and gone home, after Liz had taken Alexis and Sam up to bed and the house was quiet, after her parents had finally gone to bed, Isabel took her hot chocolate into the den to sit by tree and enjoy the lights.
Max came in and joined her, sitting quietly in the dim light.
"The kids were happy to see you."
"Happy to see the stack of presents is more like it," Isabel smiled.
"They love you," Max countered. "And they don't see enough of you."
She shook her head regretfully. "I'd move back, but unfortunately there's not much need for event planners in Roswell. At least not on the scale I work on."
"That's all you do is work though. We worry about you."
Sighing, because they'd had this conversation many times over the last ten years, Isabel focused her attention on the tree. It was easier then facing the concern on Max's face. "I'm fine. I'm like being busy. And I don’t' just work. I go to the gym and I've got a bunch of different volunteer stuff going on. Occasionally there's even a date for a change of pace."
"But how often does one date lead to a second? Or any sort of relationship?" Max prodded.
He had her there, Isabel realized. She'd date, but it never lasted long, mostly because she was unwilling to get too close, too afraid she was going to lose someone else.
"It's been a long time Isabel. I don't think either one of them would want you to spend your life alone without a family of your own."
"I had a daughter," Isabel said quietly. "For one weekend. She had her daddy's smile and she was perfect."
"I know," Max replied. "She was what could have been if Wyatt had made it back from Cairo. But he didn't. You need to stop holding onto the past Isabel."
Which was a lot easier said then done, she thought silently. Especially each time she poked about and started doing a little research she found out something new about what Wyatt and Savannah had done. Knowing what she did about demons, it was easy to read between the lines of newspaper articles about unexplained fires and mysterious attacks stopped by strangers. When she found the obituary for Savannah Levine Halliwell, she'd immediately taken a trip to the cemetery. The grave was overgrown, but Isabel had cleared away the weeds and left a small bouquet of flowers. She figured it was the least she could do.
She was still looking for where Wyatt was buried.
"Isabel?" Max prompted.
Isabel turned her head…and blinked at Maria in confusion.
Maria laughed, "I know Christmas shopping didn't tire you out that much. It has to be Wyatt making up for lost time."
Unsettled by the vision of what could have been, Isabel could only manage a small smile. "Yeah, something like that."
"Well if you have anything you don't want the guys to see in those packages," Maria told her, "You'd better hide them quickly. Michael just called. They're on their way back and will be here soon."
"Good," Isabel smiled, relieved that it was only a dream. "That's good."
[Open for phone calls, texts, or random portal drops for gift giving purposes.]
Head resting on her arm, she watched as Maria and Liz bustled around the crowded diner without missing a step.
She must have been more tired then she thought because suddenly her eyes closed.
Balancing a stack of presents, Isabel smiled as she let herself into her parents' house. She stopped for a moment, enjoying the excited sound of her nieces and nephews as they decorated the tree with their parents.
"Aunt Izzy! Aunt Izzy!" Max's Alexis cried out when she caught sight of her in the doorway. "Did you bring me a present?
"I did," Isabel promised, as she set the boxes down. "Several of them in fact."
Molly, Sam and Jake had followed Alexis over, before they could speak, Isabel held up her hands. "There's plenty for you guys as well. But I want hugs and kisses first. I've missed you guys."
Always happy to indulge Aunt Izzy who spoiled them rotten, the kids tackled her, bringing her to the ground in a heap of giggles.
Much, much later, after Michael and Maria had taken their kids and gone home, after Liz had taken Alexis and Sam up to bed and the house was quiet, after her parents had finally gone to bed, Isabel took her hot chocolate into the den to sit by tree and enjoy the lights.
Max came in and joined her, sitting quietly in the dim light.
"The kids were happy to see you."
"Happy to see the stack of presents is more like it," Isabel smiled.
"They love you," Max countered. "And they don't see enough of you."
She shook her head regretfully. "I'd move back, but unfortunately there's not much need for event planners in Roswell. At least not on the scale I work on."
"That's all you do is work though. We worry about you."
Sighing, because they'd had this conversation many times over the last ten years, Isabel focused her attention on the tree. It was easier then facing the concern on Max's face. "I'm fine. I'm like being busy. And I don’t' just work. I go to the gym and I've got a bunch of different volunteer stuff going on. Occasionally there's even a date for a change of pace."
"But how often does one date lead to a second? Or any sort of relationship?" Max prodded.
He had her there, Isabel realized. She'd date, but it never lasted long, mostly because she was unwilling to get too close, too afraid she was going to lose someone else.
"It's been a long time Isabel. I don't think either one of them would want you to spend your life alone without a family of your own."
"I had a daughter," Isabel said quietly. "For one weekend. She had her daddy's smile and she was perfect."
"I know," Max replied. "She was what could have been if Wyatt had made it back from Cairo. But he didn't. You need to stop holding onto the past Isabel."
Which was a lot easier said then done, she thought silently. Especially each time she poked about and started doing a little research she found out something new about what Wyatt and Savannah had done. Knowing what she did about demons, it was easy to read between the lines of newspaper articles about unexplained fires and mysterious attacks stopped by strangers. When she found the obituary for Savannah Levine Halliwell, she'd immediately taken a trip to the cemetery. The grave was overgrown, but Isabel had cleared away the weeds and left a small bouquet of flowers. She figured it was the least she could do.
She was still looking for where Wyatt was buried.
"Isabel?" Max prompted.
Isabel turned her head…and blinked at Maria in confusion.
Maria laughed, "I know Christmas shopping didn't tire you out that much. It has to be Wyatt making up for lost time."
Unsettled by the vision of what could have been, Isabel could only manage a small smile. "Yeah, something like that."
"Well if you have anything you don't want the guys to see in those packages," Maria told her, "You'd better hide them quickly. Michael just called. They're on their way back and will be here soon."
"Good," Isabel smiled, relieved that it was only a dream. "That's good."
[Open for phone calls, texts, or random portal drops for gift giving purposes.]
no subject
Date: 2008-12-23 07:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-23 01:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 01:05 am (UTC)"Did you get everything you were looking for?"
It should be noted, she didn't let go of him.
no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 11:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 01:43 pm (UTC)"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded, finally letting go and sitting back down in the booth. "I just had a weird and very vivid flash of deja vu or something. Except it didn't happen before. But it could have. And that wouldn't have been good."
no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-24 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-25 04:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-26 12:57 am (UTC)