Las Vegas, Tuesday evening

[izzyalienqueen]

Knowing she'd be coming back from the weekend and facing exams bright and early Monday morning, Isabel was actually studying during study week.

Of course studying meant study breaks. Which explained why she was currently planing crops on her Facebook farm.

[Expecting a call but open for other interruptions.]

Comments

[blessed_twice]

"His daughter with Johnny called not long ago," Wyatt pointed out.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I was there for that. It doesn't count." Pulling back a bit, Isabel studied Wyatt for a long moment. "How are you guys going to live together this summer if you won't talk to him?"

[blessed_twice]

"I don't think he wants to talk to me," Wyatt said with just a trace of bitterness. He shrugged again. "Whatever."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Stubborn, stubborn boys... "You haven't called him, so I take it you're suddenly psychic that you know this?"

[blessed_twice]

"He hasn't called me," Wyatt pointed out. "I get to hear about his escapades second hand."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Where's the rule that you have to keep score of who calls who first?" she asked. "Just pick up the damn phone."

[blessed_twice]

"He has issues," Wyatt said stubbornly. Pot, kettle.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel rolled her eyes. "You both have the exact same issues. I know you're both freaked out about all this alternate reality stuff. But ignoring it and ignoring each other isn't going to help things."

[blessed_twice]

"My own brother thinks I'm going to turn evil," Wyatt said. "It's kinda hard to strike up a casual conversation when that's looming over you."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Then forget casual and have a serious conversation," she told him. "Tell him what happened when you got portal napped. Tell him what your grandfather said. Or are you not talking to him either?"

[blessed_twice]

"Of course I'm taking to him," Wyatt said, not quite hiding his irritation. Mostly because he knew Isabel was right, but he was stubborn.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"But have you talked to him about what happened when you were little?" Isabel wasn't irritated so much as frustrated with Wyatt. She was certain that if Chris and Wyatt talked honestly with one another, things would be much better.

[blessed_twice]

"Yeah," Wyatt said quietly. "He didn't tell me much I didn't already know. Chris came back in time when I was just a year old to stop something from happening that would turn me evil. And he got killed trying."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

This was news of the not so good sort. "Then that's all the more reason to talk to him." Not that Isabel wanted to tell him he died, but it would probably help to have everyone on the same page.

[blessed_twice]

"How am I going to tell him that he died because of me -- or he's going to die because of me -- and his trying to save me might not even work?" Wyatt said. The timelines were giving him a headache.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"But you're not evil now and you're not going all dark side in the future. So that means there's nothing to stop. Which means he has no reason to go back." She tried not to think about Jack too often, even now it still hurt too much. But Isabel really wished she could talk to him and try and figure out how to fix the whole situation.

[blessed_twice]

"But if he doesn't go back, then whatever he did is undone and I'm evil-me again," Wyatt said, rubbing his temple.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

With a heavy sigh, Isabel took a seat on her bed and tried to work the logic out in her head for a few minutes. "Think about it. He went back because you'd gone dark side because of something that happened when you were little. He changed it somehow, so it didn't happen. Which means you're on a totally different path now. In a totally different future. So we're back to me saying there's no reason for him to go back."

[blessed_twice]

Wyatt chewed his lip and tried to follow the logic. "Are you willing to be your life on that?" he said slowly.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I have to," she answered quietly. "Because anything else means I lose you. And that can't happen."

[blessed_twice]

Wyatt sat down beside Isabel and leaned against her. "I won't let it happen," he said.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No, you won't," Isabel agreed, wrapping her arms around him. "We've talked about it before. It's all about the choices. And making the right ones."

[blessed_twice]

"And I never make wrong choices," Wyatt said, managing a weak smile.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"That's what I'm here for. To thwap you when you need it." She tried not to think about what happened when she wasn't there. She could only hope that Wyatt had learned from that.

"Want to stretch out and let me hold you?"

[blessed_twice]

"You know me so well," Wyatt sighed, stretching out on the bed.