Voicemail

[izzyalienqueen]

Hi! You've reached Isabel Evans. I'm not here right now. You know what to do at the beep.

Comments

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

There might have been creative cursing in Chinese and Japanese at this point, as Parker realized she'd deleted half a page while throwing her last tantrum.

Hearing the guesswork in Isabel's voice, she said, "Did you know that you can get to Oxford from Tashkent in just over seven hours? Less, if they let you fly the damn plane?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I did not know that," Isabel said, trying hard not to laugh at the very colorful language. She had no idea what it meant, but she was pretty sure somewhere in Oxford, Jarod's ears were burning. "How's he doing?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"The usual. Up To Something." You could hear the capitals. "And, as a side bonus, charming the hell out of all my friends and suitemates. He took them out for coffee. To let me work on my paper. The unspeakable brat."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

At this point? The laughter just couldn't be helped. "In other words? He's being Jarod? Give him a hug from me? And try not to strangle him while you're at it?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

There was mumbling in Italian that probably sounded like a curse on Jarod's ancestors back to the apes, then a grudging, "Fine. And I'll tell him to call you now that he's within cell phone distance, and not in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains. Or wherever the hell he's headed next."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'd like that," she admitted. "Vague hellos being passed on just aren't the same. Is he sticking around for dinner tomorrow?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Going with me to the expatriate banquet at one of my tutors's homes. Probably hanging around while I'm in Finals Hell, he has something to do in London next week." Parker blew out a breath. "I am glad to see him. Live and in person is a million times better than another postcard from the ends of the Earth. I just somehow managed to block out how much he gets on my nerves the second he's within breathing space."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

They were just too much alike was the problem. "You just need to keep reminding yourself that," Isabel told her. "That you are glad to see him. There and safe, and no doubt, looking damn good."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that would be something very, very naughty muttered in Russian, there.

"I think he grew another inch. I'm going to have to start wearing higher heels."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"What was that?" she teased. "My Russian is limited to Nyet. Look at it this way? Higher heels just make your legs look better. You'll make him crazy."

[Hitting send usually helps. *facepalms*]

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"There will be no crazy-making," Parker said, then paused. "No more than there already has been, anyway. I have Finals. He has some insane do-gooding project. If he makes me flunk any of them, so help me I will drown him in the Thames."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You need to focus on finals then. And tell him how important they are." Although Isabel suspected he already knew that. "He won't do anything to mess that up for you."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Not deliberately," Parker said reluctantly. "But he's-- you know what he's like. He does this without even trying, or being aware of it." The paper was finally back to where it had been before Jarod had eloped with her roommates, and Parker took a deep breath. "Right. Right. I will nicely ask him not to do things that make me nuts until after I'm through Thursday's Statistics exam, and then I will smother him with a pillow to celebrate."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'll start working on getting the bail money together," Isabel promised. "Just in case. I'm sure Zero will chip in."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Heh. Yeah. She'd probably do a real nice documentary on why he deserved it, and score it to He Had It Comin'." Calm again, Parker smiled ruefully into the phone. "And I still have this frakking paper to write. Say hi to everyone over Thanksgiving for me?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I will aggravate Bel and Angel both and tell them it's on your behalf," Isabel promised.

She paused for a moment, then grinned. Parker could use the distraction. "So you didn't ask how Wyatt was."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker blinked, intrigued, and said, "So I didn't. How is Streaker Boy, hmmmm?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

The smugness probably oozed over the phone line. "He's fine. More then fine in fact. He's all rested up now."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Is he," Parker purred in delight, doing a little chair-dance of glee for Isabel. "Yes! Always good to let them rest in between. Sleep, even. So it was... yay?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Technically it's still being played out but we'll hazard a guess and say "Oh it was very yay," Isabel said, still sounding smug, but genuinely happy. "It just was the right time. I didn't want to wait any longer."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Good for you," Parker said, meaning it. "Now I'm *almost* sorry I'm passing on the American Thanksgiving. I'd love to be there to dish all the dirt in person even more than I'd like to be tormenting Angel and Bel."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"With ice cream and chocolate?" she laughed.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Naturally. Best truffles and Ben & Jerry's for this kind of good news," Parker said. "But, the dinner here should be entertaining, if only for watching Jarod lie like a rug tomorrow. I'm afraid of what things he's teling my roomies now, but I will have my revenge."

She might have learned some of the same lessons he did about getting even, from the same people.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure you will. I'm just not sure Oxford can handle the two of you in close proximity," she pointed out.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Check out our CNN link for further details," Parker said dryly. "Hopefully he'll be gone by the time Ronan visits next week. He never does handle my dating very well."