Room 406, evening

[izzyalienqueen]

After the stress of yesterday, the charades, the magical solution, the discussion with the Halliwells, talking to Anders, and then a restless night's sleep disturbed by dreams of Bel and the Source, Isabel returned to her room after Revolutions and settled in for some comfort reading.

The door was open.

Comments

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You're just agreeing with me to shut me up aren't you?" Isabel asked with a small laugh.

She was quiet for a moment. "Is it that important to you that she goes?"

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Sam saying, I'm tired, saying she couldn't just follow him around. He couldn't shake the memory of those words. "Maybe," he repeated, and whether he was answering Isabel's first question or her second was anyone's guess.

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Maybe you're trying to shut me up? Or that it's important to you?"

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"I want her to go." Admitting it seemed to trigger some floodgate, one he couldn't shut off. "I want her to go, Isabel. I need her to go. But," I'm tired, "I don't think it's what she wants. Part of me doesn't care."

Jack sat up, careful not to jar her, sliding away to lean against the wall. "I could make her want to go," he whispered. "I know how she thinks, I know what's important to her. I could convince her it's what she wanted."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"But you won't. Because that's not fair to her," Isabel said quietly, resting her hand on his leg and squeezing slightly.

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Could wasn't in question, but he wouldn't. Not to Sam. At least he didn't think so. "Maybe," he said for the third time that night.

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel shifted position, moving to sit next to him in the dark and lean against his shoulder. "Why is it so important that she goes with you?"

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"I don't know, Isabel." It was a lie, because he did know. Somewhere, way down deep in the back of his mind, he wanted this anomaly to keep going. If he had Sam, it would. For her, he could keep on being this Jack. "It just is."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

She's pretty certain she knew why. So he wouldn't be alone. Wordlessly, she slipped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed.

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack slid down the wall until he could put his head on her shoulder, and made himself stop thinking. "I can still stay?" he whispered. Here, where he could focus on the feel of Isabel, her touch, the sound of her voice, it was easy not to think.

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No. Leave now," Isabel said. Of course the fact that she was pushing him back down onto the bed and fluffing the pillow as she did so, should make it pretty clear he was supposed to stay.

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack managed to grin at that, but it was a poor shadow if his usual one. "Well if that's how you feel, I will." But he was already curling up, closing his eyes again as his head hit the pillow. "I didn't lock the door again. You should do that," he mumbled.

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

A wave of her hand and the lock clicked. Propping her head on her hand, Isabel smiled down at him and gently brushed his hair back. "Should I tell you a story?"

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

The question made him laugh, just a little, and he curled around her, sliding an arm around her waist. "I'd like that, yeah."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Okay, once upon a time," she began with a laugh. "There was a little lost alien girl."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack shuffled lower, settling his head on her shoulder with a sigh. "Was her name Isabel?"

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Nope. Hortense," Isabel replied. "She was very lonely and wanted nothing more then to find someplace where she could just pretend to be normal."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Hortense?" he asked. His limbs were starting to feel heavy, and warmth was spreading through his body. "Okay."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Hortense." Isabel was starting to feel a bit sleepy herself. "So she ran away to a special place and started to make friends. Including a wonderful prince called Wilbert."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"These people have weird names," he mumbled sleepily. "Was Wilbert cute?"

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Wilbert was gorgeous, and charming, and funny. He made Hortense laugh, something she'd never really done before. And she loved him very much." She put her head down on the pillow and yawned. "Even when he broke into her room in the middle of the night and woke her up."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Oh." There wasn't much left of Jack that could qualify as awake, but he managed to say, "And he loved her, too. Lots."

Re: Late at night and NFB...

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Good." Isabel opened her mouth to continue the story, but realized by Jack's even breathing that he'd fallen asleep. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then put her head back down and closed her eyes. Warm and content, she quickly fell asleep.