Room 406, evening

[izzyalienqueen]

As always, Monday's workshops were entertaining. Afterwards, Isabel hauled her stuff back to the dorms, responded to an email from Parker, and then finally went down to Jack's room to retrieve the TV and DVD player he'd told her she could have. And that's when she found the letter.

Currently Isabel was attempting to rearrange furniture to accomadate the TV but she was occasionally distracted by the paper lying folded on her desk.

The door was open.

Comments

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal followed her gaze and smiled when he saw the cat. "Hello," he said softly and leaned down, wriggling his fingers to try and attract its attention. "Are you an ordinary cat?" He looked back up at Isabel. "Michael is your brother?" he asked. "I am very glad your friends were able to help him."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"As far as I know, she's perfectly ordinary," Isabel told him, smiling as Annie batted at his fingers. "Max is my brother. Michael might as well be a brother. Before all this, he was supposed to be my husband. But things are different this time around."

She reached for a picture that showed them in Roswell before Alex died. "That's them. About two years ago."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"As much as any cat is ever ordinary." He wrestled with her briefly, pushing against her paws, then moved so he could see the picture. "An arranged marriage, this was part of their plan for you?" he asked. "You all look very happy."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It was. Plans changed." Not that they liked hearing that when they finally got back to Antar. "That was back when things were simplier."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Does that mean you're not happy now?" he asked, frowning a little as he danced his fingers across the carpet for Annie.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm happy," Isabel said automatically. "Why wouldn't I be?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," he said evenly, looking at her closely. It had been an idle question, but now he was unable to shake the feeling that she wasn't happy. "Just, the way you said the picture in which you look happy was taken when things were simpler, it made me wonder if perhaps you were not happy now."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Well stuff's happened since then," she shrugged. "Alex died, we went back to our planet, Michael and Max are still there. It's complicated."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"And does that mean that there is nothing left which makes you happy?" he asked quietly, leaning down to scratch Annie behind the ears, attention seemingly on the cat while he studied Isabel unobtrusively, watching for her reaction. "Or is it just that they are not enough to outweigh the unhappiness?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No, not at all," Isabel said, wondering how it was that Karal was able to get her to talk like this. "I'm here, I've got good friends, my parents finally know the truth. What more could I want?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I don't know, Isabel. For things to be simple again?" he suggested gently, disentangling Annie from the sleeve of his robe. "It's something I find myself wishing for more than I should."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," she said, reaching for Annie. "In some ways I wish I could go back in time. I'd love to go back to last summer. It was so perfect."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal pushed Annie into Isabel's hands and crossed his legs, resting his chin in his hand as he smiled at her. "Tell me about last summer? I'd like to hear what made it so perfect, if you'd like to tell me."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Do you charge by the hour?" Isabel asked, oddly reminded of the one session with the psychiatrist she'd gone to with Max. "Or is listening part of the priest thing?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

He laughed at that, just quietly. "Say, it is part of the priest thing, and part of the Isabel is my friend thing." He folded his hands together and studied them, before glancing up at her, "I would listen, always, to anyone who needed to talk. That you are my friend makes me want to help, if I can, even if it is only by lending an ear."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I don't like to dump my issues on people," she admitted, focusing on Annie as she cuddled her close. "Part of it's because I'm too used to keeping things secret. Part of it's because I just, I don't know. I don't want to be one of those people that emos all over the place. That gets annoying."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"You teaching me the word emo was useful tonight," he told her lightly. "And I know you're not being emo, because you taught me what it means. It is not dumping," he could figure out what that meant from context, "if it is invited, and if you do not tell someone, it will only worry at you, until you are forced to be emo. And you do not want that!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No, I don't," Isabel sighed. "I mentioned last summer because it was fun. I was happy year. I had wonderful friends and going back to our planet was just some abstract idea. Now? A lot of my friends have graduated, and the idea of our planet isn't so abstract any more."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"No, it's not. You are going to return, because you believe it is right, because your brother and your friend are there, fighting to free what was once your planet and will be again. Which is," he spread his hands, "admirable and brave and frightening, all at once. But it's not time for that yet, and not all your friends are gone. There are still chances for happiness here, even with the weight you are carrying."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Well when you say it like," she said with a small smile. "You're right. I know that. It still doesn't stop me from thinking about it. Or missing people. Especially when they're dorks and do something unexpected."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I knew you knew - I just like to feel important by pointing out things which people already know," he teased, smiling encouragingly at her. "That way I am never wrong. And I'm going to add to that by reminding you that, with your marvellous devices, you can speak with your friends, even though they're gone. However, I do have to admit that I do not know what a dork is."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"A dork is a person who's goofy, or silly, or well sometimes it can be an insult describing a person who's not quite up on the latest styles or the coolest. But when I use it? It's more a term of affection. If that makes sense."

Isabel shook her head, looking sad. "And not all friends can stay in contact. Sometimes, despite the technology, there's no way."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"It does make sense, yes." Karal had the strong feeling that he was going to find himself being called a dork some day. At least now he'd know what it meant.

He sat back a little, smile turning into a look of sympathy. "For that I am sorry, Isabel," he said, voice quiet. "Wherever they are, I'm sure they know you're thinking of them."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"He'd better," she said, reaching for the framed picture from prom. "Or I'll have to try to hunt him down and kick his ass. That's Jack. One of the best friends I ever had."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal stood and moved to sit next to Isabel, looking at the picture. "He looks very," he tilted his head, considering, then smiled, "bold. And brash." He did wonder about the skirt, but thought it better not to ask.