I Just Want To Be Normal

Isabel and Wyatt had been taking turns calling Piper trying to both to keep her informed of what was going on and to urge her to get the others at the Hyperion to come to Fandom.

Except this time Piper didn't answer.

Hands shaking, Isabel hung up the phone. She didn't know how she was going to tell Wyatt.

Shock of shocks, the family meeting hadn’t gone well. Max and Michael were furious that she’d spilled all their long held secrets while her parents were still in shock over finding out their children's true origins. No one even wanted to get into the whole disappearing buildings and people thing.

For the moment everyone had retreated to separate corners of the house to try and calm down and come to terms with things. Max and Michael were lurking the kitchen, her parents were outside on the patio, chairs pulled together and talking earnestly. Isabel and Wyatt had retreated to what was supposed to be her bedroom, but all the changes had made it a stranger’s room and there was no comfort in familiarity to be found.

Isabel paced about the room in frustration, unable to avoid feeling like they were running out of time. “I swear to god, I am this close to having you just grab them and orb them to the island.”

The unfortunate thing about life after Fandom was that it required a job that didn't give you time off for weirdness or the potential apocalypse. Isabel had managed to get through her shift on Saturday although she'd grown progressively more on edge as the evening wore on and she realized the number of staff people that weren't around when they were supposed to be.

With Wyatt in San Francisco checking the Book of Shadows, sleep wasn't really an option once Isabel got home. Instead she spent most of the night texting Wyatt and Parker like some sort of crazed stalker just to be sure they were still around. Isabel was definitely not thinking about what she would do if one of them stopped responding.

At some point she did finally doze off for a few hours of restless sleep, only to be woken by her alarm reminding her that crisis or not, there was a job to go to.

Cranky and clutching her coffee, Isabel left her car at the parking lot she used and walked towards the Vegas Strip, only to stop dead at the sight before her. Instead of several acres of buildings housing a casio, shopping and hotel towers, there was only blackness. A blackness it seemed only she could see judging by the tourists that brushed past her without a care in the world.

Things were getting serious. Pulling out her phone, Isabel left a few messages for some people. After another incredulous look at where the casino used to be, she headed home to wait.

[For phone calls, visits, etc...]

It would figure that demons would pick the night they were due home to Roswell for an early Thanksgiving dinner to start causing havoc in San Francisco. Isabel had offered to go help out but Wyatt had promised that he and Chris had things well in hand and that he would definitely turn up in time for pie.

So despite all of Portalocity’s recent issues, Isabel had booked a portal from Vegas to Roswell. It was supposed to be a simple trip, one she'd done before with no trouble. How badly could they screw it up?

Two hours and one layover in some weird pink universe later, the portal finally dropped her off. Except instead of landing in the secluded grove in the park just a block from her parents' house Isabel wound up in an alley on the other side of town. When no one answered her calls for a ride, she'd finally tracked down a taxi and made her way home, only to arrive at a dark and empty house.

Concerned, Isabel let herself in and started to look around.

( There’s no place like home. Unless it's not your home )

( Two hours later Max and Michael had a slight case of information overload )

[NFB, NFI, Pre-played with blessed_twice and with the wonderful mparkerceo stepping in to channel the alien boys. Let the BDE angst begin!]

Diane Evans pulled the bedroom door halfway shut before walking a few feet down the hall way. As she suspected the sound of childish voices and soft laughter quickly began.

"I can hear you," she said, shaking her head in amusement. Guilty silence followed but Diane doubted it would last long. Still, in the long run, it wouldn't matter. If this weekend was anything like the last weekend her daughter and her boyfriend had spent as young children, they'd be back to normal in the morning with nothing but a sugar hangover and a new set of pictures on her camera to show for it.

There was another quickly stifled round of giggles before two voices calling out, "Night Mom!" "Night Mrs. Evans..."

"Good night! Now sleep!" And please, please be adults when you wake up in the morning, was her unspoken added wish.

[For phone calls or the wee boyfriend if he's not distracted by football.]

The summer semester was over and Isabel had a few days of down before the fall semester began. It was hard to believe she only had two more semesters until she graduated. She had a feeling the time was going to go by quickly. That thought might be why she was perusing want ads although maybe she should be considering positions in San Francisco in the future.

Last week's Project Runway was playing on the TV and job searching was on the verge of losing out to Farmville. Isabel had priorities after all.

[Open if you feel like calling or dropping by!]

While the April Fool's Dance had been enjoyable, in retrospect Isabel wasn't surprised that the island decided to play a giant prank of it's own.

Ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem. After five years, both she and Wyatt had a routine for dealing with Fandom weirdness. Facepalm a lot on Monday morning, talk it out, and then life moved on. Except this time life got in the way. An early class meant they couldn't talk that first morning. Then there had been work, and papers to write, and a few demons that just refused to be vanquished in timely manner.

Isabel understood why Wyatt didn't want to leave Chris handle the situation on his own, but she reserved the right to be a bit cranky both about unresolved issues and about spending her birthday alone.

[Open! SPish till about 8.]