Kyle West (bicepstospare) wrote in rooms, @ 2014-04-24 16:09:00 |
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Entry tags: | *log, gwen dailey, kyle west |
Who: Kyle and Gwen
What: Catching up
When: Before the presto change-o - so a million years ago
Where: Vegas CIA safehouse
Warnings: Some language
The swear jar was overflowing. Bo had made a downpayment so there was a hundred bucks floating around in there somewhere and Kyle was looking forward to putting Sadie in private school as a result. Most people (all people) would agree that the safe house full of rogue CIA agents was not the best place for a 6 year impressionable girl, and Kyle had to agree. But she was a special little girl, and she dished out as much as she got and had to wear noise canceling headphones blaring Justin Bieber from time to time at the dinner table.
They were adjusting okay, all things considered, and while he wasn’t exactly in the best of moods over what had happened to Jack, he was a worrier after all, it seemed like things were beginning to look up in that respect and he was grateful for that. That being said, he was finding a niche here, among the new and familiar faces. With the kid in bed, Kyle was standing outside smoking a cigarette when he heard the sliding glass door open behind him and he immediately turned around with the cigarette behind his back and was holding smoke in his lungs until he thought they might explode on the chance that it was Sadie coming to catch him. Again.
It wasn’t and he coughed a bit and exhaled and grinned at Gwen, “So long as you’re not an enemy spy for the evil overlord of My Little Ponies in there you can come out and join me,” he said with a chuckle. It was good seeing Gwen again, he wasn’t keen to admit how good it was to see her, because honestly - he wasn’t that into cliches. And this wasn’t a romcom. But it was great to see her and spend time with her.
Gwen grinned as she shrugged. “If I was a good spy, I wouldn’t tell you who I was working for, would I?” Still, she slipped past him and, leaning against the balcony that overlooked the city. It wasn’t the best view, they were far from the Strip, but it wasn’t bad. She had come out to enjoy it and the night air. It didn’t matter much to her that Kyle was out there smoking, even if she never had the vice. At least he wasn’t doing it in plain view of Sadie. She appreciated the effort.
Dressed simply, blue plaid pajamas and a thin but long sleeved blue shirt, sleeves rolled to her elbows, she looked more ready for a night in than an evening outside. The weather in Vegas was turning warmer already, and as far as she was concerned, if they were all going to live in the same house, no one should care that she was in pajamas. Nevermind that Kyle had seen her in various states of undress before. That was all in the past anyway, and it was with easy familiarity that she sidled up next to him, leaning on the balcony and resting her chin against her hand.
“How are you doing?” Other than passing conversation when they saw each other, she hadn’t had a chance to really talk to Kyle since they first arrived. Settling in, getting Sadie adjusted, new additions to the house and then everything with Jack, their life in the house had a tendency of pulling their attention elsewhere. Now with a quiet moment, she figured now was a good a time as any to see how he was adjusting.
"No I don't suppose that would make you a very good spy, but I like to think your loyalties at least lie with someone over the age of 6," he said as he leaned with his back against the railing of the porch.
He thought about her question, wondering briefly if it was a polite "How are you doing?" where a respectable "I'm doing good thanks for asking" would suffice, but somehow he doubted it. Even at the worst of times she was sincere. He finished his cigarette as he mulled it over and put it out in the ashtray next to him. "Some things never change," he settled on with a slight grin down at her. And it was true. Sure things had been antsy and quiet around the safe house, but Max was still Max and Jack was still Jack. Not that he'd have it any other way, but the familiarity of Max and Jack, even during fucked up times like these, was a comfort. And of course some things had changed, Kyle knew he sure had. But standing there with Gwen, talking about Max and Jack - that was still comfortable. He'd remembered the discussion with Gwen's secret valentine, he remembered it constantly it seemed. The words had just come so easily, and he wondered why it made all the sense in the world to him now - and hadn't a million and a half years ago.
He had a gift for her, it was tucked in the back of his closet, wondering if it wasn't more appropriate to wait for her birthday rather than spring a Valentine on her a month or two after meeting back up.
"Hm," she mused with a thoughtful hum and a soft smile, "you would think that, wouldn't you?" Sadie was a good kid, though she wasn't surprised considering her father. "Her taste in My Little Ponies is superb. She'd make a fine overlord. If one was in the service of overlords, of course." The smile grew a little more cheeky.
The answer he gave her was short, but telling. Neither of them had any reason to lie to the other, even as far as niceties went. And they had so much in the past, seen so much, that his assessment merely made her nod. "It might have been nice for a little change though?" It was good that her old friends hadn't changed so much since they had all left Seattle, but Jack getting into a bit of trouble and Max being moody? Well, Gwen wouldn't have minded so much if those had changed. "Though I could have gone without Wren and Luke growing up on me. Who okayed that?"
Kyle chuckled, “She has that effect on people,” and she did. Most people liked kids, but of course he thought his kid was the best so naturally she charmed everyone and could do no wrong in the eyes of the world. Kyle’s eyes - well she could do plenty wrong - but that was for him to work out. Everyone else, as long as they thought she was perfect through and through, could continue breathing Sadie’s air.
Being a parent was weird. Kyle didn’t know what he was doing half the time, but they worked it out alright. There were struggles - almost daily - and he was pretty sure that it was only going to get more complicated as she got older. Most days, still, he felt pretty good about it. “A little change isn’t unheard of, but it still feels a little more normal than I thought it would.”
“I can’t believe Wren and Luke grew up, then again I know I sure did. Just a little later than most,” he said with an almost smug smirk. He didn’t deny his troubles, in fact it would be stupid to. But he had come out on the other side okay of it. Just remembering five years, seven years, ago it was a blur of bad life choices and pure insanity.
“This does?” She grinned but she couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. Sure, being in a house with a bunch of would be vigilantes didn’t have her floundering. Certainly she felt a little like her old self there. But even the scare with Jack aside, very little about the house was normal. Then again, none of them really fit that bill.
Her smile turned soft as Kyle spoke of growing up. She had been a little surprised to see how well he was doing, but it was quickly dwarfed by how happy she had been that he was doing better. “It looks good on you,” she teased, giving him a sidelong glance, bordering on a wink, before turning back to look out of the balcony. “Though, as I told Luke and Wren when I first got here, girls mature faster than boys. We’re glad you both finally made it with us.” Her grin widened, even she didn’t look to check his expression.
Everyone was surprised to see how well Kyle was doing. He had heard that when he’d run into people over the past six years, and he was proud of it. Hell, he was surprised to see how well he was doing. But it was easy to do well when your life revolved around Sadie. He knew she’d changed his life, and he hoped that he was changing hers. She wasn’t like other kids - and certainly wasn’t being raised like other kids, but he was doing the best he could with what he had, and she was a great kid.
He rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit, “Luke is a kid, I was a grown man before I figured it out. He’s doing worlds better. Which is a good thing considering he’s married to Wren and I’d have to break his kneecaps otherwise.” The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
Gwen gave a soft laugh at his threat. Typical overprotectiveness, though it was sweet when it wasn’t her on the receiving end. “I pity any boy who tries to take Sadie out when she’s a teenager. Are you going to threaten to answer the door with a shotgun? My dad said he would all the time. I don’t think I ever did hear if he did or not, since I always still getting ready.” Just the mental image of Kyle looming over some teenager and giving him his best unimpressed dad face had her grinning once more.
Kyle groaned, he didn’t even want to think about that. For so many reasons. “I think I will want to break all of their scrawny little necks - but I’m torn between behaving like a neanderthal and letting my kid be a kid - And kids like to go on dates,” he said clearly annoyed. “But for now she thinks boys are idiots and I’m glad to let her keep on thinking that.” he gave her a wry smile, “and it is so true.”
“Let her be a kid,” she mock pleaded; it wasn’t like Kyle really needed much help in the parenting department. As far as she could tell, barring the whole living in a house full of ex-CIA agents, he was doing a great job so far. “I’m pretty sure the only dates she cares about for a while are tea parties and dinosaur story time. Plus, there’s the added bonus of roping everyone in the house for that. Boys, in their later, neck-breaking-worthy forms, and their dates won’t come in for a bit.” She flashed him a smile. “Loads of time to get your shotgun ready.”
Kyle chuckled, he at least had some time before he had to worry about dates and idiotic boys. No one knew idiotic boys better than he did. He spent a long time being one, even long arresting them, and now he was living in a house full of them whether they wanted to be admit it or not. “At least I get to attend the only tea party in town where there’s a T-Rex in a party hat - I’ll put that in the win pile for now and worry about the rest later.”
He realized they were spending an awful lot of time talking about Sadie, and about all kinds of new and current events and the happier times they’d been experiencing. But he thought she had to have questions - real ones - not just the ones she’d have figured out for herself either by reading his file - or even reading him. “I half expected to see you when I moved here - but it was still a little jarring wasn’t it?” They hadn’t exactly been eased into much meeting up the way they had in the hallway of the hotel.
“Were you?” The question was surprised, soft, and said with a smile. She had been expecting him there of course. Even without the head’s up, she would’ve found it the second she started poking around and seeing a team was being assembled. She would’ve said her own place there was a surprising one. “I’ll have you know I thought about it for a full day before I started to pack my things. How about you? What made you leave Boston? Business was good.” Yes, she had been watching. “But is it a good surprise slash expectation? Seeing me here?” She’d guess a yes, since he hadn’t left yet, but sometimes a girl wanted to hear the words.
Kyle nodded, “Business was great, and if you’d asked me six months ago if I was going to pack up and leave for an undisclosed job at some safehouse in the desert I’d tell ya to go fuck yourself,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve got contractors taking care of things back east - for some reason,” he shrugged a little, “I thought it would be a hell of a thing. I wasn’t really looking for a change, but I still took it,” he couldn’t put his finger on it, but when it had come up, he knew he’d had to take it.
“Yes, it’s a good surprise, I’ve never been thrilled with how we left things-” he held his hands up, “we don’t have to rehash it, I was,” he paused. “I was pretty messed up for a long time, Gwen. I’ve thought about a million different things that I would say to you if I ever saw you again - I said absolutely none of them when we met up at the hotel - but I still don’t know which ones to go with. But if you thought I was avoiding it, maybe I have been - but it has been really great to see you again. And to actually see you and spend time with you, without the,” he paused, he knew he had to call it what it was, “The drug and alcohol addled haze that my brain spent the better part of a decade in.”
Rehashing was the very last thing she wanted to do and she was relieved when he held up his hands. He had been in a bad place and she hadn't been in a position to help him, not in the way he needed. So she merely smiled fondly, how she always imagined she'd smile at him if they ever met again, letting it grow wider as he said it was good to see her. "I'm glad," and she was, both that he was pleased she was there and that he was in a better mind to. "Well," she drew the word out with a grin, settling a hand on his arm as she leaned in to him, "if you ever decide which of those things you want to tell me, just let me know. I should head on in." Giving his arm a quick squeeze, she slid past him with soft footsteps and bid him goodnight.