Bella Morrison-McConnell (ciao__bella) wrote in btvsal, @ 2009-12-10 01:00:00 |
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Current location: | Gwen's apartment |
Entry tags: | bella mcconnell, gwen morrison, place: la, plot: future problems |
The Dark Side of the Future
Who: Bella and Future!Gwen
Where: Gwen's apartment
When: December 9 (2018)
Bella had gotten Gwen's address from Skylar, since she didn't want to ask Melissa for help with anything. She was almost certain the woman was leaking her whereabouts to the paparazzi. This was a private matter. Of course, she'd followed the directions her GPS gave her and one sight of the neighborhood she was driving through and Bella's hope that Gwen was doing better than the last time she'd seen her...faded dismally. The address was to an apartment complex on the outskirts of LA and even in the dusk, Bella could make out all the graffiti and debris strewn around. For a second, she worried about her car, but then decided that anyone who'd mess with her baby really didn't know what kind of hell they'd be bringing down on themselves. The girl took a moment, once she was out of the car, to check out the place and then found Gwen's apartment number, ignoring the looks she attracted. She somehow didn't expect any photographers to be lying in wait around here, but that didn't mean there weren't any threats. She knocked on Gwen's door and waited a few moments before trying again. She couldn't hear anything inside. There was a good chance that Gwen wasn't home; Bella had figured she'd just try her luck
"Yeah, yeah... hang on." Gwen simply unlocked the door, and went back to the sofa, where she'd been sitting quietly, reading. Yes. Reading. GWEN. Take a moment. Relax. Let that sink in. We cool now? Good. "Alright, c'mon in." And also? Yes, she just gave an open invitation, apparently not even caring if a vamp was out there. She simply... held her book back up in front of her face, not really caring.
Well. Looked like the lady of the house was home after all. Seeing Skylar...older...not so changed...except for that guilt-inducing scar...had blown her mind a little. So Seeing Gwen? Bella wasn't sure what to expect. She could simply honestly say, hands down, a book had not been in the equation at any point. She'd been just about to leave when she heard the voice and the bolt tumbling. Instead of the door opening, however, it remained closed...with an open invitation. Brilliant.
Letting herself in, Bella shut and locked the door behind her before taking in that full picture of her mother. Reading. "Gwen?"
Well. If Skylar's scar had been a shock, imagine this one. Gwen's face was different. In many ways. Those eyes, once so impish and full of mischief, were almost dead now. Blank. Dark. TIRED. Her right cheek looked full of what could be burns, some sort of bad scar tissue. But those eyes... they were almost devastating to anyone who knew the old her. "Bells?" Her voice cracked a bit. She honestly felt the girl didn't want to see her, it had been so long.
Christ. Really. What had gone on in the eighteen years from her birth to...now? Or...was she just seeing the consequences of being a Slayer? Gwen looked...not even like Gwen. It was a little scary. "Hey," she said with a slight smile, walking further into the apartment. She had to admit, she wondered what kind of daughter she really was to let her mother live in a place like this while she was living life in the Hills spotlight. It didn't take as much hedging as it had with Skylar. Already, Bella was moving forward to wrap her arms around Gwen.
"Whoa. Personal bubble. Breaking." But she shut up quickly, getting over the shock to just... hug the girl back. "Ok. First real non-fighting contact I've had with anyone in months. Little weird." She set the book (an old, dog-eared copy of "Star Wars: Shadows of The Empire") aside, and pulled a sweater over her shoulders. It... was a bit chilly in here.
Bella hadn't noticed the chill, but she did roll her eyes when Gwen started in on her personal bubble. Sitting down next to her on the edge of the couch, the girl really let herself take in the woman's - her mother's - appearance. It was all she could do for a while. Just...look at Gwen. And when she finally couldn't stand it anymore, the main question rolling around in her head spilled past her lips. "What are you doing here?"
Gwen didn't totally understand the question, and just raised an eyebrow. "Reading? I mean, it's not like I can afford television right now." Or electricity. Or heat. Or much of anything, really. What, like she was gonna go ask Ben and Skylar for money? Bitch please. "It makes me feel a little closer to Andrew, anyway. So."
"Andrew?" Confusion crossed her face, but she pushed it off. "And that's not what I meant. I meant...what are you doing here? Why are you in this place?" The only true memories Bella had were of the last three months; the time she'd spent in the past. A time that, technically, wasn't really hers to remember. So everything else? Still a huge, looming question mark. "You don't have to be here."
"Honey? I didn't marry a billionaire like your other mom. I'm not some rockstar like Pat or Skylar. I kill shit for a living. And it doesn't exactly pay much. Besides. I don't need much." This was almost like an entirely different person. "I have my memories." She picked the book up, looking at an inscription that had been written in the inside cover. "And those are enough to get me through each day. I don't really... talk to anyone. Not anymore."
"Okay, Ben aside - " and she rolled her eyes at that, obviously still holding onto that grudge " - you have me. I'm way hotter, more charming, and I kick more ass than he ever could. Which is not me trying to sell you on some incestuous relationship, 'cause...ew...but seriously. I can help you out. And...what happened? Please, don't tell me it was something I did. Or...that other...version of me...that apparently existed, somehow."
"All that happened to me was..." she sighed, not really wanting to let herself get emotional. Not after all this time. "I got tired of losing everyone. I lost your mom and dad. I lost Faith. I lost my Andrew. I lost Wesley. You... well, my guess was that you were kind of embarrassed by me. And I just got tired of hurting."
Bella shook her head, unable to really understand everything Gwen mentioned, but knowing that it had obviously had a serious effect on her. "Yeah, well, I don't exactly get the person I was, but...I'm not embarrassed by you now. And...this place is ridiculous. You...can do a lot better. I'm really...not going to let you stay here. It's...there's no reason for it."
"Check you out. You have a 'Its a Wonderful Friggin' Life' moment or something?" But then, she stopped. It was as if Gwen just... realized something. "You wanna do something for me? Something way better than getting me out of here?"
The teenager rolled her eyes again. "I don't think there is anything better than getting you out of this dump. But...." She was at least willing to listen. If there was something Gwen needed that she could help out with, why not? At least...at least this Gwen seemed sober. Lucid. "What'd you have in mind?"
"When you go to see your dad and stepmom..." because if Bella was suddenly being all 'I heart my family', she knew damn well she'd go to them. "Tell Patience I miss her? That I'll always love her?"
Sighing, Bella nodded. She could do that. That would be easy. Obviously...there was something going on there, but...she'd let the adults work it out themselves. "Not saying I'm suggesting we all do Christmas at my place or anything, but...you're kind of the only people I remember still, so...looks like you lucked out." She shrugged lightly and looked at Gwen again. "I am getting you out of here, however. There's plenty of room at my place, if you wanna bunk there for a while. Or...I happen to know of a really nice apartment that'll be vacant soon."
"A few years ago... I pushed her away. Everyone I loved was getting hurt. Or dying. Or just... being ruined. I couldn't let it happen to her. She's the best person I've ever known, Bells. So, god help me, I pushed her away. Said things I didn't mean. Just to get her away." Her eyes said it all: even now, there was nobody Gwen loved as much as Patience. She'd given her up just to save her. "And worry about my living arrangements later, ok? Just... do what I asked, and we'll discuss it then."
"I'll tell her," the girl promised, but that didn't mean she was ready to let the other subject drop. "Truth is, I can probably handle that one pretty easily, so...let's go ahead and at least agree that you'll be giving some serious thought to moving." Because one way or another, she was getting Gwen out of this shithole. Maybe not tonight, but soon. "I'll even promise to go see her tomorrow. I've already talked to Skylar and...." She cleared her throat. "And Damon. Actually, it's his apartment we're clearing out."
"Ahhh... good ole' Damon." Gwen actually seemed to smile there. Could she and the vampire have been... friend? "How IS that silly sunuvabitch?"
"Better now." Bella sounded confident in that, but why shouldn't she have? When she'd first seen him, he'd been...a mess. Reminiscent of Gwen in her less-than-sober days. Slowly but surely, however, she was bringing him back to...the land of the living? Sort of? Yeah. She touched the scarf wrapped around her neck, the one hiding fresh bite marks over the ones that had already healed, and pulled it a little tighter. "He's moving in with me. We're...." She paused and smiled slightly, a warm feeling washing over her. She was happy - at least as far as her relationship was concerned. She couldn't hide that if her life depended on it. "I think it's going to work out this time."
"Good. He's a good guy. You know, for a blood-sucking demon." Yep. Gwen was still Gwen in some ways. "So... who are you, really?" The blonde looked up at Bella, as if trying to figure this out. "You're Bella... but you ain't the same chick I knew. So spill. Ain't like I don't have the time."
Her smile turned wry and she shook her head. "I'm still me. The...only me I know. I guess it depends on who you remember. The diva. The...time-travelling Ami replacement." Yeah. Not enough time had passed for her to really have let that go. "Or...the vampire. I hear that was the case. For a while. Somehow."
"Ok, whatever. This is ME. I ain't the smartest bitch in town. Do you technically belong here or not?" She snorted, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.
"Can't be too bad if you've finally mastered the fine art of literacy." Teasing? Yes. That smile gave it away. "And yeah. I'm finally home. Still don't have any memories of my past, except for the last three months I spent in the year 2000, but...I'm home. I'm where I'm supposed to be."
"But... it's possible then. To go back." Uh-oh. Clearly, the wheels were turning now. And with Gwen? This was rarely a good thing.
"I...don't know. I still don't know why or how I was sent back in the first place." Technically speaking, however, there must be a way to go back again if...in some place and time...she'd already gone back again. Yeah, talk about headache inducing. "I don't think I want to. I miss...strange as it sounds, I miss things being the way they were, but...this kind of has to be where I belong, right? And...maybe I can change things...make it so that they never happen...."
"Who said anything about YOU going back?" That grin appeared again. The one that one would suspect Gwen hadn't given in at least several years.
"Okay, let me rephrase," Bella said, although she couldn't tell if it was a good thing to see Gwen smile...or if she should be worried. "I don't necessarily think people should go back." Look at what had happened to Ami. And, well, maybe Bella never would have met Damon if she hadn't...or maybe she would have. Who could say? Faite...wasn't something that was easily denied, was it?
"Just sayin'. Maybe I could save Wes. Or Andrew." Gwen's voice got quiet. Sad again. "or me."
"You're still here. You still can save yourself. It's not too late." All of a sudden, Bella was the optimistic type? Well. Maybe love could do that to a person.
"......alright, Dr. Phil. Wanna let me know when my kid gets back?" Rolling her eyes a little, Gwen knew she had a new mission now: figure out how the HELL to make time-travel work again.
"Funny. But I'm serious." Of course, she didn't expect that talking sense into Gwen would be any easier now than it ever had been. The woman took stubbornness to the extreme. Not that Bella was much better. "Look, I just wanted to see you. Needed...to see you. And I'm really hoping to make my life...work again. So...don't start thinking I'm not going to be around to nag you about this place, okay? I know I'm a part of a big, fucked up family, but...you all made me. So...now you have to put up with me."
"Yeah, I know, Bells. You're the one thing in my life I'm actually PROUD of, whether I tell you enough or not." She took out a cigarette(!) and lit it up, taking a long drag. "And like I said. Once you do me that favor, then we can at least TALK about the moving thing." Wasn't gonna happen. But hey, why not humor her.
And we all know Bella's thoughts on cigarettes (or Damon did...quite well), which she didn't hide at all, but she was willing to choose her battles when it came to Gwen. "Fine. Like I said, I'll probably see Pat and Patience tomorrow. And THEN we'll be negotiating where your new place will be. Okay? Okay."
"Sure, sure." She said with a slight grin, blowing out a sadly expert smoke ring. "So... you find any of your friends yet?" Hm... had Bella even THOUGHT about that yet?
"Friends as in...Chloe and Lucy...or friends as in...people from this time that I wouldn't recognize if I passed them on the street?" She was still wondering who this Nate person was. Stupid curiosity. "I haven't gotten in contact with any of the Van Warrens yet, but I plan on it. They're my call after Pat and Patience."
"Ooook." Gwen still wasn't exactly catching on that Bella didn't remember these people. "I was thinking more like your half-sister? You girls used to be tighter than a.... ok, I wont even make that joke around my daughter. Anyway, yeah, she kinda annoyed you, but you girls still always hung out. Just figured if you're being all nice and familial again, you'd have tracked her down."
"Who?" And then Bella remembered the pictures in Skylar's studio. "Oh. You mean Sklyar and Ben's kids?" She'd seen the pictures herself - and although she knew they had to be at least partially related to her, she didn't recall them at all. With a little shrug, she shook her head. "Honestly? Besides you and Skylar, Pat and Patience, the Van Warrens...the only person I've really needed to spend time with is Damon." And, yeah, okay. She was getting a lot of that in. So what?
"Ohmyg..." Gwen just shook her head and tried not to laugh. "I mean Abigail. Pat and Patience's daughter? Perky, blonde cheerleader? Makes cool force-field thingies?"
"Pat and Patience have a daughter?" She blinked...then arched her brows. The idea of Patience with a kid? Well...Bella couldn't really see it. "If you say so...but...uh...no. No, I haven't talked to anyone else yet."
"Relax. Just picture every personality trait you can picture Patience having, and then visualize the EXACT OPPOSITE. There's Abbi." Gwen snickered, missing the girl a bit.
"So...you mean if Patience turned into Lucy?" Christ. It just hit her that Lucy would be in her thirties now. Almost mid-thirties. "Are she and Ash still together?" Right, they were supposed to be talking about this Abbi girl.
"Last I saw they were." Oh. She had to. THIS would make Bella laugh. "Lucy got knocked up at like almost-but-not-quite-eighteen. I thought Patience was gonna skin Ash alive."
"WHAT?!?!" Bella almost fell off the side of the couch. "No, she didn't!" It wasn't an argument, just a statement of disbelief. "What the...oh my God. I'm surprised Chloe didn't skin him alive!"
"Oh please. It's that big a surprise? Those two were going at like like bunnies since his senior prom, girl." She was REALLY finding this whole thing amusing. "And THEIR kids... girl, we're not even going INTO this shit. You can find out yourself. Anyway. Go. Get."
"Yes, Mother." She rolled her eyes and stood up, still thinking of little Lucy and...kinda of freaked out by the idea of her pregnant. Thank God she'd missed that. There were some good things about sleeping with a vampire, after all. "I'll come back around tomorrow or the day after. If you need anything, let me know. And...I'll let you know how it goes with Patience."