Iris Dickinson (Formerly Iris Phillips McConnell) (telekeneticspaz) wrote in btvsal, @ 2010-11-20 23:15:00 |
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Current mood: | calm |
Getting Some Things Straight
Who: Pat and Iris
Where: Avarice
When: Saturday Night, 11/20
This was the first time that Iris had been out in days. Since her bad run in with Patience, she had called into work sick and had not wanted to leave the house. Jeremy had *highly* encouraged her to go out and deal with the general public, which actually meant he kind of pushed her out of the house. So, here she was at Avarice, somewhat nervously sipping at a cocktail and basically trying to not have a panic attack.
Talk about a meeting of two people who needed each other, hm? Pat hadn't been out a LOT since Patience left, mostly because the couple of times he HAD had led to events that just served to confuse the HELL out of him. So... for now? He just quietly made his way into Avarice, dressed as un-flashy as he could, in normal black jeans, an old Metallica t-shirt, a Pirates ballcap, and his head down as he sat at the bar, ordering a drink.
It took Iris a second to realize that Pat was sitting down the bar from her. Well, that was someone that she at least needed to have a chat with, wasn't it. Taking her drink, she slid down the bar and ended up sitting a seat away from Pat. "Hi," she said.
"Iris... oh god." He paled, looking just horribly embarrassed. "I... I don't even know what to SAY. I'm SO sorry..."
Iris nodded. "You don't really have to say anything," she pointed out. "You didn't do anything, after all." It was Patience that attacked her, you know.
"No... but I trusted her. Loved her. MARRIED her. And she decides to attack my best friend and then abandon me." Pat grumbled and QUICKLY took a long sip of his beer. "It's like... I didn't even KNOW her."
"Well, what happened to her...well, it obviously changed her. I know that, before the demon thing, she never would have done anything like that to me." At least, Iris certainly hoped not, or maybe she'd never known Patience at all, had she? She took another sip of her cocktail. "That scared the hell out of me, Pat."
"Me too." He said, quietly. "Again... I'm sorry. I know I didn't do it... but I'm sorry nonetheless." God, he felt like just curling in a ball right now. "I feel like my life's falling apart... and nobody gets it. My friends want to throw me on some dating show, like that's gonna magically make my troubles go away, and I just wanna smack them. I know they mean well... but it feels like they don't even care about the pain I'm in. Baily's the only person I've talked to who... gets it. Jack and Mere want me to go on TV, Ben wants to hook me up with every cheap piece of ass he knows, Gwen already offered to bring me out to Vegas and give me some "lost weekend" whatever the hell that means... NOBODY GETS IT."
"Ben, Jack, and Mere think that sex solves everything," Iris said with a snort. "God bless her, but Gwen does, too." She couldn't help but catch him mentioning Baily as well, but wasn't sure what to make of that. "At least you have someone who gets you, though. I think Jeremy was worried I was turning into a shut in, again."
"Jeremy loves you. He's... kind of a nerd, but he's a good man." Pat smirked, reaching over to rub her shoulder. "And... at least there's no doubt that he's in this for life."
"I know Jeremy loves me. He also knows me well enough that, if he doesn't get me out soon, I'll hide in the house forever," Iris admitted. It was what she had tried to do when she first came back to life. "I'm lucky to have him."
"At least... you found someone you can trust." Pat said, both happy for her... and also wondering if he;d ever TRULY trust anyone unconditionally again.
"I'm sure that you'll find someone worth your trust eventually," Iris said to him with a slight tilt of her head and a pat on his shoulder. "So...tell me more about this ridiculous show everyone has you doing?"
"Ah. Luckily, I'm not doing it now. Thank GOD. I was so sure I was gonna make an utter ass of myself..." He rolled his eyes skyward, clasping his hands in silent prayer.
Iris looked at him and smirked. "OK, how on earth did you escape the wrath of having to do that ridiculous thing?" From how she heard it, it was all but set or something. What had changed in that?
"No idea. I just know Baily went and talked to Ben... and next thing I knew Ben was helping me get out of it." He laughed, obviously relieved. "I know, I gotta be the only rock star alive who DOESN'T want to hang out with cheap bimbos."
Iris giggled. "That's what makes you special, obviously," she pointed out to him. "Baily must have worked some serious family magic to get you out of that, though." If they weren't related, Iris may be more worried about just what sort of magic had been worked.
"Seriously. Thank god." And did he light up a little again when mentioning her? Hmmm.
He totally did. "You are hanging out with Baily a lot lately, aren't you?" Iris asked, arching an eyebrow at him. "What's going on there?"
"I.... I have no idea. It's too early to say, really. She helped me get through this whole thing, and we're just ridiculously attracted to each other..." Ok, AND she was willing to put HERSELF on that stupid show for him, but he kept that to himself.
"Well, at least t his time you're willing to hold back a little," she said with a slight smile. OK, she could tease now. It was her right. "Just, you know, for both your sakes, don't jump the gun too quick, OK? Go with the flow."
"Don't worry. What happens, happens. But right now... yeah. I like Baily. A LOT. But..." He shook his head, forcing a smile. "I'm not gonna lie and say I'm over Patience leaving yet. And until I am... I'm not throwing myself into anything."
"That's probably for the best," Iris said to him with a nod. She didn't want what happened to her and Pat happen to Baily and Pat. "And, if you claimed you were already over Patience, I'd have slapped you upside your bald head."
"How can I be, Iris? I'm hurt... I'm pissed... and I wont lie: I don't know if I'd take her back now. But... I'm still devastated." He sighed, clamming up as he felt... tears almost coming on now.
"Well, I probably wouldn't let you if she showed up and you tried," Iris pointed out, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder. "Being hurt, pissed, and devastated just means you're human...which is actually kind of rare for the crowd we run with."
"I just fear I'll never find... what we had again. I really thought we'd be together forever. But since Paige... changed her... Patience just hadn't been the same." He hated to admit it... but part of him wondered if the woman he married had actually died AFTER all.
Iris may have smacked him if she heard him say that out loud. "I know this is kind of sucky to hear, or maybe it isn't, I'm not sure, but I'm not sure there is just ONE person for everyone. I mean, if there had been for me, I may have been screwed." She may have a point there. "I know that what you're feeling hurts like hell now, but you WILL heal one day. Probably won't be tomorrow, or next month, but it'll happen. You just gotta trust in that."
"I love you, Iris. You know that? Jesus... you're the one person who SHOULDN'T be comforting me." He knew that, and felt like HELL for it. "If anything, you should feel like I got what was coming to me."
Iris rolled her eyes. "Why would I want that?" she asked. "We did become friends, remember? I even became friends with Patience, after all. Why would I want any of this to happen to you? I wouldn't even wish this on Skylar, after all."
"I guess you've just forgiven me... a lot more than I have." He never REALLY talked to her in depth about this. Why not now? "You deserved better than me, Iris. If I live to be a hundred... I'll never totally forgive myself for hurting you."
"Well, death either makes you bitter as hell or forgiving," Iris said. "I'm even REALLY working on at least coming to terms with Skylar, mainly because feuds are old." THANK GOD. Anyways..."I did deserve better than what happened. What happened happened, though. Moping over it isn't going to change it. The only things get better is if you do something about them."
"If it matters? You're honestly the most important person in my life right now, outside of my son and daughter." He said, smiling sadly. He couldn't help but think of Cash, and be grateful that, while not TOGETHER, at least Bella would know both of her parents.
"It does matter. You're important to me, too," she said to him. "You'll always be important to me." First loves tended to be, after all. "If you need any help with Cash, let me know, OK?"
"I will. I hired a live-in nanny... someone experienced with powerful children. Just in case." God knew that if the kid had even a fraction of the power Patience's brother and aunt had... he'd need some help there.
"That is a precaution that I can totally get," Iris admitted. "If he turns me into a frog, I'm going to be REALLY pissed off, by the way."
"Patience once told me Ash came into his power around the age of ten.... but that her aunt got hers as a really little girl. So... anything could happen." He tried to cheer himself up by joking then. "Sadly... this also means no more hot demon sex for me..."
"Oh my god you are so gross!" Iris squealed, slapping Pat hard on the shoulder. (Hard for her, anyway.) "Besides, now you're hanging around with an apparently hot werewolf. Just think of things that way."
"VERY true." Ok, so he liked teasing her. Get over it. "Still... those fangs of hers? Never knew begin bitten in delicate places could feel so good..."
"Oh good lord," Iris snapped. "If you're going to keep talking like this, I'm going to need a drink or two if I'm supposed to be nice and handle it because you're upset right now."
"Ok, ok... fine. But yeah... I gotta admit. Between Patience, Skylar, Baily... I don't think I could ever be with a human girl again. Seriously." Which he felt bad about, because he knew quite a few that had been eying him up since news of his marital status got out.
"I'm sure that the rest of the human species will be able to deal with the devastating loss that it is that you will no longer do regular girls," Iris said with a roll of her eyes. "You are so LAME."
".....you're only now realizing this? Thank god I'm so good looking. And great in bed." He smirked, obviously just kidding.
"And that just makes you double lame," Iris pointed out. "Why do I even put up with you? Seriously? I could totally get friends with less of a big head than you."
"Well, I *could* just leave, if I'm that lame..." He smirked, calling her bluff as he stood...
"Oh you're such a dumbass," she muttered, grabbing him and yanking him back into his chair. "Now have a drink with me before you wander back off to your buddy with benefits."
He had to admit this much, for his OWN sanity. "Ok, so maybe it's more than THAT... I mean..." he sighed, as if silently begging her not to judge. "We're at least DATING, I know THAT much..."
"I was teasing you, you goof," Iris pointed out. "So you are dating. Good for you. Just...don't go moving in with her next month or anything like that and I think you'll be fine."
"No worries there. As I said. Until I know I'm... over this, I won't do that to her." He realized though, finally, why things could have NEVER worked long-term between he and Iris: as gorgeous as she was... their chemistry was honestly more like brother and sister than lovers.
At least they figured it out and were able to be friends after that. That's what was real important. "Well good. Then I or probably Ben won't have to go upside your head."
"Hey... since you've always been my biggest fan... you wanna come by the house this week? I wrote a song since all this happened... wanted to get your take on it." Aww. How cute was it that he STILL was so flattered to have her as such a big fan?
Iris grinned. "Now that is something that I would love to do," she said to him. She didn't want to say it out loud, because it seemed like a good idea for him to channel his feelings into his music.