InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Where did I leave my house?"

Noah Bennet (thecompanyman) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-10-17 23:04:00

Entry tags:

!closed, claire winchester, noah bennet

WHO: Noah and Claire Bennet.
WHAT: Father/daughter time.
WHEN: Yesterday evening.
WHERE: Claire's apartment.
RATING: G.
STATUS: Complete.

Noah put spaghetti onto two plates and carried them over to the table. He wasn't the greatest cook in the world by any stretch of the imagination, but he could manage this. He'd made it for more than one dinner with Claire since they'd arrived here and, while it wasn't Sandra's cooking, it was better than failing and opting for takeout. And it was getting to the point where he could think about Sandra and not feel a stab of guilt and pain, so clearly something was going right in his life. Actually, he knew exactly what was going right in his life. Parker. And the work they were doing. And not having to lie to his daughter...which was ironic, because his work now was slightly more illegal than working for the Company had been.

"So, Claire," he said casually, "how are things with Priestly?" He liked Priestly well enough, and was glad that his daughter's boyfriend respected his desire to have an evening alone with her every so often, to catch up on their lives. Dinner and old movies, just like before all this mess. And he didn't mean Colligo so much as the Company and Claire's ability and all of that. Tonight was 'Meet Me in St. Louis'. He went over to the fridge and got chocolate milk for Claire, and water for himself. "So," he said after a moment, handing her the glass of chocolate milk, "I'm dating Parker."

And he probably could have given that a better lead up.

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-18 05:10 am UTC (link)

Claire would be lying if she said that she didn't think about her mom. In fact, not a single day went by that she didn't wonder how she was doing. She missed her, terribly at times. Heck, she even missed Lyle. However, having her dad here helped far more than she could express. These nights, when it was just the two of them, eating dinner and watching old movies and catching up on new things in each others lives, they helped a lot too.

Smiling at the mention of Priestly, Claire pondered how to respond. Things with Priestly were going good, of course, but just saying that seemed reminiscent of her teenage years. When she hadn't felt as though she could be completely honest with her dad and he definitely hadn't felt he could be honest with her. She had promised herself that those days were behind her, that she wouldn't shut him out or offer him such little information that he would feel the need to find out more for himself. So she wanted to answer with more than a simple 'fine'.

Taking a sip of her chocolate milk, she considered just what to say that was more than a mere one-word answer. Then her dad spoke again all thoughts of Priestly abruptly flew out the window. Her chocolate milk, meanwhile, got caught in her throat and she immediately began coughing.

Hacking, really, was more like it, as the liquid did its best to work its way into her lungs. Her eyes watered a bit as she coughed deeply. After a few seconds, either she managed to cough most of it out of the 'wrong pipe' or her ability did it for her. Whatever the case, she could once again breathe in much-needed air and did so. One lungful. Then two. Finally, after a third, she rasped out a somewhat husky sounding, "Death by chocolate milk. I think that would have been a new one."

Then, wiping her mouth with her napkin, she re-focused her attention fully on her dad. "And you're doing what with who?!?"

Okay. She probably could have said that without sounding quite so shocked but, well, that's exactly how she felt.

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thecompanyman
2009-10-19 02:46 am UTC (link)

Noah looked at Claire with concern as she choked on her milk. He'd sort of expected shock, but he would have held off saying anything if he'd realized that she was going to take a drink at just that moment. "Are you all right, Clairebear?" he asked, then laughed at her comment. "It would certainly be something new and different," he agreed.

He'd expected this reaction. "I am dating Parker," he repeated calmly, and not at all patronizing. "Dating, in this case, referring to the common practice of spending extended periods of time with someone that you have a romantic interest in, such as what you do with Priestly, and Parker referring to the woman living in my apartment."

He looked over at her. "How is your dinner?"

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-19 03:09 am UTC (link)

Her dinner? How was her dinner? He'd just dropped the bombshell to end all bombshells and he was asking about her dinner? If it wasn't something that was very much a Noah Bennet thing to do, she would have been surprised. Instead she settled for simply gaping at him for a few seconds longer than absolutely necessary as her mind struggled to wrap itself around what she'd just been told.

Her dad was dating Parker. As in, going out with her. Spending time with her. Had a romantic interest in her. And such as what she did with Priestly? That would involve more than just hand-holding. Not that Claire was about to admit such a thing out loud to her dad even if it was obvious, what with her living with her boyfriend. But still. The thought of her dad doing those kinds of things with her mom was bad enough. With a veritable stranger that Claire knew virtually nothing about?

Ew. Just... ew.

Dropping her gaze to her spaghetti, she twirled a few noodles around her fork absently but didn't move the bite to her mouth. Instead she looked back at Noah after a second and asked, "But... isn't she a little young for you?" And weird? Let's not forget weird. She thinks the knights in the library are plucky.

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thecompanyman
2009-10-27 05:56 pm UTC (link)

Noah didn't quite understand why people seemed so shocked by this. He and Parker understood each other. And they got along with one another better than they did with most other people. It just made sense, at least in his mind, that their relationship would follow something at least resembling the natural progression of such associations. Besides, it had been months since he and Sandra had split up and, while he missed his ex-wife, he still deserved to be happy. He certainly wouldn't begrudge Sandra her own happiness if she found someone.

"Claire," he said with a laugh, "I'm forty-five...I'm not exactly ancient. And Parker...isn't as young as you think she is. Besides...I'm happy with her. That's what matters, isn't it?" He shrugged. "I'd like for you to get to know her. I think the two of you will get along, if you give her a chance."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-27 08:14 pm UTC (link)

Ouch. Claire ducked her gaze a bit, having the grace to look slightly sheepish and just a touch guilty. She hadn't thought about it like that. Her dad did deserve to be happy.

"Yeah," she sighed, sitting up a bit and swirling a few noodles around her fork. "Okay. I-I'm sure we'll get along great." She flashed him a small smile. "Sorry. I just..."

Claire paused. "I am happy for you," she admitted. "I'm just surprised. Very, very surprised." As a show of good faith, she took a bite of her dinner. She smiled at him as she chewed.

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thecompanyman
2009-10-31 12:12 am UTC (link)

Noah knew it would be a hard adjustment for Claire. He and Sandra had been together for so long that he knew it must be difficult for her to imagine him with anyone else. But the fact was that he and Sandra weren't together anymore. And time had past. And he had found Parker even though he wasn't looking.

"I loved your mother, Claire," he assured her. "I still do. But your mother and I are better off apart...she's happier living a life separate from the mess mine became...and I'm glad that she's happy."

He smiled. "I know she's not really what you would expect," he said, "but she's a good person. I really do think you'll like her if you give her a chance." And he took a bite of his own dinner.

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-31 01:58 am UTC (link)

Once she'd chewed, and swallowed, her bite of food, Claire found that the smile she'd had to somewhat force a moment ago came a little easier. It had been a long time since she'd talked about her mom, she realized. It had been an even longer time since she'd talked about her with the man who had spent a good portion of his life as her husband.

"Do you think she's okay?"

She asked the question with only a minimal amount of hesitation on her part. Her fork had another bite of spaghetti on it but she simply stared at it for a minute before forgoing the bite in lieu of meeting Noah's gaze. "I mean, what if the people here are wrong and time doesn't just... pause, while we're away? What if both mom and Lyle have spent the past seven months worried about us, wondering where we are, while we're going on like everything is fine?"

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thecompanyman
2009-11-16 07:07 pm UTC (link)

Noah smiled fondly. "Your mother is a strong woman," he said, finding it easier to think about Sandra now, "and I have no doubt that she's doing just fine. Her and Lyle." Besides, all evidence pointed to them existing simultaneously in their own realities and this one, so Sandra would have no reason to worry about them.

As if reading his mind, she expressed her concerns, and Noah reached over to cover her hand with his. "I don't think it's so much that time pauses," he said. "It's more that...somehow, we simultaneously exist both here and there. It explains how people arrive her from later than we have, but don't remember us being gone. Does that make sense?" Claire was a smart girl, so he was sure it did. "I'm sure that your mother and Lyle haven't had any reason to worry."

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