Re: The Apartment: Eddie/Muerte
[She was pretty sure that she'd rarely see all of Eddie's tension fade away, but it warmed a spot behind her ribs to see (and feel) him relax. It felt like an unexpected and hard-won victory. Even so, her hands slowly stilled on him, fingers resting carefully along the crest of shoulder-to-neck. Still and quiet for a bit, rolling his words over in her mind as she worked through how to respond.]
I think... [She'd waited until he drew to a stop, waited until after his soft apology. And even after her first words, she paused, still trying to wrangle the ones she wanted.] I tried to describe it to Bruce once, and I don't think I did a very good job. But the way I look at Destiny and the Book... [One of her thumbs traced over the hair behind his ear - absently as she thought, not pressing in or trying to work out any knots.] The Book doesn't force anyone to do anything. Everyone still has free will and makes whatever choices they decide on. But those choices are already written down. It's a pre-record of what people do. If you do something else, then that's what will be in the Book. [She twisted her expression into something almost annoyed, because she knew she wasn't explaining it well at all.]
Those things you think weren't your destiny - lowercase d - they were. Because those were the things that ended up happening to you. [She slipped her hands around and over his shoulders, palms pressing flat just below his collarbones.] I think Destiny - uppercase D - cares more than even I've given him credit for at times. And just because he doesn't express it outwardly doesn't mean he doesn't feel very deeply. [She paused and gave a wry little smile.] He's a hard read.