Finn O'Bannon (finnurmind) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2010-12-02 22:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | finn, garret, liam, rorie |
Friday September 12, 2008
Who: Finn, Garret, Liam, and Rorie
What: Meeting the fasha
Where: Hope's office
When: Afternoon
Rating: PG-13
It was Friday afternoon, 2:50 p.m., and Rorie and Liam were on their way to meet their biological father. Finn was nervous as hell, Rorie felt like he might throw up at any moment and Liam was calmly waiting for them in Hope’s office like he said he would be. Granted he was escorted and it wasn’t like he could get away with anything. They’d have him for sure. He wasn’t a stupid man, so he calmly waited for his sons to come to him. Rorie had given Garret a call and they were meeting him outside the building with Hope’s office. The two brothers merely nodded to each other as they approached the building.
Finn dressed in his usual outfit of jeans , sneakers, and a t-shirt, Rorie was a bit more bulky, his usual jeans, sneaker, one of his striped hoodies, and fingerless gloves. The more covered he was the more protected he felt. Finn himself didn’t try to hide. He never really did unless you count the whole mob fiasco. Pushing his glasses up his nose as they walked, Rorie searched around for Garret feeling instantly relieved when he saw him. “Hey babe,” he said softly walking over and giving him a hug and kiss before putting his hand in Garret’s.
---
Liam O'Kelley. If it wasn't something with Rorie, it was something else. Not enough that Finn had been hiding from the mafia for five years, but now he and his brother were being roped into it. And, of course, the head of them was their father. Garret was from New England, he'd heard of Liam before. It was like people in Illinois having known about Al Capone- no one really knew him, but the rumors were enough.
Waiting at Hope's office, Garret watched the two younger men approaching, his arms crossed as he leaned against a wall. Stepping away, he gave Rorie a short embrace, giving Finn a slight nod as he felt the youngest brother's hand slip into his own. He felt out of place, like he didn't belong in this reunion, but Rorie needed him and he wanted to be supportive.
---
Finn knew who Liam was, had Googled him like his younger brother was and it. . . This whole thing felt too wrong. Like he couldn’t really be his father. It was a plot to get him and Rorie out in the open, but at the same time it was a shock and he didn’t know how he really felt about it. Nodding to Garret as his brother took the older man’s hand they walked into the building and made their way to Hope’s office. Finn and Garret knew where it was so Rorie was just following behind, almost hiding behind Garret it seemed.
There it was, the door that hid a world behind it. Taking a deep breath, Finn went first and grabbed the door handle and turned it. Opening it up he was slightly surprised by the man he saw standing in the room looking out the window. Remembering Rorie and Garret were behind him, he moved forward as Liam turned and greeted them with a warm smile. “Hello, you must be Finn,” he said going over shaking Finn’s hand with a firm grip. “You look just like your mother,” he said softly as Finn simply gave an unsure goofy smile.
Rorie though, hid behind Garret, using him as a shield. He hadn’t meant to act like a scared child, hiding behind his security blanket, but he did. He peeked out staring at his father who simply gave him his space and smiled back. “Hello, you must be Rorie. It’s . . . It’s wonderful and relieving to meet you both,” he said before turning to Garret. “I’m Liam O’Kelly, I’m the boys’ father and who might you be?” He asked, though he had a feeling who Garret was, he didn’t want to assume anything.
---
Even without being an empath, Garret could tell how nervous both the boys were. How could they not be? Not only were they going to meet their biological father, a guy who had left them to be raised by strangers, but he was a very famous killer. There was nothing not nervewracking about this. Garret himself was only mildly anxious, because like Finn, he wasn't sure that this wasn't a setup. What were the odds that their father was actually THE Liam O'Kelly?
However, as soon as they walked into the room, and Garret got to see Liam face to face... it was the eyes. Finn and Rorie both had those eyes, the same color and shape. He didn't have any doubt that this was for real. Even the way Liam talked, he sounded like Finn- lighthearted and confident and easygoing, but there was something else going on in his mind. Something Garret didn't trust. Garret squeezed Rorie's hand as he let the boy hide behind him. Actually, he was glad of it. He wanted to grab Finn and pull him back as well. "I'm Garret," he said after a moment, looking Liam over. He wasn't answering questions, wasn't giving too much away. Not yet.
---
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Garret,” Liam said, not offering his hand out of habit more. Never give a stranger an opportunity to use your body against you. It was how he had to live, careful and slightly paranoid. “I’m sure all of you are wondering why I’ve now decided that now is a good time to finally meet,” he said. “Go ahead and have a seat,” he said motioning to the chairs at a table, all of them pulling out by themselves. Another indicator that, yes, he was indeed the boys’ father. Liam was a telekinetic and could manipulate energy into shields and the like. It was where Rorie got his gift. Waiting till the boys and Garret were seated, he took his seat as well.
Finn was on high alert. Sure he looked a bit nervous and aloof, but he was honing in to Liam’s emotions and thoughts, picking and scanning whatever bits he could. There wasn’t much, just whatever the older man would let out. He had mental guards up and they were hard to get past without letting the other know he was working on them. “So. . . You’re our father,” he said after a moment with a chuckle. “Wow, never saw this coming,” he said making the atmosphere easier, if only for Rorie. He wasn’t going to kid himself and think Garret wasn’t thinking something was up either. He was actually relieved he was there in case they needed to just jump up and leave.
Rorie stood silently, hiding behind Garret till they too a seat. Then he simply moved the chair closer to Garret and kept his big hazel eyes on the older man. He didn’t say anything, just stared at him. It was slightly unnerving to say the least. At least for Liam and as much as he was hiding that, Finn was picking up on it. Kind of focusing on Rorie for a moment, he let the other know that little tid bit of info and told him to keep it up. “So would you like to ask some questions or would you just like me to explain the situation in it’s entirety?” Liam asked.
“Explain it,” Rorie said softly, still practically glued to Garret’s side.
“Well,” Liam said taking a moment to get his thoughts together even if he had been practicing and rehearsing his story for God knew how long. Not that he was making it up, but he didn’t want it to sound like he had just dumped the boys. “You’re mother and I were young when we first had you Finn,” he said looking at Finn. “I was 18 and your mother was 16. We weren’t in the best place to have children, but we wanted to take care of our own. I had a job at the time and was able to take care of us and things were okay for the first year after you were born then your mother got pregnant with Rorie here. Things got a bit tighter, but we were making it. When Rorie was born there was complications. He didn’t do too well after he came out and had trouble breathing on his own and wouldn’t pink up for a little bit,” he said looking over at Rorie for a moment remembering that tiny baby he watched being taken away.
Shifting in his seat a bit, Rorie chewed on a fingernail. It was weird hearing about himself from this stranger. It was definitely making Finn feel awkward too. “So he was taken to ICU and I was left with two year old Finn who wanted nothing more than to just go see his Mama and baby brother. Your mother was fine and a few days later so was little Rorie and a few days more we were home and happy.” It sounded like a good end to a good story, except that didn’t explain anything except that the boys were loved very much. “About a year after Rorie was born things started to happen for me. I was moving up in my job and instead of keeping home and work separate they started to bleed together. Rorie was sick a lot, colds and such as well as his wheezing. That we could handle, but. . .I came home one day and found the house trashed. I couldn’t find you boys or your mother.
Things were smashed and the happy place that was always good to me was suddenly not safe. Thankfully your mother had taken you two to a friends for the day and was late getting back. It didn’t just stop there. There were threats and drive bys,” he said. “They started to go after you two and that was the last straw. I wanted to get you and your mother to safety, but she wouldn’t leave. She said, ‘If I leave, who’ll watch over you?’ So, we did the next best thing. We gave you two up for adoption. Let you get lost in the government system so you couldn’t be tracked or found by anyone. Even your mother and me. Believe me when I say, that was the hardest thing we had to do. It was the only way to keep you two safe and away from the people that would use you to hurt me,” he said looking at them.
It was a lot to take in. Granted Finn had caught on from the start of it that Liam wasn’t saying what he did, though Liam presumed they already knew. Seeing him confirmed it and now it was left for the boys to take in and soak up.
---
Because Garret wan't emotionally involved in Liam's presence here, he could absorb more of the story than Finn or Rorie on the first take. It was obivous that both boys were feeling anxious and curious, and that neither really knew what to say. The story Liam gave was almost predictable- the parents had loved their boys and, in a huge sacrifice because of that love, they'd given them away to keep them safe. It was all very Hallmark channel, but something didn't sit right with Garret. Maybe it wasn't his place to say anything, but someone needed to, and neither Finn nor Rorie were in the right mindset to be questioning what they heard.
"That's a very nice tale," Garret said quietly, his tone polite but not kind. "Keeping your boys safe from the mob." His eyes met Liam's, a hint that there was no sense in any of them referrring to it as a "job", because everyone knew damn well what Mr. O'Kelly did. He was a mobster. There was no sense painting it in a pretty picture. "However, that doesn't explain why you're here now, after all these years, putting them back into the danger you were trying to avoid." Garret was skeptical, and it showed. If there was one constant that everyone knew about mafia families, it was that that took the "family" part very seriously. And if someone had been threatening the boys, there would be no hiding them for their safety. There would be mass killings in retaliation. Liam would have found out who was making the threats and would have had them dealt with, with an entire "family" to back him up.
---
“Because for the past ten years I’ve been holding back, slowly working my way to retirement, if you will. Then about five years ago there was word of a hit out in New York. Usually that wouldn’t be my concern, but it was from a small family reaching out for help. Someone I used to run with that was asking for a bit of help to control. . . The situation. I looked into it, a favor for an old friend that parted on good terms. I had no idea that was you Finn,” he sighed looking at his son. “I didn’t look into soon enough and let it go, saying if you came to Boston I’d keep my ear to the ground and make sure that you weren’t talking.”
Listening to it, Finn sat there dumbfounded, his father had been watching him the whole time. Not just watching, but telling the people who were after him where he was! Rorie was in the same state of shock. It couldn’t be true! But it seemed it was. “So about a few months ago when you came to Boston with a friend of yours, you were in a Brown Derby at the same time your mother, Fiona, was,” Liam continued.
“It was her,” Finn said interrupting him, just staring at him. “I felt someone watching me, not just watching, but listening,” he said blinking. “She heard me and recognized me.”
“Yes, she did. Then she went to follow you out and stop you, to talk to you and that was when you were grabbed. She came home, told me what happened and we followed. It was already late. I didn’t know where we were going till I finally got a hold of my friend that had put the hit out and told me. We got there just as you had left. From my point of view it was pretty hard to look at and considering my line of work that’s saying something,” he chuckled a bit, noting the silence. “You’re mother’s a telepath as well as a telemetric. She can pick up thoughts and feelings from objects and places, so when we looked around. She knew it was you and you were hurt badly. It took some digging, but we managed to find this school and from a few friends of ours that are like us, found out what it really was. Considering it was near to where they had taken you, we took a shot and called up a few friends. Found out your names and from there we found your phone numbers and here we are,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure you were okay and. . . To see if you wanted to meet us,” Liam said. “We’re not expecting you to just come running back to us or anything like that. Maybe meeting up once or twice a month if you’d like. To keep in touch.”
---
There was nothing Garret could say about this. Actually, there was a lot he could say, but he wasn't going to. This wasn't his family. He was here to support Rorie, and if need be, offer proctection. But there wasn't anything about this that felt right to the pathfinder. It seemed too wholesome, too simple despite its complexity. Rorie and Finn's parents were always so near, yet far? Liam had known about the hit on Finn but did nothing to prevent it? And who were these "friends" in the school Liam had called that had been willing to leak to a well known mobster the names of two students who were being kept under severe protection? None of it added up, and none of it sounded right. And even if by some miracle Liam was being sincere, and all he and his wife wanted was to see their boys and they really only had the best intentions at heart... where the fuck had they been all their lives? If Liam could call somehow keep his son from being killed now, he could have done it throughout the rest of his life as well. Garret wanted to leave, now, to tell Liam to go fuck himself and enjoy his life and get Finn and Rorie the hell out of here. Instead, he slouched in his chair a bit, holding Rorie's hand tightly.
---
“What made you go into retirement?” Finn asked, still trying to wrap his head around it. None of it made sense. Why use his power to help someone when he’s been out of the game for nearly five years? He was tuning into Garret, hoping using him as an impartial party would ground him. It was starting to unnerve him more and more, especially with as open as he was verbally, he was keeping a tight lock on his thoughts and emotions. It was making him nervous how he had an answer for everything.
Sighing, Liam dug into his rather expensive looking suit jacket and pulled out an even more expensive looking wallet. Pulling out a picture he slid it across the table for the boys to see. It was a 3x1.5 picture of a little girl with brown hair in pigtails that had a big toothy smile with dimples and bright blue eyes who couldn’t be older than 9 or 10. “Her name’s Gabrielle and she’s my daughter, your sister,” he sighed. They boys sat there in another stunned silence. Rorie swallowed staring at the picture. He had a sister? A baby sister? She looked a lot like him, well looked a lot like both of them, especially her father. Taking the picture Finn stared at her hard. This. . . It felt like a slap in the face. They weren’t enough to get out of the game, not that you ever really left, but she was? She got to have the life they were supposed to and now. . . It just confused him even more.
“Does she know about us?” He asked wondering if the girl had anything to do with their father coming for them. Was she pushing her father to find her big brothers?
“Yes, she does. Just recently when we started looking,” Liam said. He was telling the truth. Every single bit of it. None of it was a lie, but he was omitting bits and pieces, like him coming out of ‘retirement’ now. With two sons that were just as powerful as him? His greed and power lust were getting in the way. With them in ‘the business’ there was no telling what they could pull off and get away with. It would make his record look like child’s play. He just had to say the right things with the right tone and those two would be coming with him like the pied piper. “She wants to meet her big brothers,” he said softly.
Rorie didn’t even realize he was gripping Garret’s hand as tight as he was. It was upsetting, all of it. To know that he was wanted and was loved, but he wasn’t given a chance like this girl was. In that instant he hated her. Didn’t have any curiosity towards her or anything. He wanted nothing to do with her. Finn on the other hand knew something was up, something wasn’t right, but at the same time knew that maybe meeting his sister might make a difference. Might sway things for the boys if/when Liam did try something. “I wanna meet her,” he said looking up, getting himself calmed and controlled to think things out while he felt his brother mentally trying to set the picture ablaze.
“What would you say to coming and staying the weekend?” Liam asked carefully, knowing this was the make or break moment. If he could get Finn, then Rorie would follow easily. “Just the weekend. No strings attached.” Turning to Garret he put his best foot forward. “I know I would have to clear that with the Director, but as you’ve seen, I haven’t threatened the boys nor do I want to harm them. You’d know where he’d be, he could call and make sure that everything’s okay and if something did happen it’d be easy for your staff to find us,” he said, making it as clean cut as possible.
----
Staring at Liam, hard, Garret was trying to read him. He was definitely good. Garret knew he was lying, or at the very least, wasn't telling all the truth. There were huge gaps in his story. He had a feeling that Liam was trying to play on their confusion, on their curiosity and shock to get them to want to explore further without thinking it through. But at the very least, Garret was here so they couldn't make any rash decisions. And thankfully moreso, he was in a position of authority so he could prevent disaster from happening.
"No." It was that simple, and Garret's voice indicated that this was the end of the discussion, and Liam would be wasting his breath on any further argument.
---
Liam wasn’t going to argue the case. He didn’t need to as he was banking on Finn or Rorie to argue it. “I want to,” Finn said looking at Garret. They would have to talk privately before he left, Rorie didn’t need to be let in on the plan as he was right there as it was forming in Finn’s head. “I wanna go for the weekend with him,” he said. Either Garret was going to think him an idiot or would get something was up. He was thinking the idiot part mostly. “I wanna meet my mom and I wanna meet my sister. It may not sound like a big deal to you Garret, but it is to us. Rorie it’s up to you if you wanna go or not, they can’t just keep us here against our will,” he said, hoping Rorie would just be his usual shy, quiet self and not suddenly flip on him.
Looking between Liam and Finn, Rorie had started to tune out, keeping himself in a shell of sorts. “He should go if he wants to,” he said softly. It was all part of the plan to figure out their parents, though he still couldn’t help but feel a bit of bitterness and jealousy towards his sister and parents. He couldn’t handle another rejection if it came down to it and he wasn’t going to risk it. Liam stayed quiet and let Finn talk, letting him lead the cavalry charge to get a weekend pass.
----
Regardless of whether or not Finn had a brilliant plan, it was stupid. He couldn't do this. Garret didn't trust Liam at all. "If you want to meet your mother and sister, then they can come here to the campus, where it's safe. But you're under our care, Finn, and if you honestly think that Hope will let you leave campus to disappear for a weekend with a notorious serial killer, you're out of your mind." He was speaking to Finn directly, as though Liam wasn't even in the room, like he was a piece of furniture.
---
It kind of felt like he was talking to his dad a bit, the one he grew up with obviously. Though he did have a point. Maybe it would be better to have Liam meet with them on their home turf. It was safe and brilliant, so Finn obviously didn’t think of it. “Only partially out of my mind, so I see your point,” Finn shot back. Liam couldn’t help but smile slightly. It was like listening to himself talk almost. “How about a family day sometime this weekend or next week?” He asked turning back to Liam. “I’m in good with the director and I have a hot date tonight so I’d hate to miss it,” he said leaning back in his chair with a smirk, his mood now relaxed and aloof. It was almost too much for Liam, he just had to chuckle at his son. They were too much alike in some ways. While Rorie was quiet and reserved like his mother, Finn was brash and daring and quick on his feet like his father.
“I’m sure with your persuasion that we can arrange that,” he said backing up his plans. He’d just have to start slower is all. “Fiona and Gabby would love to come here. They wanted to themselves as well, but Gabby can’t miss school and I figured it’d be too overwhelming.”
Rorie just sat there saying nothing. It was like there was just an empty chair. His father had barely spoken to him let alone looked at him. He felt like Garret was more involved than he himself was. This had been a bad idea. While Finn was flourishing, Rorie was curling up more into himself like he always did. All he wanted to do was get out of there and go work on his and Garret’s date. He didn’t want to be with this happy family, he didn’t want to be with his brother and sister, he just didn’t want it. Rorie didn’t feel welcome and wanted and loved like he supposedly had been and he didn’t want to put stock into anything that his sperm donor was saying. So, he sat there quietly, waiting for it to be over.
----
If looks could kill, then Finn would have combusted right then and there. It wasn't bad enough that he was telling someone that he was fyucking the director, but he was telling it to someone that would use the information in the future to his own advantage. Finn was unknowingly leaking vital information about both himself and Hope to Liam. Not to mention it was just fucking disrespectful. Giving Finn a sharp elbow to the older brother's ribs, Garret leaned closer to Rorie, speaking softly. "We can go if you want," he told him. "You don't have to stay here just because your brother's stupid enough to be falling for this reunion."
---
“So you and the director are an item then?” Liam chuckled shaking his head, acting like he was making small talk. “You certainly have interesting taste.”
“Oh no!” Finn laughed shaking his head, getting a giant red flag from Garret. He actually hadn’t meant how it sounded. “Ow! Sorry, I meant me and her are friends. She tutors me in classes that I have trouble with,” he sighed ignoring the fact that he was probably going to look like a purple people eater after Liam left and Garret was left alone with him. “That and she kind of has this thing where I think she wants to kill me sometimes. I kind of piss her off when I can‘t get the right answers when they‘re practically in front of me,” he chuckled covering himself up. “I meant I have a hot date tonight with the girl in the dorm next to me,” he snickered.
Rorie actually could care less at that point. “I wanna go,” he said softly to Garret. He felt horrible and stupid and couldn’t decide if he wanted to cry or just curl up and die.
“Sorry for the presumption,” Liam apologized, though he was still thinking there was more to Finn and Hope, but after that explanation he wasn’t going to hold his breath. Just file it away for later. For all he knew Finn was telling the truth. Possibly.
-----
Garret really, really hoped that Finn might take the cue and decide that it was time to go. Garret didn't want to leave Finn in here alone with Liam, since apparently the kid was swallowing this bullshit hook, line and sinker. But he wasn't going to make Rorie sit here anymore and look as dejected as he did. Getting to his feet, he tugged Rorie up with him, giving the younger man a small kiss to his forehead before gently pushing him toward the doorway. He didn't care what Liam thought about him and Rorie. Garret didn't like Liam, not even a little bit. It was creepy how similar he and Finn were, and Garret knew for a fact that Finn witheld information and twisted his words to manipulate people. Garret had felt uneasy about Finn, and he felt uneasy about Liam now.
Looking back over his shoulder, Garret met Finn's eyes. "Are you coming with your brother?" he asked, "Or are you staying with this stranger?" His tone held so much meaning, his gaze piercing. Finn could stay, if he wanted. But he'd be making a choice- he'd be choosing this fantasy, dangerous life over Rorie.
---
Rorie willingly got up easily with Garret staying close to him. He didn’t look back at Finn, he didn’t care. Finn could stay here or leave with them. Rorie was done with his family and he just wanted to wash his hands of them. Finn looked at Garret and Rorie, genuinely feeling a tug-a-war going on inside of him. He genuinely wanted to meet his mother and sister, while Rorie didn’t seem to care. Frowning he paused and turned his head to look back at Liam. “I’m gonna go,” he said. “I’ll ask Hope if it’s okay that you and Ma and Gabby come visit this weekend. Call tonight about 7,” he said at least knowing not to call himself.
“I can do that,” Liam said with a nod, letting the seriousness come back. “Hopefully we’ll see you on tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Finn said getting up. “Later,” he said with a wave before exiting with Garret and Rorie bracing himself for a verbal beating or physical one. Maybe both.