Dani Moonstar's a survivor (ms_moonstar) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-07-02 15:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !trigger warning, commander tyra shepard, dani moonstar (mirage), scott summers (cyclops) |
"Do you have time to talk?"
Who: Scott Summers, Dani Moonstar, Shepard
What: Scott talks Dani into talking herself into moving back in.
When: Today, after work at the Ranch.
Where: Urdnot Ranch
Ratings/Warnings: PG-13 for mentions of alcoholism issues. Trigger Warnings for the same.
Status: Complete!
Scott had decided to corner Dani at the ranch. She had been squirrelly, and he didn’t blame her. But they needed to talk, and he wasn’t going to let her drive off without a chatting. So he had Shepard block Dani’s truck in, and sat in the back waiting.
He wasn't alone in the back of her truck. A gigantic tarp had been carefully tucked around a few boxes, which he probably could have recognized as the ones he helped her get out of the basement a days before. She'd weighed them down with bricks and some heavy chains, mainly to keep the weather out.
Her coffee date with Thor had made her feel a little more confident about opening up to people, but she still made a face when she headed out of the building for the day and noticed Scott waiting for her, "Isn't that a little creepy stalker?"
“I’m working on my creepy stalker skills.” Scott folded his hands in his lap and gave her a smile. “Wasn’t sure how easy you’d be.”
"Apparently not that easy. Also I have a big fucking sword, so you'd probably have been stabbed if you'd snuck up on me at all," Dani replied, somewhat grumpily. She opened the door to her truck and tossed the sword onto the passenger seat. The recent husk activity had pretty much necessitated carrying it around the ranch all day.
“Probably.” And unlike Logan it wouldn’t be worth it. “How many of those things have you run into so far?” He’d killed about three, himself. “And do you have time to talk?”
"Five or Six, maybe." Dani shrugged a shoulder. Since she'd gotten back from Greymalkin she'd made it a point to go find a few and slaughter them every day. If she didn't find some at the ranch, it wasn't that hard to drive around and come across a few.
"That depends on what kind of talk you think we're having."
It was good training, and it kept people safe. Scott would do the same thing except he had other concerns. “The talk about how you should move back into your house.”
"With you, and your pregnant wife who never did like me, and Nate? I'd rather face Obi-wan right now," Dani retorted. She pulled out her car keys and started making her way around to the driver's side, then noticed that Shepard's bigass hummer was blocking her exit.
"... Where the hell is Shepard."
“Busy.” Scott smiled at her, knowingly. “And we don’t feel right taking your house. Especially not after all of this. And this isn’t entirely altruistic. I know I can trust you to defend the house.” And Emma.
Dani looked at Scott like he'd grown three heads, "I think you should rethink who you put your trust in. I left, remember?"
“Yeah. But you came back when you got your head on straighter. If I got pissed at everyone who left I’d have no one not to be angry at.” He was trying to keep the dad voice toned down. “Logan said you did good.”
"It was amateur hour in there. Not that I would have turned down the extra help, but Logan's new girlfriend needs to learn when not to come along for the ride," Dani groused. How well she did in there didn't really matter to her. She knew she could handle herself, it was everyone else that was a problem. The leadership instincts in her wanted to take Velma aside and give her a stern talking to, but Logan had been in charge that run.
Judging from how he'd reacted, a stern talking to had happened, anyway, "The house doesn't need protecting, Scott. You have an omega level telepath who can probably turn into diamond, Nate, A space station, and eye beams."
Scott nodded. “I’ll let Logan handle that.” He’d been too distracted. He’d lost Emma and he hadn’t even known it. It still gnawed at him. “Telepaths can be distracted, and I’m not always around.”
"I'm sure he's handling it," Dani agreed.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, "You're really seriously trying to talk me into moving back in so that I can protect Emma Frost and Cable?"
That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard, "Scott, that's ridiculous. And I have other commitments."
“What other commitments,” Scott hopped out of the bed of the truck and folded his arms. He was willing to listen. “And nothing says you can’t handle more than one thing. Besides, Nate will probably be moving out soon.”
"Other commitments that are none of your-- Look, I'm not moving back in. I can't live in that house. Alright? I just can't." Dani growled.
Scott frowned, trying to read Dani’s eyes. He held up a hand. “Let me help you find a place then.”
Dani looked down at the pavement. She knew she wasn't getting out of part of this. Her things were in the back of her truck still and he'd probably taken a look, "I can't afford a place right now."
"Have you spoken to Wrex?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't know the situation between her and Wrex, or he wouldn't have suggested it. “Or Kitty, she has a lot of room.”
"Scott..." Dani trailed off, and sighed. She'd been trying to avoid this, because Scott was her leader. He used to be her boss. He was in a position where his respect for her mattered, and it was already, in her opinion, hanging by a thread.
But she owed him the same explanation, in a way, that she owed Obi. And he was standing right there, and she was almost certain that if she told him some things she'd be okay enough when she was done not to take a drink.
It didn't hurt that she could catch a meeting tonight if she needed to, "... I owe Wrex over 50 thousand dollars. I can't ask him for anything more. And staying with Kitty is a bad idea. She has kids. She's still friends with Obi. I don't want to place her in the middle of something, even potentially. And I'm not in a place where I can be good around kids twenty-four/seven."
So it was worse than he thought. But Scott could understand it. Still, he didn't want any of his people - and Dani was his people more than some - out on the street.
Logan was probably out of the question.
He sighed, then ran his fingers through his hair, like he was trying to think of a solution. "The offer stands. And I'm probably not the only one that would."
"Thor would probably move me in tomorrow if I told him I lived in my truck," Dani admitted, with a sigh. She tugged on one of her braids, "I have a problem, Scott. It's kind of cliche to say that admitting it is the first step, but that step was the hardest and I'm still struggling with it."
“That’s not a bad idea. Thor’s a good man. Better than many.” He dropped his arms to his side. “It’s cliche, but it’s a good one. I know you’re struggling. I just want to help.”
"I don't want to kick you guys out of the house or make you feel unwelcome. Ho'nene is happier at the ranch than she ever was at the house... How often is someone home, there, these days?"
If she was going to be there alone a lot she wasn't sure she could handle that. But how much more of her life was she going to stop living just in case it made her drink again? If she could face the idea of sitting in a house that was filled with memories of Obi-wan, maybe she could handle talking to him.
"... We'd have to keep the house dry for a few weeks."
Emma couldn't drink, Scott didn't think Nate did. That wouldn't be hard. Sometimes the best way to handle someone was to let them convince themselves.
"Nate's around a lot, Emma too. I try to get home every night. If you're helping out at the ranch you won't be there in the day anyway. Ho'nene could commute with us."
Dani tugged on her other braid, trying to both talk herself into and out of making this move. Like so many times in her life, she felt like there was two of her. The dream her that was so much stronger, and the real her that just wanted to give up, climb into her truck, and call it a day.
Her hands worked into fists, "Which room would I stay in?"
“There are those extra bedrooms on the top floor,” Scott said. He pretty much had forgotten they existed. There were parts of the house he hadn’t been in in months.
"Oh yeah. That's great, I'll be in the perfect spot to hear your sex noises."
At least none of the bigger bedrooms were occupied. She didn't think she could sleep in that big bedroom again, but the smaller ones had always been a bit closed off. It had always been her idea to get some roommates to fill that space with, and now she guessed she kind of had them.
Sighing, she shrugged both of her shoulders, mentally waving the white flag, "Alright. Fine. But... If I can't handle it I'm moving back out."
“That’s fair enough.” Scott nodded at her, then looked at his watch. Just in time for Shepard to come move her car.
Sure enough, the purple haired woman came out of the ranch house, a large shotgun on her shoulder. For husks. She had some hunting to do. She waved at them. “Ready to let her go?”
Scott grinned sheepishly.
"He better be," Dani replied, giving Scott a look. It was a teasingly angry look. It figured that Shepard was in on this from the beginning. She should have known.
“Drive safe,” Scott said, as Shepard laughed.
“Watch out for husks,” Shepard cautioned. “Keep those weapons handy.”
She added, almost as an afterthought. “Watch the sky...”
She started the hummer, and drove off.
"Oh, no problem. I've already got husk goo on the grill of grandpa's truck, a few more shouldn't be that big a deal," Dani replied, with a shrug of her shoulder.
She watched Shepard drive away, then turned back to Scott, "So. I've got a pressing engagement. That gives you enough lead time to let Emma yell at you and clear the cobwebs out of the spare room."
Scott chuckled. Then he did something surprising. He hugged her. “Okay. Welcome home, Dani.”
She surprised him in return by hugging him back instead of pulling away. The part of her that wanted to give up and call it a day began to feel a little teary-eyed, in fact, and she bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from breaking down in Scott's arms. That wouldn't do, at all. But it was nice to feel like she had a place to be again. Even if the house felt more like his than her own, anymore.
"Thanks," She whispered, "It's... good to have one."