lawful_lizzie (lawful_lizzie) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-09-16 22:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, barbara gordon (batgirl), elizabeth weir |
Who: Elizabeth Weir and Barbara Gordon
When: During Kryptonite plot
Where: A coffee shop
What: Elizabeth learns a secret with her new ability
Rating/Warning: PG / Talk of an adults relationship with a minor
Status: Complete
Elizabeth was sat at a table in the corner of her favourite coffee shop, where she and Barbara had agreed to meet. This was her first time out in the craziness of the word with her new ‘powers’ and she was already starting to get a migraine. She concentrated on her breathing, on finding the white noise in her mind and imagining walls between her mind and the rest of the world.
Barbara was unaware of the issues plaguing some of the people who lived in the OC, nothing had happened to her and apart from noticing people posting about talking animals and attacking plants things seemed relatively normal. She was glad to be getting out of the house, she needed to take her minds off some things.
She noticed Elizabeth and made her way over to her friend after getting a coffee, “Sorry I’m late” it was only five minutes but still, “How are you Elizabeth?” she asked with a smile.
"That's ok, I've not been here long," Elizabeth replied, reaching out to shake her hand out of habit. "I've been better in all honesty, yourself?"
“I’m okay, busy with work and everything but that’s kind of normal now” Barbara replied with a smile as she shook Elizabeth’s hand somewhat amusedly, she was just glad she had her Thursday dates to relax, “What’s wrong? Animals aren’t talking to you too are they?”
Elizabeth groaned in pain and buried her face in her hands, foolishly forgetting about physical contact instigating her psychic link to people. "Sorry, just give me a minute," she told her quietly. She used the techniques she'd developed to regain her focus, even wishing that she had the tinfoil hat that Kirk had made for her. "Sorry, I picked up one of those meteorites and now I can seemingly read people's minds," she explained tiredly.
Barbara watched her in concern as Elizabeth composed herself before offering an explanation, “Oh my goodness, you poor thing. You didn’t have to drag yourself out here to meet me” she said, “Let me take you home. It must be draining trying to block all of these voices out”
"No, thank you," Elixabeth smiled at the kind offer. "I need to try and master it ,after all, who knows if this'll ever go away," she told her miserably. "When I touch people I seem to get more of a...direct connection with them, it just hurts at first," she told her.
“But still, it will take time. I’m not sure putting yourself in this position is wise” Barbara said, her worry evident. Then she realised what else Elizabeth had said, “Oh, I see” she nodded, outwardly calm while she reigned in her own thoughts. She must not think of Billy, that could be disastrous.
"Who's Billy?" Elizabeth frowned, the name appearing to her like a brightly lit sign in Vegas.
Barbara was struck dumb for a moment, unable to stop things flashing through her mind - things Elizabeth shouldn’t know - before she shook her head and threw up as many walls as possible around her mind. As she had been taught in her dreams once. “Nobody, really. Just forget anything you’ve seen”
“You love him,” Elizabeth frowned, eyes fixed on a mark on the table as she tried to hone in on a specific thought. She saw them sitting on a couch sharing milk and cookies, meetings in LA with him in tow, of him walking in on her naked by accident and Barbara’s shock. “You like being with him but you can’t be together…” she spoke quietly, almost absently. “Why?”
“Elizabeth...I...” Barbara shook her head, her friend had read too much before she had been able to throw up the blocks. “He’s seventeen” she said quietly, “I shouldn’t love him. It’s not right” she closed her eyes, somehow admitting it out loud was so much worse.
Elizabeth shook her head a little as if to clear it and rubbed her temples as her headache returned. “Sorry,” she apologised. “I didn’t mean to…” she gave a weary laugh. “The OC doesn’t treat us kindly, does it,” she mused grimly.
“It’s not your fault” Barbara assured her, “Sometimes I wonder why I stay here but I guess we all become used to it really”
“I don’t think I’d know how to live a ‘normal’ life anymore,” Elizabeth commented. She took a deep breath and sighed it out, raising her cappuccino to her lips. “So tell me about him, this...Billy,” she encouraged gently.
“None of us would I imagine” Barbara smiled slightly before blushing, “I met him at the library. He’s incredibly intelligent and so kind. He has such faith in people, it’s so refreshing to see. I know him in the dreams too”
“That can’t be coincidence, surely,” Elizabeth observed. “What’s your relationship with him in the dreams then? Is he...older?”
"Sometimes" Barbara said with a slight smile, "I know of him more than actually know him. He's young there too but his powers allow him to shift into an older form" she explained.
"Ah, that definitely makes a tricky problem more complex," Elizabeth grimaced a little. "I take it he feels the same way?"
“Yeah” Barbara agreed tiredly before nodding, “He does. But nothing can come of it and I just feel like he’s wasting this time. Hanging on until he turns eighteen to be with me when he could be meeting girls his own age” Not that he could legally do much with them either but still.
“With respect, he’s a young man, if he really wanted to, he would probably go out and have sex with someone with no regard for the law like most other young men I know,” Elizabeth told her matter of factly. “The fact that he loves and respects you enough to respect your wishes and wait to be with you is incredibly telling,” she smiled at Barbara, putting her hand on hers, hesitating a little as she braced herself for the possible onslaught of thoughts the contact might provide. “At the end of the day, if everyone’s cards are on the table and ground rules are set, he has a choice, and it sounds to me that he is a very intelligent, very kind man who can make that decision for himself,” she gave Barbara’s hand a gentle squeeze.
This time Barbara was prepared on Lizzie’s behalf and was able to stop most of her thoughts from leaking through. Though some of her emotions did still come across, mostly relief that Lizzie didn’t think there was something wrong with her and the weeks she’d had of thinking she was a terrible person for feeling the way she did about Billy. “Thank you Elizabeth, I have to admit it’s a weight off being able to talk to somebody about the situation I’ve found myself in, even if I wasn’t planning on telling anybody”
“You’re welcome,” Elizabeth smiled at her. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you much of a choice in the matter,” she apologised with a frown.
“Oh that isn’t your fault” Barbara told her, “I’m sure you would not have wished for this”
“Not quite,” Elizabeth laughed, sitting back in her sit to take a drink from her coffee. “I’ve been looking on the Net and there seems to be a lot of weird stuff happening from people finding these rocks, some have it a lot worse off than my affliction, so I try and count myself lucky,” Elizabeth smiled. “And hope it isn’t permanent,” she added, the worry really niggling at her.
Barbara nodded, “It sounds like something from my dreams. There was a man of alien origin whose powers were rendered inert or changed when he came across rocks from his home planet. I wonder if it could be something like that” she mused, “Most things that happen here tend to be temporary so I wouldn’t worry too much” she tried to be reassuring.
“But what if they can’t...’turn them off’ or whatever? It’s going to take an immense effort to clean all of them up and if the rocks are still around, surely their powers are still active,” Elizabeth asked.
“If they can’t ‘turn them off’ then we’ll find someone who has these gifts and who can help you learn to control them. Whatever happens you’ll be okay Elizabeth”
“Thanks Barbara,” Elizabeth smiled, comforted to know there was someone else in her corner. “I just worry what it’ll mean for the future; my career, my personal life...things were just getting good, y’know?”
“Things don’t have to stop being good” she said, “Things might change but you’ll adapt I have no doubt. You’re a determined woman I can’t see you letting anything stop you”
“Well,” Elizabeth chuckled. “I do wonder how well this particular skill might help me in the UN,” she told her.
Barbara laughed, “Well there you go, there’s always a way to put a positive spin on things”
“I try,” Elizabeth laughed. “I try not to be a negative person, there’s too much to do in life,” she shrugged. “And I’ve got too much good in my life,” she smiled at the other woman, thinking about Sam, Leonard, her job and her mother to name a few things.
“If only more people thought that way” Barbara said, “I believe we’d be happier as a species if we did. Though it can be hard sometimes to maintain”
"Agreed," Elizabeth nodded with a grim smile. "Like you and Billy," she sat forward in her seat. "I'm a firm believer in choice, a choice to be happy or unhappy, but you both have choices, you've made yours and he's made his off the information available to him. It might not be an easy choice to live with, but it's his choice nonetheless," she smiled at Barbara.
Barbara nodded slowly, “I know, I just...can’t help feeling guilty and responsible for him somewhat. I know he isn’t a child but he is still young. But you are right, he is old enough to make his own choices”
"Precisely, and it sounds like he's old enough to respect yours," Elizabeth told her. "When's his birthday then?" she couldn't help but tease.
“April” Barbara replied, blushing slightly as though she was some silly schoolgirl, “April 9th to be exact” she smiled.
Elizabeth grinned. "So it's going to be a long wait then," she winked at her.
“Just under eight months” she replied, finding her smile came easier now. “I’m hoping it will fly by”
“I’m sure it will,” Elizabeth agreed. “Especially since I may be calling on your help to help me train this,” she joked, pointed to her temple.
“I will help in any way I can” Barbara promised, “And I know some others who may be able to help too”
“Thanks,” Elizabeth smiled. “My boyfriend Leonard helps,” she told her quietly, a little smile creeping across her face. “He gives me some focus, some peace, I’m not sure why,” she told her, playing with her fingers.
“Maybe it’s just because he’s the right one” she said softly, “He calms you without a reason for it”
“I’d like to think so,” Elizabeth beamed at her happily.
Barbara smiled in return, it was nice to see someone so happy and obviously in love, “Then I think everything is going to be just fine”