Booker DeWitt isn't father of the year (dewitt) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-01-24 14:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, booker dewitt, elizabeth comstock |
You remember when dinosaurs were roaming the earth too, right?
Who: Booker and Elizabeth
What: A nice normal dinner in Paris
When: Before the Fog
Status: Complete
RAting: PG
The restaurant was one that Elizabeth had read about on the Internet. It had five stars and she’d purposely bought the best table they had. What was the point of having money (temporarily) if she didn’t use it to thank the person who’d done the most from her. She’d talked him into buying a nice suit, and bought herself a < a href=”http://www.fashion-dress.net/wp-c
He wasn’t sure the suit suited him, but he’d studied himself in the mirror and decided it worked out well enough. “I’m gonna have to need you translate the menu,” He replied, glancing at her. “My French is real rusty.” He didn’t mind. Elizabeth’s enthusiasm was a little infectious. And if she’d dreamed about him in Columbia she didn’t seem to hate him which was better than he’d hoped.
Elizabeth smiled brightly. “I’d be happy to. I feel like part of my brain is waking up, and I’ve been working really hard on diminishing my accent.” She’d never blend in, but she could at least be intelligible. She squeezed Booker’s hand in excitement when the cab stopped, then let go and paid the cabbie before bouncing out of the car, her skirt fluttering around her legs. “We’re here!”
He crawled out of the car after her, though he paused to watch her bounce in place. The smile that came onto his face didn't hurt for once, though there was an old ache in his chest he'd nearly forgotten about. She really did look like her mother, and he didn't know how he hadn't noticed in his dreams. But then, his dream self was a lot more lost.
"I hope they don't just have big plates with tiny food."
“Oh, probably,” Elizabeth said with a giggle. “That will just leave room for dessert and maybe a baguette back in the hotel.” She gave Booker a huge smile, her entire face lit up. Ever since arriving she’d forgotten most of her troubles. Booker was as lost as she was here, and it made her feel good to be on equal footing for once. She grabbed Booker’s hand again and led the way to the maitre d’. “Deux pour Comstock, s’il-vous plait.”
Booker might need multiple baguettes if the meal was too small. But he was here more for Elizabeth than himself. Building those new memories like he’d told Lina. Give her a contrast between who he’d become here and who he’d been in the dreams. Booker DeWitt was neither the thug nor the prophet. “What she said.”
They were led back to a private dining room where a lady was sitting playing a violin. A bottle of sparkling water was in a bucket of ice, waiting to be served. Though Elizabeth enjoyed wine, she knew Booker was trying to stay sober. After the dreams she’d had of him she wanted that for him, too. Even if alcohol did restore his health.
The waiter held out Elizabeth’s seat for her and scooted it under her as she sat. She smiled brightly and thanked him, waiting for Booker to take the seat across from her. “I thought that since we had a lot of nice dinners to make up for I should go all out. I hope you don’t mind.”
Booker appreciated the water. At least here he could try to stay sober. It was harder around some of his friends, or around Rogue. “No, I don’t mind.” He sat down, leaning on the table in a way that betrayed his lack of manners. Booker and classy didn’t really go together most days, even when he tried.
Elizabeth’s manners were better than Booker’s but she wasn’t going to bring it up then. She just giggled and watched as their glasses were filled with water and menus were handed out. “Alright, we can order a five course meal they have listed or make up our own meal a la carte.”
"You know, I'm gonna be daring." Booker took a sip of his water. "I think I'm gonna go with one of the five course meals even if it's got shit I can't pronounce or have never tried. Like a surprise."
His willingness made Elizabeth giggle. “Okay. How does salmon sound? That’s the main course for the meal I want.” She gave Booker a smile over the menu. He’d done so much for her, she was determined to make sure he enjoyed this trip as much as possible.
“Okay. Salmon sounds pretty good to me.” He didn’t mind leaving it up to Elizabeth. It seemed to make her happy, and all he really wanted was to see her happy. And to not be the cause of her being upset.
With that decided Elizabeth put her menu aside and folded her hands in her lap. “How are you enjoying the trip so far? I know I’ve been dragging you all over creation.” She felt a tiny bit guilty, but her enthusiasm just got the better of her most of the time.
"A little worn out, but mostly in the good way." He grinned at her. "An' we've only seen half the city I think. Still plenty of city to see. Plenty of time I think." Part of him didn't even want to go home, no matter who or what was waiting. Booker had spent too much of his life trying to reinvent himself and start over.
“That’s good. I’m glad.” It was good to know he was enjoying himself. Elizabeth let herself relax, even putting her elbows on the table as well. Let the waiter think what he wanted, they weren’t here to impress him. “I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for me, here and in the dreams.” It seemed like the best way to broach the subject that had been on her mind for more than a week.
"You deserve a lot more than you got, in both places." Booker smoothed down his hair. "And I guess part of me wanted to make up for things. Also in both places." For losing her here. For giving her up there. For betraying her there (he really had deserved her hitting him over the head). And he probably owed her for thoughts when he'd seen her in that blue dress, before they'd known the truth.
"I guess you mean a lot to me."
“You mean a lot to me too,” She said, reaching over to take Booker’s hand. “What you did, taking me in with no notice and no argument. . . not everyone would do that, even for their daughter. You’ve been wonderful to me, despite my inexperience.”
"Figured someone else woulda taken advantage. And... I kind of thought maybe you were out there, after my dreams. And kinda hoped I'd see you again. Make up for lost chances." He squeezed her hand. More than she realized. He didn't know if he should tell her about Comstock, about the timelines. About what he'd done in the end to get back to her, and what he'd asked her to do. Or about that strangeness on Rapture, that he didn't really understand. Another Booker, another Comstock, memories that were his but not his.
“Probably,” Elizabeth said with a nod. It was easy to imagine the harm she could have come to in someone else’s hands. Even her friends were good people for not purposely hurting her because she was so naive. “I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere. Whatever else happens, Booker, you’re my family and you’re important to me.”
Her words made Booker suddenly choke up. His throat bobbed and he looked down at the table rather than trust his face to remain neutral. He was genuinely terrified she wouldn't want anything to do with him, that she wouldn't want to be family or friends. "You really mean that?"
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” What was the point in lying? Life was too short, too precious for that. “Maybe we’re not the most normal family, but I think we suit each other.” It tugged at her heart that Booker was so emotional. She felt her eyes tearing up sympathetically. Rather than sit and stare she rose and went around the table to hug Booker.
"I know, I just..." Booker was caught off guard, giving Elizabeth a one armed hug. "Hey...I'm okay. I'm okay. I ain't emotional or nothin', it's just...smoke or something."
“Just hush and hug me,” Elizabeth said, her voice gentle. It was nice to hug him. He deserved more hugs. After a little bit she let go of him and went back to her seat. “Does it end well for us, in the dream? Do we find out we’re family and have a happy life together?”
“Fine,” Booker groused. He hugged her with both arms, probably longer than necessary but it helped ground him and remind him she was actually there. He wasn’t expecting that question, but he should have. “Maybe. No. I don’t know. Not for us. Another version of us I think. The one where I don’t give you up. But the two of us on Columbia?” He frowned. “There was really only one option at the end.”
Elizabeth nodded, misunderstanding what Booker was getting at. What option was there but for her to die? She was the lamb and what was a biblical lamb for but sacrifice? She took a deep breath and pursed her lips. “Then I suppose I’ll deal with that when the time comes. Do people die in real life if they die in their dreams?” She was afraid of all the things she hadn’t done. The dreams were beyond her control and she might not be around long enough to find her one true love. Maybe it was time to put more value on her best friends instead.
“No. Maybe for a short time. When I…” He shook his head. “I was fine waking up, except for the after effects of drowning. I don’t know what happened to you after that. You… that specific you, should have faded away. That was the plan. Make Columbia have never happened. So that none of those people would have suffered.”
Elizabeth pursed her lips, taking a deep breath. “I hope it works.” She said it with great feeling. Those people deserved better. Comstock had led them astray. The poor underclass were treated so badly, like they weren’t even people. Elizabeth couldn’t stand the thought that America had ever accepted that kind of behavior.
The sad fact was America still accepted that behavior. It was visible in everyday life, and in the news, and Booker was expecting the day that Elizabeth went full frontal political activist. Maybe the world needed people like her, who could see the world from the outside. "You know, it's amazing how well you turned out."
Elizabeth laughed. “I think I turned out awful. I don’t know anything and everything bothers me.” She looked down, shaking her head. “But I’m glad you think I came out well.”
"You're kind, smart, and not a bigot." Booker ticked each option off of his fingers. "Being raised like you were, you could have turned out to be a total bitch." Blunt, but the truth.
Blunt wasn’t a problem for Elizabeth. She tended to be blunt too. “I’m not a total bitch. Some pieces are missing.” She giggled a little, then sipped her water. “But I guess you’re right. I just. . . I was treated kindly by them, despite the other things. All I’ve known is kindness, until the very end. I don’t understand how people can be unkind so often.”
“They weren’t real bad people. But Comstock was and you still managed to know right from wrong.” Booker rubbed the scruff on his chin. “But maybe it was all them books.”
“Maybe. I wanted to be heroic. I believed, hell I believe, in justice and freedom for mankind where we all stand as equals.” She shrugged, a little embarrassed. “I want everyone to grow up safe and happy and have the chance to take part in the world around them.”
"That puts you ahead of a lot of people. Puts you ahead of me." His smile was a little sad and a little proud. "Meeting you in my dreams kind of helped with that, here. I wasn't as bad to begin with, but you pushed me. Even before I ever met you here."
“Is that why you stopped getting drunk and trying to punch sharks?” Elizabeth asked, trying not to giggle. It was such a funny mental image.
“Oh, I still want to punch sharks. But I was on the wagon before...dreams made me fall off for awhile.” Booker frowned. “It was .... real bad, for awhile. But I had friends. Helped me through it. Only really fallen off a few times now.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Well if you ever need help with it let me know. I can hide things really well.” She smiled at him, hoping he would take her up on her offer if he needed it.
“Tell me you’re talkin’ about booze and not bodies,” Booker joked. Because in his line of work he’d needed to do the latter more than once.
His response made her giggle and she shrugged. “Honestly, whatever you need.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Hell, with those rifts it would be real easy to hide a body. But that would fuck up timelines. Sometimes Booker didn’t think he cared. He hadn’t had nosebleeds in months.
Hopefully Beth being around wouldn’t make them come back. “But we’ll work on the booze thing for now.”
“Deal,” She agreed, before the waiter came back and drew her attention. She ordered in slow, careful French, blissfully ignoring the slight wince she got when she butchered a word. Fish and poison shouldn’t sound the same in any language. Once their food was ordered she looked back at Booker, taking a sip of her water. “I hope the food doesn’t take too long. I’m famished!”
"You've been dragging me around for days no wonder you're starving." Booker shook his head at her. He wished he had something with flavor to drink but honestly the water tasted like luxury and that was good enough for him. It probably cost a fortune on it's own.
Elizabeth giggled and nodded. “I have been, and you’ve been a good sport about it. Thank goodness cameras don’t use film anymore, it’s so nice to take as many as I like.” She patted her purse, where the camera was currently hiding. “I’m going to remember this trip forever, and I’m so grateful I could share it with you.”
"I kinda miss film sometimes. Something about developing it, watching it come to life...." Booker folded his arms, but he was giving Elizabeth a content, happy smile.
Elizabeth smiled back, chuckling softly. “You remember when dinosaurs were roaming the earth too, right?”
"Yep. Used to have a pet Brontosaurus." He grinned smugly at her, as if daring her to call him on it.
Elizabeth snorted. “You know people don’t even know if it existed or not? There were these two paleontologists that had a grudge against one another and they went back and forth about it for a long time. I think the current status is still undecided.” She chuckled a little, shaking her head. “People get pretty silly when they hold grudges.”
"Thought last I heard it wasn't a real one." Booker shrugged. "Not shit I really keep up on, though the bones are nice to look at." The bones are nice to look at. "And that movie was pretty awesome." Well it was. Though shouldn't they have had feathers? Booker didn't know.
“There’s a movie?” Elizabeth asked. “I haven’t seen it. That sounds neat!”
“...we’re going to have to do a Jurassic Park marathon, aren’t we.”
“Guess so,” ELizabeth said with a laugh. “I’ll look forward to it.”