Who: Anna and Agent Carolina, and then Agent Wash, too. When: July 6, morning Where: Carolina and Wash’s place What: The girls finally have a chance to talk, then Wash shows up to interrupt Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
It’d been a long night of drinking and other things. So much drinking. Anna was a lightweight, and had to nurse her drinks for a long time so she wouldn’t pass out. Wash was much better at drinking than she was, and she could never hope to keep up with him. But she got just as trashed--probably a little more. They had fun together, that was sure. And Anna really liked him. Probably more than she was letting herself.
When she woke up in the morning, she felt like death warmed over. She was dizzy, her head hurt, and her whole body was aching. She slowly climbed out from under Wash’s blankets, found her clothes, got dressed, and let herself out of his room, wondering where he had gone. Shower? All Anna wanted was to steal a tall glass of water before heading out into the bright sunshine. There were Tylenol in her glove box, too. That would help.
Carolina had always been an early riser, even after a night of drinking. Unless she managed to get completely plastered on tequila, her years of military life ensured that once 0500 came around her body was awake whether she liked it or not. Today, she had finished her morning run early, having chosen to do a half hour of sprinting instead of her usual run. Which meant she was already showered and sipping coffee when Anna came out of Wash’s room. It had been a very trying weekend, especially for her brother. The plan to get him away from the fireworks had all but gone up in smoke the moment the first breach had been reported. Considering Anna had stayed the night, she hoped he was doing better.
“Water, coffee, advil.” Carolina said by way of greeting. All three were already sitting on the counter. It was easier to keep the painkillers by the coffee pot than buy twice as many bottles for their bathrooms.
Anna really wasn’t expecting to come face to face with Carolina in the morning. She probably should have assumed as much, considering Wash lived with his sister, but the thought had never even occurred to her. She felt her cheeks grow hot--a surefire sign that she was flushed--but she was feeling a bit too hungover to be too embarrassed. Maybe after a cup of coffee and some water?
“Thanks,” Anna said, meekly, moving into the kitchen. She gladly took the coffee and water, and the advil, and started in on them. The little mouse glanced over at the older redhead, starting to feel sheepish now that the surprise was fading.
“There’s milk and sugar if you want.” Watching Anna over the rim of her coffee cup, Carolina leaned against the counter and tried not grin. All things considered, she had had few interactions with Anna since they had met at the BBQ. She knew the girl was Stefan’s roommate and that she had taken a shine to Wash, but that was it. That would have been enough for the former Marine if it had just been a one night stand, but if this was going to be something more regular, then she supposed it was time to actually get to know the person her brother brought home.
“So, Anna. I hear you’re a student.” Casual, easy conversation. Nothing at all like an interrogation. Well, at least for now. Carolina was not exactly protective of Wash; she knew the man could take care of himself and could make his own decisions, (even if they were not exactly good ones). It was his life and he could live it however he wanted. That being said, she would personally string, murder, gut, butcher, and then filet anyone who wanted or tried to hurt him, physically or emotionally, and then sleep like a baby the next night.
“That sounds great. Thanks,” Anna said, relieved at the kindness. She wasn't sure her brain could take anything mean this morning. Not with all the pounding and throbbing. She moved around the kitchen and doctored up her cup of coffee, adding sugar liberally. Anna was a big time sugar consumer.
Than she sat down to sip, slowly, enjoying the warmth and sweetness of the coffee. That is, until Carolina started talking to her again. She paled slightly, turning to look at her. Suddenly she was afraid that she wasn't good enough for Wash, that his sister was judging her harshly. She swallowed. “Yes, I'm at UCI. Entering my third year.”
Frankly, Carolina was damn impressed that Anna could stomach the coffee with the amount of sugar she had witnessed the girl adding to the cup. Her teeth ached at the mere thought of what the drink must taste like. She was doubly glad the coffee in her cup was black just to counterbalance it. “Third year.” The former Marine blinked. Was she even old enough to drink legally? Jesus, Wash. He must seem like an old man to the girl.
The coffee cup covered her frown. Carolina gave the girl a closer look, from her choice of clothing to the paling of her cheeks. Huh. She was cute. The older woman was not as pleased to think that the girl might be easily intimidated. Sure, she was Wash’s older sister, but she had not even pulled out a gun yet. “You’re also on the network?”
Anna was a stylish teenager. She wore cute clothes--it was summer after all, and tank tops and jean cut-offs were all the rage--and always had her hair and make-up perfect. This morning was a little different. She had a bit of bedhead and morning-after mascara run. But she nodded. “Yup. And so far I’ve kept a--” The gentle smile on her face turned into a frown. “...I mean, I had a four point oh until this past semester when my grades… slipped a little.”
She gulped from the cup, trying not to wolf it down, but admitting the thing about her grades? It was still raw. “Yeah. Valarnet. I’m there, too.” She said, nodding.
Carolina had been a stylish teenager. Had been. Now, she was usually found in jeans and button downs unless she was going clubbing or expecting company. The clothing plus the mention of grades made her nostalgic. She found herself smiling sympathetically at Anna. “It happens. I know I hated it when my grades slipped, even a little.” If Anna was on valarnet, that meant she would not freak out or run away from all the things Wash would have to face. That was good. Nodding to herself, she held out the pitcher of coffee. “More?”
“Oh, yes, please,” Anna said, holding the mug out for a refill. There was still sugar down at the bottom, even though she’d drained the coffee. “Thank you. I … I know, I take my grades very seriously, and I was… well, I was pretty upset when I found out I’d missed my four point oh by like, three tenths of a point.” She brought the mug back over toward her and wrapped both hands around it, warming them with the heat of the coffee through the porcelain.
“It’s good to take school seriously. I’m sure you’ll be able to bring your GPA back up in the next two years.” Carolina gave Anna a lopsided smile as she easily did the math. Men were the best distractions, especially around finals. Then again, she had usually used the distraction as stress relief or to clear her mind before a particularly difficult exam. Experience told her that such things were not for everyone. There was no need to ask if Anna enjoyed her classes; that was obvious from her concern in the slip of her grades. “Any fun plans for the summer?”
“That’s my plan!” Anna knew that spending time with Wash was a bit of a distraction around finals time, but she didn’t put the blame on him. She blamed herself more than anything. At least this was a learning experience, and Anna was determined to actually learn from this learning experience. The next time finals came around, she’d make Wash help her study before they had lots of sex. “Nothing, really. I’ve got the entire summer off. I’m not working or taking classes or anything, but I am doing a little dog walking here and there.”
“That sounds pretty relaxing.” Or at least as relaxing as this place ever allowed for. It sounded like the girl was the typical SoCal college student, complete with an easy summer job. That was good. In her opinion, Wash could do with a bit more normal in his life. Carolina paused mid-sip. Wait. This was Orange County. There was no fucking way the girl could be entirely normal if she was a Dreamer. If the girl was a vampire or a vulcan or a dog whisperer and the Dreams had bled over enough to turn her into such, it would be better to find out sooner rather than later. Was it rude to ask about another person’s Dreams? Doesn’t matter. “So, Anna, what kind of world do you Dream about?”
Anna sipped from the coffee mug, burning her tongue a little on the sweet and bitter liquid. It was waking her up, which helped, though it wasn’t doing much for her headache. The asprin should, when it finally kicked in. She’d have to drink that tall glass of water, too, after this cup of coffee. Her eyes came back up and over to the other redhaired woman, and she smiled. The hangover made her smile a little weak, but it was still there. Still very Anna. “Are you a Dreamer, too? I guess that makes sense, considering you’re Wash’s sister and everything. In my Dreams I live in a kingdom called Arendelle. My sister’s the Queen. There was this horrible time when she lost control of her magic, and the whole fjord--the whole kingdom, I think--was frozen over. I had to go on this crazy adventure with a stinky guy and his reindeer friend to find her.”
She’s a princess? Carolina coughed, nearly choking on her coffee. Not a vampire, or a mage, but a princess. Damn, Wash. You sure do know how to pick ‘em. “Yeah. I’m a Dreamer.” Was a space Marine supposed to curtsy to a princess? She sure as hell wasn’t about to salute the girl. Shaking her head, she turned to refill her coffee cup. “A stinky guy and a reindeer, huh? Sounds like you had quite the adventure in your Dreams.” And an innocent one at that. Considering how bubbly the girl was, the only thing Carolina could picture was Anna running around the North Pole with one of Santa’s elves, trying to save Christmas like one of those cheesy claymation movies that ran and re-ran every year around the holidays.
“Well, sort of. My sister froze my heart. Only an act of true love can save someone from that kind of curse. I thought it was Hans--the guy I was planning to marry. I thought he could kiss me and the curse would be lifted, and we could talk to Elsa together.” She wondered for a moment while she was babbling her whole Dream story to Carolina, but the words were coming out faster than she could stop them. “But it turned out that Hans was faking everything. That he didn’t love me, he just wanted to get to my throne.”
Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you. The brightness that shone inside Anna dimmed considerably as she thought about Hans, about the storm. About that sword coming down, aimed for Elsa. The memory was so vivid.
Definitely a cheesy claymation flick. Or a Disney movie. Or a claymation Disney movie. There was an idea. As she listened, Carolina found herself wanting to find this Hans and introduce him to her Beretta. On the one hand, the older woman knew that life was difficult on people as innocent as Anna appeared to be. There were a lot of assholes out there, especially in large cities like Los Angeles. Good people like Anna lost more than just their hearts - money, home, friends - as a result of trusting the wrong person. On the other hand, she was glad that the girl did not have to worry about waking up with bullet wounds with a Dream world like that.
“What happened?” Carolina frowned as Anna’s smile fell. Dreams were all too real to those on the Network.
“Nothing.” Anna turned her eyes back over to the other redhead, and then forced a smile. It was nowhere near as bright as her everyday smile was, and obviously fake. There was a pleading in her eyes, too. She didn’t really want to talk about it. Her head hurt far too much to relive that painful memory. “Anyway, it’s neither here nor there. They’re just dreams, right?” Only, that sort of thing seemed to seep through. She’d cared more for her last two exes than they’d cared for her. It seemed to be her lot in life; fall for a guy, and find out he doesn’t feel the same way. If only she could stop falling.
“Thank you for the coffee.” She added, then lifted the mug to her lips to sip from it.
Carolina studied Anna for a long moment before nodding. “Yeah. Just Dreams.” Except they weren’t, not here. Still, the older redhead was not about to press for more information. She knew better than most that there were some things that were too difficult to talk about. If Anna did not want to talk about it, that was that. If the girl wanted to tell her later, she would listen, but she would not ask for details she had no right to.
There was something, however, that she did need to know.
“Anna,” Carolina began, slowly and deliberately setting her coffee mug on the table. The former Marine turned to face the girl, giving her and the conversation her full attention. “Just how serious are you about Wash?”
Anna turned to look at Carolina across the table when the older woman said her name. (Not that she was old, she was just older than Anna.) And the princess paled slightly at the question, then burst into a brilliant pink around her cheeks, nose, and neck. It clashed magnificently with her hair.
“We're just friends,” she said, her voice a little shaky. This was something she hadn't talked about much, with anyone. Let alone Wash's sister. Anna was trying so hard not to fall. “That's all.”
Carolina barely stopped herself from frowning. Just friends would never turn someone that shade of pink. Then again, Anna had a way about her that might actually manage that kind of thing. Especially since the girl - young woman - knew that Wash’s older sister had no doubts about what was going on between the two of them behind closed doors. That was not what Carolina was worried about. Hell, she wholeheartedly supported what they did.
“I’m not going to judge you and I’m not going to tell you to stay the hell away from him like a father on prom night.” Carolina said gently, making herself smile a bit to add to her words. “But, Wash has been through… well, let’s just say he really values his friends. To the point that he might try to push them away if he thought it would be best for them to not be around him.” Green eyes were sharp, not missing a single expression on Anna’s face. “I just want to make sure that you would be the kind of friend to push back, if he should try that with you.”
“Oh. I don't think you have anything to worry about,” Anna said, a bit relieved that this was Carolina's concern. “I won't let him push me anywhere. I don't make a habit of giving up on the people I care about.” It was true, so she said it with conviction. Anna wasn't going to let Wash go. Even if her tried to get rid of her. She was going to cling until… well, as long as she could.
Anna looked relieved. To Carolina, that meant she was not aware of just how serious she was. That would have to change. She picked up her coffee cup. “Good. Because if you happened to let him get close to you and then leave him, you had better keep running. Keep running as far and for as long as you can, because the moment you stop running, I will be there to make sure you regret that decision for the rest of your natural life.”
Carolina took a sip of coffee, her face the picture of nonchalance. “Pancakes?”
Anna frowned. She heard the question about the pancakes, but decided to ignore it for now. Actually, pancakes sounded amazing, but she wanted to make sure that Carolina was convinced. This sounded like one of those conversations where they needed to be on the same page by the end of it.
Her shoulders squared and Anna looked Carolina straight in the face. “I am not going anywhere. All right? No matter how hard anyone pushes me.”
Carolina considered Anna’s posture with a slight tilt of her head. The woman’s reaction to being threatened was certainly interesting. It was nice to know that beneath all the smiles and blushes lay a sturdy spine. Hopefully that look really was determination and not her lack of knowledge of the older woman’s rather dangerous hobbies. She took another sip of coffee. Hm. Had she offended the woman? Possibly. Well, it was likely not the conversation Anna had been expecting.
Instead of answering directly, Carolina set down her cup and turned to pull a bottle of pancake mix out of the pantry and a pan from the oven. “Blueberry or banana?” Came the question a few moments later.
Anna took a moment to clear her head after that, watching Carolina climb up from the table. Hopefully the woman believed her. Anna wasn’t about to give up on Wash. She didn’t give up on any of her friends. Especially not the ones she… felt… things…
She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, then followed suit. “What, no chocolate chips?”
“No chocolate chips.” Filling the bottle with water and blueberries, she began shaking the mix. Carolina had no doubt that the woman was serious about what she had said. Anna had never given her a reason to doubt her word, so she took it at face value. Besides, the girl really was insanely sweet. It was hard not to like her. Hell, if it had not been for Wash, Carolina doubted she could have threatened the other redhead.
Well, maybe she could have. But it would have required at least one firearm.
“You’re welcome to bring some next time. Since you’re sticking around.” Carolina glanced back at Anna with a small smile. It was probably the closest thing she would get to an approval from the older woman, but it was there nonetheless.
“Oh, I will. Normally I carry them around in my purse,” Anna said, feeling a bit of the seriousness fading away. She let a smile come back to her lips. Lifting the coffee mug, she moved into the kitchen to keep Carolina company as the other woman made her breakfast. It was really quite nice of her to do. “You know… I didn’t see Wash when I left the bedroom, I thought maybe he was in the shower… Do you think we should invite him to breakfast? I mean, he’s probably just as hungover as I was. Am. Was? Am.” She lifted the coffee mug and sipped from it.
“You keep chocolate chips in your purse?” Carolina shot Anna an incredulous look as she poured the first pancake onto the pan. Granted, this was California and not Texas or the Middle East, but wouldn’t the chips melt in the summer heat? She shrugged. “Wash will probably get back from his run soon enough. Exercise is the best way to work off a hangover, after all.” There might be the smallest of smirks on her lips.
While Anna and Carolina had been talking, Wash had been running. Like his sister, Wash’s body was conditioned to be awake at 0500, sometimes earlier. It was rare to find him still sleeping in. Events like the morning after the Memorial Day barbeque had been exception to the rule. Morning runs were not his favorite thing to do, but it was part of his routine. Wash was a man who needed routine in his life, especially considering the chaos that often happened around and to him on a fairly regular basis.
He had woken up hung-over from the night before. It was rare these days that he didn’t wake up with some form of a hang-over - aching head, cotton-mouth and an over-all feeling of blech. It was a small price to pay for drinking enough to quiet the noise in his head. Deep down Wash knew he had a problem, but he was nowhere near ready to admit that to anyone, much less himself.
Running took care of his hang-overs much better than Advil and coffee anyway. He preferred to get started before the sun came up when the air was still cool. When he’d left the apartment that morning he’d heard Carolina moving around, but Anna had still been fast asleep and the former marine had figured he’d be back before she woke up.
He took his normal route around the block and through the park. Sometimes he was joined by Katou and sometimes he ran alone. This morning he was on his own. He ran through his hang-over until he was sick in a bush or trashcan. Once he’d done that his hang-over was much more bearable if not completely gone and he could return to the apartment.
It had taken a little longer than usual to reach that point, so by the time he had doubled back towards home the sun was already up and the city was starting to stir and show signs of life. The morning air had started taking on the heat of the day. His t-shirt clung to his sweaty torso as he made his way back up to his apartment. He always took the stairs, taking the elevator after a run seemed like cheating.
The smell of cooking pancakes and coffee greeted him when he entered the apartment made his now empty stomach growl and demand attention. He followed the smell into the kitchen where he found both Carolina and Anna drinking coffee and making pancakes. There was an odd feel to the air, as though he had missed a very important conversation. It made him a little uneasy as he glanced between his sister and his friend with benefits.
“Morning,” he greeted them carefully, eyeing them both. Anna was still in one piece, sitting there and drinking coffee. The rats nest of red hair on her head told Wash she hadn’t had the chance to make herself presentable yet. Despite what she may have thought, Wash found the constant morning bed head look to be very cute. “You two look chummy,” he said.
Speak of the devil. Just seeing him come in like that made something stir in Anna’s tummy. She wanted to kiss him. But that would be awkward, wouldn’t it? That’s the sort of thing boyfriends and girlfriends did. Not friends with benefits. She flushed and grinned at the sight of him, then buried her grin behind the cup of coffee, taking a sip of the sweet stuff. Though, it could actually go for a bit more cream or milk or whatever. Anna liked her coffee highly diluted by sugar and dairy, something the siblings both knew by now.
“I was joking,” Anna explained, “about carrying chocolate chips in my purse. For pancakes.” She was starting to realize that she was the only one here with a hangover now. Wash ran his off and Carolina didn’t have one (that she knew of) this morning. “I don’t really carry them around.” But it wouldn’t be unlike her to do just that.
“Morning.” Carolina replied in greeting as she slipped another pancake onto the growing stack. If Wash wanted anything other than pancakes, he knew where to find it. She glanced at Anna and relented a bit. “Eggs or bacon?” The question was mostly directed at the younger woman, but left it open for Wash to chime in if he wanted to. She poured the last cup of coffee into an empty mug so she could start a fresh batch.
Carolina still was not entirely convinced that Anna was joking about the chocolate. “I told her she was welcome to bring some next time, but maybe we should add it to the grocery list…” Stepping back to the counter, the woman picked up her coffee again, she shot Anna a conspiratorial smile before it vanished behind her cup.
No, discovering that Anna carried a bag of chocolate chips around with her would not have surprised Wash in the slightest. He was actually a little disappointed to find that she didn't. It certainly would not have been the strangest thing he’d heard someone doing. Still, it was not the kind of conversation he expected the two of them to be having. Grey eyes moved between them for a moment. “Okay…” he said carefully before settling on Anna. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I had to go out for a run. If I don’t at least try to stay in shape, she beats the crap out of me.” Casual joke about getting beat up, seemed like the best way to cover up the real reason he’d been out before the sun was up. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having.” Anna said. She was actually starting to feel a little hungry now, which surprised her. The aspirin and the caffeine were starting to kick in. Less pain. She felt more like a human being, even though she knew she probably didn’t look like one. Bags under her eyes? Bed hair? Oh God, she’d come out here with bed hair! She still had it now! A hand lifted to try and tame it back, but poor Anna. Now she felt all embarrassed.
“Oh, definitely add it to the list.” And wait, was that a smile from Carolina? Anna’s eyes flicked from one sibling to the other, and something seemed to click in her mind. For some, strange reason, Anna felt like she had Carolina’s approval. Maybe it was their conversation this morning, or maybe something else? But Anna was pleased. Carolina wasn’t chasing her out with a pitchfork and torch.
“It’s okay. No big deal.” Anna said, giving Wash a smile. “I’m okay. Carolina got me some aspirin and a coffee, and I’m feeling much more human.” She brought a hand out to touch his arm, gently. “You okay?”
Carolina snorted softly as she pulled out a second pan. In her world, Anna’s response was the polite way of saying “Hell yes.” And if not, well, she would eat the rest later. The former Marine may not be the best cook in the world, but she’d spent enough time growing up in Texas to learn that all it took for leftovers to become lunch was to wrap it in a tortilla. Granted, her teenage self had probably experimented a bit too liberally with the concept, (peanut butter and jelly burritos? Not so bad. Pasta salad, on the other hand...not so much).
“I beat the crap out of you anyway, Rookie.” She quipped, before turning back to the stove and letting the two have a moment to themselves. Wash had smiled more in the last month than she had seen in the two prior and that, more than anything else, had Carolina thankful for Anna’s presence. She was also glad that they now had separate bedrooms, for more than one reason. Two, in fact.
Out of the corner of her eye, Carolina noticed the self-conscious way Anna was trying to tame the (arguably photogenic) mass of bed head she was sporting. After a moment, she took pity on the young woman. Without looking up from the stove, she raised her voice. “The eggs will be done soon. Unless you’d rather I pull out the mats so we can see if that run helped any.” There was a small mirror in the laundry room that she would offer to Anna for her hair once her brother headed to change. Of course, the girl could always use the one in Wash’s bathroom instead. The tiny smirk reappeared for the blink of an eye before it was gone. Oh, she was definitely going to tease him later. He was sleeping with a fucking princess. Hell, Anna might even be one of the little figurines her father kept buying her year after year. Wouldn’t that be priceless?
Wash rolled his eyes at the suggestion Carolina would pull out the mats now and proceed to wipe them clean with him. “I’m already sweaty enough,” he said. “You don’t need to prove your point now, Boss.” God help him if she was serious and he came out of his room a few moments later to find their living room turned into a space for sparing. This was Carolina, it was well within the realm of possibilities.
He grinned down at Anna and playfully tussled the already mess of hair on her head. It wasn’t the first time he had seen her bed head and it would be far from the last. “I got a brush in my bathroom you can use if you want while I shower.” And brush his teeth, he still had a rather unpleasant taste in his mouth he needed to get rid of before digging into those pancakes.
Oh. Brushing teeth. Anna was thinking she'd do that when she got home. She hadn't expected to be breakfasting with Wash and his sister, so she wasn't prepared. Maybe she'd have to leave a toothbrush in her purse or her backpack or something. That way she'd have one for the next time. Because there would probably be a next time. Right?
"Thanks," Anna said, giving Wash a smile. Thankfully, she was feeling much more human now with the coffee and the water and the aspirin. "Yeah, I'll just... tidy up a little while you're washing." She set her coffee mug down on the counter. It was empty except for a little excess sugar that clung to the bottom of the cup. Then she turned to Carolina. "I'll be right back."
“Take your time.” Carolina nodded back at Anna. If they were late, it would be Wash’s share that got confiscated first, after all. She briefly entertained the idea of pulling out the mats just to be a dick, but she was a bit hungry and she would rather not wait another hour to eat while the pancakes and bacon cooled. It still felt slightly awkward after so many years of living alone to actually have company for the morning meal, but it was something she was growing into.
She watched the pair head back to Wash’s room with a pensive look. They were almost adorable together and she was not entirely sure they were aware of it. Still. Anything that had her brother grinning after the last weekend was good in her books. Carolina supposed she owed Anna a great deal of thanks for that alone. In the end, things worked out just fine, even if they did not end up out of town for the fireworks. Chocolate chips, huh? The small smile was back as she added that to the list on the fridge.