InsaneJournal

“Learn to live with it, cowboy.”
Who: John and Kirsty
Where: The Den, a bar
What: Drinking and talking and hanging out between friends.
When: Saturday evening, 02/16
Warnings/Rating: PG
Status Complete when posted


John smiled as he grabbed the latest round of drinks and headed for the table he and Kirsty had commandeered from the poor drunk who had been already on his way out of the place anyway. He landed the two mugs before her and settled there opposite her. “Here we go.” He smirked as he raised his glass to her. “To old times, and new ones, and getting through.”

Kirsty was an old compatriot from the force and they’d been in a couple of bad situations, from a firefight that went seriously bad and led to him getting his first commendation for valor, to a drug bust where the whole place had gone up and they’d barely gotten out, criminals in hand, with just a few burns.

She was someone he could and would trust, in thick and thin, and he hated that she was dreaming not nice things, lately. He hoped it didn’t get any worse.

Clinking her glass against John’s, Kirsty took a swig of the beer, leaning back in her seat. “So. How’ve you been, anyway? I’m guessing good.” He looked like he was at least getting some sleep, and that was was something good in and of itself. She couldn’t boast the same.

“Good, mostly. The new job is working out well, most of the time. I’ve had a few issues, but it’s mostly been rather good.” His hand rose to rub along his neck for a moment, where there were faint scars left from the attack by Smeagol, then fell again. “Personal life is good, too.” He grinned, debating whether to tell her right away.

“And you? How are things going for you?”

“Eh. It’s going at all. I’ve got six feet on most people I don’t like, so can’t complain too mu - “ She moved his hand, cocking her head to the side. “Who did that?”

John winced, but spoke without hesitation. “A case. A person I was trying to help who went over the edge. He was affected by... “ He paused, then sighed. “It’s sort of hard to explain. And you won’t believe me.” He didn’t want to lie to her. He owed her too much.

“Try me.” Kirsty leaned back, folding her arms.

He nodded. “So be it. The people on the Valarnet, all of us, sooner or later, start dreaming of... well, different lives, where we are us but not us. And those different lives are sometimes very different, very odd. For him, it was a life as something not quite human. Something feral and almost animalistic. And for me, well...” And he spoke to her mind, quiet, sounding exactly like his voice, but without lips moving. ”for me, it was to learn I was very different in that life indeed.”

He continued on as if he had not done that. “And sometimes, the dreams change you, physically. Make you other than you were to start with.. The man who attacked me started becoming his dream self, and in an interview, attacked me.”

“You believe that.” Kirsty raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, he became his dream self? Am I going to be eighteen again?” Her dreams were of her in her late teens, her Uncle Frank out and free, skinless, hellbound, trying to escape his fate.

John shook his head, shrugging. “He is changing, becoming like the person he is in his dreams. And I have no idea. In my dreams I am green and an alien, and yet I still look and feel normal.” He chuckled. “It’s utterly mad, I know, but it’s all true, too.” He looked at her and held out his hand to her. It looked normal. “You know me, and you know I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“You’re ... “ Her eyebrows went up. “So my uncle’s going to come back. As a skinless person. When I’m eighteen.” Her dreams just didn’t make any sense, even compared to his.

He sighed, and shook his head. “Not necessarily. Not every person’s dreams become real here. And not every person finds threats or powers or physical changes crossing over. “ He paused, then went on. “My girlfriend’s brother dreams these sort of dreams too, and he hasn’t changed at all physically. He has dream-based memories of this other life of his, but no other changes.” He and Big Mac had talked about it before and he knew the man would not mind this.

“Thank fuck,” she muttered. The last thing she wanted was Larry Cotton coming back from the dead. “I wouldn’t mind being eighteen again, but ... yeah. The rest is messed up.”

John nodded, sipping his beer. “It may mean there are more dreams to be had, and more things that happened. I hope not, for your sake, but it might. The biggest thing to remember is that you are not that person, nor does anything that happens in those dreams have to affect you now.”

He took out a card and handed it to her. It had a name and a number on it.

Thor Odinson

“He’s a pretty smart guy, has some theories about the dreams and us, and if you need help, and you can’t reach me, you can trust him.”

Kirsty took the card and put it into her wallet. “Well, as long as I dream about me as a young’un, I’ll be fine.” And as long as her uncle stayed dead.

John nodded. “I’ll drink to that, and to both of us avoiding crazy days.” Even though he knew neither of them would run from it, he still hoped they would not have to face crazy and violent times.

“So. How’s the girlfriend?” Kirsty took a long pull of her beer, glad that one person she knew was in a well adjusted relationship.

He drained half of his, grinning. “Pretty good, considering she’s now my fiance.” He smirked as he said it.

That made Kirsty’s face light up. “Oh my god, you didn’t tell me, you little shit!” She smacked him lightly on the arm in congratulations. “When’s the date?”

“It just happened a few days ago, and I was waiting for this to tell you.” He laughed and grinned at her. “We haven’t set one yet, but I was hoping that, when I do, I can count on you to be my best woman...” He waggled eyebrows at her.

Kirsty’s eyes went wide. “No shit? Of course I will!”

John grinned at her. “No shit. I need someone I can trust there and there is not one I trust more, for any job.” He nodded, extending his hand to her, and feeling bouncy. “Wear a dress or a suit, whichever you like, just keep me sane.” He laughed.

“As sane as I get, anyway.”

“I’ll ask your blushing bride what she’s wearing.” Kirsty didn’t really do dresses that often, but she could for Jones’ wedding and his wife-to-be. Anyone who’d gotten his attention had to be pretty awesome.

John smiled. “She is likely to outshine me utterly, but then that was a given.” he grinned at her. Engagement acquired, talk about dreams done, and invitation for bed woman delivered. This was a good week!

“Probably, but that’s the point of weddings.” Kirsty patted his hand. “Learn to live with it, cowboy.”

FIN!