InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "BRUSH YOUR TEETH"

skipped3rdgrade (skipped3rdgrade) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-06-02 20:47:00

Current mood:	amused
Entry tags:	!complete, andy gallagher, day 09, lexie grey, location: gym, open, remy lebeau

Day 9: Noon or there abouts
Who: Lexie Grey, Gambit, and OTA to anyone who wants to stop by
What: Introductions?
Where: The Gym
When: Noon or there abouts, Day 9
Rating: PG
Status: Complete

While the morning had been kind of busy (one case, lots of journal writing, and a brave Lexie nesting in a back closet); Lexie knew that nothing she had dealt with medically here could really compare to her experiences at Seattle Grace. Though, nothing she had dealt with here really compared to anything else at SGH. Back home people didn't die unless they were patients. People didn't get abducted. People didn't act insane unless someone needed to order a psych consult. In all honesty, Lexie was starting to feel like she needed a psych consult.

Opening up a questionable bottle of rubbing alcohol, Lexie set her attention to wiping down the exam area. It was a routine task, and something that needed to happen to keep the place sanitary. While she would have never had to do it back home, finding herself in the nitty gritty was a glorious distraction for the surgeon. "Last night I dreamed of San Pedro," she sang quietly, the towel she was wiping with staying nice and white, which was exactly what she wanted.

"La Isla Bonita," she continued, words failing in places not because she didn't know them but because she kept distracting herself. She was thinking of how completely wrong it was for her to refuse to make 'house calls' Then there was the whole thing with Dean. Why was he asking about her freckles, anyway? That was weird. Really weird. Chewing her lip she turned her attention to the other would-be exam table, wiping it down just as carefully.

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ace_of_clubs
2009-06-02 08:11 pm UTC (link)

Gambit had endured a very long morning so far. He'd been from the gas station where he'd first met Wolverine, to the museum where he'd met the Doctor, to the carnival where he'd met Edward and Jean, then from there to the Library where he'd met George, and he'd walked her to where she was staying, at the theater. After that, he'd swung by what looked like a really old thrift store (with nothing good in it.. but he had snagged himself a little backpack, which was hanging over his shoulder now), then he'd passed by a post office, peeked in all the windows, tried the locked door, and had carried on. Then had come the liquor store and that.. well.. was definitely interesting.

So now, just nearing what seemed to be noon (judging from the sun in the sky.. though, really, they could have been anywhere on Earth [or beyond] so he wasn't quite sure.. but it was an educated guess) the Cajun was finally making his way towards the largest building in the area. Wolverine had said it was the Gym and the Doctor had concurred, so it was here that Gambit had come.. he was a little late (a lot late) meeting Wolverine here, but things had happened! So he'd just have to explain it away to the other mutant.. if he was even still here. And as the red-head was approaching the front doors, he could already tell that there was no angry, horned midget-turned-giant waiting for him. Ooh, he was in trouble now. But even the thought made him smile.

So without any Wolverine waiting angrily at the door, he was allowed to move inside the gym, not hesitating in his steps even as he began to look around. Well, he could see why most people lived here when they first arrived, there was plenty of space and it didn't feel closed in at all.. but there was silence, save for his footsteps and the soft sound of.. wait, was that singing? Curious as always, the dark-eyed Cajun was quietly following the sound, lightening his steps so he'd be just as silent as the room around him and when he came upon the door that held the singer, he'd be undetected.. that was, until he nudged the door open and came to lean in it, eyebrows lifting at her.

"You sing pretty, Chere." A compliment, to start things out, before he slid his eyes around the room slowly, taking it all in. It was very clean and he could smell the distinct odor of alcohol. And not the fun, tasty kind, either. "'Dis 'de gym, oui?" May as well assure he was in the right spot.. and strike up a conversation with another pretty girl. There seemed to be a plethora.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-02 08:20 pm UTC (link)

"I want to be where the sun warms the sky," another slosh of the bottle, "When it's time for siesta you can watch them go by," she was actually dancing while she cleaned. Maybe her mind was off in La Isla Bonita. Or, maybe she was just really enjoying the mindless work of cleaning? Whatever the case "You sing pretty, Chere," was an unexpected phrase that did not come from her lips. Jumping, Lexie dropped the bottle, turning to face whomever had come inside.

What she saw when she turned was the strangest form she'd seen - a handsome face with miscolored eyes and hair to match. Lexie couldn't help it, her jaw dropped. Was this what Dean was talking about when he had mentioned demons? Or was this one of the people in charge?

"Dis 'de gym, oui?" A Canjun spiced voice continued. Lexie hadn't managed to find her voice yet to respond so she just nodded.

Feeling a wetness impeding on her sock clad feet, Lexie thought a moment before moving slowly to reach down and pick up the spilled bottle, not taking her eyes off of the man. Friend or foe, she couldn't rightfully say just yet.

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ace_of_clubs
2009-06-02 08:34 pm UTC (link)

When she dropped the bottle, Remy had smiled a bit more and tilted his head to the side, causing red hair to spill across his face and obscure some of it, before he righted himself again, but kept that lean against the door frame. King among insects, it was what he felt like, being in this glass box. But he'd never admit that outloud. Seemed like everyone was afraid of him, at least for a time. Except the Doctor. And that had made all the difference in the world to the Cajun. Though, the pretty, dark-haired girl was bending to begin cleaning up that mess a moment later, and that was when Remy decided to push away from the wall and come forward slowly.

"You don' say much. You doin' okay, Chere? Here." As he was coming slowly around the exam table that separated them, he was moving out a partially gloved hand to deftly swipe up a towel, never letting his eyes leave her. If she was jumpy, she could very easily attack him, and that was the last thing he wanted. Of course, with him being a little on edge, it would only set her more on edge, so he was trying to seem as casual as possible.

It was almost working.

"Here." He bent some to offer the towel down to her. "Don' wan' you slippin' in 'dat." And after those words had slipped from his mouth, the handsome Cajun was smiling once again, lifting his eyebrows up in a casual, but expectant way. He was waiting for her answer.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-02 08:45 pm UTC (link)

For a few, brief moments Lexie had been doing OK. She had managed to send her mind off some place warm and happy. She had managed to forget that she had sewn a man up with dental floss and that some creepy person had told her just yesterday that she was going to die. It had slipped away and with one heartbeat and a voice she hadn't expected it was back again.

Supple Cajun tones asked her if she was doing alright and Lexie shook her head - it was honest. "I-I-I..." She didn't even know what to say. She watched as he took up the towel with what seemed to be a very practiced move. Who practiced picking up towels, anyway? He was moving slowly, like Logan had the night before, except on this man such things didn't seem quite so foreign.

Lexie reached out and took the towel, her heart pounding a bit. If he was going to hurt her he would have already done that, right? He would have charged her or leaped on her or something, right? Lexie was trying to calm her nerves. Forcing herself to squat down in rigid, robotic motions, Lexie dragged the towel on the floor, sopping up the spill.

"Who are you?" Did that sound as spooked as she felt?

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ace_of_clubs
2009-06-02 08:54 pm UTC (link)

He crouched down when she did, so he wouldn't be looming over her, and that easy smile remained on his face. "Gambit. I jus' got here, so I'm still learnin' 'de ropes.. sorry if I scare you." He was relatively close, just a foot or so away, where he was crouching down (it'd been such a fluid motion, not like her jerky ones) next to her, so his eyes were much more noticable, so close up. Red on black, not something seen often, even around here, apparently.

"What's your name, Chere?" Gambit looked down then, to watch the motion of her hand-- a slow, skittish-seeming movement, stiff and jerky. So he was lowering his own gloved hand to carefully take that towel from her and dry up the spill himself, since.. well.. it had sort of been his fault. He'd startled her. And once it was dry, he was standing again and offering his free hand down to help her up.

"You keep uh ver' clean room. Not like 'de res' of 'dis place. What's 'de occassion?" Maybe she was just a neat freak.. maybe it was something more. Maybe she worked for the people who ran this place. Whatever it was, he was interested to find out.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-02 09:04 pm UTC (link)

She heard him say 'Gambit' seemingly in response to her question, though, she wasn't sure if he really meant it. "Your name's Gambit?" With a question like that her voice was likely to go higher - instead she tried to keep it even a crinkle forming between her brows.

He had mirrored her motions and Lexie wondered if that was intended to be as sort of creepy as it was. As he apologized, however, he desperately wanted to think it hadn't. "Lexie," she had to clear her throat. "I'm Lexie." He was wiping up the spill since she was so obviously was doing a rather poor job of it herself. He even offered his hand and with a moment's hesitation Lexie took it and pulled herself up. She was reminding herself of Rorschach, it hadn't been fair to judge him at first, either. Though, she'd never seen his face - maybe it looked like this dude's?

"This is the clinic," thinking on it, it really sounded funny to call two tables deemed exam worthy, a few shelves of materials, and a lone intern much of a clinic, but it was what it was. "I didn't want anyone who came in here getting sick..." Or catching an infection.. Or thinking less of this little spot because it was unsanitary.

Lexie tried to breathe. "So, you're not here to kill me, right?" Well, look at that, Lexie's voice clear as a bell. It was sort of an important question.

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ace_of_clubs
2009-06-02 11:16 pm UTC (link)

"Gambit is wha' people call me, is wha' you may call me." Meaning it wasn't his name.. but he wasn't giving her his name and she'd simply have to deal with it. It might be a few days before he'd fess up to his name, with any of these people. Maybe the Doctor, as the two had.. oddly hit it off. But all the same.

"Hi, Lexie. Nice t'meet you. An' you don' hav'ta be scare', d'accord?" He was setting the towel aside on the counter, not bothering to fold it before he did. He imagined she'd just refold it later, anyway.. she seemed a bit obsessive. "Cl'nic? You kiddin' me, 'dey got a cl'nic here?" That wasn't something he'd been expecting.. then again, if they were using the people here for experiments, you had to keep them healthy. What good were ill test subjects, unless you'd given them that illness? There had to be a clinic of some sort.. it made sense. "You doin' uh good job 'den." From what he could see, anyway, it looked rather clean. Everything in its place and not a spot of dirt anywhere. Well, that was, until Gambit trailed his eyes back to the door and whistled lowly. "Sorry 'bout 'dat, Chere." He'd left dirty footprints all across her nice clean floor. But even as he apologized, he was smiling and turning those oddly colored eyes back onto her.

But that last question seemed to surprise him, because it sent his eyebrows up closer to his hairline. "Kill you? Non, got no inten' to kill you, why you assume 'dat so su'nnenly?" Surely it wasn't just the eyes, no one ever thought that he was coming to kill them just because he had such strange eyes. Still...

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-03 09:21 am UTC (link)

While the stranger's response was less than cryptic it had the feeling of almost wanting to be cryptic. Then again, maybe it was the accent getting to her. Spicy and smooth simultaneously, Cajun was both a delight to hear and a pain to try and interpret. People with code-names, made her think of that dude who called himself the Doctor who apparently was not a doctor at all. THAT weirded her out slightly more than Mr. Gambit here.

Contextually, Lexie assumed that 'd'accord' meant understand or something like that. Though, when someone usually said you didn't have to be scared there was some reason you were supposed to be. The towel was set down and Lexie couldn't help but cross her arms. She'd worn her white lab coat, emblazened with Seattle Grace Hospital above the pocket over her T-Shirt, trying to pretend for a moment that she was going to work. Combined with her blue scrub pants, it was fairly clear that Lexie had come from some place medical.

"Well, it's really a gym with things needed to be a clinic... Martha had started it..." Lexie trailed off, chewing her lipa moment. She shook her head at the muddy footprints, they were to be expected with the snow melting and mud forming pretty much everywhere. "It's Ok," she said quietly. For someone who might kill her he was pretty apologetic.

When his brows jumped skyward, Lexie saw a small amount of comedy in his handsome features. The tension was starting to break. "Yesterday, the guy in the journals, he said I was going to die," even as she said it she felt sort of stupid, letting a bunch of handwriting on a page affect her like this. She shook her head. "I know..." She said, cutting him off. She wasn't about to let anybody but her make her feel stupid about it, she was doing a good enough job of that already.

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ace_of_clubs
2009-06-03 12:50 pm UTC (link)

Maybe it was the accent. Cajun, like Russian, was one of the most often-used 'bad guy' accents, when there was someone who needed to be foreign in big-money films. Of course, Cajun was also one of the accents that the studly womanizers were given in movies. Neither one lended a very nice outlook when hearing the accent. Of course, it was a delight to listen to, even if a little hard to understand sometimes, especially when mixed with bad English, because French was certainly this man's first language.

"I realize' 'dat it was uh gym, Chere." The red-head assured her as he flashed a sudden smile, lowering his eyebrows down as he did. "Jus' suprise we be given a clinic at all." However, even as he was saying those words, red eyes were trailing down very obviously over her body, taking in the white coat and resting a long while on the words across her right breast, reading them over twice in his mind (English as a second langauge made it take a bit longer to read) before being assured that he got them right, before he looked down further, over her pants, then to her shoes, and immediately back up to her face, that smile never wavering.

"So you a doct'r? Met a girl named George, she say she woke up naked an' han'cuff to you, she say you're a doct'r." And he was imagining, from the look of her, that 'Doctor' would be a title for her, not a name, as it was for Le Docteur. She, after all, had introduced herself by a real name. The footprints were dismissed as easily as he'd brought them up.. it'd give the pretty lady something to do once Gambit left, so he wasn't too concerned about it. She looked bored, if a little freaked out by the red-head's presence in her 'clinic'.

When she mentioned that someone had told her she was going to die, Remy's eyebrows went up again, but not in the comical way. Not this time. This time, it was surprise. And he almost let it go without making a comment, but she seemed so scared of him earlier that he felt compelled to help her feel a bit better about it.. though, really, it might just backfire.

"He say you were gonna die? Was it someone you know? No one tell anyone 'dey gonna kill 'dem, if 'dey really plannin' on killin' 'em. Jus' put 'de targe' more on-edge, an' 'dat's 'de las' t'ing you wanna do if you goin' af'er someone. An' if he was predictin' your future, he's righ'. Everyone die, Chere, so it coul' be eigh'y years 'fore you do it, but you gonna do it someday, non? Ain' no reason t'worry, you jus' stick wit' ot'er people, don' be all on y'own like 'dis. Ain' safe, from 'de soun' uh t'ings." And if she'd gotten every word of that, the woman was amazing. Gambit wasn't always easy to understand, unless you were really listening instead of letting your mind wander.

"You ain' got no nurses can stay wit' you here? Help take care o'de people 'dat need it? Help keep 'de bot' of you safe, too." Gambit may have offered to stay, in later days, if he knew anything about anything medical. Unfortunately (or, fortunately for them, rather) he didn't.

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brain_ninja
2009-06-04 10:55 pm UTC (link)

It was with a drawn and sullen expression that Andy parted with Sam with a half-hearted "later, man," as the taller of the two made his way further down the road and Andy pushed open the doors to the gym. Stitches out. It had seemed like a much bigger deal this morning in the journals than it did now after his morning.

The walk with Sam was meant to help Andy get used to being mobile again, really, and okay, maybe he was hoping for a little bit of male bonding. Any bonding, he supposed, since, for the most part, he'd been pretty much on his own for the past week, give or take. Even when there were other people in the church, it wasn't like they paid him any attention. Leave the gimp to his devices. Don't look at the freak. Definitely don't talk to the guy who kissed you and caused you to run out.

But, while the walk itself had started out well, by the time they'd gotten down toward the clocktower, everything changed. As if it wasn't bad enough finding a fucking body hanging - which in and of itself brought back memories he'd rather be buried, even if they were still pretty raw and fresh - there was the goddamn picture of Lily. That was too perfect. The Asian guy had been strung up the same way...and then there was the picture of Lily. If that didn't scream "don't bother trying to leave," Andy didn't know what did.

So, when he walked into the gym to find Lexie and ended up finding Lexie and some redheaded dude, he very nearly turned right back around. He didn't mind being vulnerable in front of Lexie - shit, she'd seen him in his boxers hallucinating and puking like it was his job - but he wasn't exactly a fan of showing the softer side of Andy to other people. Especially other men. Andy wasn't a pussy, man. It was just...shit, even Sam hadn't taken that finding very well, so how the hell was Andy supposed to?

"Sorry to interrupt," he said dully. "Should I come back later, Lex?" Secretly, he sort of wanted to.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-05 04:01 pm UTC (link)

So, George had decided to tell a stranger about the naked time. Nice. It wasn't that Lexie was embarrassed or anything... OK, maybe she was, just a little bit, and that was because she kind of felt like Mr. Red Eyes here was giving her the once over and envisioning what was going on underneath of her clothes... and having some sort of pervy moment. Naked Time: Not a Pervy moment.

Admittedly beyond when Gambit mentioned about her being naked with George, Lexie lost a bit of the rhythm of his speech pattern. It was like losing a step in the middle of a complicated dance routine - except she didn't have any idea what the next five steps were going to be. She was the lost dance partner. Her brow furrowed - he'd lost her. Dammit.

Well, that was until the accent faded a little and she found herself being asked about nurses. "Nurses? No.. Well, there's another doctor... I think his name was House? or Greg? Something like that.. and there's that guy who calls himself 'doctor' but isn't one at all.. which is kind of creepy if you ask me. Makes me think of those t-shirts frat boys wear to try and make girls trust them... or serial killers..." Lexie had watched a little bit too much daytime TV in the on-call room lately.

She was about to mention that Logan had been kind enough to stay until she fell asleep the other night but she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and closing. Looking to the noise she spied Andy, a very tired, grumpy looking Andy. She tried to give him a warm smile. "Interrupt?" She shook her head. She was actually thankful that maybe her blood pressure could lower a bit now that she was no longer alone with a fast talking, red eyed Cajun man who seemed to be quite a bit more than meets the eye.

"Come on in, Andy, let me see how that leg of yours is holding up," her smile was warm. "Andy, Gambit; Gambit, Andy," It felt sort of weird introducing someone with a name that meant 'challenge.' Weird.

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ace_of_clubs
2009-06-05 04:23 pm UTC (link)

"House? Strange name." You were one to talk, LeBeau, but it didn't phase him and he only shrugged up his shoulders, making his coat rise and fall with the movements. "I met 'de Doct'r, he wasn' so bad. Clever." Even saying that made the Cajun smile slowly and he shook his head a moment later, red hair swinging slightly into his face before settling again. "I don' t'ink he's a serial killer, Chere." And he may have said more, but the door was opening and Gambit was also turning, to inspect the newcomer and offer him a smile.

"Nice t'meet you, An'y." Like Annie. Yes, Little Orphan Annie. Poor Andy. "But you two got business, I leave you to it." Red eyes once again found their way to Lexi before he gave her a nod. "You got a nice clin'c here. I hope I don' ever gotta come here." His easy smile said that it wasn't because he didn't want to meet her again, but rather that he hoped he wasn't hurt enough to come here. With that, Gambit was turning to look at Andy again. That was when the Cajun gave him the quick once-over. Now Lexi had him thinking about serial killers.. at least Andy didn't look like one.. but that man he'd met earlier? Jean? Definitely serial killer material. "Was nice t'meet you, Lexi. An'y." Poor, poor Andy.

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brain_ninja
2009-06-05 05:23 pm UTC (link)

To Lexie's warm smile, Andy forced a weak one in return, although it didn't reach his eyes. Quite honestly, he felt a little sick to his stomach with nerves and stress, so it was a little difficult to try and muster an honest smile for her. His eyes flickered over to the man as he made his way the rest of the way across the gym toward Lexie. He gave a weak anti-nod. "Hey." His brow furrowed slightly at the lack of the 'd' sound in his name when coming from the man, but he had too many other things on his mind at the time, really, to correct the guy. That, and the fact that his accent was a heavy Southern one, so he supposed he could let it slide.

And then he noticed the eyes and stopped dead in his tracks. "Whoa..." he breathed and had half a mind to turn right the hell around and go grab Sam. Lexie didn't seem to be afraid - or maybe Andy just hadn't noticed - so, Andy stayed put. In any case, the guy was getting ready to leave, it seemed like. Andy nodded at him again, shifting uncomfortably under his once-over. "Likewise," he replied.

Andy's eyes went back to Lexie and his eyebrows shot up briefly before his face settled back into its sullen, downtrodden original expression. This place just kept getting worse and worse. "I won't keep you too long, Doc Lex," he told her and looked back at the Cajun as if to silently apologize once again for interrupting and letting the guy know if he wanted to stick around or whatever, Andy wouldn't be here long.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-05 10:37 pm UTC (link)

Lexie's fear had waned substantially when she was (1) apologized to and (2) no longer alone with Gambit. He was a tall man, with red eyes, and a smooth disposition - too smooth almost.

Andy smiled back and as it seemed to be a bit lack luster Lexie couldn't help but try to attribute it to pain or Luna. She hoped it wasn't Luna.

Watching Andy's reaction to Gambit she wondered if he was used to this reaction. She didn't get much of a reaction as a general rule, so to see something like that in practice made her feel like she was witnessing something really sort of off kilter.

"I'm hoping for as few patients as possible," that was a half lie. She'd sort of like a couple of patients like Andy so she'd be able to keep busy and not scrub all the skin off her palms. No, not literally. "You, too," her response came a moment later.

"Should be a couple of quick snips," she said, referring to Andy's stitch removal.

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ace_of_clubs
2009-06-05 10:42 pm UTC (link)

But the Cajun only smiled again at the two and gave a half-wave, then pushed his hand into his pocket, fingering the small objects there, before he was turning and heading out of the sterile room, oddly colored eyes lifting to inspect the inside of the gym as he left. It was certainly interest. Big. He liked the museum better.. and in fact, that would be where he headed, after he hit the Clock Tower across the street. And the red-head slipped out of the building as quietly as he'd slipped in.

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brain_ninja
2009-06-06 12:56 am UTC (link)

Andy looked over his shoulder and watched the other man go, saying nothing until the doors of the gym were closed behind him. Then, he looked back at Lexie. "You okay?" he asked. "I mean...you know," he added, nodding back toward the direction the man called Gambit had gone.

He hadn't heard the bulk of the conversation and although it didn't look like Gambit had planned on doing anything to hurt Lexie, it hadn't escaped Andy's notice that she seemed to relax a little when he'd showed up. If she relaxed more with the other guy gone, then it'd seal the deal. Andy wasn't a fan of people fucking with his friends and even if the other guy was bigger than him, Andy would go down swinging if he had to defend her. Or anyone he counted as a friend, really.

Looking back at Lexie, Andy came a little closer. "Where do ya want me?" he asked. "There's, you know, no way we can take this in one of the locker rooms or anything, is there?" he added sheepishly.

The idea of being caught with a girl that looked like Lexie while his pants were around his ankles - again - wasn't in the least appealing. She was a hottie and anyone who walked in on them before or after she'd taken the stitches out if he was working on taking the pants off or putting them back on would see a very different picture painted than the reality of the situation. Which, you know, would work for him if he didn't consider her a friend, but it'd probably suck for her.

"Oh, and...you wouldn't have any shower stuff I could borrow, would you? I left the shit Sam brought me back at the church but...I'd wager I'm getting pretty rank by now," he added with an impish grin and a huff of laughter. Nine days without a shower, three days since he'd last shaved. Wow, you're a fuckin' keeper, Gallagher... he thought, slightly as amused as he was disgusted with himself.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-06 10:07 am UTC (link)

Gambit had gone and like a psychic, Andy was asking if she was alright. Was she alright? Lexie didn't rightfully know. She hadn't been raped or killed or hurt by Gambit. Bus she'd been scared. For the second time in two days she'd been scared. Fear was not a common companion for her. Lexie was the sort who took fear and made it work for her; she harnessed it, stuffed it down and made it her fuel. Yet, the fear she'd felt in this place? It was like putting diesel in her car - it only served to freeze up the engine.

Lexie swallowed hard, "I'm alright," she tried to reassure him, her own smile a bit forced.

"Well, if you're worried about privacy," her smile was a little more genuine now, "Look what I rigged up," she walked over to a few coat racks that she pulled away and rolled to either side of the bed. Cord from an old volleyball net she found connected the corners of each frame and with care she tugged the curtains closed.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want someone seeing your underwear," she peeked her head out from inside. "Though, if you're more interested in the locker room, it's fine by me."

He was asking about shower stuff and Lexie nodded, "A shower would definitely do you some good, Andy."

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brain_ninja
2009-06-06 07:26 pm UTC (link)

Andy could tell that Lexie's smile wasn't entirely genuine, but he couldn't exactly blame her. Not that Gambit hadn't seemed like an okay guy, or anything, but shit, even Andy felt a little freaked by the red eyes and the intimidating size of the guy; he could only imagine what might've been going through Lexie's head before he'd come in. Rather than call her on it, he nodded his understanding.

Eyebrows raised, Andy watched as she pulled some curtains closed. "Ha, hey, cool Doc Lex," he said with a ghost of a smile. "That's pretty sweet. That's fine. I just don't really like the idea of any other random patients or visitors seein' me in my skivs, yeah," he admitted with a small smile. He didn't mind Lexie seeing only because a) she already had, and b) she was a doctor; he doubted she gave a shit one way or the other.

Andy felt his ears get hot with embarrassment and he looked back at Lexie sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry," he said, giving her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He probably smelled about as awesome as he felt, which was to say...pretty awful. "If you've just got some soap or somethin...I have some, but I didn't think about it on my way out this morning. I can get ya back for it," he offered as he dropped trou and sat down on the bed. "Tell me they're still ready to come out, Lex, please, please tell me. Because if I can't have one good thing happen today..." Andy let his voice trail off and his eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Never mind. He didn't want to think about that guy's body hanging from the clocktower. Didn't want to think about the picture of Lily hanging in Cold Oak - or the fact that whoever was running the show here had taken it and thus had had his or her eye on he and Sam, even then. He sure as hell didn't want to think about cutting him down or burying the body, whoever he was. No, he didn't want to think about it.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-06 11:46 pm UTC (link)

Lexie finished pulling the curtain around before leaning over and pulling out a small plastic tray. On it she'd put some common instruments and tools: scissors, gauze, band aids, gloves, her needle and dental floss. It was a convenient place to keep it all. Where Martha had found the scissors was anyone's guess, but Lexie was glad to have them. She set the tray down at the end of the table, well out of the way of Andy's feet.

"Hey, I wouldn't want somebody random catching me in my skivvies, either," her voice came infected with a bit of light heartedness. It was nice to be working, especially with someone as nice as Andy. She felt both useful and safe at once, and that hadn't been common around here.

"My soap is all yours," she said, pulling on the latex gloves as she gently inspected the area around the wound. The tissue looked good, considering. At least the minty-fresh floss hadn't seemed to have had any obvious ill effects.

"Well, they're definitely ready to come out. You're healing up pretty well. Now, when I cut the floss and pull it out, I'm expecting it might be a little sharp so you might feel a bit of discomfort. You ready?"

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brain_ninja
2009-06-07 12:18 am UTC (link)

Nodding, Andy looked up at the ceiling, letting his head drop back a little and allowing his mind to wander to anything except what he'd just come from. "Bet you look better in yours than I look in mine, though," he joked absently with only the briefest of smiles without looking back at her. When he felt her hands on his thigh, he shifted out of reflex. It wasn't that he was shifting away from or toward her touch...it was just that she'd been the only one to touch him anywhere near that close to his junk in over a year. She was just doing her job, but that didn't mean he was entirely comfortable with it; it didn't have anything to do with her, but still. Uncomfortable.

"Thanks, much obliged, babe," he replied and then closed his eyes. "Fuck, sorry; reflexive. I'm trying to cut down on that...some chick on the journals sorta told me off for it. I mean no harm," he added sheepishly. It was just how Andy rolled, using pet names for women. He never meant harm by 'peaches' or 'babe.' It was when he switched to 'gorgeous,' 'pretty girl,' 'baby,' or 'mama,' that he meant business, but Lexie probably would neither know nor care. "Anyway, yeah, thanks for the soap; I'm sure anyone who bothers to grace me with their presence will thank you, too," he added.

"And hit me with your best shot. I'll live," he finished in reference to her question of whether he was ready for her to take out the stitches. He'd had a feeling it wasn't going to feel great coming out since he'd cut the shit out of his gums on many an occassion back in the real world while flossing. Somehow, he didn't think it'd feel a whole lot different just because it was his leg.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-07 12:43 am UTC (link)

"Someone gave you a hard time about calling them 'babe?'" If Lexie sounded a bit less than amused it could be because she was simply shocked. That kind of thing actually upset someone? While she tried hard not to be critical of people for their beliefs, she found things like this were generally a symptom of crazy in one of it's many forms.

"If 'babe' is the worst you can come up with Andy, I can tell you that I've been called much, much worse." She was lining up everything she needed on the tray and with care she took scissors in hand. "Just don't call me 'little Grey,' OK?" she figured it would seem like a reasonable enough request.

"No sweat," she said, and steadying the scissors she set to work with a chain of quick, well placed snips to the floss. The potentially painful part was yet to come as she laid down the scissors.

"Alright, now, just be careful not to move around too much, I don't want to miss any of the floss." With gentle, deft care she started to pull out the floss carefully. Three down, three to go.

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brain_ninja
2009-06-07 01:37 am UTC (link)

Letting out a humorless huff of laughter, Andy shook his head. "Actually, she gave me a hard time about 'peaches,' if I remember right," he replied. He wasn't sure he understood the tone in Lexie's voice, but he wasn't gonna ask. His mind was somewhere else entirely, so he might've just misunderstood it as unamused, for all he knew.

"Oh, I can come up with worse, Lexie, I just figure I'd deserve a slap in the face for some of it and I'm not actually up for that today or any time soon," he said, looking back at her. "Not for you, though," he was quick to add, lest she get the wrong idea. "Little Grey? That's a fuckin' lame nickname, you got a big brother or something?" he asked. "Tell you what. I won't call you little Grey if you don't call me Kick Ass Gallagher," he replied sullenly. Webber's nickname for him. "Or Andrew. Don't fuckin' call me Andrew," he added quickly. Tracey's nickname, if you could call it that, since it was his actual name.

Andy winced and held as still as he could as Lexie pulled out the floss. "Son of a..." he muttered quietly. "Goddamn, Doc Lex, you weren't kidding..." Sharp, yeah no kidding!

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-07 01:58 am UTC (link)

"Peaches?" Lexie's brow scrunched. That was a stupid name to get upset about. She wondered if this girl had ever been called a skank, or a bitch, or a cocktease and what she did when that happened. "You can call me peaches any time you want, Andy," her words tempered with her quiet laughter.

"Older sister," snip. "She and I worked at the same hospital," snip. "I think Andy is fine," snip.

"We're almost through, she said quietly, gingerly pulling out the last three stitches. The floss didn't look quite as bad as she had expected and the wound didn't look any more agitated then if she had used regular thread. Suddenly, Lexie felt very fortunate.

"I just want to bandage you up and you'll be ready to go," she said starting to prep the tray. "You're doing great."

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brain_ninja
2009-06-07 02:07 am UTC (link)

Andy gave Lexie a wan smile then. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied. "Good to know that not every chick around here will freak over something like that," he added.

The way that Lexie went on to explain that she had an older sister who also worked at the same place doing the same thing lent Andy the idea that maybe he shouldn't push for information. Mostly because then it'd mean having to commisserate about when he and Webber had been working at the diner for Tracey back then. If he never had to tell anyone about his twin brother who didn't already know, that would be fine with him, especially since it could lead to potentially uncomfortable conversation afterward.

Hissing through his teeth, Andy winced again and relaxed only when she'd finished. "Thanks," he replied. With a small smirk that didn't quite meet his eyes, Andy let out another huff. "Do I get a lollipop, Doc?" he joked half-heartedly.

"You know, Lex...I appreciate you doin' all this. You know, stitching it up and stickin' with me until all that trippy shit was done. And the maintanence. No one's making you and just because you're a doctor doesn't mean you're obligated to be one here. So, you know...thanks," he said awkwardly.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-07 11:23 pm UTC (link)

Lexie nodded and with practiced hands she applied the bandage to his wound. It was just about healed, but there was no such thing as being too careful in a situation like this.

"If I had lollipops, Andy, you'd be the first to get one." She pulled off the gloves and threw them in a wastebasket, turning her back to Andy as he pulled up his pants. Lexie pulled back the curtain and the room seemed a little bit brighter.

"It's no problem, Andy," she let her smile hang a moment. "Thank you for what you said to that guy L in the journals, I really appreciate it." The things Andy had said on her behalf in the journal was one of the kindest things someone had done for her without her actually being there. Dean had saved her and Logan had put her to sleep; but defend her? Like that to L? It was something she took just as seriously as Dean jumping in to save the day.

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brain_ninja
2009-06-07 11:44 pm UTC (link)

Another humorless laugh was elicited in response to Lexie. As she turned her back on him, Andy stood and carefully pulled the pants back up. Even if it was healing really well, that didn't mean that the pants didn't still irritate his skin coming up. The bandages would've prevented said irritation, but he was working out of force of habit by now. "If you get 'em, I like the red kind," he joked back as he zipped the jeans and re-buttoned them.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Andy shrugged at her. To him, it really hadn't been that big a deal. It was just the sort of thing he did; stood up for his friends when he felt they were being wronged. "You're welcome. It was nothin' Lex, he was being a dick and I called him on it. I hate presumptious, pretentious people, that's all. People who think they're better than the rest of the world annoy the shit out of me. I actually enjoy taking them down a peg whenever I can," he replied.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh, Andy shrugged again. "Well, I'll get outta your hair now, then, Doc. Thanks again," he said with a small smile as he took a few steps back. He didn't want to turn his back on her if she had something else to say, especially if it was about maintenance of the healing wound, but he also didn't want to just stand there saying he was going to leave and making no move to do so. That would reek too much of silently asking to be invited to stay and he kind of wanted to be alone, now.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-08 07:55 am UTC (link)

Andy, she realized, seemed suddenly so very sad. The hollow laughs and smils that lingered on his lips alone. She didn't know, maybe he was always like that - a person with a mask of humor. Though, something told her that he wasn't. "The red kind? I've always gone for the orange ones, myself."

Andy sighed and it seemed like he was all ready to go. Had he forgotten eboug his shower? "Hey, I thought you were going to do something about that manly scent you have going on." She teased him. "C'mon, I'll show you casa del Lexie," she canted her head toward the double doors that lead to both the showers and to the closet she'd decided to use as her home.

It was nice having a friendly face around, no sense on shoving him out the door yet; well, unless he was in a hurry to go.

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brain_ninja
2009-06-08 02:42 pm UTC (link)

"Ah, yeah then to each their own, 'cause I'm all about the red...or the purple, those are pretty awesome, too," he replied. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and then took another step back.

But then Lexie poked at him about his stench and the shower he'd completely forgotten about, so wrapped up in the thoughts he didn't want to be thinking. "Right, shit, yeah thanks," he replied, shaking his head in annoyance with himself. Maybe a shower would feel so good that he'd be able to forget. Besides, he highly doubted Lexie would be inclined to follow him into the shower, so he could kill two birds with one stone - getting clean again and being alone.

"Lead on, peaches," he said with another small smile, gesturing forward with one hand and taking a few steps toward her again.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-11 09:32 am UTC (link)

"Orange, Purple, Red, yellow," She raid with a grin, ranking her favorites. "You can keep the green ones all to yourself."

She was ducking through the doors then, on her way down the hallway past the locker rooms. she came to the door, it's split down the middle quite pronounced. "And here we have," she said, beating out a drum roll on the frame, "Casa del Lexie." Turning the handle she revealed the shelf lined room, the window above casting a fair amount of light on the small space. She'd already cleared out a small portion of the supply lined walls for her things (though, the term supplies was used loosely as mostly there was just paper plates, streamers, and cups.)

Standing on tip-toe she retrieved the plastic carton that held her shampoo and soap. "Now, if you just imagine a second," she paused, turning, "Bed there, maybe one of those oil lamps that Ianto said he could make over there, maybe I'll snatch up Velvet Elvis from the thrift store.." She was trying to make light of the situation as she showed off her humble abode.

"Not too bad for a supply closet, huh?"

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brain_ninja
2009-06-11 12:00 pm UTC (link)

With a hollow laugh, Andy shook his head. "Lex, nobody in their right mind likes the green ones," he pointed out.

A small grin spread over Andy's lips at Lexie's enthusiasm, right down to the drum roll. He was happy for his friend in that sense. She didn't know the thing he knew now and it was better that way. She could relax and have fun and smile. Good for her. Secretly, he envied her that, but he'd never say.

Nodding, Andy gave Lexie another smile that didn't reach his eyes, no matter how hard he tried. "Not too shabby. Looks good, Lex. Comfortable," he added. Since you'll be there forever, from the looks of things this morning...

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-12 11:44 am UTC (link)

Lexie never realized what an enviable trait her happiness was; and it seemed nobody ever really saw fit to tell her, either. If they had it might have occurred to her to tone it down a bit; to hold back her grins and try to be just a bit more serious. Though, it was when Lexie was serious you knew she was crumbling just a little on the inside.

"It think so," she said, holding out the carton to him. "Well, go get your shower, you're stinking up my room!"

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brain_ninja
2009-06-12 02:04 pm UTC (link)

Shaking his head and offering Lexie another smile that didn't quite reach his eyes - he tried, though, really - Andy took the carton. "Thanks, you're the best, Lex," he said and then disappeared into the locker room.

Andy didn't realize that a shower could be so good. The water was lukewarm at best, but it felt amazing to scrub off all the grime and blood that had been building on his skin for over a week. It also felt awesome to wash his hair which had long since matted itself to his head and made his scalp itch. Not to mention trying to wash away the images of the morning. After standing around to dry for a few minutes and ultimately giving up, pulling his clothes on over his wet skin, Andy headed back out of the shower room, shaking stray droplets of water from his hair with one hand.

"Thanks again," he said, holding the carton out to Lexie. "I owe ya one." Pausing, Andy took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. "All right, I'm gonna get out of your hair. If Sam ain't done nappin' by now, that's just too damn bad," he said with a cock of his eyebrows. "Lemme know if there's anything I need to be doing with this," he added, gesturing toward his leg. "You know, other than not ripping it back open again," he added with a smirk.

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skipped3rdgrade
2009-06-12 02:09 pm UTC (link)

"No problem, it's for the good of everyone," she joked, shrugging a bit at the end.

As Andy trundled off to the shower Lexie walked back out into the main gym starting to take mental inventory of her things that she needed to move into the back room. Should she take some of the more addictive pain killers with her? She didn't want people coming in looking for a fix and actually finding it when they might actually be needed some day.

As Andy reappeared, looking much better followinghis trip to the shower, Lexie offered him a dazzling smile. It was nice to see him look so much more human and less filthy. She would have never believed a simple shower could do so much for a person.

"Oh don't worry about it," she replied, taking the carton and setting it on the table. She laughed a little when he mentioned Sam taking a nap, she didn't know quite who that was, but she figured he was a friend.

"I'd say not ripping it again is the key to success," she joked.

"Don't be a stranger," she called after him.

Goodness gracious, talk about feeling a sense of accomplishment. She'd done one good thing.

Good.

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