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Laurel Lance ([info]i_crylikeabird) wrote in [info]we_coexist,
@ 2012-02-15 20:33:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:dinah lance, stand still, winifred burkle

Days Like These (Fred)
Displaying its' cruelty as always, the City had moved the Sherwood Florist right across the street from Harry's office building a few days ago, right after Dinah had left the break-up letter for Harry. She... really wasn't ready to face him. She knew that they'd probably need to talk about it at some point, but she didn't want that to be just because there was a chance running into each other outside of their workplaces.

For that matter, she didn't really want to talk about it at all. She'd done the right thing, as much as it hurt. And she hoped that he would take the little bit of advice she'd given him regarding making things right with Murphy.

She'd waited for the City to shift things again. It usually happened fairly often, but this time it... didn't.

In fact, the entire City had stopped moving. Dinah didn't really know what to make of that, and she wasn't in the mood for yet another puzzle to solve. Not when her mind was still filled with trying to find a way to kill the vampire that had attacked her and threatened Hank.

She was a little bit preoccupied with that, and with trying not to linger too long outside of the florist shop when she left for the day. Since it was the day after Valentine's Day, there was a nice lull to recover from the holiday rush. She looked both ways and then hurried across the street to the only parking spot she could find with her motorcycle, hoping that she wouldn't run into Harry before she could get to the bike itself.


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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-16 03:54 am UTC (link)
Dinah heard Fred's voice and tried not to cringe. Not that she was unhappy about seeing Fred, but she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Particularly not right outside of Harry's office when she was trying to make a quick getaway.

All the same, she knew she couldn't and shouldn't shut herself off from her friends. She turned and gave a forced smile of her own.

"Hi Fred. The City apparently decided to relocate my building before it stopped moving. How are you?"

Her voice was a little tight, but mostly she was able to pull off sounding natural and okay.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-16 04:43 am UTC (link)
Fred gave Dinah a look, definitely confused. She glanced around to see what Dinah might be talking about; the City wasn't moving, and Fred hadn't noticed it?

"I'm okay. What do you mean the City stopped moving?" Sometimes the City would move before someone's eyes. Sometimes it would wait, the change almost imperceptible until someone was really looking for the change or they paid attention. At the moment, it seemed more than happy to just sit right where it was.

"Maybe it's just decided to let you see Harry for a bit?" She smiled questioningly at Dinah, still not sure what the not moving business was about. When Fred got disconnected from the world, she really got disconnected. She'd thought of going to see Jensen in the last couple of days, but she didn't think she could face him. Some part of her wondered if he noticed.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-16 12:44 pm UTC (link)
"Probably," Dinah scoffed. "The City always has had a cruel sense of humor."

She looked at Fred, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"You didn't notice that the City's stopped moving? Are you okay?"

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-17 07:04 am UTC (link)
"Oh, yeah, just been busy down there..." Fred motioned to the ground; there was an apartment down there somewhere after all. "Had some ideas. You? Everything go okay with your physical? I didn't want to be a buttinsky and stick around. I would have if you'd wanted, but you didn't seem to want, so I left. I hope that was okay."

"When did it stop moving? Has it been long? I noticed that the take out wasn't taking too long. Thought the City liked me. Though they did seem a little confused. I should have asked, but I didn't. Was busy busy busy." She smiled slightly.

"How have you been?" Then it clicked. "Why would it be cruel for you to see Harry?"

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-17 12:54 pm UTC (link)
"It hasn't been long," Dinah said, frowning as she tried to think of exactly when it had happened.

"Harry and I just aren't together anymore. Haven't really heard from him since that and not looking forward to running into him," she said, since there was nothing to be gained by sidestepping the conversation.

"Things went okay with my physical, but you could have stayed if you'd wanted," she said with a shrug, attempting to move the conversation away from her current break-up. "Sorry if I seemed a little... strange that day."

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-17 11:23 pm UTC (link)
Fred's lips parted as if she were going to say something, but there wasn't much to say when one heard that a friend broke up with another friend. She stepped closer, not sure if Dinah wanted a hug.

"Was that why? You and Harry broke up? I'm sorry that y'all did." She really was. Even if at first she'd been a little jealous, she never wanted to see her friends unhappy; it just wasn't in her. She looked down at the bike then up at Dinah.

"Was it something else? Just under the weather?" She understood sometimes feeling a little under the weather, who didn't?

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-18 03:48 am UTC (link)
"No, the breakup with Harry came after that," Dinah said.

She wasn't exactly thrilled about shouting the fact that she'd gotten her ass kicked from the rooftops, but she supposed Fred deserved an explanation. Fred was a good friend after all.

"I was attacked by a vampire who forced me to drink his blood. It had some... unusual side effects," she said. "I guess that whole attack just brought the point home that I hadn't seen or heard from Harry for almost two months. And having him not be available when I needed him..."

She shrugged, still not really wanting to talk about it.

"But that's enough of that. What's keeping you so busy that you didn't notice that the streets aren't moving anymore?"

Not the smoothest redirection, but it was the best she could come up with at this point.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-18 05:27 am UTC (link)
Fred blinked, somewhat shocked that her friend had tussled with a vampire and then had his blood. She was more shocked that Harry hadn't been there to help out during or even afterward. She didn't move to try and comfort Dinah, but she wasn't that far away.

"Oh, just thought I had some ideas for some equations I'd been working on, which are now kind of pointless because the City doesn't move anymore. It's like the City stopped moving just so I knew how much time I'd waste on pointless endeavors. Not that I think it's really pointless because the City will move again, and it's not like the City does things like this just for me, but it feels that way." Yes, Fred was avoiding.

"So, what sort of vampire was it? The one that gave you blood? Don't think Angel's kind do that, and I don't know about Lestat's - don't think so. Though I've heard that vampire blood can do interesting things to humans, but...do you know? Bumpy forehead? Narcissistic - though that really isn't just Lestat's type of vampire, is it? Not sure what would be that sort, the nonbumpy kind?" She wasn't asking to make Dinah feel bad; Fred was just the curious sort.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-18 05:42 am UTC (link)
Dinah cast a furtive glance over at Harry's office, but thankfully there was no sign of her ex. She got the feeling that something was going on with Fred, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"No bumpy face. Just... tall. And strong. His name was Eric. It was the strangest thing. The first time I encountered him, he mentioned not being able to go out in the daylight. Then he walked into my shop in the middle of the day."

Her expression let on that she still wasn't happy with that newfound ability, or with the fact that she didn't know what exactly that meant when it came to fighting him and finding a way to stop him for good.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-18 06:10 am UTC (link)
Fred smiled hoping Dinah didn't mind the questions. Most people who'd spent much time with her knew that she was just the sort to ask many questions. It was just in her nature to be curious. She took a little careful lean against Dinah's motorcycle, hoping the woman didn't mind too much. Some people were very picky about their vehicles.

As Dinah described her attacker, the brainy female became a little agitated, nothing too overt. She shifted her weight a little before looking at the ground. She guessed that Eric had to feed, but attacking people? Attacking Dinah? She didn't understand why he would want to attack her unless...

"Why would he attack you? In your shop?" Fred looked at him. "Did he come in there just to attack you? Did y'all have words or fight the first time you met?" The questions probably sounded like everyday Fred, and in a way they were.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-18 09:23 pm UTC (link)
Dinah raised an eyebrow as Fred leaned against her motorcycle. She liked Fred, but that was her baby.

She frowned at the questions, trying to think of the best way to explain it.

"I think he was just playing with his food, but I can't know for sure. The first time I met him, he made a few veiled threats and then took my phone. Got my number and started sending harassing text messages."

She cleared her throat, a little embarrassed.

"When he came to visit in the shop, he asked to taste my blood. I tried to defend myself and then..."

She shrugged helplessly.

It occurred to her in that uncomfortable portion of her mind that he hadn't needed to ask and yet he had. She still didn't know why he'd left her alive or why he'd tried to heal her. Except that she believed that he wasn't done playing with her.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-19 04:30 am UTC (link)
Fred stepped away from the motorcycle, after giving it a tiny little wipe where she'd been leaning. Her hands buried in her pockets to make sure she didn't touch more than she should this time. Her head tilted a little as she heard this. Now, playing with his food, Fred could see, but...

"So, you think he came just to taste your blood? Did he say that?" Fred hoped that wasn't the case, even though she could see that too. "Then attacked you? He does take what he wants, but...he just attacked you? Hurt you?" Fred looked at Dinah; she was a little confused.

"He wouldn't need to attack you; he could just take it. That doesn't make any sense." Maybe it wasn't the Eric she knew.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-19 03:00 pm UTC (link)
He takes what he wants... Those words chilled Dinah. She looked at Fred in alarm.

"Do you know Eric?" she asked.

She wondered what he had been taking from Fred, if she was reading things right. Worse, she wondered how many other of her teammates that Eric was harassing in some way.

Even if Fred had technically given up her position in the Watchtower to Jensen, Dinah still considered her a teammate and a friend, of course. As such, she was just as fiercely protective of Fred as she would be over anyone else who was a member of the league.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-19 11:53 pm UTC (link)
"I know an Eric." Fred gave Dinah a weak smile. "He is a vampire, but I don't know why he'd just attack someone, hurt them if he hurt you. He never hurt me." Not that she could remember. Fred wouldn't add that part because she knew that it was a possibility that Eric had made her forget; he'd done it before.

"I don't understand why he would attack you. I don't think he's the kind to play with someone he was going to get blood from. There are lots of people willing who'd just hand it over." Fred had never exactly seen it, but she could believe it. She'd been one of them, sort of, hadn't she?

"It's not a normal way of life for us, but if someone wants to do that, who are we to say they're wrong?" She turned away from Dinah to look at both their reflections in the glass front of Angel Investigations. "The blood can enhance human abilities, and other things. If it comes directly from the vampire, it isn't as addictive. No, it isn't addictive."

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-20 02:08 am UTC (link)
Dinah's face paled at the implications of Fred's babbling. At this point, it didn't entirely matter if it was or wasn't the same Eric.

"Are you trying to tell me that you've been drinking vampire blood?" she asked slowly, trying very hard to avoid sounding like she was accusing Fred.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-20 03:00 am UTC (link)
Fred turned and looked at the superheroine; it was a strange mix of defiance and guilt. She looked around to avoid looking at Dinah more because she really wasn't sure how to handle this.

"I might have. It happened. And, I've stopped it." Yes, there were times that Fred could be very terse, very short with the words. There was usually a reason for it, but she was telling the woman the truth, even if it was limited truth.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-20 03:31 am UTC (link)
Dinah's expression darkened, watching as Fred shut down and got... strangely brief, compared to how she usually was.

"You stopped it? How long was this going on?"

And how hadn't she realized it? Sure, it had been a busy year, but she still should have noticed that one of her friends was possibly addicted to something.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-20 03:55 am UTC (link)
"Does it matter?" Fred didn't look at Dinah, her arms crossed about her middle with it. Her lips thinned slightly as she turned only slightly toward the other woman. Her head tilted slightly a little as she thought about it.

"It's over with now. That is all that matters, isn't it?" She glanced at her for a moment before looking away to the street that was the same as it had been when they started talking. Her arms tightened a little more about her middle.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-20 12:22 pm UTC (link)
Dinah frowned with concern.

"Is it over now? Are you sure? He's just going to let you walk away?"

She sighed.

"How did this come about?"

Somehow, she didn't see Fred asking a vampire for his blood. Which meant that it had been given against her will at first, if Dinah's hunch was right.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-20 08:24 pm UTC (link)
"He did let me walk away." It had only hurt a little, but Fred walked away. Eric didn't bother trying to stop her. "He is a man of his word." She believed that anyway.

"Plus, I'm not that important in the grand scheme of things. There's something out there that lets him walk in the sun, so..." She shrugged. "There are more interesting things under the sun."

"It's really hard to say. It just happened. He didn't attack me." The first meeting was still a little fuzzy, as was the second.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-21 01:38 am UTC (link)
Dinah stared at Fred, a little bewildered by the way she was talking about Eric. The comment about him walking out in the sun was a big tip off.

"Fred, I think it's safe to assume this is the same Eric. About as tall as Sam, blonde, and is suddenly able to walk in the sun when he couldn't before?"

Dinah didn't wait for confirmation.

"I don't know about you, but the first time he met me there were a lot of veiled threats thrown around. A lot of attempts to demonstrate what he could do to me. And then a whole lot of harassing text messages. When he came into my shop and asked if he could taste my blood... I acted defensively and he wrenched my arm out of the socket and broke the bone before he bit me. He enjoyed inflicting the pain. I don't know why he healed me afterward, unless he's planning to toy with me some more."

She frowned at the thought.

"And he terrorized Hank. So I don't know what sort of person the vampire has pretended to be to you or what sort of relationship you two had, but I don't think he's a good guy."

She didn't point out that Jensen found Fred interesting, or that she wasn't sure how he might take all this. In fact, she wasn't sure she wanted to get involved in that situation at all. She was starting to like their new tech guy and she didn't want to see him crushed anymore than she wanted to see Fred turning her back on someone who seemed to be good for her because she had some sort of weird... addiction, perhaps? to a vampire and his blood.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-21 02:01 am UTC (link)
"You threw a punch when he said something? Or you threw words?" Fred looked at Dinah, her lips thinning. "He healed you because that's what he does. If he wanted you dead, you'd be dead. That's how all vampires are. They are all dark and prone to cruelty, even the ones who have souls. It is in their very natures. They also very rarely bother with going easy when they have been attacked."

Fred turned her back on Dinah, arms crossed. She was angry for more than one reason, and she couldn't name them all. She didn't like being angry, and she certainly didn't like someone saying such awful thinks about someone she thought was her friend.

"I don't know what he did to Dr. McCoy. I don't know what he did to you exactly. I can't know, no matter how detailed you get. I wasn't there." She turned back around, her arms still crossed. "But, I do know that people who aren't used to vampires are given to misreading them. Eric isn't a good guy, but he may not be the big bad. There may be something bigger and badder than he."

"You don't understand, and you can't. You're Dinah Lance, Black Canary. You wear fishnets like it's every day work wear for someone who isn't a hooker, stripper, cigarette girl, or dressing sexy for Halloween. You wear lingerie because it's what you fight in, and you can kick ass. No one questions your abilities. No one questions your sex appeal. No one questions who you are." A hand lifted.

"There is no way you can know what it's like to be Fred Burkle. You've had a team that doesn't try to protect you, or doesn't think you're just plain nuts. You don't get weird looks for being who you are, not normally, especially when they know you know Superman, Batman, or can just scream their ear drums out. And look at what you ride..." She motioned to the motorcycle.

"You are amazing. You wouldn't have any idea what it's like to be someone who is thought of a 'great, but....' Or 'pretty, but...' I'm smart, and I have moments were I'm pretty cute, but when Eric paid attention to me and gave me the blood..." She shrugged. "I was not 'anything' comma 'but.'"

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-21 02:21 am UTC (link)
Anger flashed across Dinah's expression as Fred sounded like she was siding with Eric, because what? Because it was in his 'nature' to be cruel? That didn't make it okay.

Her eyes narrowed even more at the comments about her costume, but the expression softened once Fred finished with her rant.

"Fred, I know that it might seem like..." she kind of shrugged, not even wanting to get into Fred's idealized version of her, "I've got it so easy. But when it comes down to it, I can't get a guy to stay faithful to me worth a damn, I've had more than one teammate and team leader get all up in arms because they thought I couldn't handle myself, and I'm just..."

She sighed.

"I'm just Dinah. Not amazing, not always confident, sometimes insecure as hell, and just trying to live up to my Mom's name."

She gave Fred a small smile.

"You're gorgeous. You might not see it, but you are. And you're one of the smartest people I've ever met. Not to mention that you're loyal and a damn good friend. No but after any of those. I don't know what the vampire blood might have done for you, but I kind of like you just as you are now. Save for the whole sympathizing with the devil schtick."

Dinah gave a small smile to soften the blow of the last comment.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-21 02:32 am UTC (link)
Fred sighed. Just as she was. There was a part of her that wanted to scream for the 'like you just as you are now' because it wasn't comfortable being just as she was now.

"He didn't treat me like I couldn't handle things. Sure, he might have made me forget, but...it felt so good to not worry about being me. I was just me. He didn't care if I broke; too many people care if I'm going to break. I may not be able to kick your ass hand to hand, but I'd find a way to do if I had to." Fred stepped closer. "I hope I never have to because that would be very difficult. But, if it meant I'd save your life and others, I would do it. Not really sure how I got there."

Fred worked it through. "I know good people have great potential to go bad. I know that bad people can be good. I want people to be good, and I really wanted him to be good. He said it wasn't addictive."

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-21 02:43 am UTC (link)
Dinah's lips quirked up into a slightly amused smile at Fred talking about how she'd find a way to kick her ass.. She didn't doubt that.

"For my sake, I'm going to hope it doesn't come to a situation where you would have to kick my ass," she said without a trace of sarcasm.

She watched as a certain realization crossed through Fred's face and then leaned against the bike herself.

"He said that, but what do you think? You're the scientist."

There was no judgment in her voice, just a gentle attempt to get Fred to think for herself instead of just listening to what Eric had told her.

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[info]i_figure
2012-02-21 03:32 am UTC (link)
"I could see that the blood may be less addictive coming straight from the vampire; there may be some chemical reactions that time and air produce that create a more addictive product. But, the blood, how it makes you feel can be addictive no matter where it comes from." Fred sighed softly. "I just wanted it to be natural, and I'm not going to say drinking blood isn't natural. I know too many vampires and others to say that isn't a life choice.

"I wanted it to be real." She shook her head. "I just felt differently. With him and with the blood. And the dreams. He didn't hurt me. At least he didn't rip my arm out or anything. He never did that. Then again, I never tried attacking him, not exactly. That's not my first reaction to vampires." It wasn't an accusation; it was just a suggestion to why she may have fared differently with the vampire.

"Life would be easier if everyone was the same. Then no one would feel less than, ever." Her nose wrinkled. "People say that it would be boring, but if that's all you know, then it couldn't be boring. You can't get bored if you don't know there's another choice. Possibly."

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2012-02-21 11:11 pm UTC (link)
They were going to have to agree to disagree on the idea that drinking human blood was a lifestyle choice.

It did sting a little bit that Fred's first instinct had been to side with Eric over Dinah in regards to their confrontation, but Fred's questions had started to put doubts in her mind about how it might have been handled differently.

All the same, she wasn't going to tell Fred that the League was currently looking for ways to neutralize the threat. Which meant that she would most likely have to order Jensen not to share that with Fred, though she wasn't sure how to do that without explaining things.

She sighed.

"Fred, I can tell you all day long that I like you the way you are. I can point out that you have a guy who seems to be pretty crazy about you, but none of that matters if you're not okay with yourself."

She leaned against the bike herself and watched Fred carefully.

"Is there anything I can help with? It might not be much, but I'm willing to teach you hand-to-hand if you'd like. Just to give you another weapon in your arsenal."

Dinah would feel better with Fred knowing how to physically defend herself too. She knew that Fred was smart and resourceful and she'd seen Fred handle herself in a fight situation, but yet another skill set wouldn't be a bad thing.

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