InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Shtako."

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

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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	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. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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