InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Come inside...*leers*"

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_figure
2012-02-22 12:34 am UTC (link)

Fred laughed softly at the offer. It was actually sweet, and while it stung a little to be asked, not much but a little, the brainy Female knew it was asked in earnest.

"I've been working on that. I could probably use more formal training. But, the truth is, against certain creatures out there, it is better to play dead. It's funny. Not the laugh out loud kind of funny, but the strange way life is kind of funny." Fred moved closer to Dinah, smiling slightly. "We want to fight the bad things; we want to get rid of it, but we all know it'll never go away. We want to fight so hard, yet we never think to just wait and let some of it pass. That's not to say we let it run over us, but sometimes not fighting is a better choice for the moment. Sometimes fighting like your life depends on it is the only choice." She shrugged, with that same slight smile on her lips.

"I'm going to tell him. He'll probably break up with me, but I am going to tell him. He won't understand anymore than you do. I know you're trying to live up to something you really don't have to worry about anymore, not here. And..." Fred looked over her shoulder at Harry's. "He's a bit of a jackass right now in my book. He probably had something going on, but you don't disappear on the ones you love if that's what happened. Not without saying something. I did it, and it wasn't my fault, but my parents..." She shook her head, sending that thought away.

"So maybe he's not really a jackass, maybe he got caught in something, maybe he got to go back home." Fred was trying to find a happy in the sad. It was a habit. "It doesn't matter, it sucks to be the one left behind." She knew that one from experience.

"I just don't know if he'll understand. I can't not tell him. I couldn't keep the secret anymore. I won't. I don't like secrets. I don't like keeping things from other people, and I don't like it when they keep things from me. That should have been the first sign that something was wrong - I was hiding it. I didn't even tell Jesse." She sighed. "I'm sorry."

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i_crylikeabird
2012-02-22 01:54 am UTC (link)

Dinah shook her head slightly.

"I made sure he was still here and okay before I broke things off. I think he's just caught up in... a case or research maybe?" she shrugged. "Thank you."

She took a step toward her friend and gave her a small hug, assuming Fred would let her.

"I think telling Jensen is the right thing to do. And if he's right for you, then you two will find a way to work through it."

She didn't add that if not, it was better to find out earlier rather than later down the line.

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i_figure
2012-02-22 02:00 am UTC (link)

"Yeah. I guess that's true. I am sorry that you had to break it off. It's not a happy thing." Fred leaned easily enough into the hug. She didn't mind getting hugs after all. "I guess I'll see what happens, won't I?"

She sighed softly, returning the hug before she stepped away. There was a slight smile on her lips as she looked at her friend. "I guess it's better to know before it goes too long." She sighed again and shrugged.

"It will be okay."

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i_crylikeabird
2012-02-22 02:38 am UTC (link)

"Well, either way, we can get ice cream afterward," Dinah said with a tight smile.

Not that ice cream made everything better, but she knew from personal experience that things-even break-ups-seemed a whole lot better with a good friend by your side.

She sincerely hoped that things didn't go the way of Fred needing the ice cream, but if it did... she'd be there for her. And she could use some ice cream or some sort of support herself. Even if she wasn't completely ready to talk about what had happened with Harry.

Or maybe, she thought-she wouldn't ever be ready. Maybe she just wanted to move on and lock the pain of having a love just sort of quietly fall apart away. It wasn't something she really wanted to dwell on, when it came down to it.

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i_figure
2012-02-22 03:07 am UTC (link)

"We could get ice cream now, and then later too. Not trying to put it off, but..." Fred smiled slightly. "You kind of need it, I think. Or maybe we could get ...I think I read somewhere that you like pasta with shrimp? That's if you want to get pasta with shrimp, and don't mind that I have a habit of snooping and reading more than I usually should."

The brainy female reached out and touched Dinah's arm. She didn't want to invade the woman's space, even if they'd just shared a hug.

"I don't know what to say to him. And, I understand if y'all make Eric public enemy number...whatever number y'all think he is. Just think y'all shouldn't go running to kill him." Her arms crossed her arms about her. "Y'all aren't close to ready. Specially you. You've got his blood in you; he can feel how we feel. It's how the blood works. He knows things simply because we have his blood in us."

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i_crylikeabird
2012-02-22 03:20 am UTC (link)

Dinah might have laughed at Fred's habit of reading more than she should, but at the warning about Eric, her face paled.

She had to fight the urge to go talk to Hank and see if she could find a way to get the blood out of her system faster.

Once she was able to get her breathing to resume something close to normal and had found her voice again, she met Fred's eyes.

"How long does it take before the blood is out of my system?"

She wasn't overly surprised that Fred was guessing at their plans to go after Eric. That didn't mean that she was going to volunteer information or explain that she was the only one who had insisted the team wait before acting. If Ollie had had his way, they would have already tried to shoot him with flaming arrows.

And Oliver, along with anyone else that might come along, would probably be dead. She did her best not to shudder at the thought. Regardless of her history with her world's Oliver, she was always going to care about him. Even a different version of him. And she definitely didn't want him dead.

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i_figure
2012-02-22 03:34 am UTC (link)

"I don't know. I would say as long as you feel the effects, but that's like drugs - they aren't out of your system when the effects wear off. I don't know the real answer." Fred sighed softly. "We didn't exactly talk about that. I just know that he feels what we feel when we have his blood in us. Also know that after you've had a certain amount of blood, you know how he feels. It's not exactly fun."

Fred shoved her hands in her pockets as she shrugged. She wasn't making Dinah happy; she knew she wouldn't, but Dinah needed to know.

"Don't ask me for any weaknesses because the only one I knew, you knew. He's not exactly the kind of guy to tell people how to hurt him." She shrugged slightly.

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i_crylikeabird
2012-02-22 12:29 pm UTC (link)

Dinah nodded and tried to give Fred a smile. She didn't exactly succeed, but she did appreciate Fred telling her. She had to know, even if it was extremely unsettling.

"I think I need to take a raincheck on that pasta. I need to go talk to Dr. McCoy. But once I've figured that out, there's the place that you absolutely need to try."

She did manage a small smile then. Fieri Brothers had always been the go-to Italian place for takeout with Babs, but it would be nice to share the place with Fred as well, since it had made it into the City.

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i_figure
2012-02-23 02:55 am UTC (link)

"Of course." Fred gave Dinah a slight smile. "If you can determine whether or not his blood is still in your system, let me know. It'd be interesting to see if it does register as a truly foreign substance."

Fred looked around then at Dinah.

"I guess if you're heading to the Tower, maybe I could get a ride with you? If the City really isn't moving and all." She smiled sheepishly. "It's okay if you'd rather not."

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i_crylikeabird
2012-02-23 03:02 am UTC (link)

Dinah climbed on the bike and then retrieved her spare helmet and held it out to Fred.

"Of course I don't mind."

She gave Fred a reassuring smile. She felt a little bad that she wasn't giving her friend the chance to delay the inevitable talk by going out for pasta, but she would be there after if things went badly.

And she really really needed to talk to Hank. She just hoped he was in.

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