05/03 Instance: Pros and Cons of Caring.

[littlebamf]

Timeline current

Summers: He walked down the hall resolutely. He knocked on Lizzie's door. "Lizzie? Can I come in? I want to talk to you about your last check-up."

Elizabeth: Curled up on the bed, Lizzie glanced up at the door, scowling a little inside. "Come in..." you will anyway... she thought to herself as she looked back down to the photo album on the bed in front of her.

Summers: "Lizzie, I-" He took in the darkened room, and her sitting in the middle of her bed, photo album open. "Oh." He closed the door and went to sit on the edge of her bed. "Are you all right?"

Elizabeth: She shrugged, looking down at the pages. "Same old me...You know what I'm like..." turning the page slowly, she traced her fingers around the edges of the photographs. "Bad time of year. That's all."

Elizabeth: "What did you want, exactly?" she asked, not looking up.

Summers: "Nothing important." He leaned over, smiling sadly at the picture of them at Wimbledon. "That was so fun. Have you ever gone to see him, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth: She fiddled with the edge of the page. "Don't know where he is..."
Summers: "You haven't even tried to find him?" He sat back.

Elizabeth: Shrugging, she looked down at the page. "I'm not family and we weren't engaged so..." swallowing, she put her head in her hand. "It's hard. And if I did find him, I know I'd just lie down next to him and not get up again."

Summers: He put a hand over hers. "I'm sorry, Lizzie."

Elizabeth: With a slight noise of thanks, she kept her head down, looking at the pictures silently.

Summers: He scooted over and hugged her. "Can I look with you?"

Elizabeth: Mumbling a yes, she tensed a little at the hug, then relaxed, turning the page over. "Put the lamp on if you want..." she cocked her head towards the lamp on her nightstand.

Summers: He flicked it on. "There we are. That's a cute one." He pointed. "Is that at your ancestral home?" He asked, with some humour.

Elizabeth: "Yeah. That's 'home'..." Lizzie sighed. "I actually miss it sometimes, or at least the feeling of being a child again, back when I didn't know about this place. I wasn't totally happy, but at least..."

Summers: He nodded. "Yeah, I get that."

Elizabeth: She flipped the page distractedly, half looking at the pictures, wondering why he'd actually come up. Probably to nag her about her eating or something Scottlike. He'd probably start commenting on how thin she felt before long...

Summers: He sighed - he was probably intruding. "So. Thanks for uh, letting me look at some pictures." He gave her a last hug and slid off the bed.

Elizabeth: "No problem," Lizzie replied, then half glanced up at him. "What did you want to see me about anyway? I am using protection and the pill so don't worry about that."

Summers: "Oh, no, it's not about that. I just wanted to let you know your weight dipped a bit again. I know being all waif-like is in, but don't go nuts. The Aushwitz survivor look isn't."

Elizabeth: "Oh..." she bloody knew it. "I'm just...I don't know. And, I know I need to be careful about my weight and if it makes you feel better, my agency would actually drop me if my weight hit a certain low. So, it's not..." she rubbed her forehead.

Summers: "Hmmm. That's comforting. Anyway, thought I'd let you know."

Elizabeth: "Well thanks but I generally notice I've lost weight when I look in the mirror...I'm sorry...." she looked back down at the pictures sadly, kind of missing the hug he'd been giving her.

Summers: He watched her for a minute. "Want to go get something to eat? Go for a coffee or something?"

Elizabeth: Rubbing the back of her neck, she flicked the piercing gently and looked to the window. "I'm not that hungry right now, to be honest."

Summers: "Tea, then? You can't stay cooped up in here. I know, I know. Pot calling kettle. But still. For me?"

Summers: he leant a shoulder against the doorframe.

Elizabeth: Lizzie looked up at him and groaned. No way she could get out of this one. "I was going to take a nap or something..." she shrugged and slid off the bed. "Let me put some jeans on."

Summers: "Oh - er. Yes." He blinked, and turned around. "Sorry."

Elizabeth: Picking up some jeans from the back of her deskchair, she crossed the room. "I'm going in the bathroom..." she muttered, closing the door after her.

Elizabeth: There was some resulting, then the sound of water being run before she came out, looking a little paler.

Summers: He turned to give her a smile and a hug. "There we go."

Elizabeth: She clung on a bit. "Sorry. It's just...all come on. A week or so ago, I was fine. Then, it hit me, the time of year, and Fran sent me a long gushing email about being excited for the baby and nursery pictures. I know she didn't mean to rub it in but..."

Summers: "It still hurts." He stroked her hair, holding her tight. "Why didn't you come to me, or Angel or someone if you're hurting so bad? It's terrible going through all that alone."

Elizabeth: "I don't like imposing, remember. Who was the one who always lent an ear out, but never tried to call in the favour? Plus, I've not heard from Angel for a while. I guess she's just busy having fun in the city or working hard. Plus, most people are so happy. I don't want to sit in a corner and complain..."

Summers: He shook his head. "For all your brains, you've got a thick head. You are to come straight to me, or drag Angel out by the wings, and talk, damnit. Doctor's orders, okay?" He shook her once, gently. "Honestly, you'd chew your own leg off to help and expect no medical attention in return."

Elizabeth: "You're not a doctor yet..." she managed to tease, gently. "And...I just - is it right to still be feeling like this? I feel like I'm being morbid or stupid or something."

Summers: "It's right. It hurts, and a part of you always will. But it gets easier to deal with it." He pulled her close again.

Elizabeth: "I'm trying...I really am. I just can't feel like I'll ever be able to deal. It's like I have a hole in my head, since I lost our link. Hence...My new activities. It numbs it. I can't drink and I can't take drugs and I can't spend all my time in the DR or jet..."

Summers: "Maybe we could make a club and go out sometimes, since I can't drink and I can't spend all my time in the lab." He hooked an arm around her waist. "Let's at least start with a cup of tea in the kitchen?"

Elizabeth: "What the 'The world likes to screw us' club?" she leant her head against his arm. "Tea sounds alright..."

Summers: "It does indeed." He half-led-half pulled her down the hall, afraid she'd bolt back into her hidey-hole.

Elizabeth: "Hey, I'm thin and fragile!" she tapped him gently to stop the tugging. "Wait til you've fed me up before you drag me."

Summers: "Thin, but not fragile." He grinned, letting go, though.

Elizabeth: "Oh...Doesn't mean you need to - Never mind," she grinned, yawning a bit as she followed him.

Summers: "Oh? What's this? Not sleeping either? Dear me. Whatever are we going to do with you, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth: "You know I've never slept brilliantly," she rolled her eyes a touch, looking down. "I don't know. Find me a...Nevermind. I haven't been as bad, until recently, been missing him more."

Elizabeth: She looked up. "Well, you could stay over and hold me when I have a bad dream, but, I wouldn't ask that of you..." That would be incredibly weird for one thing...

Summers: "Er...perhaps Selene wouldn't mind doing that?" He shifted, feeling rather uncomfortable now, and he dropped his arm.

Elizabeth: She raised an eyebrow. "She wouldn't know to hug so...Well, she has her own sleep issues. And you did ask," she pointed out with a small grin.

Summers: "It was rhetorical." He poked her arm. "Where do you keep your tea, anyway?" He asked as they entered the kitchen. He made a beeline for the kettle ad switched it on.

Elizabeth: "I'll fetch it.." she slunk into the pantry and came out with a couple of teabags in her hand. "I used to keep it in our room as we got a kettle but...Not in there now and I didn't want to use the kettle in the student dorms," she tossed him the bags and sat down

Summers: He put the bags into mugs and sat at the kitchen table to wait. "Yeah, that could get interesting."

Elizabeth: "I sent it to Warren's friend when I sorted his stuff," she swallowed a lump as she remembered that day, picking at a crack in the table.

Summers: Damn. "Um..." he started awkwardly.

Elizabeth: "What?" she looked up at him, trying to smile again. "His friend liked tea. He'd probably appreciate a spare kettle..."

Summers: "Gotcha. So - how is the jet? Have you taken her out recently?"

Elizabeth: "You should know I work and or fly the jet just about every day. It's one of my ways of keeping myself occupied."

Summers: "Oh. That must be a lot of flight planning. What on earth does the tower think, I wonder?"

Elizabeth: "They can think what they like. I have general routes I take just to clear my head or for when I'm testing something. I never fly more than four times a week, usually....Anyway, we have a cloaking device. Hence, all those unsheduled flights we seem to need to take every year..."

Summers: He nodded, feeling a bit grim, and jumped up to pour the water as it boiled.

Elizabeth: Fetching the milk, she put the carton next to the mugs. "Like I said, keeps me occupied and it might even become a career one day. It's not like I need to consider..."

Elizabeth: She sighed slightly and sat down again.

Summers: He poured the milk in, after fishing out the tea bags and offered her a mug.

Summers: "Well, at least you know what you want."

Elizabeth: "If you say so. I just do it because I'm good at it, and I like it. Maybe that's a good enough reason, but how do I know it's really what I want? What I want, I can’t have anymore so I'm settling on this..."

Elizabeth: She took the tea, staring in to the cup.

Summers: He shook his head, having a token sip. Tea was nasty - like the weakest coffee he could imagine. "If you like it - why do you think of it as settling? you should be happy you found something that makes you happy to do."

Elizabeth: "Because I've never really considered anything else..." she gave a slight smirk. "I could be a spy I suppose..."

Summers: He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. you'll do whatever it is that you put your mind to do." He sat back and toyed with the mug.

Elizabeth: "Oh yeah, like a lawyer, or a teacher," she snorted. "Have you seen my academic grades? If I can't run or build shit in it, I'm not that great."

Elizabeth: "Plus...Well, we had all of these...plans, for after graduation and it's hard deciding what else I should do."

Summers: "Oh." He shifted. He and Angel had had plans too. "I know it's hard, but life does go on."

Elizabeth: "Yeah...I know. I just feel like I'm going backwards," sipping her tea, she looked towards the door, wondering when she could get off the hook as Scott was probably getting tired of her.

Summers: "No you're not. Trust me. It takes a while.

Summers: " He checked his watch and sighed. "I gotta go check on a test result. I'll see you around later?"

Elizabeth: Pro: he was going...Con: he was going...Standing up she took her cup to the sink, tipping the undrunk tea away. "See you later..." Lizzie said quietly and slipped out of the kitchen.

Summers: He watched after her. It sucked trying to help people who couldn't think past their misery. He should send Angel a 'you're a hero!' card or something for having put up with him. He'd get something for Lizzie too, for that matter. He took another sip of the tea before tossing it down the sink and putting the mugs in the dishwasher.

[Slarti]

Awww, good friendship bit.