(no subject)

[stilljustandrew]

He isn't going to keep carrying around Baby's inert mobile forever. That'd just be morbid.

But he tried keeping it in his room upstairs, and that's worse somehow. It looks like a toy, sitting there. Like nothing that was ever really important.

So he's bringing it downstairs to try to find somewhere better to keep it. Maybe a shrine over the bar, like the memorial for Bernard and Tonks, if Bar herself wouldn't find that too painful. Or maybe in the Security office, in a storage closet there or something, so that if Baby ever -- if she ever does come back --



Right now Andrew's sitting by the fireplace, watching the fish swim in and out of the flames, with a mug of Irish coffee in his hand and a little metallic arachnoid in his lap.

Botherable.

Comments

[2020sight]

There's a very tall man at a couch nearby. His legs are taking up most of the aisle, and he's absent-mindedly picking out a song on his guitar.

It's the spider on Andrew's lap that gets his attention more than the man's hangdog expression. His fingers slow down on the strings.

[stilljustandrew]

The guitar vaguely registers, but he doesn't look up until the music slows.

[2020sight]

Epimetheus grins at him and nods at what he's holding.

"Nice . . . thingamajig."

[stilljustandrew]

"... yeah." A wan, unfelt smile.

[2020sight]

". . . Whoops. What'd I say?"

Even he can recognize that's not a good smile!

[stilljustandrew]

"Sorry." He looks up. "Not your fault. It's ... kind of a long story."

[2020sight]

"Hey, I got time."

[stilljustandrew]

Beat.


Low: "Have you ever seen the Security office here?"

[2020sight]

"Nope, somehow I haven't gotten arrested yet."

[gavemea_45]

He shoves his own inchoate irritation way the hell down and out of the way on getting a single swift look at Andrew's face, and crosses the room with quick strides.




"Andrew." Quietly said. Sam's searching his expression. "Hey."

[stilljustandrew]

He glances up, and his eyes widen. "Sam."

[gavemea_45]

"I heard some of what -- but you made it."

He's still looking him over.

"You okay?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah, I -- I'm fine, but --"

It's sticking in his throat.

[gavemea_45]

"... but."

There's a cold hollow in the pit of his stomach all of a sudden.

Sam sinks down into the chair across from him and leans forward, intent.

"But what?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Baby's gone."

He pulls the limp mobile into his lap.

"Since that day. She, the cells are working fine, but ..."

[gavemea_45]

"Oh, shit."

He stares at the mobile, then back at Andrew.

"Is it, like, a mechanical thing? 'Cause Dean's pretty good with that stuff--"

[stilljustandrew]

He shakes his head. "I don't know. I don't -- I don't think so, it's not -- she isn't a machine. She's magic. And the magic got so disrupted here at the end, and maybe Tim could fix her but he hasn't been back in years, and --"

And I was supposed to take care of her.

[jonathanparagon]

"Still nothing?" Jonathan asks quietly, stepping up beside him.

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah." The word comes out on a sigh. "Still nothing."

[jonathanparagon]

"It hasn't been that long, though", is all he can offer in the way of reassurance, though it's not the first time he's said it. "Maybe she's still in hibernation, or something."

[stilljustandrew]

"Maybe." He looks up. "I ran through the spells again. Nothing happened."

[jonathanparagon]

"Want me to try?" he offers. "I know she was closer to you, but it might be worth it once, just to see."

[stilljustandrew]

He hesitates, then nods unsteadily. "Yeah."

[jonathanparagon]

"Okay." He reaches out and strokes the little spider, briefly. "Just tell me what to do."

[stilljustandrew]

"I'll show you? It, it's in the Security office."

He puts down his mug and pulls himself to his feet.