milliways_bar | (no subject)

*Meg grins as she sees him and waves, from her stool next to the bar.*

*Andrew waves back, and heads over.*

Hi you. How's the ballet going?

Eh. *Meg waves a hand in the air vaguely, and makes a face.* You know those nights when everything decides it's going to go break or snap or go haywire on you? It was one of those. But we managed okay, so.

*He nods.* Oh yeah. Like the time we were running that Ravenloft campaign and we all kept rolling natural Ones. Total disaster.

*And he absently steals a gulp of her coffee.*

*It's so easy to fall back into old habits, isn't it.*

I'll take your word on that one, *Meg says with a grin, and steals the coffee back for another sip.*

So how was your day?

- come to think of it, how was your past seven years? I still don't know what you were actually doing. Except for the one weekend of moping.

Only seven months, not years --

I've been working with the New Watchers' Council. There's been new Slayers all over the world now, instead of the usual one at a time, and we've been tracking them down and giving them the training and stuff they're gonna need.

Plus I've been learning a lot, and getting some combat training of my own. And Jonathan's been --

-- I didn't get to tell you about Jonathan.

*Meg's eyes widen, a little.*

- no. No, don't think you did.

He's alive again.

Since right around the same time I left here.

- Dieu, *says Meg, after a rather stunned second.*

I knew you were trying, but I didn't think -

how?

Q.

He's omnipotent. Overheard us talking about it and thought it'd be fun to run us through a game with Jonathan's life and afterlife as the stakes.

And we agreed, and -- I got killed out of the game early, and Q said the rest of it was up to Jonathan --

and then a few days after I got back home, he showed up. Alive again.

. . . wait wait wait, back up a second, *Meg says, still staring.* Killed out of the game?

-- didn't you ever play at war as a kid? Or any kind of thing where if you got tagged or something you were out of the game?

It was like that.

Only, um. More realistic.

- if you were tagged with the kids who lived in my area, it was probably the police and the consequences were more like getting thrown in jail, *Meg says, and shakes her head.* And your consequences might have been a lot worse than that - bloody inferne, Andrew, I've heard about Q, he does not play with pretend stakes -

No, the stakes were real. But my life wasn't part of them.

I know Q. If he sets up rules, he sticks to them.

It still sounds risky to me, *Meg says, darkly, and then sighs, and grins, wryly.*

I am glad Jonathan managed to get back, though.

*Quietly:* It was.

-- but anyway yeah. I made sure it was really him, and explaining it to the others was kind of awkward but we managed it, and he joined up with us. He's been training in magic with the local coven, Ms. Harkness and her people. Helps run our communications network.

*Meg nods, and is quiet for a moment.

And then says, her voice light,* So - speaking of which, how long are you back for, now?

A while. I could use a break.

...I don't know if I'm Bound or not. I haven't tried the door yet. But, uh, I figure either way I get back same time I left, so ... no reason not to stay as long as I feel like.

- that sounds smart to me, *Meg says, with a small smile.

And hesitates another moment before asking,* Did you create the portal this time?

I mean. I know you're supposed to be able to at some point -

*He shakes his head.* I was getting picked up by a transit spell, and it dropped me here instead of back home.

*A pause.*

I wonder ...

I'll have ask Ms. Harkness about it.

I think that'd be a good idea, *Meg agrees, and smiles at him.*

I mean, you do have to learn it so's not to mess up the space-time continuum, and all.

Exactly.

Which is how I knew I'd get back here someday.

*He beams at her.* I'm glad it was sooner, though.

Me too, *Meg says, and grins up at him, rather ruefully.*

- sorry for the sudden attack of the questions, I just -

You just --?

*He grins, a bit wickedly.*

I thoght we agreed you were going to learn to finish your own sentences.

No no, *Meg says, solemnly,* that was you who didn't finish them. Didn't even get to the verb, half the time. Tragic really.

Oh yeah.

I keep mixing us up.

*This delivered not just in Quoting Something voice, but in fact in Quoting Fozzie Bear voice.*

I think it's best when I'm me and you're you, *Meg says, with a grin, and puts her head on his shoulder.*