Monday, August 9, 2010

[Amanda Rose]

Football practice let out a few minutes before cheerleading practice. Oliver had fallen into the habit of stopping by to watch Lisa finish up on his way back to the locker room. Standing there holding his helmet and shoulder pads, feeling his undershirt slowly drying in the evening air, he noticed Jess was involved in tryouts as well. Having spent so much of the summer out of town as a counselor at sports clinics. he'd been remiss in checking up on Carl's girlfriend. Good opportunity to catch up!

Lisa ran over to him after the coaches turned them loose. Oliver greeter her with a quick kiss.

"Hey, beautiful! Mind if I check on Jess for Carl really quick? I'll meet you at your car after my shower."

"Sure," she answered cautiously. "See you then."

"Great, thanks!" Oliver said with a kiss on her cheek.

He turned back to the field and waited for Jess to emerge.

He gave a small wave. "Hey, Jess. Got a second?"

Jessie emerged and she seemed to be in a foul mood. Katie and Rachel were by her but for the moment they were talking to each other animatedly. Jessie's eyes narrowed on Oliver and left no ambiguity of her distate for him. "What do you want?"

Katie and Rachel both turned to look at what caused Jessie to speak and Katie immediately told Jessie, "Now, now, be nice."

I haven't seen you much this summer and thought I'd check in and see how you're doing," Oliver answered with a smile.

"Why?" she asked in a hardened tone. "Not like we have anything to talk about."

Katie tried to soothe Jessie, "Look, Jess, I'm over it. No need to hold a grudge."

Jessie whirled on Katie, "Bubbles, he's nothing but a fuckin' snake."

_Wow, this is even more awkward than I'd feared. Why do girls always travel in packs?_ Oliver nodded gratefully at Katie. "Just wondering how you were with Carl gone, Jessie. If you don't want me to ask, I'll go grab a shower."

Jessie looked at Oliver skeptically and then looked at Katie and Rachel questioningly.

Rachel told Katie, "Bubbles, let's stretch a bit over there." She pointed several yards away at the new field turf field.

Katie looked confused for a moment and said, "Oh, yes, I do feel the need to stretch more. When you need to stretch, Jess, just come over and we'll help you out."

The girls then left Jessie alone and she blew the hair out of her eyes and gave a cold stare at Oliver. "Why do you even give a shit?"

Oliver held up a hand and looked into her eyes. He extended one finger. "Because anyone Carl cares about as much as he cares about you is someone I want to be friends with." He extended a second finger. "Because you matter a great deal to my best friend."

"Well, Carl's not fucking here. I'm alone and Neptune and the people and everything in it, except Bubbles and MM suck."

"Nope, Carl's not here. That sucks. Hockey season is really going to suck. Neptune has its ... challenges, I'll grant you. Katie's awesome, though. I'm glad you have Rachel. I'd like to be a friend as well, but that's totally up to you."

"Why? You're a backstabbing SOB. I have no idea why Carl likes you so much. Lord knows I tried to get him to see reason but apparently he has none."

Oliver smiled sadly. "Understood. But, I'm around if you ever want to talk to someone else who misses him, too."

"My God! You're worse than a girl! Suck it up, Buttercup. He's gone and nothing can be done."

Oliver nodded. "True." He turned toward the locker rooms. "Be well, Jessie."

"Yeah, whatever," she replied dismissively. Jessie then rolled her eyes at Oliver as he left, standing there for a few seconds as he left wondering what Oliver was up to.

[skyhawk900]

Lisa stood by her car watching from a distance. Oliver and her were so good together. Almost considered a little storybook romance to some of the cheerleaders, and she was proud of it. But, his sudden interest in Jess caused a spark of something she hadn't felt up to this point..jealousy. She wouldn't admit it of course, but Lisa was concerned that Oliver after a time might be put off by her LDS values when other boys on his team were likely sleeping around and getting things Oliver wasn't.

Lisa had never felt Oliver would be that kind of person. And so far, he'd been the most moral boy she'd ever met. Which was why she was so attracted to him and had won him over Katie and others. She wanted to keep him, see where it went. It was far too early in their relationship to consider him a future partner in marriage, but the idea of it had a certain appeal as she had seen her own parents happiness while others had self-destructed.

She brushed her blonde hair from her face feeling the Michigan wind blow her knee length skirt as she waited patiently for him. She'd ask him about Jessie later when they were more..settled..

tags Oliver/anyone

[Amanda Rose]

8:00 pm

Katie picked up her phone and scrolled down to Oliver's name. It had been a long time since she called but tonight, she decided she had to do it. Hitting the button, Oliver's phone began to ring.

Oliver had been, as usual, raiding the fridge when the phone rang. "Good evening, Toussaint residence, Oliver speaking."

Katie giggled. Sometimes Oliver could sound a lot like Epsilon with his formality. "Katie Marsh speaking here."

_Was not expecting that voice!_

"Hello, Katie!" Oliver answered enthusiastically. "Great to hear your voice. What can I do for you?"

"Just wanted to tell you that you were really sweet today but sweet gets nowhere with Jessie, at least at first...."

"You think I should keep at her? I feel like I should for Carl, but she made it pretty clear she wanted nothing to do with me."

"She probably doesn't. That doesn't mean she shouldn't. Jessie is stubborn and once she makes up her mind.... Well, you know.... And besides, she's hurting, which she won't admit to anyone."

"Yeah, well, I want to help, but don't want to piss her off any worse, you know?"

"Oh, believe me! I know! She doesn't accept help, Oliver. Rachel and I had to save her in order for her to accept it."

"Well, how about this then, Katie; I'll check in on her every week or two and you and Rachel know that I'll help however I can with your schemes?"

"You can do that. Just don't expect her to be sweet to you. That's almost as much of a test as anything. Jessie's a lot of work but if she ever considers you a friend, she'll go to hell for you before letting you get into trouble."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I really appreciate the call, Katie."

"No problem, Oliver. Lisa going to be OK with you chatting with me or Jessie?"

tag - Oliver

[BanksAT]

[Amanda Rose]

[BanksAT]

[Amanda Rose]

[BanksAT]

[Amanda Rose]

Morning - Zak and Beverly

Zak had a leisurely breakfast and then went back to his room. This had become his routine for such a long time after Allie's death that he took comfort in its normalness. When he reached his room, he put on some classical music loudly enough to drown out anyone hearing his conversation. He hit his cell phone contact list, scrolled down to Beverly and hit her number.

The phone rang several times, then picked up quickly. "Yes Zak?"

"Good morning, Beverly," he told her formally. "How are you this morning?"

"Just got out of the shower." The phone was muffled for a moment.."What’s up?"

"I thought that you might like to know that I have some answers for you and David."

"Let me sit down. I've got this towel wrapped around me." More muffling was heard then she answered, "Okay, lay it on me."

"I have found her and she will be returning to Neptune soon. She has been in a hospital in a neighboring city under an alias. She was stalking about town last night."

"She was?" Beverly almost dropped her towel! "Why, what's going on?"

"Her injuries were more severe than we originally had thought. She had to be placed in a medically induced coma. She alone survived the accident." Zak was trying to be purposely vague in case someone could pick up the cell phone conversation and was trying to comprehend it.

"Well, where is she? David will want to know!"

"She is returning home. Unfortunately, I do not believe that she will be returning to school for awhile. She will need some special treatment and likely will be home schooled until it is complete."

"Well, my brother will want to come by and see her, Zak! He's been worried sick, and I've been a little freaked myself."

"He must not," Zak told her calmly. "Doctor's orders. She should not have been out last night, either. Of course, you know how well she follows orders." Zak sighed and rolled his eyes slightly.

"Doesn't that apply to most of us when we're faced with a personal situation?" Beverly gently stated. "I know I couldn't sit idle."

"It also highlights some of our issues, does it not?"

"We all have issues Zak. We're teens, and what we've been doing is unique. We've stuck it to them; but despite who we are, we're only human."

Zak had to wonder when Beverly became so emotional. Usually she was quite mature but right now she was what he would deem a panic. Then again, he would have given less merit to the argument of "only human" until his more recent emotional experiences. He figured it was best to try and distance himself more from them, concentrating on his lasting memories of Allie. "That does not mean that we cannot behave logically," he told her.

"To a point, Zak. Because, logic doesn't always provide the needed answers. Intuition has a lot to do with it."

"That, Beverly is highly improbable. After all, when one looks at all the facts, no matter how unlikely an explanation for them may be, it is the truth. Just need to sit and think about it."

"Then I suggest we do so, and soon...."

"I fail to understand what the conundrum is, Beverly."

"Well, maybe you don't feel it as much Zak, but everyone in the group has suffered a shock both in an individual and team away. it's thrown off our dedication and increased our worries.

"Beverly," Zak started carefully, "if anyone knows about shock from our recent tragedy, it is I." His tone took on a slightly angry tone to it. "We all must find our ways to move beyond it. If we do not, then the city suffers."

"I know that Zak. Which is why you must learn to accept that we are...young adults. We need some time to recover from these shocks."

Zak got angrier. "Beverly, we have had months. I do not know what more that you expect."

"So, you plan to force the team to move forward faster?" She sighed. "I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I know David will be torn apart by this news of Moira."

"David will have to adjust. Perhaps he can talk to Katie or you can assist him. You have in the past. As I said before, he is not the only one to have suffered."

"No, I agree we all have. We're just handling it different ways because we're not all motivated by logic. THAT is what I am trying to get across to you.

"I understood your point; however, I do not know what you expect me to do about it."

"I don't expect you to do a thing, Zak, except have patience. Asking Katie to talk to him could be...difficult given their history. But...could try it. And, what about Sasha? How is she?"

"I believe that she is well. She tends to be somewhat introverted. Perhaps they can discuss matters."

"Oliver seems to be fine." she added. "No issues I'm aware of other then the sadness and loss of...her."

Zak involuntarily paused. "He is as positive as normal."

"So that leaves you, me and David. I consider myself functional, though fairly shaken up. I can do what is asked of me, however, my boyfriend is long gone, not in a hospital that I'm not allowed to visit. On top of that, I'm older. See where I'm going?"

Zak had to admit that he did not. "Not particularly, Beverly. It seems that your brother is the only one that might be effected or have an issue with the more recent events."

"So, you're completely past what happened to Allie? No hesitations? No worries the next situation we get into someone might get killed?" It was a blunt question though she tried to soften her voice.

"What happened to Allie," Zak told Beverly while his voice tightened, "had nothing to do with our jobs. She was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Zak, any one of us could be in the wrong place. It's happened before...to David...to..." she sighed, "Masaki."

"Masaki created her own problems," Zak told Beverly simply. "You cannot deny that."

"I don't. However, I can state that rushed tactics and random thinking interfered with a mission that almost got both of them killed. Both were distracted by events in their lives. You can't rush mental health."

"I am not rushing anything. When was the last time that we saw action, Beverly?"

"Awhile. But we're weak right now. We need to figure out how to strengthen what we have without spending hardly a thing, or find a way to recruit similar talent."

"There was that other one that was help clearing the wreckage," Zak remembered. "We have to find her and bring her in if that is your concern."

"I'm concerned about weak resources and trust." Beverly admitted. "Unless you want to launch a test patrol with orders to observe only unless we engage a single target."

"You are concerned about trust still? I thought we took care of that issue, Beverly. I have heard nothing more negative from anyone on the team."

"People don't always voice what they feel, Zak. Let's keep that between the two of us ‘til I see there's no cause."

"Beverly, I think you are unnecessarily concerned. At our last meeting, Oliver was particularly pleased with the direction and he has been one of the people that was more difficult to please."

"Then I'm overly cautious." She sighed. "Where do you want to go now?”

"Go?" Zak asked confused. "I called you to inform you of my findings."

"You did. So, now what do you want to do?"

"Do?" Zak wondered why she kept asking about doing something. "Take care of your brother."

"You're missing the entire point. I'll elaborate. How do you want to move forward and when? A patrol? Another meeting> Training session? In David's case if you pardon the pun, he needs to get back on the horse..and soon."

"Very well, Beverly. We will arrange for a patrol soon. However, as you know, we cannot force crime to happen. Granted, there usually is some in Neptune...."

"I know that Zak. Let me know when.."

"I will." Zak thought for a few moment and asked, "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"

"I don’t know. Wish me luck in getting my brother past this? If Moira can't come back or worse...is in a mental hospital, he's going to be very hard to bring back."

"Then it is imperative that you take very good care of him and perhaps help him reach out to someone that he would be comfortable with."

"Other then Oliver or Jujuann I can't think of anyone. Right now, I am wishing he and Katie hadn't split up."

"Do you believe there is any chance of reconciliation?"

"That depends on them: how much she's willing to forgive his mistakes and how much he can mentally recover from it all."

"I would not know the answers to either of those statements. You are more well versed in handling the emotional aspects of the team. I will leave you to sort it out with them. Perhaps Sasha would be better given their lack of history. I am not aware of her having a boyfriend at this time."

"Have Sasha talk to David? or Katie?" Beverly chuckled. "No offense, but she’s not exactly the mental health specialist type."

"I meant for a potential relationship if that is what keeps David together."

"With Sasha?" That was a bit of a surprise.

"Is that a poor choice for him?"

"I just don't see them together to be honest."

"Then you will have to see that he finds a relationship that is acceptable for him."

"Or none. He's not going to just get over Moira overnight, particularly if she's badly hurt or mentally wrecked."

"I leave those concerns to you, Beverly. You know him much better than I do."

"I'll do what I can then."

"Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help."

"I will Zak. The team needs to heal, but you're right we can't keep sitting. Let's do a patrol, see what happens.

"I will let you know when we will set it up."

"I'll be waiting." She hung up.