Avery Crittenden (word_of_law) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-07-05 22:45:00

Entry tags:

This can't be life
"Hey, Syd...can I see you? I really need to talk to somebody about this, but I don't know who else to call." Avery says, rubbing at the beard he's managed to grow over the last few days. He hasn't been back to work since news broke about the devastation in Fargo, Georgia.

Avery was as shocked as anyone upon hearing about the damage to the small town, but nothing really hit home until his saw his cousin, Adrian Carver, reporting on his show Adrian Carver 720. The damage to the city was catastrophic, and the death toll heartrending. But it hurt Avery all the more because he recognized the damage the moment he laid eyes on it.

It was the city from his vision during dinner with Sydney. The man he saw in the vision was there and now that city was destroyed. Rarely did he see the direct results of his visions come to pass so quickly, which now meant that he could no longer ignore or push away what he'd seen.

Avery now found himself trying to live with the guilt of knowing that he could have said something, anything, to the authorities to stop it.

He waits for Sydney in his house, hoping she doesn't bring Zoey with her. He wasn't sure he could face his little girl tonight in his current state of mind.

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sydney_ashcroft
2010-07-06 03:54 am UTC (link)

It was the tone in Avery's voice that caused Sydney to leave Zoey with Sarah and Grace. Of course Zoey didn't want to go because George couldn't go. Sydney thought it was cute that her daughter had an imaginary friend, but the kid wanted to bring George everywhere and do everything with George.

Avery sounded upset and it made Syd worry. She prayed to the powers that be that it didn't have anything to deal with Zoey.

She arrived at Avery's and rang the doorbell.

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word_of_law
2010-07-06 04:05 am UTC (link)

Avery opens the door, and he doesn't look like the composed lawyer-type Sydney knows. There are bags under his eyes and hasn't shaved. He's clean and his clothes are neat, but inside the house is dark, even at this early evening hour.

"Hey. Come in." he says, finally deigning to turn on the lights inside the house.

"It happened, Sydney. The vision I had at dinner the other night; it was Fargo, Georgia. I saw something happen and I didn't say anything. And now..." his voice trails off. He can't finish the sentence, so he just stops talking.

"The man I told you about was there, too. He was part of it, somehow. I'm sure." Avery says.

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	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-06 04:11 am UTC (link)
	"Oh Avery, I'm sorry to hear that." She got a good look at him and knew he wasn't taking it well. Avery was always shaved and cleaned up. Even when he was just taking Zoey to the park or something. She put a hand on his arm. "Let me make some coffee and we can talk about this." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-06 04:20 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, sure. Go for it. I haven't slept in a day or so, and I don't think I can." Avery says. If he were being truthful about it, he was terrified of trying to sleep. He might get more visions that way. "I'm sorry. I'm being rude. How was your day? How is Zoey?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-06 04:23 am UTC (link)
	"You need to sleep at some point," Syd said as she started for the kitchen. "It was same as every day. Interesting as always. Zoey's good. She's occupied with this George thing." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-06 04:37 am UTC (link)
	"Is George the new friend I've been hearing about? I thought he was a kid she met a school until I figured out that George might not be real." he says. "And I'll sleep, soon. I just need to wait until I'm tired again." he says, following her to the kitchen. "I'm just a little out of sorts with everything going on. I'll bounce back." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sydney_ashcroft
2010-07-06 04:44 am UTC (link)

Okay. Maybe not coffee for Avery. She wondered if he had some wine. It would help him relax. She looked around the kitchen for a bottle of wine.

"I don't know where George came from, but it never hurts kids to have imaginary friends."

She eventually found a bottle of wine. A bonus was that it was red. She started to search for a corkscrew.

"I worry about you, Avery. I've never seen you like this."

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	word_of_law 2010-07-06 11:51 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm going to find a way to bounce back, Sydney. I just...it's never happened like this before." he says. "Corkscrew is in the draw to the left of the refrigerator." he adds helpfully. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-06 11:58 pm UTC (link)
	Syd nodded. "I know you will, Avery, and I'm here to help. Anything you need, all you have to do is say something." She opened the drawer and pulled out the corkscrew. She started to open the bottle. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-07 12:05 am UTC (link)
	"Okay, well, my next question isn't tied to me getting better. I planned to ask you this anyway, but...if I don't do it now, I never will." he says, gathering up his courage. "I don't know what's going on with you elsewhere, but I'd like to know if you would go on a date with me, Sydney? A real date." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-07 12:32 am UTC (link)
	Her hands shook as she poured a glass of wine. Enough that she almost dropped the glass and bottle. "I don't kno...sure. I'd love to." It's not like she and Simon were an item anymore. Syd wasn't sure what they were, if they were even something. She steadied her hands and finished filling his glass. She offered it to him. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-07-07 12:36 am UTC (link)

Avery smiles his first real smile in several days, silently letting out the deep breath he'd been holding. He didn't know what he status with Simon was, and he didn't want to ask in case they were doing well.

"Great." he smiles. "I heard about a museum opening in San Francisco in a two weeks, and I wanted to check it out. Would you like that? We could have dinner, too." he says.

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	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-07 02:17 am UTC (link)
	Sydney smiled and poured herself a glass of wine. "Why Mr. Crittenden, you know my weakness. Mention museum and I am there." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-07 02:35 am UTC (link)
	"Well, then I'd better make a catalog of said weaknesses for future refernce." Avery grins, taking a sip of wine. Sydney certainly took the edge off of things, and now Avery was feeling a little more relaxed. "Thanks for coming over on such short notice. I hope I didn't mess up any of your plans for the evening." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-07 02:43 am UTC (link)
	"You're welcome. Don't worry. I didn't have any plans except curling up with a few books and making friends with a bottle of wine." She raised her glass to him and then took a drink. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-07 03:07 am UTC (link)
	Avery returns the toast and goes to sit down. He watches Sydney a moment, admitting to himself that the sight of her brightens a room a great deal. "Books and wine. A dangerous combination, even if one is just staying home." he smiles. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-07 03:27 am UTC (link)
	"It's not that dangerous," she said. Wine and men were more dangerous. "Unless of course for some reason I manage to whack myself with a book." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-07 12:32 pm UTC (link)
	"I don't see you whacking yourself with a book, except under cases of extreme clumsiness." Avery grins, drinking the rest of his wine. He places his glass down before him. "May I have a refill?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-07 07:05 pm UTC (link)
	"You never know," Syd said as she grabbed the bottle refilled his glass. "I've fallen off a few ladders trying to get to a book." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-07 11:26 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, the books here are easy to get to, and if you fall around here, I'll catch you." he smiles. "What's the most recent book you've read?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-08 02:25 am UTC (link)
	Syd smiled. "Thank you. It's nice to know someone has my back." "Letters of the Younger Pliny," she answered before finishing off the last of her wine. She didn't go for a refill. She did have to drive home. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-08 02:53 am UTC (link)
	Avery simply smiles. It was a nice back. "I haven't read that one, but I'll try it out. I just read A Game of Thrones recently, and now I'm hooked on the whole Song of Ice and Fire series. I haven't had a chance to read a good book in a long time, but I hope to change that." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-08 03:13 am UTC (link)
	"I tend to read historical non-fiction books and classic literature. I can't remember the last time I read a current fiction book. I may have to check them out." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-08 04:31 am UTC (link)
	"We should trade books sometime. I'd like to get to know a bit of what you read." he says. "Also, ThinkEquity is having a family picnic soon, and I wanted to know if you and Zoey were up for going. It's next month. I meant to tell you at dinner the other day, but I got side-tracked. Hopefully, you have enough time to prepare if you two want to go." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-08 04:33 am UTC (link)
	Syd smiled. "We should. I could always stand to expand my horizons a bit." Syd thought about it for a moment. A picnic would be nice and spending a day with Zoey and Avery was always good. "Sure. It sounds like it will be a fun day." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-08 04:52 am UTC (link)
	"I thought it would be, too." he says. "They'll have all kinds of games and things for the kids, so Zoey should have a good time." "Besides, it'll give her another chance to see how well we get along." Avery says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-08 04:59 am UTC (link)
	Syd smiled and nodded. "Yes. I for one am glad that we do get along so well." It could have been much worse and Syd was really glad she and Avery had a good relationship. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-08 12:32 pm UTC (link)
	"I am, too. It makes talking to you easier, and asking you out less fraught with peril." Avery chuckles. "I know I've taken up a lot of your time this evening. I don't want to keep you, especially if you need to get home to Zoey." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-08 09:29 pm UTC (link)
	"You only have to worry about peril when the kids are around." "It's okay. I don't mind at all and it gets me out of the house. Are you going to be okay? Are you going to be able to sleep? I can stay for awhile until you fall asleep." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-09 12:25 am UTC (link)
	"That wine helped a lot, Sydney; maybe I'll fall asleep here soon." he says. "You don't really have to stay, but it would be nice if you could." Avery tells her. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-09 01:03 am UTC (link)
	"I can stay." Syd stood up and reached out a hand to him. "Come on. You can stretch out on the couch next to me and fall asleep there." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-09 01:32 am UTC (link)
	Avery takes her hand and follows her to the couch, slightly drowsy, but more relaxed than he was when she showed up. He laid down first, then allowed Sydney to sit or lie as she wanted. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-09 01:43 am UTC (link)
	Sydney sat down on the same end of the couch as Avery's head. She moved a little and then put a pillow on her lap. She patted it and encouraged him to lay his head on the pillow. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-09 01:53 am UTC (link)
	Avery laid his head on the pillow and relaxed a bit, looking up at Sydney. "Wow, I had no idea I was so out of it." Avery said, stifling a yawn. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-09 02:06 am UTC (link)
	Syd looked down at him and smiled. "You need to sleep," she said softly. She played idly with a lock of his unkempt hair. A fingertip or two may have gently caressed his cheek. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-09 02:20 am UTC (link)
	Avery's eyes closed, both from tired and because he was enjoying himself. "Yeah, sleep is good." he sighs, leaning into her touch. She smelled good. He'd forgotten that, somewhere along the way. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-09 02:46 am UTC (link)
	Syd played with his hair and a hand went to his cheek. This was dangerous and she was well aware of it. She remembered quite clearly her time with him and why she had been attracted to him in the first place. Those reasons didn't go away. She leaned back further into the couch. Her own eyelids were getting heavy. "Sleep is very good," she said quietly. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-09 03:09 am UTC (link)
	"You are quite possibly the quietest sleeper I ever met, Sydney." Avery says sleepily. He plays with her fingers a little bit, relaxing more. "You sleep here if you like. Plenty of room. Don't want you driving home tired." Avery says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-09 03:17 am UTC (link)
	"Don't worry about me, Avery. Worry about yourself tonight. I will stay until you fall asleep." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-07-09 03:25 am UTC (link)
	"Mmmhmm." Avery says, finally losing the battle to stay away. He drifts off silently, easily and without dreams for the first night in a few days. He'd thank Sydney again if he weren't unconscious. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-07-09 03:27 am UTC (link)
	Syd sat there for a good hour playing with Avery's hair and caressing his cheek before she decided it was time to go home. Very carefully she got up and then kissed his cheek before going home. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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