Avery Crittenden (word_of_law) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-08-08 00:57:00

Entry tags:

Where do we go from here?
A few nights after their date, allowing for both of them to get their lives on track and such, Avery calls Sydney to invite her to dinner at his place. He keeps the affair simple, with some wine and Thai Food ordered in from her favorite restaurant, and waits for her to arrive.

He's really trying to make this less about their time from the other night and more about settling into a dating rhythm. They have a lot of other things to talk about as well, so he doesn't want to make things awkward for her.

He's wearing a blue polo shirt, blue jeans and brown boots, and praying he's not under-dressed for a casual meeting. Of course, Sydney could show up in a bathrobe and she'd look amazing, but that's beside the point.

He really tries to push the image of Sydney in a bathrobe out of his mind as he waits.

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sydney_ashcroft
2010-08-08 06:17 am UTC (link)

Sydney was not in a bathrobe, but a pair of khakis and a simple blouse. She had been expecting to hear from Avery at some point. She had been thinking about their night together a lot. It had been unexpected and it did nothing to help Syd's issues with the men in her life. Sure she could run herd on a bunch of godlings, but she couldn't manage her personal life.

She was nervous when she climbed out of her car at Avery's. Gathering her courage, she walked to the front door and rang the bell.

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	word_of_law 2010-08-08 06:20 am UTC (link)
	Avery may or may not have raced to the door, then checked himself over one more time so he didn't look like he had, in fact, rushed to the door. He smiles brightly when he sees Sydney and steps aside to allow her in. "Hi." he says simply, that smile still plastered on his face. "You look great. Please come in, dinner is actually ready right now." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 06:26 am UTC (link)
	"Hi," she said with a smile. "Thanks." Cue some blushing at the compliment. "You look nice too." She entered the house. Traces of Zoey's presence in the house could already been seen. Little things here and there that Syd knew her daughter had a hand in. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-08-08 06:34 am UTC (link)

Yes, Avery had been trying to clean up some of their daughter's toys earlier, and tidy up her room. He hadn't gotten tired of it yet.

Avery escorts her to the kitchen where the table is set for a very intimate dinner for two.

"I hope you don't mind Thai. You've sort of addicted me to it." he says. Among other things.

"So, how was your day? How are things at the house? Did Grace's puppy get taken care of?"

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	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 06:37 am UTC (link)
	"Oh Avery," she said when she saw the table and the candles. She smiled. "You'll spoil me. It was good, thank you. Took care of some Scion business in the morning and found a good chunk of time in the afternoon to read. What about yours?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-08-08 06:44 am UTC (link)

I've been working and thinking of you all day.

"Oh, it's been good. Just working from home, then found some time to clean up and read a bit. Got hungry and thought good company would be a fitting end to the day." he says.

"And spoiling you a little isn't a crime. If it is, I happen to know a good lawyer who might get me off for decent behavior." he jokes, going to the table to pull out her chair.

"How is Zoey?" he asks, trying to make conversation. Of course, he'd spoken to her earlier today, during a break, so he knew that. Still, it was good to hear Sydney talk about her.

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	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 06:47 am UTC (link)
	Syd chuckled and sat in the offered chair. "Thank you," she said and smiled up at him. "She's good. She's looking forward to going to Boston. Her suitcase is packed, but she keeps adding to it. It's all not going to fit. She even asked about taking the animals with her and George." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-08-08 06:52 am UTC (link)

"Still with George, huh? I may have to give him The Talk if this keeps up." Avery chuckles. He's glad that Zoey is looking forward to the trip, because he'd been worried that she wouldn't want to go anywhere with him.

"I have a lot of things planned for her when we get there. A little horseback riding, some time on the lake. The only downside is that my cousin Adrian might be there as well. Adrian and I don't exactly get along. He's better with my sister, Audra." Avery says.

"But Zoey won't really have to see him much, anyway." Avery smiles.

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sydney_ashcroft
2010-08-08 06:58 am UTC (link)

"Still with George," Syd said. "She'll eventually grow out of it." She hoped.

"She'll love doing those things. It's been hard for her to wait to ride Snowflake."

Syd would be lying if she said she wasn't concerned about how Avery's family would get along with Zoey. Avery had talked about them briefly years ago and Syd remembered what he had said.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Zoey gets along with anyone. If you could have see her with Asleif...."

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word_of_law
2010-08-08 07:14 am UTC (link)

"Well, Adrian is completely capable of being charmed, that's for sure. So is my mother. My father is a hard man, though, and he's going to have a lot of questions that I have spend time answering. I think Zoey can win even him over, though." Avery says.

"Have you considered coming out to meet them?" he asks. "I know you and I are in a strange place right now, but I'd like my parents to know Zoey's mother." Avery says.

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sydney_ashcroft
2010-08-08 07:25 am UTC (link)

"If Zoey can charm Asleif, she can charm anyone." Syd smiled. She remembered how cold and distant the Asgardian was when she first arrived. The Asleif that left here a short while ago wasn't the same one that arrived.

"I am going to be in New York on Scion business while the two of you are in Boston, but I can swing up that way for a day or two. Shouldn't be a problem and I don't think anyone would mind."

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	word_of_law 2010-08-08 07:28 am UTC (link)
	"Good. We'd love to see you, Zoey and I. I think it will make her very happy to see us all together in one place." Avery says, providing Sydney a plate, then sitting down. The food is between them so that they can take what they like at their leisure. Avery also pours wine for both of them. "So, is everything else okay with you?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 07:31 am UTC (link)
	"You're right. It would and her happiness always comes first," Syd said. "Thank you." "I'm good. Keeping busy and getting ready for school to start again." A pause. "For both Zoey and me." She glanced over at him. "Everything okay with you?" Yes, it was a bit awkward. At some point one of them would mention the elephant in the room. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-08-08 07:35 am UTC (link)

"Ah, school. You'll both be a little busier, I know." Avery says. He'll have to find a way to work around that and spend more time with them, but he will.

"I'm great. Things are great." Avery says, looking for a nice segue from that into the other night. He's not exactly finding one, though.

"About the other night...I really enjoyed it, Sydney. I enjoyed being with you, being next to you." he says.

"I also enjoyed the ambush the following morning." he smiles.

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	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 07:39 am UTC (link)
	"Yes, but it's worth it. I'm hoping this year will go a little smoother." She didn't specify for who though. Her or Zoey. "That's good to hear." Look! There's the elephant! Heat rose to her cheeks. "I enjoyed it too. I just...Are you...Do you have any expectations?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-08-08 07:43 am UTC (link)

"If you're asking 'Do you expect us to get married tomorrow?', the answer is no, Syd. I've been thinking this over, but I know you have some unfinished business with Simon, and you've got other committments." Avery says.

"I'd like to know, first, if you have room in your life for me right now? I know things were weird at the start for us, but I feel like we're in a better place now. I also know that I've come to value your presence in my life a great deal, and not just because of Zoey." he says.

"Are you interested in seeing where this goes, or should we consider the other night to be a singular event?" he asks. Oh, this is not going well. He feels like he's trying to find a legal precedent or something.

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sydney_ashcroft
2010-08-08 07:53 am UTC (link)

It was a lot to process all at once, but Syd completely understand. He had to be just as nervous about this as she was.

"I don't know what's up with Simon," she said honestly. "He wanted a break and I haven't seen or heard from him since. He's probably working on a new movie and staying at his apartment. At this point it's basically over, if there was anything to be over in the first place."

Did she have room for him in her life outside of Zoey? It was a good question with as crazy as her life had gotten in the past year and a half.

Avery was still everything that had attracted her to him in the first place. He was good looking, smart, caring and had a sense of humor. Okay, well maybe it was more looks the first time, but since he came back into her life she discovered the other wonderful qualities. She wanted to continue get to know him better.

"I would like to see where this goes," she said before she realized she was saying it.

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word_of_law
2010-08-08 08:03 am UTC (link)

Avery seems to breathe a bit easier and relaxes visibly. He would have been disappointed if she wasn't interested, but he would have accepted her decision.

"I'd really like to see where this goes as well. And Simon isn't as smart as I thought he was, if he's walking away from being with you, Sydney. I assure you that I'm learning from his mistake already." Avery says.

Avery remembers how taken he was with her when they met in that coffee shop so many years ago. Never lacking for confidence, he'd had to talk to her. He wouldn't have let go of then, except for a cruel twist of fate.

But he'd found her again, and more besides. It seemed natural to want her in his life, even beyond being Zoey's mother.

"I'm also aware that your job and the Defenders come with the package, and I'm willing to work with and accept that, too." he says.

"I just ask for a little patience while I understand who is who and what is what. This is my first experience with super-people, so I'm trying to make sure I don't get smited or anything by accident." he jokes.

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sydney_ashcroft
2010-08-08 08:07 am UTC (link)

Syd smiled. "That's willing to accept a lot, but I appreciate it. Don't worry, I know what it's like to adjust to the chaos. I'm still adjusting and I've been with them for a year."

She relaxed a little as well and she found herself happy at the prospect of being with him.

"Our daughter is going to be excited that we're going to be seeing each other," she pointed out.

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word_of_law
2010-08-08 08:15 am UTC (link)

"Well, I didn't know the whole story coming in, so I was worried, but you and Zoey have ties to these people and you haven't run away screaming, so I want to get to know to them, too. Besides, breakfast was sort of fun the other day, even with Andy and Marlow's...thing. Whatever that was." Avery says.

"But if I have to survive a few godlings, dogs, tigers and Georges to be with you and Zoey...I think I'm made of tough enough stuff." he grins.

He laughs a little bit at Zoey being excited about them seeing each other.

"You think so? I think we'll tell her together. But for future reference, since I explained sleepovers, you get to give her The Talk when she gets older. I'm not going anywhere near that." he says.

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	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 08:28 am UTC (link)
	"I have no clue," Syd admitted. She grinned. "Yeah, it's a lot to get used to, but you can do it." Syd shrugged. "I think so." She chuckled. "I'll give her The Talk and you can scare boyfriends away." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-08-08 08:38 am UTC (link)
	"Miss Ashcroft, I think we have ourselves a deal." he says. "We should also set the dating age to thirty, just so we have time to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of boys that will be lining up to date her. Maybe we can get the others to help scare some of them off?" he suggests playfully. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 08:40 am UTC (link)
	Syd laughed. "Oh I'm sure Halbjorn and Titan will help scare them away. The girls will probably help too. They are all very fond of Zoey and have sort of adopted her. She's still convinced she's going to grow up to be a sorceress like Asleif." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-08-08 08:42 am UTC (link)
	"Well, as long as sorcery comes with good pay and benefits, I'll encourage it. Mostly. Summoning demons and things should probably be prohibited. In fact, I'll need to write up a set of house rules with that one in big letters." he says. "Oh, and no teleporting while grounded, if that ever comes up." he grins. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-08-08 08:45 am UTC (link)
	"You know, the bit about demons would be funny if I didn't have to put down a rule about summoning demons for real. Marlow seems fond of them." She shook her head. When did her life become so absurd? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)