everyonelives | i'm leaving you my last curse

Nights like this are a good start.

( Does he like what she does? No. But, she likes it. And his son does, too. That makes him feel good as a parent. )

JJ, I'll always be here for you. For anything, okay? ( He leans over and shuts the monitor off. ) Now, we should probably get back there. Worrying will only get us so far. And that's not what holidays are for, is it?

["Fair enough," he nods and goes easily, comfortable with the confidence that he obtained what he came for.

In the meanwhile, Mia is hanging out on that porch Oliver mentioned, watching the messages roll in through the various WhatsApp chats. It seems as though Scotland was an isolated incident, and it wasn't a sign of someone coming after the Slayers as a whole.

It's still gutting, though, as each of the confirmed deaths roll in, as well as the confirmed survivors. Twenty girls are dead, but some of them are still alive. That has to be worth something, doesn't it?

Regardless, she hasn't been feeling very party oriented, and has been trying to keep her poor mood to herself.]

( From one party to another, Mickey arrives later than William (and Cooper?), parking along the roundabout. He beeps his car's alarm, and then pulls out the second carton of beer he grabbed for a house that probably doesn't need it.

After deciding against going in the front, he decides to take a walk around the house. Decompressing from seeing your dead friend and then kind of friend you romantically confessed your feelings to is what's on the menu.

Coming around the side, he spots his roommate on the porch. )

Anything else from Scotland?

About twenty dead in the collapse.

[She knows the names of all of them. They had been her class, so to speak. The girls she trained with, the ones she was put among as she adjusted and learned. And now most of those girls are dead in one fell swoop. She swallows and shakes her head.]

But most of the American cells are safe, so it looks like this may have just been a one and done. Maybe all they were trying to do was go after Buffy.

( He takes the steps up onto the porch, setting the beer down on a hanging bench, in case she wants a hug. Or, to punch something. )

Or, it was an attack of opportunity. It's a big target.

( He'd say rogue hunters, but he knows they were witches and vampires. And those vampires were a part of an organization his boyfriend is very familiar with. )

Taking a breather out here?

[She nods as she reaches for the glass sitting next to her.]

I've been managing the check ins with the American Slayer cells, so I'm not exactly great for conversation when my phone's blowing up every five minutes.

[And she hasn't been much in the mood for people, or more specifically, Lyla and Diggle's well-meaning but also disappointed parent expressions in her direction.

She might still be out here if Scotland hadn't happened, but Scotland is quite the convenient excuse.]

You've head from Wes, right?

And you lost friends.

( He probably wouldn't be good company, either. As for disappointing parents that aren't your own, he thinks she should take those withering looks with a grain of salt. They loved their son. Ultimately, it probably wasn't right, or she'd have worked through the shock and reconciled. Maybe this was a good excuse, but any excuse is usually a good one. )

Earlier. He was stuck in the wine cellar with Damon Salvatore. I offered to call in my nonexistent poker chip with Klaus, compel what must have been a painful memory, away, but he denied my very generous ( and nonexistent ) offer.

( He tugs at the sticky material holding one of the sides of the carton together, pulling one panel up so he can grab a beer. )

[Mia snorts before shaking her head.]

Probably for the best. He might have gotten dirt to use on Damon later.

[You never know when someone requires emotional blackmail.]

Is he going to be coming home soon?

We can only hope.

( Contrary to what he might think, or what people might think, he actually dislikes Stefan more than his brother. At least his brother is a dick outright. Stefan pretends to be some good guy. Instead, he's just a dick. )

As far as I know. He's on a flight tomorrow, or - tonight - maybe around now.

( He thinks he's coming back, but his family isn't. ) Everyone is scattering.

That's what people do after something like this.

[She certainly did, when her world imploded with the Slayer of it all. But she also can't help but hope that some revenge will be in the mix. Mia has a express wish to punch things, and is waiting for Faith to fill her in on the details on where she's heading.]

I'm sure he'll make it back safe. He seems like he's good at flying under the radar.

( He remembers. Hunters did it. He's assuming the hunted also do it. It's a natural reaction. He didn't ask too many details, because if he isn't directly involved, he'd like to not have the information on him. Something about being a hostage and then a compelled fall-guy. If Wes needs to give him any information, he'll be there. But, if it doesn't affect him, no thanks. )

Literally.

( He smirks, popping the beer open finally. He licks some of the foam from the top before taking a sip. He lets that settle. )

He does just take things. He's easy.

( They both are. Mickey's getting better at being easy again. )

You guys seem good together.

[Not that she's known Wes overly long, but it seems like he makes Mickey happy. And Mickey's come a long way from the hunter who lied to her in London.]

I'm glad things are working out.

It's easy. He talks. Asks questions. Gives me the space I need when you and me get punch-happy. ( He's an honorary slayer at this point. ) Still taking things slow, but, for everything that counts, it's good I haven't had in a long time.

( So, there's that. )

And I thought maybe seeing Lucas. Cooper again. It might -- ( Stir something up? ) It was just good to see him alive. Weird. Coming from the vampire. But. Good.

[She nods, because she gets that. She worried about how it would feel seeing JJ again when she returned - and she's also was concerned about seeing Connor, given the other life she remembered. JJ went worse than expected, but no old feelings surfaced in the process.

Connor's more complicated, because as much as her feelings are still a complicated knot, he doesn't look at her in the same way. He's not the same Connor. How is she supposed to handle that?

Still, this isn't about her.]

Sometimes it's good to get closure, one way or another.

We're all one big incestuous ball, I don't see closure happening any time soon. I also don't need it. When Cooper called to clear the air, to apologize, I didn't need it. Felt good to hear. I deserved to know about Lucas, but - I didn't need it.

( Even though their lives continue to enmesh. )

How about you. It's not only Scotland keeping you out here, is it?

Oh, just the eternal disappointment of breaking up the relationship your parents had been rooting for since you were children. Lyla and Dig's disappointed faces are loud, even if they're not saying it.

[She's also willing to bet that Lyla always knew where she was because ARGUS, and that's a can of worms she doesn't want to open.]

I should probably get back in there. Plus I have a message for William from Isaac.

( "We're young," he says, reassuring her. She may feel like they're boring holes into her skull. And they might be. But, they will get over it. JJ hasn't attempted anything since they came back together.

Parents get over it.

"Right behind you," he says, picking the carton back up and following her inside.

William's in the kitchen drinking a glass of sparkling and holding court with his boyfriend, his father, and mother. )

["There she is," Laurel says with a small smile, giving Mia's shoulder a squeeze. "Is the bad news slowing down?"

Mia nods as she glances over to her with a smile.]

More or less.

[She then looks to her brother.]

Also I heard from Isaac and he wanted to ask you for a new phone because his is at the bottom of a lake.

I've lost count of how many phones Isaac has lost me. I'm making this one an obnoxious color. I may even have it bedazzled. Or bejeweled.

( He won't, there is nothing stealthy about sparkle. )

Tell me when he intends to be in one place for more then a week and I'll arrange another.

He said that he, Danny and Bonnie were heading back to London in a couple days, so you can probably send it to the coven.

[It makes Isaac easy to find, and if nothing else they can hold onto it for him until he gets there.]

Rhinestones are in for phones.

Then he will be a rhinestone werewolf cowboy.

( This one will probably break, too. )

You didn't know, but I became a Radio Shack while you weren't looking.

There are worse things to be.

[Radio Shack, once upon a time, was a much needed institution.]

Why are you this guy's personal phone broker?

I'm the guy behind the screens, which means when it involves Isaac, or Cooper or Mia in the field, I'm on the other end of the earpiece. Which means if something happens to said earpiece or say a seventh phone, I have to replace it. Or, at least facilitate replacing it.

( Herego the rhinestone werewolf cowboy. )

Unfortunately, that is a side effect of being in the field.

[At least as far as Laurel is concerned.]

I've blown out a lot of phones just through sonic scream alone.

And I've shorted my fair share.

( Of earpieces. )

Who's footing the bill for all these replaced electronics?

( "Argent Arms International," William answers. "They're an international business, and yes, they do pay me." )

I didn't ask.

( "No, you're just hoping I don't use any of my money to -" )

I didn't say that.

( William sets his glass down on the counter.

"Even if I did, it would be going to a good cause. The supernatural is in danger. The slayers in Scotland almost lost everyone today. And if I could throw money at it - invest it - I still might." )

I just want you to think before you make any big decisions. Who's running your company you built from the ground up while you were away?

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