( One minute the road is empty, quiet, the Mystic Falls sign sits, bathed in what little sunlight peeks through the overcast sky. A bus approaches an empty bench. It passes, stopping for the two people now sitting on the bench - looking like they're waiting. It actually takes the bus a little too long to stop, the familiar engine and muffler coming to life as it backs up to reach the bus stop again.
It opens the doors in front of the man - sexist, Carol might think, the bus driver leaning forward.
"I almost didn't see you there. Light must be playing tricks on me. You coming?"
The last he remembers, Charlie the well-meaning fireman was being broken up with by Wynonna Earp, the hottest girl he has probably ever been with. Word around Purgatory is Charlie is way too nice for a girl like that, but Charlie's got his dirty side too and she learns that. Except, there are other things, glimpses behind the eyes of someone else. He's not just Charlie. He is, he is Charlie, but he's more than that and that has him a little dazed as he remembers being attacked by Doc, the vampire and meeting the daughter he now thinks doesn't math out right.
The bus driver takes a step down from his seat and comes out to ask the woman, then.
[Oh, Liz is going to be annoyed with her for missing their drink date.
But Carol is quicker on her feet than Charlie is. Perhaps it's an old muscle from having been married to Richard for so long, but she's quick to step up and flash the bus driver a smile.]
We're so sorry, but I didn't bring my purse and he forgot his wallet. Do you happen to be going to Mystic Falls? My son lives there and I'm sure he'll be able to pick up the fare once we get there.
[She also doesn't have a phone to call him, but that's neither here nor there. The bus driver doesn't have to know that. She just flashes him a charming smile and hopes that maybe one of the nice people on the bus will give her their phone to call Tyler.
If Tyler is still alive. She would think he would have found her in Peace if he wasn't but Peace can get ... confusing, sometimes. Time wanders.]
"I am going to Mystic Falls," he says, leaning forward into his do-gooder tray, he calls it, dropping coins in for this woman and her friend. "My wife called me from Target the other day," he explains. "The Target customer service. Left her phone, wallet, and lost her car keys." He can relate.
Carol's quick thinking spurs Charlie, to turn and ask a question he knows won't glean him the right answer. )
[The bus driver doesn't seem familiar with the name Waverly, but he's probably not from Mystic Falls. Waverly isn't a name that Carol is familiar with either - because again, dead - but she thinks they can figure it out.
She waits until they're settled in the seats before glancing over to him.]
We can see when we get there. I don't remember anyone named Waverly but I'm sure we could find her.
[Tyler can help. She knows he will. That being said, she leans over to the commuter across the way and flashes her best smile (14).]
I'm sorry, do you think I might be able to borrow your phone to make a quick call? We're having a hell of a night.
( He expects an answer with someone, but has no choice but to shuffle on behind this woman as more of his memories gel. At least he has his wits about him. The bus smells fine. He's never been a bus guy.
He turns to face her, giving her a questioning look. Oh. Waverly. Yeah. He guesses she's not. He's never heard of Mystic Falls but nothing about this feels or looks like the Ghost River Triangle - which he shouldn't even know the name of.
Charlie smiles, though, nodding once. He doesn't know Waverly or Wynonna's numbers. Or the station's. He knows his own. He guesses his phone's in a trash heap somewhere or maybe in a drawer -- maybe with Waverly, kept like a token.
Unfortunately for Carol, one woman she asks frowns and holds her purse closer to her (18), because she knows better than to just give her phone to strangers.
But, a commuter behind her, someone who would be her son's age when she died, taps her on the shoulder lightly and holds out his phone for her.
[She glances back at the man holding out the phone and places a hand over her heart as she takes it.]
Oh, thank you so much. You're a gem.
[She then turns back and frowns as she tries to remember Tyler's number. It's possible it won't be the same number, but it's worth a try. She starts tapping the number into the phone, before glancing over at her companion.]
("I'm also having a hell of a night, but if I can help someone else, well, that helps my hell, you know?" the kind stranger says.
The kind stranger sits back, looking out the window.
Charlie glances to the woman he appeared with. That's what he did, right? He appeared?
"I'm Charlie," he finally says. He looks down at himself, as if he's still evaluating that fact. Yes, that feels right, at this moment. This is his body and he's Charlie. She puts the phone to her ear as it rings, so he waits to say more. It's actually a pleasant ride.
The phone rings once and then an unfamiliar female voice answers, "Armory, Tyler Lockwood's office," she says. )
[But then there's an answer on the other end of the line. How fancy, Tyler has an office now. Not the mayor's office, which makes sense. But she doesn't know what the Armory is, so she doesn't know how much she should say.]
("May I ask who's calling?" the assistant asks, watching the meeting behind the glass door ahead of her.
"Tyler's your son?" Charlie asks, helpfully.
"I'm sorry," the assistant starts, beating Carol to the bunch, because vampire assistants hear polite questions from new strangers. She doesn't know Tyler well, but he treats her like a human and of the few conversations they've had, there was a conversation about parents. "I couldn't help but overhear, did he ask if Tyler was your son?"
"Is it complicated because, like me, you were not on that bus stop for... a few years?" At least? Charlie has to ask.
Tyler almost dismisses his assistant, but she insists he needs to come to the phone. She doesn't know what his mom sounds like, obviously, but she sounds like a mom. And Tyler rolls his seat out from the table. Heading out of the room, he tells her not even one of his friend's moms are alive. But, he confirms what line she's on before answering.
"So, I'm told I'm talking to someone complicated. I'm in a meeting, so make this quick, whoever this is.")
[He's probably gotten a call that starts this way many times before - where his mother has sounded a bit more inebriated. She can appreciate the irony even as she says it, but it's just so good to actually talk to him that she can't help the well of feelings that rise up, the way her voice almost breaks as she continues.]
I won't keep you long, but I seem to have gotten into a bit of a pickle. Do you think you might be able to come pick me up from the Grille?
[He sounds good. Like he's come into himself while she was gone. He's a good man, her son, likely in spite of her and Richard, rather than because of it, and she's so proud of him.]
( He almost drops the phone. He knows that voice and he knows those words. And he knows a different context. And he would give everything to hear them again, even if it's to help her home from a town event or the founder's council, or to let her know he's okay.
Because, he is. His dad was a prick, but he misses him. His mom had her sensibilities and she could be stuck up, but she always loved him. He, like Elena, like Caroline, has lost family and friends. )
Um - Mystic Grille. ( He looks back at his assistant who has an expectant look on her face. His shellshock confirms it sounds like his mom. Like it's his mom. ) You're - mom, how are you --
[She glances over briefly at Charlie, who seems to be on the same road she's on.]
We just appeared at a bus stop and the very nice bus driver allowed us to ride without a fare and a very nice young man loaned me his phone so I could call you and that's all I've got. We're heading towards Mystic Falls. The man I'm with is named Charlie and he was asking for someone named Waverly? Do you know a Waverly?
( His mom didn't always befriend the best strangers, but just this once it sounds like they came through. )
Yeah, yeah I do. She and her sister and their - bodyguard guy - helped us -- you're with someone that knows her that also appeared at the bus stop? ( What are the odds? ) Mom...
( He can't come out and say it, that she's been dead a long time. How do you tell anyone that. )
[She's been dead long enough that she can feel the differences, for better or worse. He doesn't need to tell her she's been dead a long time. She knows. She remembers.]
I don't know what's going on, but I have to give the phone back, so I'll see you at the Grille, okay?
Yeah, yeah I'll be there. As long as you trust Charlie, stay with him. And mom. I love you.
( He hangs up, not able to look his assistant in the eye. )
I need to get to Mystic Falls. ( He addresses his phone, planning on pulling up Maps, but he sees a myriad of messages in his group chat. He reads the first few then scrolls down to Elena's big -- wish worry. He looks at her.
First, he addresses the group chat and Waverly directly, and next, he calls - no, he cancels the call. Elena's asleep. He sends Matt a private message. He'll see him soon. He better look good for a dead guy, cause there are some eligible ladies in Mystic Falls. He jokes because he can't... not. Because this is crazy. )
I gotta go.
( In the meantime, Charlie listens to her side of the conversation. He has to ask, too.
"Did he know Waverly?" It feels like a longshot. But. )
( Things are really messed up in his mind. But, he knows that to be true. Maybe that's his north star.
He settles into his seat. Sorry, Carol, he's been more of a conversationalist. There is someone else inside him though. or, is that also him. He spends the rest of the ride staring out the window. The bus hits the town square and comes to a stop. )
[Carol leans closer so she can look out the window and nods. It doesn't look like the Mystic Falls she left behind, but it's still familiar enough to be home.]
This is us.
[She gets to her feet, thanking the bus driver again on their way out and once they're out, looking around until she can see the familiar facade of the Grille, where they can find a booth and wait for Tyler.
She'll get them both drinks so they're not unduly taking up space, but she doesn't want to spend too much of Tyler's money before he gets there.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
praevaricatio) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
everyonelives2025-10-11 07:15 am
MYSTIC FALLS | LONG STRETCH OF HIGHWAY | CHARLIE AND CAROL
It opens the doors in front of the man - sexist, Carol might think, the bus driver leaning forward.
"I almost didn't see you there. Light must be playing tricks on me. You coming?"
The last he remembers, Charlie the well-meaning fireman was being broken up with by Wynonna Earp, the hottest girl he has probably ever been with. Word around Purgatory is Charlie is way too nice for a girl like that, but Charlie's got his dirty side too and she learns that. Except, there are other things, glimpses behind the eyes of someone else. He's not just Charlie. He is, he is Charlie, but he's more than that and that has him a little dazed as he remembers being attacked by Doc, the vampire and meeting the daughter he now thinks doesn't math out right.
The bus driver takes a step down from his seat and comes out to ask the woman, then.
"He alright? Do I need to call someone?" )
no subject
But Carol is quicker on her feet than Charlie is. Perhaps it's an old muscle from having been married to Richard for so long, but she's quick to step up and flash the bus driver a smile.]
We're so sorry, but I didn't bring my purse and he forgot his wallet. Do you happen to be going to Mystic Falls? My son lives there and I'm sure he'll be able to pick up the fare once we get there.
[She also doesn't have a phone to call him, but that's neither here nor there. The bus driver doesn't have to know that. She just flashes him a charming smile and hopes that maybe one of the nice people on the bus will give her their phone to call Tyler.
If Tyler is still alive. She would think he would have found her in Peace if he wasn't but Peace can get ... confusing, sometimes. Time wanders.]
no subject
"I am going to Mystic Falls," he says, leaning forward into his do-gooder tray, he calls it, dropping coins in for this woman and her friend. "My wife called me from Target the other day," he explains. "The Target customer service. Left her phone, wallet, and lost her car keys." He can relate.
Carol's quick thinking spurs Charlie, to turn and ask a question he knows won't glean him the right answer. )
Do you know if Waverly is also in Mystic Falls?
no subject
She waits until they're settled in the seats before glancing over to him.]
We can see when we get there. I don't remember anyone named Waverly but I'm sure we could find her.
[Tyler can help. She knows he will. That being said, she leans over to the commuter across the way and flashes her best smile (14).]
I'm sorry, do you think I might be able to borrow your phone to make a quick call? We're having a hell of a night.
no subject
He turns to face her, giving her a questioning look. Oh. Waverly. Yeah. He guesses she's not. He's never heard of Mystic Falls but nothing about this feels or looks like the Ghost River Triangle - which he shouldn't even know the name of.
Charlie smiles, though, nodding once. He doesn't know Waverly or Wynonna's numbers. Or the station's. He knows his own. He guesses his phone's in a trash heap somewhere or maybe in a drawer -- maybe with Waverly, kept like a token.
Unfortunately for Carol, one woman she asks frowns and holds her purse closer to her (18), because she knows better than to just give her phone to strangers.
But, a commuter behind her, someone who would be her son's age when she died, taps her on the shoulder lightly and holds out his phone for her.
"Here," he says. )
no subject
Oh, thank you so much. You're a gem.
[She then turns back and frowns as she tries to remember Tyler's number. It's possible it won't be the same number, but it's worth a try. She starts tapping the number into the phone, before glancing over at her companion.]
I'm Carol, by the way.
no subject
The kind stranger sits back, looking out the window.
Charlie glances to the woman he appeared with. That's what he did, right? He appeared?
"I'm Charlie," he finally says. He looks down at himself, as if he's still evaluating that fact. Yes, that feels right, at this moment. This is his body and he's Charlie. She puts the phone to her ear as it rings, so he waits to say more. It's actually a pleasant ride.
The phone rings once and then an unfamiliar female voice answers, "Armory, Tyler Lockwood's office," she says. )
no subject
[But then there's an answer on the other end of the line. How fancy, Tyler has an office now. Not the mayor's office, which makes sense. But she doesn't know what the Armory is, so she doesn't know how much she should say.]
Hello. I'd like to speak with Tyler, please?
no subject
"Tyler's your son?" Charlie asks, helpfully.
"I'm sorry," the assistant starts, beating Carol to the bunch, because vampire assistants hear polite questions from new strangers. She doesn't know Tyler well, but he treats her like a human and of the few conversations they've had, there was a conversation about parents. "I couldn't help but overhear, did he ask if Tyler was your son?"
no subject
Yes.
[And then to the voice on the phone:]
And yes. Which I'm sure if you've worked with Tyler for a while, you understand that that's complicated, which is why I really need to speak to Tyler.
no subject
"Is it complicated because, like me, you were not on that bus stop for... a few years?" At least? Charlie has to ask.
Tyler almost dismisses his assistant, but she insists he needs to come to the phone. She doesn't know what his mom sounds like, obviously, but she sounds like a mom. And Tyler rolls his seat out from the table. Heading out of the room, he tells her not even one of his friend's moms are alive. But, he confirms what line she's on before answering.
"So, I'm told I'm talking to someone complicated. I'm in a meeting, so make this quick, whoever this is." )
no subject
[He's probably gotten a call that starts this way many times before - where his mother has sounded a bit more inebriated. She can appreciate the irony even as she says it, but it's just so good to actually talk to him that she can't help the well of feelings that rise up, the way her voice almost breaks as she continues.]
I won't keep you long, but I seem to have gotten into a bit of a pickle. Do you think you might be able to come pick me up from the Grille?
[He sounds good. Like he's come into himself while she was gone. He's a good man, her son, likely in spite of her and Richard, rather than because of it, and she's so proud of him.]
no subject
Because, he is. His dad was a prick, but he misses him. His mom had her sensibilities and she could be stuck up, but she always loved him. He, like Elena, like Caroline, has lost family and friends. )
Um - Mystic Grille. ( He looks back at his assistant who has an expectant look on her face. His shellshock confirms it sounds like his mom. Like it's his mom. ) You're - mom, how are you --
( He can't even say it. )
no subject
[She glances over briefly at Charlie, who seems to be on the same road she's on.]
We just appeared at a bus stop and the very nice bus driver allowed us to ride without a fare and a very nice young man loaned me his phone so I could call you and that's all I've got. We're heading towards Mystic Falls. The man I'm with is named Charlie and he was asking for someone named Waverly? Do you know a Waverly?
no subject
Yeah, yeah I do. She and her sister and their - bodyguard guy - helped us -- you're with someone that knows her that also appeared at the bus stop? ( What are the odds? ) Mom...
( He can't come out and say it, that she's been dead a long time. How do you tell anyone that. )
no subject
[She's been dead long enough that she can feel the differences, for better or worse. He doesn't need to tell her she's been dead a long time. She knows. She remembers.]
I don't know what's going on, but I have to give the phone back, so I'll see you at the Grille, okay?
no subject
( He hangs up, not able to look his assistant in the eye. )
I need to get to Mystic Falls. ( He addresses his phone, planning on pulling up Maps, but he sees a myriad of messages in his group chat. He reads the first few then scrolls down to Elena's big -- wish worry. He looks at her.
First, he addresses the group chat and Waverly directly, and next, he calls - no, he cancels the call. Elena's asleep. He sends Matt a private message. He'll see him soon. He better look good for a dead guy, cause there are some eligible ladies in Mystic Falls. He jokes because he can't... not. Because this is crazy. )
I gotta go.
( In the meantime, Charlie listens to her side of the conversation. He has to ask, too.
"Did he know Waverly?" It feels like a longshot. But. )
no subject
[Carol passes the phone back with thanks, before settling in and turning her full attention back to the man next to her.]
Are you from Virginia also?
no subject
No, I'm - have you heard of Purgatory? It's on the U.S.- Canada border. I've never been to Virginia. I don't think.
( Have angels been everywhere? )
no subject
[She now realizes that she was lucky, that she would up so close to home, so close to Tyler. It could have been far worse, it seems.]
Is Waverly family?
no subject
She's my daughter.
no subject
[That's nice, them both returning to their children.]
Hopefully Tyler will be able to find her.
[And that she'll be the right Waverly.]
no subject
( Things are really messed up in his mind. But, he knows that to be true. Maybe that's his north star.
He settles into his seat. Sorry, Carol, he's been more of a conversationalist. There is someone else inside him though. or, is that also him. He spends the rest of the ride staring out the window. The bus hits the town square and comes to a stop. )
This us?
no subject
This is us.
[She gets to her feet, thanking the bus driver again on their way out and once they're out, looking around until she can see the familiar facade of the Grille, where they can find a booth and wait for Tyler.
She'll get them both drinks so they're not unduly taking up space, but she doesn't want to spend too much of Tyler's money before he gets there.]
no subject
Tyler parks down the block. He pushes away the memory of discovering his mother, drowned in that fountain. Her memorial. Everything after.
He closes the car door behind him.
The door to the grille opens and closes as he slowly turns. He's got the goatee. But, it's still Carol Lockwood's son. )
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)