for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[bravebartender]

Why should you hate it?

[She tips her head to the side, curious that that was his line of thought.]

[unforgivably]

That's what she's acting like, Stephanie. Like, they dropped on my doorstep and I never asked for them. I know what she thinks when she sees me. I know what everyone thinks when they see me. I know my reputation.

( He just does. Even if his reputation is more shades of gray, even if his brother gets down in the blood and the muck as much as he does. )

[bravebartender]

[Cami nods slowly.]

Is it your reputation, or is it a coping mechanism?

[It seems like a very short period of time for one, Stephanie to know much about her father's reputation in this world or two, assume that Damon hates her.]

It could be her pre-emptively trying to protect herself from the fact that you aren't the father you're familiar with, so she can't really predict how you'll react to things.

[unforgivably]

Then keep me at arm's length. I really don't blame her.

( None of this is on her or her brother. )

[bravebartender]

[She shakes her head.]

Neither can I. But from what you're saying, it sounds like that may not be what you want?

[unforgivably]

I want them safe. And happy. I want them to have answers and to reunite with their actual parents. Because despite her tantrums, she deserves to have her dad.

( Any version, but they've covered that... he probably doesn't count. )

[bravebartender]

[Cami nods slowly.]

And you don't want to get to know them at all?

[unforgivably]

That's what you got out of that? No, I do. I do want to get to know them, but I'm not going to force them to get to know me. If they need me, want me, ask me things, need help - I'm providing. But, if they don't, if they get what I can give them or just enough. Who am I to push?

( Her father, technically. )

[bravebartender]

I asked you what you wanted and it wasn't on the short list. You implied it, sure. But you didn't outright say it.

[But that isn't really the point. Sometimes you have to say the things you want and not just dance around it.]

It's fair that you don't want to force them. But I do think you deserve to be treated better than a transaction machine until they get to go home.

[unforgivably]

Maybe they'll come around.

( He won't bet on it. They're his kids. Which means, stubborn. )

[bravebartender]

Maybe. They'll probably have time. I can't imagine it's going to be easy to get them back to where they belong.

[She doesn't know the details of the multiverse, but it sounds complicated. It may take a little time to figure out.]

[unforgivably]

Me neither. You're taking this awfully well.

( Is this a, she's heard everything by now, situation? )

[bravebartender]

Oh, I'm pretty sure there's going to be a small existential crisis at some point today, but that's not my job. Right here, my job is just to take things as they are and help you how I can.

[Her feelings don't matter right now, and she's gotten pretty good at keeping them to herself.]

[unforgivably]

I took them to a friend of a friend's. I'm picking them back up after this.

( So, that's something? )

[bravebartender]

Good.

[She then pauses and asks the other question:]

How are you feeling about seeing Elena?

[They did leave things rather complicated the previous time they spoke and there has to be some layer of feelings about it under all the kid ones.]

[unforgivably]

I'm not conflicting out or planning on saying only what little I need to. She's Elena. She'll always be Elena. And I don't know how she's feeling, but I'll do whatever she needs.

( but, again, that isn't what she asked. )

Seeing Elena will be like it always is. She's home. She'll always be home. And, for the first time in a long time, that's okay.

[bravebartender]

Okay.

[She pauses.]

I understand wanting to keep things smooth, for the kids' sake, but I think you should also consider making time to resolve any lingering issues, if she's in a place for it.

[unforgivably]

( He wants to go at her, question what she means, use a tone. But, he knows what he needs to do. And what she deserves. Cami's made it clear. Their last conversation, he was out of line. )

I owe her an apology.

[bravebartender]

[He does. And she won't debate that.]

I think it would help. And I think that smoothing out these lingering issues will help make things easier moving forward while you're semi-co-parenting. However long that may last.

[unforgivably]

What if -- what if it lasts forever. What if they're here for good, if they lost the other -- us's.

( What if he can't live up to that. )

[bravebartender]

[Cami pauses as she considers her answer because it's not a simple one. And it's not a problem that they can solve over night.]

You help them grieve what they've lost. Because it's going to be more than just their parents - it's any other family they had there, their friends, their lives as they understood them. And the process of that is going to be hard. But they have to grieve before they can move forward. And while I don't think they ever won't miss them, eventually you'll be able to build relationships with them on your own terms.

[unforgivably]

That doesn't make things sound impossible even though things feel impossible. I like your answers.

( He likes how she digs and excavates around in his muck. In the worst of the worst. That she gets answers. Explanations. Points. )

It might be harder on Elena, all told.

[bravebartender]

[It's why they pay her the big bucks.

But the point about Elena is sound.]

It might. But hopefully you'll both be able to support each other too. And your extended support systems, also.

[unforgivably]

Stefan's hands have been full for a few months now. Slayer baggage. Witch baggage. Bonnie baggage. He can sit this one out.

( But Lindsay is here. She is his friend. He knows that. )

[bravebartender]

Do you say that because you don't think he would want to support you or because you don't want him to?

[She would point out that technically these kids are also Stefan's family to, but she wants to know if it's habit that has Damon dismissing his brother or something else.]