[Underneath this farce] There beats the heart of man...

[little_callahan]

True to her word, Valkyrie was at Jack's house in ten minutes exactly...her mother had located a route that was clear, but Valkyrie knew about it a good five minutes before she did, as was her way. She always got the jump when someone was looking for something...

The road back, however, wasn't nearly as kind. Valkyrie could only assume that Julius was either in trouble with Billie, or he was falling hard. His power was emotionally tied, and she saw the way he was looking at that scrawny little toothpick of a girl that was, somehow, still prettier than she herself would ever be.

Two hours later, she was finally pulling her car into the driveway and ducking out, shivering in the rapidly falling snow that was now knee-deep. Leading Jack through the treacherous path up to her stoop, she let them both inside and stomped the snow off her boots, shedding her jacket, scarf, hat, and gloves quickly to let in the heat that surrounded them.

"Bugger the fucking snow." she huffed, rather than cursing her brother. After all, Jack didn't know yet...

Once Jack had laid his own things aside, she led him down the hallway to the guest room. Cracking the door open, she saw Billie in bed, bundled under the covers with Cain's massive form looming over her and Julius seated by her bed, rhythmically stroking her forehead. Catching his eye, the pair signaled to each other for a moment before Valkyrie shut the door and turned to Jack.

"You saw her, she's safe, but it looks like she's only just nodded off." Valkyrie explained. "She's hurting at the moment, so we'd best not wake her yet. Cain's looking her over, once he knows how she's doing we'll send you in. Meantime, living room. That fireplace you saw coming in is real, and I'm bloody freezing."

Comments

[not-thatbadass.livejournal.com]

After a moment of saying nothing at all, Jack spoke up. "She's not mad at you," he said, almost conversationally, as if this happened everyday for them. The fighting, well, that almost did, everything else seemed to be a little different.

With a sigh, he reached up, running his fingers through his hair again and letting his arm settle, draped around Valkyrie's shoulders. "I'm sorry, for her."

[little-callahan.livejournal.com]

Valkyrie sniffed at his apology, trying to make light of it...and ignore how nice the arm around her shoulders felt. It brought her closer, and through the smoky scent of the fire, she could tell he smelled really nice...soap, warm cotton, no cologne. She liked it, just the clean and simple, oddly comforting scent of Jack.

"You're a damn fool." she informed him with a quiet smile, shifting her head more comfortably on his shoulder. "Believe me when I tell you I've heard far worse about my character. Billie's got Cain and Julius working on her. It's you I'm worried about."

[not-thatbadass.livejournal.com]

She was warm, he noted as his fingers played at the ends of her hair absentmindedly. Or rather, he tried to make it seem absentminded, but really he just wanted to see if it was as soft as it looked -- it was and he was a fan, sudden newfound interest in hair care he would be mercilessly teased about if Casey were here. He was, in fact, painfully aware of her proximity, as rightthere.

"Regardless," he rebutted, "You haven't heard it from Billie and I'm sorry for that. And grateful off my ass there's someone who can handle her better than I can with her now, 'cause I sure as shit can't go back in there."

As with most things, Jack sidestepped her worry about him. He was fine, a little sore from PT at work earlier, but otherwise fine. Billie had said worse things to him before and she'd probably say worse things again, he wasn't sweating something she said when she was half out of her mind. It wasn't a case of drunken words and sober thoughts or the like, Billie'd say that to him stone sober.

It wasn't as comforting a thought as it seemed.

[little-callahan.livejournal.com]

"You can. In a bit." Valkyrie assured him, tilting her head up to look at him. He had a nice profile...and a little flaw in the edge of his jawline, a tiny dip that she had a sudden and irrational urge to touch. Fighting it, she stayed still...even if she might have been leaning against him a little more than before.

"I've seen heroin withdrawal before...if she's burning through it as quickly as Abe says? Tomorrow morning she'll be a lot quieter." she went on. "He'll have her sleep through the worst of it if he can. I imagine her metabolism'd make that difficult though, yeah? So just...trust him. Cain, I mean. He does know his shit. And when you get home later? Find her stash and flush it. But I didn't tell you that...cop and all, know what I mean?"

[not-thatbadass.livejournal.com]

"The worst it of is going to be when she gets home," Jack countered softly. He sighed, his shoulders slumping even more. Gone was the man who was more comfortable in uniform than out, in his place was the brother who waited outside his sister's door until she stopped crying after her first boyfriend cheated on her.

"I have to call Colby," he continued. "The storm's kickass an' all, but ain't nothing gonna stop Case once he focuses in on Short Stack, 'cept Colby. He's been lying to Ryan for so long he can keep him occupied. Kid's a profession Ryan Mosse Bullshitter, lies better than he breathes."

He laughed a little, the sound not as light as he tried to make it. "No wonder she's fucked up, look where she comes from. Jesus."

[little-callahan.livejournal.com]

For a moment, she was tempted to shift and plant her head in his lap not to flirt, but because her brothers could rarely stay upset when she got goofy like that and started draping herself on them. It was the same kind of impulse, one Valkyrie was grateful for...it distracted from the fact she kind of did want to drape herself on Jack for far less friendly reasons...

"If you think he can keep his mouth shut, g'head." Valkyrie offered softly. "Cordless is in the kitchen, where there's food and whatnot, too. If you don't grab something soon, Ma'll be out here marching you into a full-on meal before you can spit. She grew up in Atlanta, but I swear sometimes that she's got a little Jewish grandmother in her..."