Walk at Leela's

[thewolfinside]

He'd promised Leela he would take her for a walk, and he wasn't about to back out on that. Besides, it had been a while since Jason had been back to the old land and there were graves to visit. He doesn't bother knocking on the door, not sure that Leela has figured out her way to it yet.

He'd be surprised if she had made it out of the tub.

He does knock on her bedroom door though, making sure she knows he's there. "Leela? You ready to go?"

"Jason? I can't find my sneakers and - ouch dammit! Come on in!" On her knees, half hidden by the desk, Leela is feeling around for her sneakers. She's been up a while and lis looking properly dressed, except for the two mis-matched socks on her feet.

Feeling for the desk, she pulls herself up and pats the top of it until she finds her sunglasses. "I'll be good to go once I find - oh here it is. Now why is one of my sneakers on the desk? Hey, can you see the other one?" She gives a slight smile and a shrug.

Jason shakes his head, laughing at Leela while picking up the other oneoff of her dresser.  "I've got it right here. Sit down and I'll putthem on you.  I don't want to spend most of the morning waiting for youto untie your fingers."

"Yea, that would be bad." Feeling her way around the desk, she makes her way over to Jason and the bed next to him. Fingers lightly touching, making sure that the bed is really where it's supposed to be she turns and plops down on it. Sticking her feet out, she pulls up one sock, then the other.

"Hey Jason? Thank you. This means a lot. And hey, I really didn't realize what time it was this morning when I called. Gonna have to get a clock that chimes or something."

He steps back long enough to open his phone and snap a quick picture of her miss-matched socks, then helps her with her shoes. "It's no big deal. You didn't know that I would be coming off a cycle. I finally crashed about noon yesterday after being up for three days."

"Oh man, Jason!" Standing up, Leela runs her fingers through her ponytail and tugs her shirt straight. Then she reaches out for him, to give a hug. "Three days? Not healthy bro. I should fix you a tea and, no skip that. My luck I'd mix the wrong batch of herbs up by mistake and have you thinking you were a bird or something."

"I'm ready to go if you are! Just ahh, don't lose me ok? I'm not as fast as I used to be. And I seem to be a lot more clumsy."

He takes her hand, walking slowly towards the front door. "Sis? I'm fine. I got over twelve hours of sleep. And they don't happen as often as they used to, this is only the second one since Sev fixed me up with a potion."

He stops by the door. "Anything you want to grab before we go?"

"Making shuffling steps, she grips his hand tightly, the other hand reaching out, patting the air until she can find a wall. "Sev? You mean that young guy that lives with you on the pardlands, or the professor?"

"And no, I don't need anything. Have my shoes on, and I'm not worried about getting wet if it rains. Oh hey! My pinpoint? Maybe we can go some places and then program it in so I can pinpoint straight there and back to the house. That way I won't get lost trying to walk everywhere Sound good by you?"

"The young one. It's some potion he invented, I take it once a day. It's better than the pharmaceutical stuff."

He shakes his head, leading Leela out the door. "Nope. You're better off having people you trust come to get you. What if you hit the pinpoint and ended up getting flattened by a runaway bus because you couldn't see it coming?"

"Aren't too many runaway busses out here, Jason." She's only protesting slightly, she's giggling too much to put up a fuss. "But yea I understand. It'd be just my luck to pinpoint into the middle of a swarming bee-hive or a mama bear and her cubs or something."
"Sun's out, right? Feels good, nice and warm, wow. So, where are we going today Jason?" Gripping his hand a little tighter, she leans in towards him, one foot slowly walking in front of the other.

"Ew, beestung Leela. That would scare the children for years." He makes sure to keep an eye on the ground so she doesn't trip. "And we're going for a walk around the lake. I need to make a stop over by the old house."

"Beestung Leela. That brings ouch to a new and different level, alright. And I'd be puffy and bloated and, yea scaring kids."

"Around the lake? I haven't done that in months. Sounds fantastic."

Slowly she is stretching out her steps, inch by inch quickening her pace as she grows more comfortable walking with him. "Ooh, we must be nearing the water. I smell the rose bush that I planted down here. The house should be just over there, right?" Pointing towards the middle of the lake, she's only off by forty-five degrees, maybe a little more.

He takes her hand and points it in the right direction. "Just a bit off, but you would have figured that out about the time your socks got wet."

The path is a bit overgrown, but not much. Even from here though, he can tell that the weeds and wildflowers have taken over the yard of the other house. "I think Gabe's been here a couple of times since we've moved, but I haven't. I wanted to check on the gravestones while I was here."

"If the house is that way, then the bush should be right over there, right Jason?" She points again, this time getting it right.

"The gravestones, yea. The rest of the pard. Hey Jason? Would you mind if I planted some flowers around them? It'll have to be the old fashioned way, can't just make things just come up of of the ground anymore. But after all, they were still family. Still pard, you know?"

"Ooh, give the girl a cookie." Jason would actually do that, but he left the cookies at home.

"I don't mind, it'll brighten the place up a bit. Just ask Gabe first, he's got final say on what goes over there." He's quiet for a bit after that, thinking.

"I don't think you should put anything on Cherry's. Not that I know if her grave is even marked."

"I'm not sure either. But you're right, I'll ask him first." Hand dangling down, she can't see the branches of the bushes they pass by. Doesn't even realize they're there until one whacks her on the back of her hand when she walks too close.

"Ouch." Shaking her wrist, she stops for a second. "Hey Jason, the leaves turning color yet?"

She leans against his shoulder for a second, then pulls away. "Go on, I'll be alright here. Go spend some time with them Jason. I understand."

He pulls her along with, this not being his favorite part of the walk. "Nope, you come with. We'll discuss flowers or something. And yes, some of the leaves are turning, but not a lot."

He stops by the graves, looking at them. "You know, they weren't even my pard, I barely knew them. I don't know if Zane's ever been here, or Nat."

"Flowers? Ok sure, flowers are good." A tug is all that's needed, and she pets his hand as they halt.

"Jason, I never see anyone here at the house. Months back, I could have sworn I saw lights on one night, but when I looked again they were off." Slowly she sinks to the ground and sits back on her knees.

"To be honest, I avoid the place most of the time. Tom and I have used the beach once or twice, but I don't even go in the house. It just doesn't feel right. Not without you there."

Jason shrugs and sits beside her, looking over at the house. Too much had happened there for him to feel comfortable. "Might have been Gabe. He comes here every so often because he knows that no one will look for him here."

"That makes sense."

Plucking up blades of grass, idly curling the leaves around her fingers, she tries to feel something, anything from the ground or the trees. "Well, if Gabe uses it, hell if any of you still use it, I'll keep the grounds up for you. You know, make sure you have a retreat to come to. Oh, does Cherry have a gravestone?"

Jason moves closer to the markers, nothing more than oddly colored rocks with names carved in them, and starts the few weeds that have grown up in the last week or so.

"I don't think she does. I'm not even sure if Gabe buried her with the others."

Tilting her head, she listens to Jason move and suddenly realizes what he's doing. With a soft smile, she digs her hands into the dirt to accompany him. Going by feel alone, she starts pulling out dandelion plants, and other overgrown weeds in the area. "He probably didn't. After all, cemetaries are a place where you come to remember the dead with good thoughts. I don't think anyone had good thoughts about Cherry in the end."

"What was your Cherry like Jason? I don't even remember if I knew her. Or most of the others of your pack. I remember those big guys, the guards. Fang and them. But I don't remember your Zane, or your pack, other than her. Tell me about them?" Her hands kept moving, her fingers going from plant to plant.

He's quiet for a bit, having not thought about any of them in a long time. "I don't remember much of the pard. There wasn't a Cherry or Zane, at least not that I knew of. There was the twins, Stephan and Gregory. Nate. Some others, but none of them ever lasted very long. As for the pack... You remember Sylvie, don't you?"

"Silvie. Wow, that name is so - wait a second. She tried to kill me, didnt' she? Was that the one?" Pausing her weeding, Leela takes off her sunglasses and folds them, placing them in her pocket. Turning her head towards her brother's voice, she gazed in his direction. "Wasn't she the one? And it it was, was she always like that?"

"Yeah, she was the one." He doesn't like talking about Sylvie, but he does. "She wasn't always like that. Not until after Raina killed her mate. Then once the bitch brought in all the others, the ones who were your guards, Sylvie kinda lost it, doing whatever she had to in order to stay alive."

"Raina had a way of doing that to people didn't she?" Fingers stilled, Leela folds them in her lap, and talks quietly. "Stripping away the humanity, the kindness. Killing off all the decent emotions." Now it's Leela's turn to think, to remember. "Glad I didn't kill her, Sylie I mean."

"Jason, what about good times? Before the bitch. Were there any? Any at all?" Moving closer to him, she leans until her shoulder is just touching his.

"For me, yeah. It was before I met her though. For the pack?" He shrugs, tracing the edge of one stone. "I don't know. The only pack I knew was Raina's."

"Same here. Raina was the first lycan I'd ever met, I think. And through her I met the rest of you."

"I'm glad for that you know." Turning, she raises her face to her brother. "It's worth it, Jason. Through her I met you. Through you I met the rest of them. Personally, I think I made out like a bandit in this deal."

"But I got you. And you're my brother." Wiping her hands on her shorts, she presses them against the ground, pushing herself back onto her feet. "Come on Jason. Let's talk something good on the way back. Tell me how Gabriella is doing, how Lil and her lady are, and more importantly, tell me how you've been. You and Bigcat. My family."

Jason smiles and he gets up, taking Leels'a hand and heading back toward the house. "Ella is perfect, wonderful, ours. We finally got the papers on her adoption. Lil and Carrie are awesome, when they're not bitching at each other."

She stops right there on the path.  "You did?  You DID?  Oh Jasonthat's - " Instead of finishing her sentence, Leela hugs him tight. "It's So wonderful.  That's fantastic.  Congratulations, Daddy.  How'sit feel?" 

Jason grins, hugging her tightly. "It feels pretty damn good. We haven't really told anyone, but Gabe was happier than I've seen him in a while." He grins, leading her down the path again. "Things have gotten a lot better lately."

"That's wonderful to hear. Gods, that's great." She stops and sniffs. "Oh hey, we're near the rose bush again. Do me a favor? I'd like to send some purple roses home with you. I know there are still a few in bloom. Help me pick 'em so I don't rip my hands apart?"

Jason lets go of her hand and walks over to the bush, pulling a few of the blooms free. "Do you want some for yourself?"

"Just one" Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, smelling the rich scent of roses. "Next year I'm going to try to grow more of these. This is the only rose bush that survived the bombing."

"The path is this way right? Up through here?"

He's easily picked a dozen, trying to keep hold of all of them. "Yeah, you can feel the part in the bushes if you pay attention."

"Well, hopefully by next year I'll be able to grow them by normal means, and not have to part them and break up the bushes." Pushing her sunglasses back up on her nose, she holds her hands out. "Have you got enough? Want me to carry some until we get to the house?"

He improvises by pulling off his shirt and carrying the blooms in that. "I have it. And I'll talk to Gabe, find out where he got them for you."

Leaning on his shoulder, she cautiously makes her way back up the trail to the chateaux. "That sounds great. To this day I have no clue where he got them. I've looked everywhere."

Near the back door, still walking through the garden she stops and turns in his direction. "I can make it the rest of the way on my own, Jason. Think I'm gonna just relax here for a while with the sunlight if that's ok with you."

"Don't know how to thank you. Seriously. This has been so much fun for me, getting out of the house, being able to walk, and especially hanging out with my brother. I'ts been awesome."

"He probably went to some fancy horticulturalist and had them made for you. He's always doing shit like that. Like my boat, which I've never been on."

He lets her go, but still follows her a bit. "It has been nice. We'll have to do it more often when there isn't chaos involved."

"That sounds like him, sounds just like him. And - what did you say? You have a boat you've never been on? Jason why not?" Ok, she can smell it now. The chamomile under her feet smelling like fresh apples as she walks on them. The path that leads right up to the back door.

"Yea, I'd really enjoy that. Hey, you have a lake, you mind if I stop in and we go for a walk around that next time? Maybe we can bring Ella or something. I'm pretty sure I have your PINpoint address memorized." She tells him a series of numbers. "Or is it a 5 and then a 3?"

Another reach out for a hug, then a kiss on a cheek. "Jason, this was wonderful. You're the best. Tell the family I said hi and give hugs to Ella and BigCat for me, ok?"

"Because it's a big ass boat and the only reason to take it out is if I didn't plan on coming home for a while. Three then five." He hugs her and then lets her go, not leaving until she's safely by the door.

Three then five. Three then five. Repeating it again and again like a mantra, she contintues walking until she's at the door and the doorknob has been found. Flashing a bright smile at her brother, she waves.

"Thanks again, Jason. It's been awesome. Really. Later" Opening the door she slips inside and shuts it, still smiling.