emptynight | I feel an angel sliding up to me

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I feel an angel sliding up to me

Even for night, it was late, and Thomas wandered off on his own to gather his thoughts, bypassing the carnival games, the giant mud wrestling pit that the water arena had become, and the dance floor. He wanted quiet and found it in the wide green space set up with sports equipment. As soon as Thomas approached though, a bouncy blonde came over. "Hello!" she chirped. "Care to play a game? How about soccer?"

Thomas blinked, stunned by the unnaturally sunny presence, and pointed automatically at the playground equipment across the field. "I'm looking for the slide."

The ponytailed blonde's face fell. "Oh, well, if you want to play soccer or baseball, come back, you hear?" How she managed to make that simple, friendly sentence vaguely menacing, Thomas didn't know. He simply kept walking until he got to the wood playground structure. He was too tall for it by half, but it was as good a place as any for quiet, and, with only a little bit of ridiculous contorting, Thomas managed to tuck himself into one of the treehouse-like areas.

((Tag Lacci))

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If Lacci had been considering trying to talk to Thomas privately before, the incident in the mud, and the ensuing conversation, and convinced her. She took a few minutes to change into her spare outfit; the mud had completely ruined her dress and anyway, jeans and more sedate boots were more comfortable anyway. She planned ahead - into her now-empty bag went a bottle of tequila, two cans of coke, and several tidbits of this and that she'd picked up in the refreshment tent.

Armed with food, drink, and liquor, Lacci made her way to the carnival. It seemed like it was probably the middle of the party. She certainly couldn't just wander around until she found him, but- she'd never tried this before. She wasn't even sure it would work.

Standing dead still in the middle of the crowd, Lacci took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let down her mental walls.

Thoughts, chattering shouting crying, all seeming to be trying to talk over each other, vying for her attention, rushed in. Lacci swayed, fighting back the tide, trying to hold on to herself and reach out for a certain familiar spark,at the same time. It was like sorting through a room full of matches for one painted blue. Why did people's minds talk so much?

At last she found it. She wasn't quite sure where, but somewhere out past the sports fields, the little white spark that was Thomas' mind lurked. She couldn't exactly reach him, or get a sense for what he was thinking - but she recognized the feeling of his mind. She'd been there - she might remember it forever.

Keeping the spark firmly in her head, Lacci shoved everything else away, and opened her eyes.

A few minutes later, having successfully navigated the crowds and avoided Sunny, Lacci approached the play equipment. It seemed silent, deserted - but he was there, up higher somehow. As she approached, she hastily dropped the feeling of him that she'd been following - the last thing they needed was her invading his mind again.

Boots quiet on the grass, hair slightly disheveled from the breeze, Lacci clambered up on of the little ladders and offered Thomas a grin. "Mind if I join you? I brought a picnic."

Lacci's appearance wasn't a surprise; he'd been aware of her approach for a while, so Thomas didn't start or jump through the wooden roof when her head popped into view, instead giving her a smile. "Only a little, but I'm easily bribed with food," he joked.

Thomas scooted over in the cramped little treehouse space, bending himself about double. He eyed the small space left and laughed. "On second thought, why don't I come out. Otherwise we'll end up wedged stuck in here. It'll make for worse photos than the ponies." He pulled himself half out from beneath the roof and dangled his legs over the climbing wall and rope, instantly freeing up more space within.

"That's better," he said, grinning at Lacci. "What brings you to my treehouse?"

Climbing up the ladder, Lacci turned to sit with her feet resting on the steps. “I was afraid you were turning into Edward,” she teased lightly, leaning close to kiss his cheek, “We have enough solitary brooders in our house, we don’t need one more.”

Setting the two cans of soda between them, she pulled out a small Styrofoam container out of her bag. It contained a mound of still-cold cream puffs, and Lacci offered it to him. “Have you ever tried one of these? I’m told they’re amazing. I’ll say one thing for your world, it has fantastic food.”

She was buying time, sorting her thoughts, trying to get them in order. Where should she start? With Justine?

"I'm not brooding!" Thomas protested with an over-exaggerated pout. He dropped it within minutes and shook his head. "Just got done talking to some reporter who asked me the most bizarre questions. Thought I'd hide before another one came along."

He grinned and took a cream puff. "Cotton candy and cream puffs, princess? You're developing quite the taste for sweets," he teased. Still, Thomas popped it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Let me guess, you got a postcard too?"

"What? They're good. And we don't spend a lot of time making delicious confectioneries, back home."

His question took her by surprise. She'd just decided she wasn't going to mention it. So he knew. He might even know what Justine had written.

Lacci was silent for a moment longer, thinking as the cream puff melted in her mouth. This was going to be difficult – possibly one of the most difficult things she’d ever said. Harder than the first time she’d told Edward she liked him. She looked out over the darkened, empty sports fields, unwilling to meet his eye, see his expression.

“Thomas, you know that you were my first– you knew, somehow, before we even- well. I’m not sure how, maybe virgin-sensing comes part and parcel with the head-demon package. But- it wasn’t just sex, you know.” She set the cream puffs between them and looking down at her hands, clenching each other with nervousness. “You were- the first person I ever really enjoyed being around. Who I didn’t have to be any one person or another for. When we were alone, I could just be. I didn’t even really know it, know who I was, until you gave me space to start finding out.”

Now she really couldn’t look at him. “And- I tried to do the same, for you. I’ve always been curious, about the things you wouldn’t say. When someone would get to close to something and you’d pull back. But I always tried to give you that same space that you’d given me. I told Ed off for pestering you, a couple of times. But lately - I’ve been thinking, maybe I was wrong about that. Maybe I should have been doing something different the whole time.

“That’s what she told me. That I shouldn’t be afraid to ask you. Because you kind of needed it. That you… what was it? That you ‘shouldn’t carry your burdens alone.'”

If possible, turning enough to look at him, his hair outlined against the moonlight, was even harder then confessing all of that had been. “So I’m asking. How are you?”

For a moment, Thomas was glad Lacci wasn't looking at him, couldn't see the wry, almost bitter smile that passed his lips. Some incubus he was, can't even feed without getting attached. But the rest of her words took him aback. He'd been expecting questions about Justine. Why she'd taken it upon herself to write. Who was she to send them letters. Jealousy would have been easier than that simple question: How are you?

Thomas shook his head and sighed, a quiet rush of air. "I'm f--" He clamped his lips closed at the immediate, trite answer, and took another long moment to think, to reach for a deeper answer. Lacci had shared truth with him; the least he could do was reciprocate.

"For the first time, I'm starting to think I'm in over my head here," he said.

Lacci laughed - but it was soft, and kind. Scooting closer, she moved until their shoulders were touching. Picking up a can of soda, she popped open the top and offered it to him. "Aren't we all?"

She rested her head against his shoulder. Nearby, a couple of frogs croaked back and forth. "About what? With Dru, you mean?"

"You came prepared to starve me out," Thomas said in surprise as he took the soda with an appreciative nod. He played with the tab, flicking at it with his thumb as he formulated an answer.

"With Dru," he agreed. "I mean, I expected things like my sister trying to get me to sleep with Jean-Claude for her own personal benefit. Those I know and understand." He shook his head and laughed. "When someone tries to turn themselves into a god back home, we usually shoot first and ask questions later." More like 'necromance dinosaurs' rather than shoot, but really, the idea of Lacci badgering Harry for a zombie T-Rex was best left unrealized.

"But shooting first isn't really an option this time."

Opening the second can, she grinned and nodded. "I have alcohol in the bag, but it was my final resort. I'm pleased that mere sugar did the trick."

His words made her thoughtful, and Lacci sipped her coke for a moment, thinking. "Why?" she said at last. "I mean, okay, obviously the kind of person who want to turn themselves into a god probably isn't the best candidate. But it's not like it's her fault. I mean, I can see wanting to keep her out of Wolfram and Hart's hands. But... do you really want to get rid of her somehow? Or make her go back to being the way she was?"

"Bringing sugar and caffeine makes you an angel right now as far as I'm concerned." He leaned over to kiss Lacci on the cheek to underscore his words.

There was probably no Uberwald equivalent to Animal Farm, so Thomas didn't bother to mention the danger of power corrupting. He took a long drink from his soda and held out a hand, flexing it in the moonlight. "She told me she's not happy now, the way she is," he said, the words thoughtful as if he'd rehearsed them. "If making her go back would make her happy, I would try."

He took another drink, using the motion to gather his thoughts as much as for the caffeine. "Why? Because it's dangerous. Dangerous for her, dangerous for us. Dangerous for people caught in the crossfire if Wolfram and Hart try to come for her with reinforcements." Thomas sighed. "Dru's growing. She's stronger than any of us, but she's still new to it all. Demigods with more years of experience may be able to take her down before she even realizes there's a threat."

A shadow crossed her face. "I hadn't thought of it like that." And really, she should have. It just... didn't seem like such a big deal. Gods were everywhere. There was one in their DDR machine.

The idea of other gods, ganging up on their Dru, sent a rush of protectiveness through Lacci. But that was pointless. She certainly couldn't fight a God, any size, shape, or form. But if Dru didn't want to go back... "There's really no clear answer, is there? We can't even tell if we should be trying to reverse it or pushing it forward to at least complete the thing."

She was almost ashamed that she hadn't thought of it all. How could she not have? Her free hand found Thomas', and squeezed. "I'm sorry."

Being able to read emotion, coupled with practice simply reading people, often made it seem like Thomas (and other members of the White Court) could read minds when they were in fact just making good guesses. It helped some that Lacci was someone Thomas had spent enough time with to get to know how she thought.

"I wouldn't have thought of it either, except I spend way too much time back home--" What, playing backup to wizards? Helping take down faeries and fallen angels? It all sounded ridiculous out loud. He squeezed her hand back. "Don't be sorry," he said instead. "We're in over our heads. We'll get used to not having any clear answers, or any idea of what to do."

"Almost makes me wish I was actually back doing hair."

Lacci was actually glad he'd brought it up. It meant that she didn't have to. Turning, and avoiding cream puffs, Lacci managed to wiggle her way next to Thomas, her feet propped on the climbing wall. Her hand never left his, and when she looked up at him, her eyes were sad.

"Do you really want to leave, Thomas? Because- well, I'd certainly be sorry to see you go-" That was something of an understatement, "But... if that's what you want, well. I'll help you pack. Or take the other two out for the evening." So he could make a clean getaway. She tried to smile. "I do hope you'd let me come visit you in Chicago once in awhile, though."

"Empty night, when I screw up I don't do it by halves, do I?" Thomas muttered. The look on Lacci's face, the sad eyes and valiant attempt at a smile, created a guilty knot in his stomach.

He leaned over, setting the Coke down by his side, and ran his free hand up Lacci's arm and shoulder until it was at her neck, could pull her close to kiss her. Her lips were soft as he parted them, and he could taste her, uniquely Lacci, along with cream and sugar on her tongue. The Hunger rose from its dwelling place beneath his skin at the familiar touch, wanting as always, and Thomas pulled away.

"Not right now," he said carefully. "I'm not leaving now, but one of these days I may have to." He shook his head. "If things go south and Dru loses control or something comes up that we can't fight..." Thomas didn't want to think about the possibilities. "I promised Alice I would get out if it gets too hot, and I think Dru knows I'll come back to pick up the pieces afterwards."

Thomas didn't bother mentioning the implication that he may have to get them all out if something started coming down too big for any of them to handle. "And we'll all have to leave someday. Then you can come visit me any time you like in Chicago." He grinned at her. "I'll even show you Toe-moss' very expensive and uncomfortable apartment if you promise not to laugh too hard."

"I swear to remain upright, no matter how much I laugh," Lacci said gravely. "You salon will be more difficult, I think."

Her lips twitched into a genuine smile briefly, but then she sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder again. "I understand, really I do. I mean you have things to go back home to, right? A home, and a business and friends... and a girl who cares enough to send us postcards about you. I suppose none of the rest of us really have anything important waiting at home." She and Edward had plans, though. Something to look forward too. But it wasn't the same.

"Well, if you do leave, I hope you'll let me help. Or at least come and say goodbye before you go." Her smile this time was a little more genuine, her tone calmer. "I could write some postcards, if you like. Although the only friend of yours I know is Bob, and whatever would I say to him? 'Hello Bob. Dru misses you leering at her breasts. Say hello to Mister for me.'"

"My salon is not that funny," Thomas protested, nudging Lacci lightly with his shoulder. "But, you have Vlad to go back to, right? And Edward has his fam-- Edward has Alice and his siblings? Family's important, in its own 'I wish I could kill all of you' way." Thomas already knew about Dru, didn't want to think about what would happen with her once this was all over.

He laughed at the idea of Lacci sending Bob postcards. Bob would probably complain about them not being naked enough. "If--" When. "If I leave, you could come with me," he offered.

The thought of Vlad sent a little pang through her. In making the unconscious decision not to go home, never to go home, he was the one sticking point, the one thing that might have made her turn back. But, as much as she cared about him, she truly couldn't leave the people here. Not even for him.

Thomas' offer hurt almost as much, but for different reasons. Her smile was sweet, and sad again. "I'm not going home, Thomas. I don't think I ever will. And- and I would like to come home with you, really I would. So much, and it's terribly wonderful of you to ofer. But... well, Ed and I. We sort of, already made plans. We're going to travel awhile. I haven't seen a lot of your world, after all, and apparently neither has he."

She desperately didn't want him to feel rejected, and so she made the offer she'd been half-thinking of for awhile. A small part of her mind jangled in warning, that Edward would Not Be Happy she said it without asking him. But that was silly, wasn't it? He cared about Thomas as much as she did. "Why don't you come with us? I'm sure there's all sorts of places you've never been and always wanted to see. And our first stop could be Chicago. You could show us around." Of course he didn't have to say yes. "Not that you have to." Nevertheless, her grin turned a little hopeful.

"I wouldn't dream of tagging along on the honeymoon," Thomas answered, smiling. He shouldn't have been surprised Edward and Lacci had already made plans for after all of this. Even before Lacci had shown him that telepathic... thing she could do, it had been obvious to Thomas that she and Edward had been growing closer, closer than the rest of them even. It was hard to argue that much and that intensely with someone you didn't care about.

The knowledge didn't leave Thomas cold, just a little irrationally disappointed, but he shoved it away as he leaned over and kissed Lacci's forehead. She was scrambling, trying to make him feel better, when there was no need. He kissed the top of Lacci's head and shook his. "Don't worry, you and Edward's world tour is safe from me," he repeated. "But when you two come to Chicago, I'll show you around. Deal?"

"Deal." She leaned against him for a moment, enjoying the feel and scent of Thomas as her mind spun back over his words. There was something he'd said, that wasn't quite ri- Lacci sat up again quickly, turning to look at him with wide, mildly horrified eyes. "H-Honeymoon? N-no- No, Thomas, no, that's not- it isn't like that." If she could blush she'd be beet red.

((Treehouse of Desquish))

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I feel an angel sliding up to me

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