It's Guy Love....that's what it is....

[shut_up_wesley]

Who: Wesley and Open!
What: Wandering and thinking
Where: Around town
When: After school
Rating: PG
Status: Incomplete

Comments

[shut_up_wesley]

Whatever response was half-way to becoming a coherent thought in Wes's mind died a spectacular death when he registered the emphasis in Lulu's question. He blinked, dumbly, twice, and the promptly chocked on his tea. The entire process took about a second and a half.

"I...no. Dok's a fellow scientist, a colleague." Although, come to think of it, a lot of how he said what he did could have been taken the way Lulu was implying. "Not that there's anything wrong with that at all but, no. He's old enough to be my father..." Really, how was it that that was where most people's minds seemed to go? He knew a few people from Bare who were gay, but Wes had never been inclined. There was no stigma in the 24th century, of course, not when there were alien races who were genders unknown to any earth classification.

"It's hard remembering that something like that is such a big deal on Earth still." He said, putting down his tea. "In my time it doesn't make sense to be baised that way because there are hundreds of alien races in the Federation." Wes explained, wanting to make it clear that he wasn't as offended as he might have sounded. "I just wasn't expecting that..."

'At. All.'

[lulu8889]

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with it at all. Nothing in the slightest." And Lulu meant that sincerely. "Oh, I didn't realize he was older than you." Lulu shrugged. "I mean, I like your attitude about not being biased and I wasn't trying to imply there was something bad with it. I mean, people love who they love. Sorry if I just sort of assumed."

[shut_up_wesley]

"That's alright." Wes had to remind himself to be careful, that Lulu was one of the more--if not the most open minded person in town. "I should have expected it. I guess some things you just don't get used to." He shrugged a little himself. "You seem a little...distracted." It wasn't quite like Lulu to slip like that, although he knew sometimes her curiosity got ahold of her.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

[lulu8889]

"Distracted?" Lulu looked up, taking a sip from her coffee. "Um. Yeah, I suppose I am a little distracted. I'm alright I just...you know how recently people became not themselves? Moira went total dark side, that sort of thing. I managed to think I'd never been to Aternaville. Just...preoccupied with that me."

[shut_up_wesley]

"Oh." Wes shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't thought about that. Of course, he knew he couldn't have been the only one affected, but he'd been so preoccupied at the time. "Yeah I got...hit with that too. Colliding with an alternate timeline isn't fun. I...was a totally different person, bitter, angry...everyone I cared about, here and back home were just...they didn't really matter to the other me, they were just ways of killing time." And that was being polite about it.

He sighed. "I still have a lot of the memories from the other me banging around in my head too..." He looked up at Lulu, "but, it's over, isn't it? The only thing we can do is move forward." He forced a small smile that he didn't really feel.

[lulu8889]

Lulu shrugged. "I guess. There are just all these things that would've been nice. I mean, my mom had woken up, even if she was in Europe, my dad actually gave a crap about me, I was in love...even if there was crap going on with some other people, it just seemed so real and so right. I love Aternaville, but lately I've been wondering if I don't belong back home."

[shut_up_wesley]

A familiar pang struck Wes at the mention of home. He'd never once doubted that was where he belonged, which at one point he supposed game him a leg up from a lot of people in Aternaville...at least until he'd gotten to know Dairine and Ianto and the others.

"I know what you mean. But then, you never know what might happen, maybe you'll still get there one of these days...or I'll find a way to send anyone who wants to back." There was a twinge of hope in the statement. "If you want to go home, Lulu, I promise I'll find a way. Besides, that was just one possible reality...if you look at it that there a millions...billions...of other possibilities, it gets easier to live with." Wesley smiled a little more genuinely. "It all depends on how you look at it. I mean, I've been in another alternate reality where the ship I was on was destroyed in a battle...in a war that never happened. But I'd stuck with Starfleet Academy, my mother was the captain of a science vessel and a none of the things that made me who I am now ever happened. It's just a possibility, that's all."

[lulu8889]

Lulu bit her lip. Wesley was being so sincere "I mean. I can go home. I'm one of the few who came here intentionally and I can go home. I mean, I have before, to visit. I sort of ran away when I was sixteen? Almost three years ago." She thought most people around here knew that, but it made sense that they didn't. She turned from the new girl who ran away and was from the right time into the girl who had been there longest.

[shut_up_wesley]

"Oh, right, I forgot." It was easy to think that most people in town were stuck like he was. "Well then why not take a little time, go home, see what happens? Maybe things have changed, and this last bout of the town messing with you was a way of telling you it's time to go home? You can't run away forever."

Funny words coming from him, all things considered. He had more reasons for going with The Traveler than just the chance to see the universe, after all.

[lulu8889]

She shrugged. "It's different there now, though. I'm just...I wouldn't want to leave Neil, even though lots of people have gone, my best friends are still here." For the most part at least. "And I'm not sure what I'd be stepping back into. My town's a little bit ridiculous. I guess I'm scared to leave." Lulu rarely admitted when she was scared of things, and quite frankly, she rarely was scared of things. This, however. This scared her a lot. Aternaville had changed her more than a little bit. It wasn't like a kid coming back from college, she'd built a whole life here.

[shut_up_wesley]

Wesley nodded. There was always that fear that once you were gone, something else would happen, someone would leave, and that would be that. It was how the town worked.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, it seems like there's a bit of time between major events, so if you went now...but, I mean if you don't want to, I understand..." He finished his tea and poured another. "Besides, it can't be any more ridiculous than here."

[lulu8889]

She smiled wryly. "Ridiculous in a different sort of way. Family drama, mob drama, a lot of insanity. My brothers aren't talking again. It's just totally nuts."

[shut_up_wesley]

Wes shook his head. He couldn't imagine having such a strange family--although the Enterprise played host to it's own set of family dramas--like Councilor Troi's...

"Every time you describe your family, it reminds me of the ship's councilor where I was stationed. She had an...interesting family. Her mother especially. I guess if the saying is that your upbringing helps determines your career choice, then it's no surprise she ended up doing what she did." he mimicked her wry smile. "I guess you could always consider it a change pace?"

[lulu8889]

"I don't know if it could really rival my family's but I don't doubt that it could have." She shrugged. "Maybe. I'll call Lucky, see what's going on there. I don't know, summers in Port Charles are crazier than here."

[shut_up_wesley]

"When you're a part of an alien race that essentially goes through reverse menopause for at least ten years straight things can get a little...tense. Especially if one day your own mother decides to show up, flirt with every male on a ship with the population of a very small city, and decide in the end to marry your on-again-off-again boyfriend. Under protest from every party involved, particularly the would-be groom." And that had been the first time he'd met Luxwana Troi. "Oh, and the entire wedding party would have to be naked for the duration of the ceremony." Wes added, having remembered his mother's rather epic rant at the end of the entire ordeal. And Beverly Crusher wasn't one who frazzled easily.

"That sounds like a good idea, test the water before you go diving in." He shrugged, "It couldn't hurt to try, at least."

[lulu8889]

Lulu laughed. "That sounds slightly more alien but completely similar to Port Charles." Definitely like Port Charles. "Add some guns and a mob war and it could be something from home." She nodded. "Yeah, something like that. Lucky would tell me if it were totally bizarre there." And she hadn't seen her nephews for quite some time.