I AM NOT A MACODDITY!!

[smithnjones]

Martha Jones has spent the better part of the week at the Conrad hotel, as much as her house with a random smattering of people has become home to her, the Conrad will always hold a special place in her heart. It was her home for so long. She's leaving the hotel, actually, for the first time since she entered to walk through the park, take a break

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[2ndchanceacharm]

Grace is curled in a chair in a corner of the basement lobby, flipping through her journal and looking for some sign of Des and the Doctor. The sewers. The damn sewers, and yeah, not her first choice of places to visit, but she wishes he would have at least asked her if she wanted to come along, and what's she supposed to do now if he gets hurt, that idiot?

She doesn't notice Robin coming in just yet - she's worried enough about enough people, she may be actively trying not to notice people who might give her one more thing to worry about. So if she doesn't look up when the elevator doors slide open... it's nothing personal, Robin.

[with_coffee]

Robin really doesn't mind. It gives him a moment to collect himself, think of what he's going to say now that he's interacting with normal people, again. Or something. He notices the way she's flipping through her journal, worriedly, and wonders if he's managed to miss something else.

"Hey there," he says when he finally collects himself as much as possible.

Robin just kind of... stands in front of her chair, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. All awkward like. Because y'know, he did abandon everyone here (by everyone he means the people he cares about... the majority of who are dead or gone now) and he feels... horrible about it. Cause everything went to hell and no one was there to help Grace pick up the pieces, at least, not enough people were... that's for sure.

And did anyone look out for Grace? That seems a very important question to get the answer to. Or at least, to fix himself.

[2ndchanceacharm]

Grace looks up when he speaks, just stares at him for a moment like she's not sure if he's real, and then unceremoniously tosses her journal aside, jumps to her feet, and lunges at him, throwing her arms around his neck. Usually when she hugs someone, she's careful about it, because enthusiastic hugs, fragile humans, and angel strength don't mix. This time, she doesn't even bother.

"Robin! I was worried about you!" She doesn't blame him for not being around, all things considered, but God, she was scared.

[with_coffee]

Robin stands there awkwardly stands, stiff in her arms as if he has absolutely no idea what to do for at least fifteen more seconds before it clicks and he slides his arms around her. He hugs her. Tightly. Not as tight as she's hugging him.

"I'm sorry."

And that is a very big thing for him. Very few people receive a sincere apology from him, but he's been feeling very guilty and that weighs on a person.

"I should have been here. I should have... been here with..." You. And Gwen. And Romana.

God. Fuck.

[2ndchanceacharm]

Grace drops back onto her heels after a minute, because hugging someone around the neck is awkward when you're as tiny as she is. "It's okay," she says, tilting her head back to look up at him. "I don't blame you or anything, I just... you know... I didn't know if you were..."

Don't say dead, don't say dead...

"I thought you might've gone with..." Well, not everyone who died came back. There weren't always bodies to bring back. And she doesn't have a clue why Robin would have been on a battleground anyway, because he's not a soldier, but she worried anyway.

[with_coffee]

"Yeah. I... yeah." He knows what she's not saying and he knows how much he wanted it, too, but he can't now. It somehow seems so utterly wrong to leave Grace alone.

Robin scratches the back of his neck. Still awkward as ever, which is an odd look for him.

"If I had any idea of what was going on, I would have been back... much sooner. I left before... anything happened. Before Gwen." Please ignore, the way his voice breaks a little on that. He's not an emotional guy. Really. Can't afford to be.

He reaches out and touches Grace's chin, gently, with the tips of his fingers. Just a friendly, comforting, I'm here and I care... a lot kind of gesture.

"How're you holding up?"

[2ndchanceacharm]

She bites her lip a little at the mention of Gwen. Never met the girl, but her death was what really kicked off this whole mess in the first place, and if she'd known she was Robin's friend...

She manages a tiny smile when he reaches out to touch her chin. The gesture means more than she can really say. "I'm... y'know... okay. Things've been really weird around here. And my ward is in the sewers." Because that's not a bizarre thing to say at all.

[with_coffee]

Robin stares at her, because really, what other way is there to react to that kind of news?

"...the sewers?"

He blinks and shakes his head.

"Just... hanging out in the sewers? Having a good time? Hunting for alligators or something?"

[2ndchanceacharm]

"I... actually have no idea," she says with a sigh. "He's with the Doctor, and he says he's eighty-five percent sure that he's safe... I'm thinking about punching him anyway when he comes back, except that it would hurt me too."

Stupid ward. Stupid bond. ...Okay, she loves him, but really. The sewers. With the Doctor! She's imagining a lot of running through corridors. Or... tunnels, splashing through a lot of really disgusting water and...

No, she wouldn't want to be down there, but she'd at least like to have the option to be down there keeping an eye on him.

[with_coffee]

"Really? There are easier places to have a secret lover rendezvous. 85 percent." Robin scoffs and tries to think if he ever heard or read anything about the sewers. And... no. "I don't get it. "

He examines her face, and then says, very seriously, "If you go down there looking for him, take me."

No, Robin's not going to ask.

[2ndchanceacharm]

Grace stares at Robin for a moment, because until just now, "secret lover rendezvous" was not on her list of possible scenarios here. And oh, she so did not need that. And ordinarily, she'd protest that, at least a little, but the way Robin's looking at her now... probably not the best idea. So instead, she just nods and says, "Okay."

She pauses a moment, lips pressed together, and then says, "Please don't talk about secret lover rendezvous and Des again. Those are thoughts I did not need."

[with_coffee]

It's good that she doesn't protest, because he would argue and stalk the lobby so he could follow her anyway. She is kind of the only relationship he has left. Yeah, he's not going to let anything happen to her and maybe that will keep his mind from going crazy. Crazier. There's... always hope.

Robin smirks.

"Promise not to."

And then he sinks into the nearest chair, takes out a cigarette, and just stares ahead. "So how's the basement been?"

Y'know, since just about everyone died.

[2ndchanceacharm]

She sighs and grabs a chair near him, curling her legs up onto it underneath her. "Quiet. We're all kind of..." In shock. Grieving. Lost. A lot of things. "It's weird." And for once, Grace is not rambling. Mostly because she's convinced she'd say something idiotic if she did.

[with_coffee]

Robin nods, smoking quietly and not looking at her.

"I still can't really believe she's..." gone.

Romana had been the one and only constant in his life for so long. It's difficult to process that she's just-

He closes his eyes.

[2ndchanceacharm]

Grace winces a little and shifts a bit in the chair so she can pull her knees up to her chest. "I know. I'm sorry that... I don't know." That he wasn't around, or that she couldn't have done anything to stop it, or... She feels like there's something she should be apologizing for here. I'm sorry life sucks.

[with_coffee]

Robin looks sideways at her and smiles. A little. It's a bitter smile.

"Not exactly your fault. You do realize?"

He reaches over and takes her hand, squeezing gently.

"Anyway, I'm here now. If you need anything..." Eyebrow raise that apparently implies she should let him know.