Echolls Family Christmas 2008

[dead_hooker_2]

By 90909 standards, this would count as a pretty modest house, a four-bedroom ranch with a tidy yard, at the end of a cul-de-sac. It's typical of this neighborhood, which is the sort of place where people spend a little more than they need to at Christmas, but not the sort where people hire Victorian carolers to perform in clouds of special

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[obligatoryass]

One way to fail that test is to have your very wasted, very obnoxious, very screwed up brother show up at Christmas.

Logan leans heavily on the doorframe and rings the doorbell. He musters up...something. Courage. Charm. The ability to string words together coherently. Something.

[supportingroles]

The woman who cautiously opens the door is not his sister.

She gives him a cool, appraising look, and asks, in accented English, "Yes? Can I help you?"

[obligatoryass]

Logan appraises her right back, except that he's not even the slightest bit cool about it.

"I don't know. Probably. Wanna try?"

Yes, that's pretty much a leer on his face. Oh, Logan.

[supportingroles]

"Not on your best day, monsieur, which this clearly is not," she says, and starts to close the door.

[obligatoryass]

"Not so much, no," Logan says, sticking his foot in before it can close. "I'm here to see Trina, actually. My sister."

And really, when did Trina - in this nice, unpretentious neighborhood - decide a gatekeeper was necessary?

[supportingroles]

The woman raises a very continential eyebrow, but opens the door and steps out of his way.

"I assume she is not expecting you."

[obligatoryass]

Logan ignores the eyebrow. "It's Christmas Eve. She's my sister. Where else would I go?"

He walks in and calls out, "Trina? You here?"

[dead_hooker_2]

"Virginie? Who's at the doo--"

Trina stops, in the doorway to the room.

"Logan."

[obligatoryass]

"Hi," he says, holding out a gift bag. "Merry Christmas."

It's actually quite a nice gift - he picked it out days ago. A onesie for Eliza (not that she needs more clothes) and a gift certificate for spa services for Trina.

Looking at her, he hopes she takes advantage of the gift certificate. Because she looks exhausted, wrung out and spacey. And like she could use a few hours of doing something frivolous and relaxing.

[dead_hooker_2]

Trina doesn't take the bag. She doesn't even move from the doorway.

"Virginie, would you please go check on Eliza?"

Virginie looks at Trina for a moment, and then nods. "Of course. Call me if you need anything."

She gives Logan one last look, and leaves.

[obligatoryass]

Logan just looks at her for a long moment.

"What?"

[dead_hooker_2]

"What are you doing here, Logan?"

[obligatoryass]

"Seeing my sister on Christmas. Didn't know that wasn't allowed."

There's a childish, petulant tone in his voice - the same tone he always uses with Trina, because she always responds to it. Sometimes in anger, sometimes in frustration, sometimes in kindness, but always. And Logan is, at this point, nothing if not a creature of habit.

[dead_hooker_2]

"Oh," says Trina.

There's not much reaction, not yet. No anger, no frustration, no apparent kindness. Just resignation, and exhaustion.

"And how drunk are you right now?"

[obligatoryass]

"Fair to middling," he lies.

It's a pretty obvious lie, but that's just another sign that the answer ought to have been 'very.'

[dead_hooker_2]

"Right. Fair to middling," Trina repeats.

She closes her eyes and presses her thumbs to her temples for a second.

And then she looks at him.

"You have to leave now."