Theatrical Muse - So You Say You Want...
Revolution
[ooc: Alan is abit_unsettlin.]
Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Murphy watched torn between amusement and shock. It wasn’t everyday her kid took to someone like she was taking to Alan. After a year together, she knew it was time to take the big step introducing him to her daughter. She was always cautious with Anna, maybe over-protective but guys didn’t stay in her life that long but it had been a year and she couldn’t avoid it.
She didn’t even know what she was worried about now watching Alan, his huge bulk making Anna look absolutely tiny, delicately guiding her hand through the loops and twists of Celtic knots. Her daughter had never been big on strangers. She preferred quite corners, books and drawing. She could make friends, when she took the effort and was a pretty friendly kid all together. Strangers just made her a little nervous.
Alan had eased his way in, letting Murphy lead for most of the day as they toured the Art Institute - Anna’s favorite place in the city - and then went out to lunch in Millennium Park. He did the three best things to do with Anna, he listened, he treated her like an adult and talked art. Well, as much art as Alan could manage, but he tried. There was an unmistakable swell of love in her chest, for her daughter, for Alan and for the sight before her. It was a good Sunday and then the doorbell rang.
“That’ll be your dad, munchkin,” Murphy said as she straightened up. “Get your stuff together.”
“But Mr. Donnelly hasn’t finished showing me how to make…” Anna protested, looking up with her puppy eyes in place.
“Stuff, together, now. Mr. Donnelly can show you how to finish that next time, okay?”
Anna sighed dramatically, but got out of her chair. She was about to dart off when she caught Murphy’s raised eyebrow, then she turned to Alan and drew herself up. “Thank you for showing me how to make those knots, Mr. Donnelly.”
Alan cracked a crocked smile, “No problem, Ms. O’Connell.”
Anna grinned for half a second then ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Murphy listened to her gathering her things upstairs, footsteps muted through the floor.
“She’s a good kid,” Alan said, leaning back in his chair.
“Yeah, she is.” She smiled, “You were good with her.”
“Ah, you’re only saying that ‘cause I remembered not to swear.”
She chuckled, “That helps. I’m going to deal with Neal, you okay in here?”
“Seems like.”
That was probably the best she was going to get, so she left him there and went to deal with the door. Neal was casual looking today, less lawyer, more dad and she stepped back to let him in.
“Have a good weekend?” he asked, which was pretty civil.
“I’m sure you’ll hear all about it on the ride home,” she said and closed the door behind him. “Are you going to keep your voice down?”
Neal looked at her sideways, frowning a bit. “What happened, Connie?”
“Nothing bad, she just met my boyfriend this weekend.”
“You’re supposed to tell me when you introduce her to people.” Neal did keep his voice low, but his tone was clipped and pissed off. She was intimately familiar with that tone.
“That’s your rule, not the court’s so I made a judgment call.”
They glared at each other with a fight building in the air between them. They kept it under control through years of practice as a divorced couple with a kid.
“Who is he? Another one of your cop friends?” Neal ran his hand through his hair, pacing a step back before a step closer.
“He’s a construction worker and don’t look like that. He’s a good guy, I waited a year before I introduced him to Anna.”
“A year? You’ve been with a guy for a year and haven’t said anything?”
“My life is none of your business, Neal.”
Someone cleared their throat and they both looked over to see Alan leaning casually against the hallway wall. She mentally swore.
“Wanted to know what to do with the kid’s drawings,” he said, holding up the doodles Anna and Alan had done together. Alan’s were a bit neater, but not by much.
“I’ll take that.” Neal held out a hand, sizing Alan up. Murphy was reminded of two dogs trying to decide if they should fight and who would win.
“No problem.” Alan rose casually and put the picture in Neal’s outstretched hand. “One hell of a kid you’ve got, Mr. O’Connell. She’ll be in the Louvre in no time.”
Her ex-husband blinked, surprised by the ever so faint hint of Irish and culture in Alan’s voice. Murphy knew he was just messing around, but it was pretty impressive. Neal didn’t throw easily.
“Thank you.”
“I’m gonna go start the grill, okay?”
A year together let her know he was asking if she’d be okay on her own and Murphy nodded then smiled. “Go ahead.”
Alan kissed her forehead, only to bother Neal, and then sauntered off as if nothing unusual or terrifying had happened. She turned her attention back on Neal, tempted, very tempted to raise an eyebrow and go “so there” but she controlled herself.
“Daddy!” Anna thundered down the stairs and flung herself at her dad from the third step. Neal caught her easily and hoisted her on a hip. “You’ve got my picture! Look at what I learned how to draw!”
Murphy stepped back and opened the door for them, Anna chatting away about Celtic knots and what they meant, how to make them. She paused only to lean over and give Murphy a goodbye kiss.
“We’ll talk later,” Neal said softly as he passed.
Since Anna wasn’t looking, Murphy rolled her eyes and glared a split second before she smiled and waved bye to her daughter. She didn’t close the door until Neal’s BMW was out of sight around the corner. There was nothing to do but close the door and she leaned against it for a second. Ex-husbands were a pain in the ass, boyfriends were difficult and being an adult sucked sometimes.
[ooc: Alan is abit_unsettlin.]
Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Murphy watched torn between amusement and shock. It wasn’t everyday her kid took to someone like she was taking to Alan. After a year together, she knew it was time to take the big step introducing him to her daughter. She was always cautious with Anna, maybe over-protective but guys didn’t stay in her life that long but it had been a year and she couldn’t avoid it.
She didn’t even know what she was worried about now watching Alan, his huge bulk making Anna look absolutely tiny, delicately guiding her hand through the loops and twists of Celtic knots. Her daughter had never been big on strangers. She preferred quite corners, books and drawing. She could make friends, when she took the effort and was a pretty friendly kid all together. Strangers just made her a little nervous.
Alan had eased his way in, letting Murphy lead for most of the day as they toured the Art Institute - Anna’s favorite place in the city - and then went out to lunch in Millennium Park. He did the three best things to do with Anna, he listened, he treated her like an adult and talked art. Well, as much art as Alan could manage, but he tried. There was an unmistakable swell of love in her chest, for her daughter, for Alan and for the sight before her. It was a good Sunday and then the doorbell rang.
“That’ll be your dad, munchkin,” Murphy said as she straightened up. “Get your stuff together.”
“But Mr. Donnelly hasn’t finished showing me how to make…” Anna protested, looking up with her puppy eyes in place.
“Stuff, together, now. Mr. Donnelly can show you how to finish that next time, okay?”
Anna sighed dramatically, but got out of her chair. She was about to dart off when she caught Murphy’s raised eyebrow, then she turned to Alan and drew herself up. “Thank you for showing me how to make those knots, Mr. Donnelly.”
Alan cracked a crocked smile, “No problem, Ms. O’Connell.”
Anna grinned for half a second then ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Murphy listened to her gathering her things upstairs, footsteps muted through the floor.
“She’s a good kid,” Alan said, leaning back in his chair.
“Yeah, she is.” She smiled, “You were good with her.”
“Ah, you’re only saying that ‘cause I remembered not to swear.”
She chuckled, “That helps. I’m going to deal with Neal, you okay in here?”
“Seems like.”
That was probably the best she was going to get, so she left him there and went to deal with the door. Neal was casual looking today, less lawyer, more dad and she stepped back to let him in.
“Have a good weekend?” he asked, which was pretty civil.
“I’m sure you’ll hear all about it on the ride home,” she said and closed the door behind him. “Are you going to keep your voice down?”
Neal looked at her sideways, frowning a bit. “What happened, Connie?”
“Nothing bad, she just met my boyfriend this weekend.”
“You’re supposed to tell me when you introduce her to people.” Neal did keep his voice low, but his tone was clipped and pissed off. She was intimately familiar with that tone.
“That’s your rule, not the court’s so I made a judgment call.”
They glared at each other with a fight building in the air between them. They kept it under control through years of practice as a divorced couple with a kid.
“Who is he? Another one of your cop friends?” Neal ran his hand through his hair, pacing a step back before a step closer.
“He’s a construction worker and don’t look like that. He’s a good guy, I waited a year before I introduced him to Anna.”
“A year? You’ve been with a guy for a year and haven’t said anything?”
“My life is none of your business, Neal.”
Someone cleared their throat and they both looked over to see Alan leaning casually against the hallway wall. She mentally swore.
“Wanted to know what to do with the kid’s drawings,” he said, holding up the doodles Anna and Alan had done together. Alan’s were a bit neater, but not by much.
“I’ll take that.” Neal held out a hand, sizing Alan up. Murphy was reminded of two dogs trying to decide if they should fight and who would win.
“No problem.” Alan rose casually and put the picture in Neal’s outstretched hand. “One hell of a kid you’ve got, Mr. O’Connell. She’ll be in the Louvre in no time.”
Her ex-husband blinked, surprised by the ever so faint hint of Irish and culture in Alan’s voice. Murphy knew he was just messing around, but it was pretty impressive. Neal didn’t throw easily.
“Thank you.”
“I’m gonna go start the grill, okay?”
A year together let her know he was asking if she’d be okay on her own and Murphy nodded then smiled. “Go ahead.”
Alan kissed her forehead, only to bother Neal, and then sauntered off as if nothing unusual or terrifying had happened. She turned her attention back on Neal, tempted, very tempted to raise an eyebrow and go “so there” but she controlled herself.
“Daddy!” Anna thundered down the stairs and flung herself at her dad from the third step. Neal caught her easily and hoisted her on a hip. “You’ve got my picture! Look at what I learned how to draw!”
Murphy stepped back and opened the door for them, Anna chatting away about Celtic knots and what they meant, how to make them. She paused only to lean over and give Murphy a goodbye kiss.
“We’ll talk later,” Neal said softly as he passed.
Since Anna wasn’t looking, Murphy rolled her eyes and glared a split second before she smiled and waved bye to her daughter. She didn’t close the door until Neal’s BMW was out of sight around the corner. There was nothing to do but close the door and she leaned against it for a second. Ex-husbands were a pain in the ass, boyfriends were difficult and being an adult sucked sometimes.