[NYC] Birthday 911!

[agentsullivan]

Who: Andrew's Suprise Party!
Where: The Bondi, New York City
When: Saturday 29th August
Follows: All HERE______________________________________

Comments

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

Iz frowned, but she didn't argue with the smack on the arm. Or that James made her stupid. She was well aware she had Campbell blindness. "Oh... fuck." She used her free hand to rub at her forehead. It had been a test, and she'd never clicked. How could she have never seen that? "I care about Cameron a lot... James was just... he's never really been out of my system. He was dead, and I thought it would be over. Then he came back, and... he was there."

Isabel wet her lips as she glanced down at her hand resting on the bar. She gave a soft snort. "You mean Laura the cheating bitch? I guess I wouldn't have been surprised when she went after Michael. I'm still not talking to her. But Mark's different. He's your ex, not mine. He's also never met any of my sisters. There's no history."

"As for me and James... I called him, asked him to come to Princeton. I wanted to see him. As my best friend," she clarified. "But while I was waiting, me and Cameron talked, and he fed me that test... Only I didn't think it was a test. Then James was there, and it was... we both cried, we kissed, we admitted to still loving each other. But he left, not willing to do anything until he'd talked to Harri." Izzy took a breath. "Just... I got lost, and I was so desperate to see him again. When Harri came back to the hospital, I went to find him."

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

"It still would have felt crap if you were there wondering if Jim was going to be okay, and they were out getting their rocks off down the street together. And fuck. You're pregnant! Harri's pregnant!" Ali put her hand on her own stomach, her fingers reflexively and protectively searching out the bump there.

She sighed again, leaning against the bar. She dropped her head forward, her hair falling around her face. "I don't blame him for testing you. You were pregnant with his kid, sniffing around James. He must have been starting to wonder if he had a hope in hell. Maybe he was just getting too tired to let you maintain the facade? Iz.... fuck... when does it ever work well with you and James?"

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

"I know," Izzy hissed. "I don't need a reminder. I feel like shit, but he's James! I know it's not nice, and I know it's stupid, and I fucking know." She pulled her hand away from Ali, and put both hands on the bar as she cleared her throat. "Imagine if it had been Andrew. Now. Imagine if Andrew was suddenly dead, and you had to work on moving on, then he just came back like nothing had happened."

Iz looked at her. "How would you deal with it? And it's... kids. I'm having twins, Al. Two of them. I know I fucked him over, I really do. And it sucks. I never wanted to hurt Cameron. He was helping put me back together, but seeing James again shattered me. I was never going to be whole. Not until I tried again. If it doesn't work out, then that's it, isn't it? I'll know. But how was I supposed to know before? We got married, and he fucking ran away and had his death faked."

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

"Yes. Yes, you do need a reminder. A daily reminder. Because you're going to be picking up the shit pieces for a very long time, if not for the whole of your kids' lives. James is going to be a Dad in, like, three months. Then you next year. You are never going to escape this because your kids have parents to different people, people you just both fucked over. And I know it's hard to fathom, but the minute you become a mother, it's your world. You live and breathe for them. You would die for them." Ali suddenly welled up and tears spilled over. She hastily grabbed for some napkins to get rid of them before Andrew saw. "You're both going to get so hurt, I just know it."

She lost her grip on the napkin dispenser at the twins bombshell. "Oh fuck, twins. Christ, twins. Two kids. Has James even said he wants to be with you after all this. He's having a son, Iz. What do you think is going to happen when Harri gives birth to his kid? If it doesn't work out, you do realise there is no Cameron to go back to, right?" She waved the barman down. "Excuse me, can I have a triple shot of vodka? Oh no, don't fucking look at me like I'm a fucking demon mother. I just want to try and get high of the smell, alright? Humour me, I'm pregnant and it's this or vomit all over your bar."

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

Izzy just shrugged at the barman, and gave him a look like he should agree in case Ali murdered him. She wouldn't be surprised to find Ali had a gun hidden on her somewhere. If she could pull one on James, she could pull one on a barman.

"Yes, I realise. He's made it clear he hates me. I fucked up royally, and I know it. James can't leave it as a one-night stand. I don't know if he's talked to Harri. He's not even talking to me at the moment. He sounded like he wanted to be with me, but he needs to get his head straight." Izzy could feel a ball of emotion get lodged in her throat, and tried to swallow it down. "I'm sorry, okay? But I can't let him go yet. I still love him, and I would die for him just as much as my unborn kids."

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

Ali was tempted to pour the vodka into her orange juice, but she resisted tempation and instead just held the glass to her nose with a frustrated moan. "He looks hungover, to be honest. Or like he's been smoking something. Probably both."

She shook her head. "You don't know how powerful those kids are going to be when they're born. Everything changes. You change." She put the glass down and tugged at her dress to stop it riding up over her bump. She also wanted to try and tug her knickers out of her butt, but she didn't think that was the image she should be projecting at Andrew's party, even if the wedgie was uncomfortable. She might look sexy, but she was still pregnant and uncomfortable. "What if he can't get his head straight, Iz? What if he's just not the James you know anymore, or can't be that James consistently anymore? He was completely fucked up when he first came back. He didn't know who the hell he was."

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

Iz bit down on the tip of her index finger, and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know, okay? I just need to find out for myself. Hours, and days, and weeks, and months, and then years of wondering about the 'what ifs' would have killed anything with Cameron just as much as right now. In fact it would have hurt more if we were married, and whatever else."

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

Ali looked over at James again, nursing the vodka again like it was a security blanket. "Jamie said her first word last night," she murmured. It wasn't a change of subject. She knew they would get back to the crux of the crap, but it was something she had been excited to share with her best friends, it just got overshadowed. Maybe there just needed to be a bit of happy for a few minutes.

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

Iz shrugged off the sudden sadness engulfing her, and broke into a smile as she looked at Ali. Her happiness was genuine, her green eyes lighting up at the news. "She did? Fuck, that's great. Wow, I can't get over how big she's getting. What was it?"

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

Ali was smiling again. She couldn't help it. She was a proud mummy and her daughter just awed her. "Daddy. Though it more came out just like 'Da-da'. But she was reaching for him. Spat the pacifier out for the production and everything. It was just like it made everything click into place, you know? Especially considering I'm going to be meeting with Mark this week. She's my baby girl. They're my both my family. I actually have a family all of my own. Me, a mother and a wife..." She shook her head, still not quite believing how far things had come.

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

Iz listened, just as awed as she kept smiling. She still couldn't get over Ali being a mum. Ali was a perfect mum though, and Iz hoped she was even just half as good. "Oh my god... that's amazing. She's totally stamped her claim on him. How are you feeling about meeting with Mark?" Izzy reached out to touch Ali's hair. "I know, it's... it suits you. I'm glad you're happy, Al. I really am."

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

Ali's eyes were back on Andrew, wondering why he was staking out the soldier with Luke. As far as Ali could see, the lad was a sweetheart and Leila was smitten, vice versa too. She might need to plough Andrew with cake to distract him soon enough. "He got all teary. It was just one of those moments were you're so happy you don't know whether you want to cry or scream or strip naked and run around the house with your shirt over your head. How huge is that? My baby said her first word and it was Andrew all the way. He is just as much my world as she is. It was a wake up call, and as scared as I am to say it in case it all goes down the toilet, I am happy. For the first time in... years. Literally years. Not just fake happy."

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

"I can't really blame him. It's a huge moment when you're a kid's first word. I think it proves just how much he is her 'Da-da'. Wow, her first word... I can't get over it. It's amazing." Iz had to laugh. "Personally I would have liked to see you both do the last one. Family streaking contest. I'm glad you're not fake happy, sweetie. It's about time."

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

Ali leaned back against the bar and arched her back a little to stick her stomach out. She rubbed her palm over the bump. "Do I look like I'm in a streaking condition? I spent the day in my trackies with my thousand buck Manolos on my feet to tap into my sexy. He was going to tell me what he wanted to call Uterus Occupier Part Two if it's a boy, but Sunshine cut him off. I'm curious now, but I got distracted and forgot to ask him again. And this time, thinking about names doesn't want to make me run screaming into the night. I lie in bed sometimes and wonder if I have a little penis inside me."

Re: Iz and Ali

[isabelowens]

Izzy laughed quietly as she gave Ali a look. "Do you realise our weird that last sentence sounds when not put into the context of you being pregnant?"

Re: Iz and Ali

[agentsullivan]

Ali sniggered. "Yes, I do... and ironic, considering I would never let a little penis fuck me as long as I live. I need something hot, hard and filling. Like a good steak," she said with a grin. "I need a good full pounding. I don't do quarter pounders."