Lord, what fools...

[andsadofeye]

He never forgot the day. Omar always acted like he did, but John never forgot it. He never would. In four hundred years, there'd been a lot of women, but there'd only ever been one like Lily Rae Brown, and the way she'd danced and laughed, and the way she'd made him wait to marry him. Only ever one girl like that for John York, and never mind

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[neveraffordme]

Her attack of the whatever-it-is might almost seem to be clearing up, but Alex is still hanging around close to home; the box has been reasonably obliging to the tune of several oversized sweatshirts, and she's wearing what she's positive is the biggest and most nondescript of them when she wanders down to the rec room in search of further reading material.

And, of course, it's not as if her timing's ever been good, certainly not around here.

She freezes in the doorway, unconsciously hugging herself, watching.

[andsadofeye]

For a little while, John was so wrapped up in Calliope that he didn't notice Alex. Calliope was rhythmically pulling books from the shelf and John was just as rhythmically putting them back and then he looked up and saw Alex, and, reflexively, he smiled.

He missed her. He missed her because, fuck, he'd liked being around her in the first place.

"Hi, Alex." He took Calliope's little hand in his and helped her wave to Alex.

[neveraffordme]

"Hello."

She grins tiredly and waves back at the little girl; steadily avoiding John's eyes, steadily avoiding everything but the fact of the child's existence, plain and simple and without associations to be drawn.

She's nowhere near in any condition for this.

"I see you've got company."

[andsadofeye]

John wasn't oblivious to the way she still wouldn't look at him. All of this had been easier before, when he'd just been able to walk awy. He'd enjoyed being John Amsterdam, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have moved on, wouldn't have learned to be someone else.

He was learning to do something else now.

"Yeah. Calliope's just watching me for an hour, aren't you, sweetheart?" Calliope beared her teeth and growled at Alex. John shook his head.

"That's how she's greeting strangers this week. Don't worry. She's a puppy."

[neveraffordme]

"With Molly it was horses," Alex says, as lightly as she can, just as if none of it really matters. "I'm reliably informed that ponies don't put their toys away before bedtime."

She edges past the two of them to the bookcase, stands head bent pretending to concentrate on the titles; it's awkward, but it almost doesn't hurt, not if she doesn't think too hard.

"You're looking rather well."

[andsadofeye]

"Omar liked horses when he was a kid," John said, absently. "I used to take him to look at the ones in Central Park after Lily died." He looked down into Calliope's little face and raised an eyebrow. "I think she just spends too much time with 37."

He was quiet for a moment after that, letting that comment hang there for a moment.

"Do I? I woke up feeling four hundred years old this morning."