Somewhere in town, evening
Isabel was still debating where to go when she left the dorms and headed into town. Caritas wasn't the same without Jarod and she wasn't quite in the mood for coffee at the Perk.
With a sigh, she headed towards the beach. When all else failed, she knew she could at least sit and watch the waves for a while.
Jack really had no idea where he was going. He was too tired to think, had some vague notion of hitting Caritas, knowing he could find someone who'd be more than happy to give him a place to stay for the night, but beyond that, nothing.
Keeping his injured arm tucked close against his body, he crossed the road, heading towards the bar.
She wasn't really paying too much attention to the people on the street, but something about the one dark head caught Isabel's attention and she stopped for a moment, watching him wistfully.
He brushed past a couple of people and turned to flash them an appreciative grin, before continuing on. Being back here again felt so strange. When he'd left, he'd thought it was forever. Not sure whether to curse Jason for the suggestion or not, he stopped and took a long, slow look around.
Nothing had really changed. Not surprising really. It may have been nearly a year for him, but for Fandom it had only been a couple of months.
A double. It could only be a double. Isabel shook her head and debated just walking away. She wasn't sure she could deal with this right now and more importantly, she should warn Cedric.
But instead her feet took her towards Fandom's new version of Jack.
Someone approaching caught his attention, and he turned. Isabel. A brief, fleeting thought - pretend you don't recognise her; it will be easier - tempted him, but he shoved it away. She was part of why he'd chosen this time to come back to, after all.
Shoving his good hand in his pocket, he waited until she was closer, then gave her a small smile. "Hey, Izzy."
Isabel stopped and stared. It couldn't be. She'd wished and hoped but had known it would never happen. Still, a small voice in her head reminded her that it was Fandom.
"Jack? Really?" She couldn't believe it. Not yet.
"Unless there's someone else you want me to be," he replied, the corner of his mouth quirking up in weary amusement.
This would be the point Jack might start having trouble breathing. Because Isabel was wrapped around him in a tight hug. "Oh my god! Oh my god! You're here! How? Why? I've missed you so much!"
Jack laughed and oofed, dragging his hand out of his pocket to hug her back, holding her nearly as tightly, his injured hand in its shiny silver immobiliser resting on her shoulder. "Got some time off," he replied. "Figured this was as good a place as any to spend it."
"Time off?" Isabel didn't let go of him, but she did pull back enough to look him over. She wasn't happy with what she saw. He was obviously injured if the cast on his hand was any indication and he looked tired. "God, what happened? Are you okay? What can I do? Do you need to go to the clinic?"
"Nope, I'm fine." Which was pretty much a lie, for everythig except his hand. "Got into a fight, broke a few fingers, cracked my wrist, but," he waggled his eyebrows at her, "you should see the other guy. Beauty of being back in my time, the tech's a bit more advanced. Got a painblocker, so I can't feel anything, and the rest will look after itself."
She didn't believe a him, but she wasn't going to argue. "No, you're home now. Cedric and I will look out for you."
Cedric. Jack had deliberately kept himself from thinking about seeing him again, but he couldn't stop himself from asking, "How's he doing?"
"He missed you," Isabel admitted quietly. "We both did."
"I missed him, too. Both of you," he admitted. All of you. "It's been a long time." His energy was dribbling away, and he sighed, stepping back from Isabel. "I need to figure out where I'm staying. Any ideas?"
"How long?" she asked, remembering her own experience.
Isabel wasn't willing to lose contact yet, afraid Jack might vanish like a dream, so she slipped an arm around his waist and started guiding him towards the dorms. "My room? Cedric's? Wherever you want to go."
Again he fought with brief temptation and won. "Don't suppose my old room's still empty, is it?" he asked. "As for how long, it's been," he tapped a button on the vortex manipulator strapped to his wrist with his plastic encased fingers, "nine months and twenty-two days. I can give you minutes and seconds if you want."
"It was. But I'm not sure if one of the newbies grabbed it this week," Isabel told him. "We can check."
"So almost ten months? Wow. How's it going? Is it everything you thought it would be?"
Jack bit back a humourless laugh. "Pretty much," he said neutrally. "Adventures, fun times, and I get to meet," he smirked, "lots of interesting people. I really can't complain."
Isabel had a hard time believing everything was as fine as Jack made it out to be but again, now wasn't the time to get into it. "You'll have to tell me some stories about them. I'd like to hear."
"You haven't missed much here. A minor alien invasion. Stubborn door knobs. You know, the usual wackiness."
"Same old thing. I see they're rebuilding the school." He draped his arm over her shoulders, and just stopped thinking. Isabel would get him safely to the dorms. If someone was in his room, he'd either persuade them to share, or stay with Isabel. Or Cedric. Maybe. Everything else could wait. "They still have that no weapons in the dorms rule?"
"Yeah. It's been pretty to watch. Lots of shirtlessness," she told him, flashing a quick grin. "We can stop by the weapons locker if you have to drop stuff off. Then let's get you to bed. You look exhausted."
"Yeah, and that usually comes after people get me into bed." Jack smirked and gestured for her to lead the way. "Weapons locker first, and then we take back my room," he said, pulling her close for a second. "It's good see you again, Isabel."
"Good doesn't even begin to describe it." Isabel stopped for a moment to hug him again, resting her head against his shoulder. After a long moment, she let him go and started to the dorms once more. "Parker is going to freak when she hears..."
She wasn't going to hear it from Jack but, and he glanced over at Isabel, he suspected that wasn't going to matter.
Isabel had a feeling that Jack being back wasn't going to be as simple or as easy as it appeared at first glance. But for now she wasn't thinking about that. Keeping up a quiet but happy chatter, she led him back to the dorms. Beyond grateful to have her friend back.
[OOC: Pre-played with…someone. No interaction possible. Comments are love.]
With a sigh, she headed towards the beach. When all else failed, she knew she could at least sit and watch the waves for a while.
Jack really had no idea where he was going. He was too tired to think, had some vague notion of hitting Caritas, knowing he could find someone who'd be more than happy to give him a place to stay for the night, but beyond that, nothing.
Keeping his injured arm tucked close against his body, he crossed the road, heading towards the bar.
She wasn't really paying too much attention to the people on the street, but something about the one dark head caught Isabel's attention and she stopped for a moment, watching him wistfully.
He brushed past a couple of people and turned to flash them an appreciative grin, before continuing on. Being back here again felt so strange. When he'd left, he'd thought it was forever. Not sure whether to curse Jason for the suggestion or not, he stopped and took a long, slow look around.
Nothing had really changed. Not surprising really. It may have been nearly a year for him, but for Fandom it had only been a couple of months.
A double. It could only be a double. Isabel shook her head and debated just walking away. She wasn't sure she could deal with this right now and more importantly, she should warn Cedric.
But instead her feet took her towards Fandom's new version of Jack.
Someone approaching caught his attention, and he turned. Isabel. A brief, fleeting thought - pretend you don't recognise her; it will be easier - tempted him, but he shoved it away. She was part of why he'd chosen this time to come back to, after all.
Shoving his good hand in his pocket, he waited until she was closer, then gave her a small smile. "Hey, Izzy."
Isabel stopped and stared. It couldn't be. She'd wished and hoped but had known it would never happen. Still, a small voice in her head reminded her that it was Fandom.
"Jack? Really?" She couldn't believe it. Not yet.
"Unless there's someone else you want me to be," he replied, the corner of his mouth quirking up in weary amusement.
This would be the point Jack might start having trouble breathing. Because Isabel was wrapped around him in a tight hug. "Oh my god! Oh my god! You're here! How? Why? I've missed you so much!"
Jack laughed and oofed, dragging his hand out of his pocket to hug her back, holding her nearly as tightly, his injured hand in its shiny silver immobiliser resting on her shoulder. "Got some time off," he replied. "Figured this was as good a place as any to spend it."
"Time off?" Isabel didn't let go of him, but she did pull back enough to look him over. She wasn't happy with what she saw. He was obviously injured if the cast on his hand was any indication and he looked tired. "God, what happened? Are you okay? What can I do? Do you need to go to the clinic?"
"Nope, I'm fine." Which was pretty much a lie, for everythig except his hand. "Got into a fight, broke a few fingers, cracked my wrist, but," he waggled his eyebrows at her, "you should see the other guy. Beauty of being back in my time, the tech's a bit more advanced. Got a painblocker, so I can't feel anything, and the rest will look after itself."
She didn't believe a him, but she wasn't going to argue. "No, you're home now. Cedric and I will look out for you."
Cedric. Jack had deliberately kept himself from thinking about seeing him again, but he couldn't stop himself from asking, "How's he doing?"
"He missed you," Isabel admitted quietly. "We both did."
"I missed him, too. Both of you," he admitted. All of you. "It's been a long time." His energy was dribbling away, and he sighed, stepping back from Isabel. "I need to figure out where I'm staying. Any ideas?"
"How long?" she asked, remembering her own experience.
Isabel wasn't willing to lose contact yet, afraid Jack might vanish like a dream, so she slipped an arm around his waist and started guiding him towards the dorms. "My room? Cedric's? Wherever you want to go."
Again he fought with brief temptation and won. "Don't suppose my old room's still empty, is it?" he asked. "As for how long, it's been," he tapped a button on the vortex manipulator strapped to his wrist with his plastic encased fingers, "nine months and twenty-two days. I can give you minutes and seconds if you want."
"It was. But I'm not sure if one of the newbies grabbed it this week," Isabel told him. "We can check."
"So almost ten months? Wow. How's it going? Is it everything you thought it would be?"
Jack bit back a humourless laugh. "Pretty much," he said neutrally. "Adventures, fun times, and I get to meet," he smirked, "lots of interesting people. I really can't complain."
Isabel had a hard time believing everything was as fine as Jack made it out to be but again, now wasn't the time to get into it. "You'll have to tell me some stories about them. I'd like to hear."
"You haven't missed much here. A minor alien invasion. Stubborn door knobs. You know, the usual wackiness."
"Same old thing. I see they're rebuilding the school." He draped his arm over her shoulders, and just stopped thinking. Isabel would get him safely to the dorms. If someone was in his room, he'd either persuade them to share, or stay with Isabel. Or Cedric. Maybe. Everything else could wait. "They still have that no weapons in the dorms rule?"
"Yeah. It's been pretty to watch. Lots of shirtlessness," she told him, flashing a quick grin. "We can stop by the weapons locker if you have to drop stuff off. Then let's get you to bed. You look exhausted."
"Yeah, and that usually comes after people get me into bed." Jack smirked and gestured for her to lead the way. "Weapons locker first, and then we take back my room," he said, pulling her close for a second. "It's good see you again, Isabel."
"Good doesn't even begin to describe it." Isabel stopped for a moment to hug him again, resting her head against his shoulder. After a long moment, she let him go and started to the dorms once more. "Parker is going to freak when she hears..."
She wasn't going to hear it from Jack but, and he glanced over at Isabel, he suspected that wasn't going to matter.
Isabel had a feeling that Jack being back wasn't going to be as simple or as easy as it appeared at first glance. But for now she wasn't thinking about that. Keeping up a quiet but happy chatter, she led him back to the dorms. Beyond grateful to have her friend back.
[OOC: Pre-played with…someone. No interaction possible. Comments are love.]