(Untitled)

[i_spoiled_it]

Dear Diary...
Steph sighs and puts her diary back down on her lap. She's watching Hana and Loo play out in front of the farmhouse. They're happily occupied with seeing who can cough the biggest fireball, and Steph is, therefore, lightly scorched. Luckily, the girls are more excited by explosions these days than by burning people, and they're

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[twiceahero]

There's a soft creak as a wheelchair rolls to a stop behind Steph. Barbara's eyes sweep across the tension in the girl's shoulders (even if 'girl' isn't really all that accurate anymore). She doesn't know what happened, but somewhere along the way she stopped being one of the people Steph went to to unburden herself.

Babs sits quietly. Watching. Wondering what she should say.

[i_spoiled_it]

Steph turns sharply almost before there's any noise, and doesn't relax much when she sees who it is.

(If it weren't for the girls, she might run away.)

"Hi, O."

She doesn't smile. She doesn't expect this to be a conversation with much reason for smiling.

[twiceahero]

Not 'Babs'. It's been a while since Steph's called her that...

"Hey, Steph."

Babs seems content to sit in silence for the moment, simply letting her eyes take in Steph's expression and posture.

[i_spoiled_it]

Which doesn't make Steph much more comfortable, stiff-backed and frowning and tense, lips pressed together.

She always feels like she's about fourteen again in front of Oracle, a stupid newbie vigilante with more eagerness than skill and everything to prove. It's not a comfortable feeling, when she's only just started to feel like she's earned being nineteen.

"...you can start yelling any time you like, if you want to get it over with."

[notanoptimist]

Now Steph has a boyfriend on the step next to her, also watching Hana and Loo play, and smiling faintly for it.

"Hey," he says and doesn't peek over her shoulder at what she's written (much). "How're they doing?"

[i_spoiled_it]

Steph holds up one ankle to show off the charred hem of her jeans. "They're in perfect shape," she says, wriggling over to lean against him, glad for that tiny smile. Sokka should always have babies to play with and to make him smile.

-- Steph's thoughts have a worrying tendency to go in this direction lately; it's enough to make her wonder ...

She squeezes his hand and smiles at the girls, too.

"Hana's getting really good at controlling it."

[notanoptimist]

His laugh is automatic, just like the way he reaches to finger her jeans, grinning. "Oh crap, you didn't get burned, though, did you?"

As for Hana getting good control, his littlest niece gets a bigger grin. He's so proud of them sometimes he could burst.

[i_spoiled_it]

"Nope, I dodge quick." Steph grins. "And they're really careful most of the time."

She wants him to talk about it, because he always feels better after talking things out - but not if she forces him to. Besides, how would she start that conversation, anyway? So you just set fire to your undead sister who killed people... how does that feel?

Nnnnnnnnno. She'll just be extra cuddly instead and make sure he knows she'll be here when he wants to.

"I'm on duty 'cause Dean dropped by again." Which gets a grin for all the sex Mel's probably having.