(Untitled)

[dale_cooper_fbi]

It could have been a lot worse. That's what Dale told himself as he sat down at the table. right on time and with a very large cup of coffee. He had a feeling this meeting could potentially drag on for quite some time. A child had gone missing, but it could have been a lot worse, and in the end everyone had come home safe and sound

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[unbreakableteen]

Claire sat quietly, holding her notebook in her hands tightly so she wouldn't shake. She's already stood up to Mr. Vimes and knew that no matter what she said, it wasn't going to change his mind. She'd been asked to come, though, not told, and after sitting in the clinic with F, brushing her hair and trying to get her to eat something, anything, she gave up and ditched her classes to come into this room of adults

[dale_cooper_fbi]

"We're willing to hear what you have to say," Dale assured her when she seemed reluctant to speak. "No decisions have been made yet." He had his own ideas about what he wanted to see happen, but Dale always waited to hear all the facts.

[unbreakableteen]

"Okay, well, um," she began, and stood up. "F is my friend and I know her better than anyone here. I know about where she came from, and what she was, and how hard it's been for her here. And no one else works with her, they've just shoved her off on doctors and locked her up like before, and she's never going to learn how to be human that way," Claire said nervously.

"I told him," she continued, pointing at Vimes, "that she wouldn't hurt the baby. She doesn't bite anymore, and she chewed off her own figertips so her nails wouldn't hurt Mack. She's smart, and she took blankets and food and stuff. I know what she did was wrong, and she knows it, too. Now. If anyone bothered to get to know her at all..."

Claire cut herself off because she could feel the anger and frustration rising again, and she was smart enough to know that her attitude wasn't going to cut it in front of all these people.

"Do you even want to know about her? Really?" she asked. She could tell them. She'd seen Masuoka's video on the camera. She knew.

[dale_cooper_fbi]

"So as the person who seems to know her best," said Dale, taking in her information very calmly and collectedly, "how would you propose this be handled? Do you have any suggestions for us to consider?"

[worth_killing]

After all the festivities of the weekend, it was especially difficult for Arthur to come back to the Compound only to discover that a child had gone missing. He was not without pity or concern for the woman, but such behavior was unacceptable. Dealing with that behavior was another issue all together.

He sat quietly and listened to those who had to speak, those who knew the woman and her situation better than he, hoping that they could all come to some agreeable compromise.

[sir_samuel]

Vimes had to keep reminding himself that everyone was all right. Mack was all right, Eostre was all right. Young Sam was all right. Young Sam had never been in danger. Not this time.

He felt like he had slept for a year and a day, and yet no time at all. But he forced the heavy fog from his mind with help from a very large cup of coffee of his own. At the very least, he had to be alert enough to listen to whatever bloody fool things were going to be said.

But he was strangely silent, and for once had no intention of speaking his mind. If they wanted to hear about the rescue, he would tell them what had happened, but he would be giving on opinion on what should be done with F. He had promised.

And damm it all, he kept telling himself, he had already done his job.

[chris_cutter]

Like normal, Chris sat near the back, a pad of paper laid out in front of him with a blank sheet on top. Blank except for a few idle doodles he'd scribbled onto it already. A curling stone near the bottom, its handle just slightly skewed.

But this wasn't like a normal meeting and everyone here knew it. It wasn't normal for him to feel almost nervous while in one of these meetings, to feel his insides twisting and not be real sure as to why. Everything was okay now, after all. Mack had been found and she'd been safe and they had the girl in custody.

Now what were they supposed to do.

Chris tapped the end of his pen against the pad, his other hand pushing through his hair as he let out a slow breath and forced himself to listen to the details.

If nothing else, he owed Eostre this. Eostre and Mike, too.

And, okay, Hobbes if he had to admit it.

[legendarymadman]

"She can't get out again," says Geoffrey, when it seems like no one else is willing to say that outright. "That was Eostre's baby. I don't care if she didn't know what she was doing. What if she'd decided she was curious about what was on the inside? I don't care what else we have to do for her, but it's not safe for her to be out again. At all."

[jdick]

"I'm with Geoffrey on this," Joe said. And that was that, as far as he was concerned. Claire was right, he didn't want to get to know F and he didn't feel particularly bad about it because Geoffrey was right, too. What if the next time she got curious she wanted to know what was on the inside of something? Of a fucking baby?

[legendarymadman]

"I'm not heartless," Geoffrey adds, nodding at Joe. "I understand this wasn't a malicious act. But this isn't something we can take chances with."

[jdick]

"Not when the safety of kids on the island is at stake," Joe agreed, nodding again, looking stone faced and relatively pissed off still, although he didn't let it get the better of him. "Until she understands that taking someone's baby is wrong, I'm not comfortable letting her roam around."