(Untitled)

[yo_babe]

Word don't take long to travel, and Babe's heard - Babe's heard enough, and he don't wanna hear any more. This is impossible, of course, but maybe if he stays in the rec room and looks at issues of magazines from 1986 with their Lincoln town cars, he won't have to think about it. Every time he does, his stomach ties in knots and he feels sick

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[gotacigarette]

Not a bloody thing about it is easy. Eden hasn't slept well, and the bruise from the punch-bag has turned sick yellow and green on her cheekbone. She's got Nelson at one heel and Phyllis at the other and, when Babe comes into sight, Nelson speeds up to a trot, mewling pathetically.

"We were looking for you," she says, walking up to him, slowing to a stop just in front of him and, without waiting, without asking, reaching out to take his hand, twining their fingers together.

[yo_babe]

Sometimes, Babe wants to take his field knife to that damned punching bag, but then he'd end up the punching bag and it'd be a lose-lose situation for everyone. Now, here's his girlfriend, their pig, and their cat...it don't get much more surreal than this, folks.

His own fingers lace in with hers, grateful for their presence. "Ya found me," he says, leaning down for a moment to placate Nelson with a skritch under the chin, having to shift his fingertips over the magazine still in that hand.

[gotacigarette]

With her eye still not working, her depth perception for shit, Eden's getting used to the bruises, and she's getting used to turning her whole head to look at Babe. She squeezes his hand, watches as she pets the kitten that's closer to a fully grown cat, now.

"How's the world?"

It's all she'll ask, but he'll know what she means, and it felt pretty shitty, holding him through the night, through the loss of his friend like that.

[yo_babe]

She could've asked anything but that and it would've been easier to answer. "Guess it's the same as it was yesterday," he says dolefully. He looks at her, gives her a wan smile, "Gotta count my blessings though, huh?" He's got a lot still and he knows it, and he needs her to know it's not missed on him.

[easyco_soldier]

Don barely had had the time to settle in before he heard about Bill. Hadn't even had the time to see him.

Don was disappointed, and sad - Bill was a good friend, and he'd have liked to have the chance to talk to him again. To see how he was doing.

Now he was gone. Just, gone. No goodbyes, nothing. Just like Penk.

Just like Skip. why did you leave me?

The rosary in his pocket felt a little more heavy than before.

Don heard Babe laugh before he saw him. When he did see him, he waved half-heartedly in greeting. "Hey," he said quietly, trying to smile. For Babe's sake, because as hard as it was for Don, who hadn't even seen Bill on the Island, how terrible must it be for Babe?

[yo_babe]

Seeing anyone else from Easy is bittersweet. He won't trade any one for another, but Eden's seen someone disappear in front of her own eyes; Babe can' stomach the thought.

Malarkey's tryin' to keep a good face, and Babe tries, too, giving him a forced, terse smile. "How's it goin', Malark?" he asks flatly, unrolling the magazine again.

[easyco_soldier]

Babe's fake smile hurt, so Don dropped his. But, really, what was he expecting?

"I'm fine," he said. It had become his usual answer whenever asked, these last few months. Usually, it was a lie. "How..." It seemed kind of useless, considering. Nobody expected Babe to be fine, not now. "You doing alright?"

[yo_babe]

Jesus, he wishes people would quit askin'. It makes him wanna dig a fox hole and crawl into it and wait to disappear, too. He doesn't have the presence of mind to think about what it would do to Eden until a minute after every time he thinks about it, and he wonders if that makes him selfish.

"No, I ain't," he answers. "How can someone just disappear like that?" How many times do people ask that here? he wonders.

[fourforone]

"Don't look so sad, Babe, you'll break hearts," Buck half-orders, voice slightly dulled though he's trying his best to inject it with life and something other than the usual frustration and disappointment he's been running on for the past few days.

[yo_babe]

Buck.

Babe looks up from his hands at the sound of the strong, slightly wavering tone. A memory of Buck and Bill hustling him out of cigarettes plays across his mind and he doesn't even try to shake it away.

"You don't got a ring or know where I can get one, do ya?" he asks, seemingly random.

[fourforone]

Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the intent behind that and Buck raises a brow and he wonders if every disappearance is going to drive Babe to circumstances like that. "You really think proposing to Eden is going to take away the edge of losing Bill?" he asks, genuinely curious and trying not to sound too critical because he likes Eden and he doesn't want her to get embroiled in this when it's a sharp emotional reaction.

[yo_babe]

Babe shakes his head. "It ain't like that," he promises, and he's surprised that he's not offended. "I was thinkin' about it before Bill..." he trails off. How've they lost Bill anyway? It ain't like they just misplaced him or he's lost somewhere in the God forsaken jungle.

"I don't know, Buck," he gives in at length. Hell, he hadn't second guessed it before Buck had said that and now he is and he doesn't like it. "It ain't because of that is all I know." Right?

[peeweemartin]

Suddenly and unexpectedly being face to face with his old comrade, Johnny's heart jumped. "Jeez, Babe, ya scared me!" He called out, mockingly raising his hand to his heart, pressing it to his body.

Upon seeing the depressed look Babe wore on his face, Johnny felt sadness taking him over again. "How ya holdin' up, buddy?" He asked.

[yo_babe]

Hogeeze! Not watching where he's going and not seeing Martin until he's damn near walkin' over him makes him take a few startled steps backwards. When he steadies himself, the question doesn't register straight away and it takes him a moment to answer.

Fingers rake through his copper hair. "How do ya think I'm holdin' up?" he asks, not meaning to snap, but it probably comes across like that.

[peeweemartin]

In every other situation, Johnny probably woulda given the guy to snap at him hell, but in this case, it was about Bill, Babe's best friend, so he forgives the kid. Johnny probably woulda reacted the same way, even.

Shrugging, Johnny groaned. "Ya think there's a chance of him comin' back?" He asked, still keeping some hope, just as he wouldn't give up the hope of his wife or Bull showing up.

[yo_babe]

That's a helluva thing to ask. Babe shrugs and finds a tree to lean back against. He stares down at the magazine in his hands, but he ain't really seeing it.

"Gotta ask the island," he finally answers, lifting his gaze to look at his friend. He's expecting him to just disappear, like what Eden saw. "What the hell's the point in this place? Everyone disappears in the end, that's what they all say."