Trooper Station, Thursday (August 13)

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

The running helped and when she arrived in the station Reese felt better.

She switched on her computer and settled in for a long day of paperwork. She should be happy there was no murder board here, right?

Reese looked at the toy soldiers roaming around the station. "So," she began, "which of you is Ralph?"

Comments

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Sometime in the afternoon, Veronica walked in to the station carrying two cups of coffee from the Perk.

"Any big emergencies on the island today?" she asked.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"If you consider finding lost kittens a big emergency," Reese replied and smiled.

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"It would be if I was five," Veronica joked. "Though admittedly I'm more of a dog person."

She handed Dani one of the cups of coffee.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Huh, so am I never got the cat thing, dogs are more my style," Reese reached out for the coffee. "I was just gonna get myself some, thanks."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"No problem," Veronica said. "So this is where all the important things take place?" she asked, glancing around at all the troopers.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"This your first time here?" Reese asked, surprised. "Yep, this is where all the action is and by 'action' I mean nothing at all."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"I've managed to avoid getting arrested on the island," Veronica joked.

And her memories of being at the station to visit a certain prisoner were less than pleasant.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Always a good thing," Reese replied. "You're dad's a PI, right? Was he a cop before that?"

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Sheriff, yeah," Veronica said. "And he's actually the sheriff again. It's... a long story."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"He must be glad to be back on the job again," she said, respecting the 'long story' part. She knew all about long stories.

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"I think he is," Veronica said. "He's not the overly emotional type."

Wonder where she gets it?

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese smirked. "Yeah, that's not at all in common in law enforcement." She sipped her coffee again, "Summer's about to end, isn't it? So you going back directly to LA or you and your husband doing the honeymoon thing?"

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Actually, next Saturday I'll be leaving here and going to Disneyland for four days," she said. "I'm one of the people in charge of the alumni organization and we're hosting a get together out there."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Disney," she hooked her hands behind her head and leaned back. "Haven't been there in a while. It's an alumni event then?"

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I think it'll be fun. So far it seems like we'll have a good sized group."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Hope you guys have fun, gets pretty crowded there, I'm sure you know. Almost like Black Friday but without the death rush."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, the only downside is dealing with all the little kids," Veronica admitted.

Oh, she had no idea.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese winced. "Yeah, little kids. Not a fan, there are one or two I like but put them in one place?" She shook her head, "Not my idea of fun."

It's probably a good thing she's not going to this particular Disney trip.

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Not a huge fan of them myself," Veronica agreed. "I mean, they're kinda cute and all. But dealing with sticky hands and snot and all that? So not my scene."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Cool aunt is a better gig than mom," Reese said, knowing exactly what Veronica meant. Her mom had a bajillion relatives and the times her family decides to gather... there were too many kids.

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica nodded. "Definitely. Not that I have any siblings, but I have friends whose future children I plan to spoil rotten."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese grinned. "And then give 'em back to the parents? My kind of plan."

...and really its a bad idea for a junkie like her to have kids.

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Feed 'em lots of sugar and buy all those noisy toys that parents hate," Veronica said, her grin matching Reese's.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Enjoy the parents flail around," Reese added.

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Exactly! I'm pretty sure it's in the aunt handbook," Veronica said.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"If it's not it should be, it's tradition!"

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Do you have brothers and sisters?" Veronica asked.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese shook her head, "Only child. But my mom has a ton of relatives when they visit they got kids in tow."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica nodded. "My actual family is pretty small, but, like I said, lots of friends who fill that gap. And if the weekend after prom is anything to go by, there will be lots of little ones for me to spoil."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Prom? The one at the school?" Reese frowned, confused. "I didn't know alumni were invited for these things."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Right. Veronica was going to have to break Dani's brain a little bit. Oops.

"Oh, they aren't," Veronica said, "Well, unless they're the date of a current student."

As she had been twice.

"Fandom likes to remind the students of the risks of having sex occasionally. And since prom night is a big night for that, it generally provides the students the opportunity to meet their potential future children for a few days."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"..." That would be the sound of her brain breaking. Teleporting, BFFs with Jesus now potential future kids.

"I'm gonna be off island that day," she said after her brain stopped doing that fizzy noise thing. "Far, far, far away."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica snickered. "It didn't happen when I was on the island, but the flaily phone calls I've gotten have been pretty good."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese took out a calendar, "When's the prom again?"

Yes, she was going to cash in on her leaves that day, maybe this time really make it to the Caribbean and spend the days with a cabana-- wait that could mean when she got back she'd have a potential kid with a cabana boy waiting for her.

Dammit, why are all these things happening when she was not high and sober? At least she could explain that away!

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Uh... in April sometime," Veronica said with a shrug. "I have no idea what the actual date is."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

A year, that's good. Maybe by then she's off island.

"So these are actual kids? Not... wind up dolls or something?"

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Real live kids," Veronica confirmed.

She pulled out her cell phone and pulled up pictures of the son (http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/74091394/15211723) she and Dick had had show up, along with the daughter (http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/59837223/12512684) of hers and Cameron's that had shown up.

Neither of which would ever exist for her, if the circumstances of Caz's birth were correct.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese shivered. "Scary," then realized what she said, "I mean, not you're kids but.... that they were, y'know real."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, little bit," she agreed. "I didn't get to meet either of them. Marybeth's daddy was my boyfriend at the time. That was quite a while ago though. Caz's daddy, on the other hand, was Dick."

She paused, remembering the stories the boy had told about she and Dick having a daughter after their first hookup. "But he wasn't from this dimension, so I don't think he's from our actual future."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese was going to deal with this one thing at a time. Just like AA taught her or else she'd go crazy or something.

"At least you know if you have kids they're cute and sullen looking?"

What? She was trying her best!

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica laughed. "Yeah, Caz definitely inherited his daddy's bitch face."

Which she happened to think was adorable.

"But, really, kids are so not in my five year plan."

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"Nice to know that's genetic," Reese said. She should probably look in the mirror and then look at a picture of her father. Bitch face is genetic. Especially the Glare.

"You're not planning to be mayor, are you? My partner's temporary partner had a plan like that and she wanted to be mayor."

Hey, look who's being possessive of her partner!

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"Uh, no, definitely not," Veronica assured her. "I am not the political type. At all. I'm going to finish college and then join the CIA or FBI or NSA or something."

Then again, marriage hadn't been in her five year plan. Truth be told, Veronica didn't have a five year plan.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

"So instead of a politician it's super spy? Lot cooler than being a politician."

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"And if people piss me off, I can shoot them," Veronica said.

[gunandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Reese smirked, "Best part of the job."