Chilly Boulder, Sunday Early Evening

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

With Paige having thankfully agreed to watch Nicky for an hour or two, Cally went to do something she'd not done in such a long time.

She sat down at Chilly Boulder, armed with a spoon, her prize in front of her. It wasn't extravagant, just a simple hot fudge sundae with walnuts and a cherry on top. But when she placed that first spoonful against her tongue, the shock of fresh cream and sugar and chocolate just made her let out the teeniest of whimpers.

Gods, life in the Fleet would have been almost tolerable, if only they'd had hot fudge sundaes, she thought.

She'd bring home dinner for Paige and Nicky after this. But for now, she was having her dessert first.

[ooc: Very open, if you'd like to interrupt!]

Comments

[demonbelthazor]

Bel shimmered into the ice cream shop and leaned against a wall. "You never write, you never call," he sighed.

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

Cally poked at her ice cream with the spoon for a moment, before looking up. She definitely hadn't forgotten that voice. She wasn't at the point she could just joke back about what had happened in the mean time. She didn't think she ever would be.

"There was kind of this war thing," she said, giving him a half smile. "It took up all of my time."

[demonbelthazor]

Sliding into the seat opposite her, Bel said, "Piper told me you were back. And had a kid."

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"And that's the happy parts," Cally said, looking over at him. She idly wondered for a moment... what did it say about Phoebe that she was shacked up with a demon and an evil robot?

"It's good to see you. I know I kind of disappeared in a hurry. But things really got away from me."

[demonbelthazor]

Hey, formerly evil demon, and not an evil robot, thank you very much. Not that Bel knew what she was thinking, of course.

"This place can do that to you," he agreed. "So why'd you come back? And why don't you want Anders to know?"

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"Because I don't want to... he shouldn't know what's going to happen to the Colonies," Cally said, still not ready to share that little factoid about Sam.

"As for me, well... Let's just say it was the easiest form of divorce I had to me." Avoiding the specifics there, too.

[demonbelthazor]

"Do I have to go kick someone's ass?" Bel said. Hey, it was his default reaction.

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"I already gave him a concussion, probably," Cally said. "There's... it's not a simple story. And I don't exactly want to go all into the messy bits when I'm having my first little break from being a mom since I got here."

[demonbelthazor]

"Got it," Bel said, not willing to push, unlike another half-demon whose emodar was probably going off. "So...what are you going to do around here then? Planning on staying for awhile?"

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"I got nowhere else to go," Cally admitted. "I'm looking into getting a job. Can't exactly live off Paige's charity the rest of my life. But I'm pretty much starting over. Probably have to get my GED."

[demonbelthazor]

"There's plenty of room at the Hyperion, too, don't forget that," Bel offered. "If things don't work out here for whatever reason."

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

Cally couldn't hold back the wince that happened when she thought about living near Anders. But she quickly tried to cover it up, giving Bel a broad smile. "Thanks," she said. "Though I'm not sure I'd want Nicky growing up in an environment where Dick Casablancas might be an influence."

Good save, she thought.

[demonbelthazor]

Bel gave her a look but went with it. "Yeah, there is that," he said. "And Logan. It's just awful sometimes." He rolled his eyes, but grinned. "But there's plenty of room in the hotel so that you don't even see people for weeks."

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"I can't even imagine that," Cally said. "I mean, it was amazing when Galen and I had quarters to ourselves. Up until then I was sharing the bunks with every other specialist. No time to yourself, at all."

[demonbelthazor]

"Worse than the dorms were?" Bel said. "I'm all spoiled now from living in the hotel. I can't imagine living on top of each other like we were here."

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"It was a military ship," Cally said. "Imagine over twenty people in bunks in the same room. Communal bathrooms. Not an ounce of privacy."

She sighed. "Gods, I need to take a bath, that's next on my list."

[demonbelthazor]

"Ice cream, then bath," Bel grinned. "Gotta have priorities."

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"Hey, this is my first sundae in... gods, I don't even know how long," Cally said. "And believe me, this is probably the best thing in the frakking history of forever right now."

[demonbelthazor]

"Have another one, my treat," Bel said. "Or a milkshake, or something else fun."

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"I am a total cheap date right now," Cally said, at least able to joke about that. "But even I can't eat two sundaes in one sitting. I prefer my stomach not uncomfortably full."

She smiled at him. "It's really nice to see you again."

[demonbelthazor]

"It's good to see you, too," Bel said. "When Piper said that you were back I had to come see for myself. Any time wonkiness going on? Were you gone longer than we think you were or shorter?"

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"About four years," Cally said. "So, just an extra year or so. Which means I'm the oldest now so I get to make all the rules."

[demonbelthazor]

Bel snorted. "Try again. I'm still older than you."

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

Cally made a face, but it was an amused face. "Oh, fine," she said. "Also, I'm not responsible if Phoebe gets baby crazy after she meets Nicky."

[demonbelthazor]

"She's met her own possible future kids and hasn't started demanding I knock her up," Bel grinned. "But I'm up for the job when she's ready." Because babies were awesome.

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"Well, then I won't feel any guilt at all," Cally said. "Though Nicky isn't... he's my boy, and all I have in the world. But even I have to admit he's not exactly the brightest baby."

[demonbelthazor]

"Hey, that's not a nice thing to say about your kid," Bel said. "How come you think that?"

[nomoreveruca.livejournal.com]

"Hey, it doesn't make me love him any less and I'll punch any frakker that makes fun of him when he gets older," Cally said. "But he kind of takes after his dad."