fandomtownies | The Park, Monday Evening

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The Park, Monday Evening

Portals elsewhere might break, send you to the wrong planet, or leave you hanging; this one was forever faithful to its own schedule.

Sadly, for those denizens of the island who might have grown attached to their children, that meant it was time to say goodbye. The portal popped up blazing purple in the center of the park, calling to those it had taken here just a few days ago.

Time to go, time to go home, children.

[[ for your AU kidlet goodbyes! Sniff. ]]

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It was a little strange for Elle Penny Starsmore. She'd seen her parents in ways she'd never expected, had the chance to try and change things for the better.

And now she was going away. To a future that might never happen from here.

She milled about for a moment, trying to spot her father.

Jonothon hated goodbyes. Somewhere around here, there were a few more of his children, about to walk out of his life.

He hated goodbyes, and weekends like this in the first place. Goddamn teases that they were. Still, when he spotted Elle's face, he managed to put on a ghost of a smile as he walked up to her.

"Time to go back to an older, wiser father, is it?"

"You've got more hair, though," Elle said gently. "But I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. To you, at least."

She wasn't entirely certain she wanted to say goodbye to her mother.

Jonothon wrinkled his nose a little bit. He was going to just decide that she meant that he had it cut shorter.

For his own sanity, thank you.

"Well, I'm glad you waited around, then. I would have been disappointed had I missed the chance to see you off safely, luv."

"You always do," Elle said, going to hug him. "But I had to wait. Especially since this is probably the last you'll ever see of me."

Jono bit the inside of his cheek at that. And hard. He accepted the hug, of course. He wasn't about to shy away from a hug from one of his daughters. But.

"... Not in a hurry to wander into any strange portals in the future, I take it?"

"I think for the sake of my dad's nerves, he might prefer that I don't," Elle said. "And I think I... well, you don't have to worry about that."

And that got a bit of a wry smile out of him.

"If I'm anything at all like your father, you know I'm going to worry anyhow," he pointed out. "Still and all... it probably would be for the best to keep him from worrying. Lord knows, it sounds as though he's been given enough reasons to."

Nothing that he could really put a finger on, but the few small hints about her mother were right there in his mind's eye all over again. He didn't like that- the truth being right there within his grasp, and so bloody far away.

She got up on her tip-toes to give her father a kiss on the cheek.

"He has. But he's been a real champ about it all," she said. "He gets Best Dad in the World mugs every year."

"Well, then we know that he's about as well caffeinated as I am," Jono mused, smiling a little more genuinely, at that. "You'll take care, luv?"

"I will," she promised. "You better, too."

And with that, she gave a little wave and turned to go.

"Of course," Jonothon echoed, as he watched another daughter walk out of his life.

It wasn't until she was out of earshot that he heaved a tired sigh and shook his head.

"What else is there to do?"

Hayley had been watching, and once she was sure that Elle wasn't going to turn around, she'd stepped forward.

"That's what I've been wonderin'," she replied, not sure what to say exactly.

Jonothon didn't so much as glance Hayley's way. He did, however, come to the conclusion that he wasn't terribly surprised, either.

Elle's description of her mother hadn't been particularly flattering.

"The other option is to give up completely," he intoned, coolly. "It seems less like an option at moments like this."

"I think she'd have some pretty strong words against giving up," she said, not exactly looking at Jono, either. "She had a nice name."

"She did. She's a good girl. Deserves the best in life, and I only hope that her version of me continues to deliver."

There was a barb hidden in those words somewhere. He wouldn't deny that in the least.

"Sounds to me as though she hasn't had an easy life, in spite of my best efforts."

"Sounded like her mom was kind of a bad apple," Hayley said, fidgeting a little. "Maybe like she cared but wasn't exactly a good influence or anything."

Jonothon did finally manage a glance in Hayley's direction at that.

"Or something."

He nearly let it sit at just that, too. Nearly. But a few moments later he relented, sighed, and turned his back on the portal.

"Funny thing about knowing bits and pieces of any potential future. It gives you a second chance before you've ever had the opportunity to ruin the first."

"Or maybe even a third one," Hayley said, glancing over herself. "I just... I don't think I ever really apologized. Not that it changes or fixes anything but what I did was wrong."

One would have had to be watching him pretty closely to see the way his jaw tensed, just the slightest bit.

"Is that so?"

He suspected she wasn't talking about Elle, any more.

He wasn't entirely certain that she understood yet just what he had been so upset about, before.

She didn't understand, not entirely, but she had at least somewhat of a better idea.

"I've done a lot of bad things. Sometimes it seems like it's the only way, you know. It's way harder to do things right," she said. "And I didn't... I wish I hadn't done what I did."

Way harder to do things right.

Didn't Jonothon know that one.

He sighed, lifting his chin, turning his attention up toward the sky.

"I wish you hadn't, either," he replied, quietly. "You know I can't just... just forget it happened and say everything's fine. It's not that simple."

Hayley nodded. "Just apologizin' doesn't make it any less awful," she said. "I wouldn't trust me either, it's not like I can blame you."

She didn't trust herself at the best of times.

Jono was silent for another moment, before finally actually looking her way.

"But... you... understand, now? Better, at least?"

What had upset him. He needed to know that she realised it was more than just being upset about some ruined clothing and greasepaint.

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The Park, Monday Evening

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