The Park, early Wednesday morning

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

The polar bear that had kept her company most of the night had finally trundled off at some point in the early morning hours, stubbornly leaving behind the bottle of Coke he'd been trying to convince Allie to take all night.

After running through a few sword drills, Allie perched on the back of a bench and watched the island start to wake up.

Comments

[not_a_whiner]

"Morning."

At this point, Kaidan wasn't especially surprised to run into Allie on his morning run. Sort of part of the routine, almost.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Funny how routines just happened like that.

"Hey," Allie smiled. "You're not taking advantage of the break to sleep in for a change?"

[not_a_whiner]

"I'm not really good at sleeping in," Kaidan admitted. "Though I'm sure my mom's going to give me the third degree about that."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Isn't that what moms are supposed to do? Worry about their kids?" she asked.

[not_a_whiner]

"Well, yeah..." Kaidan chuckled a little. "Doesn't make it less of a pain in the ass, though."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Yeah? I miss it sometimes," Allie admitted. "So enjoy it while you can. You can escape back here soon enough."

[not_a_whiner]

"I'm leaving tonight," Kaidan said. "We'll see if I can enjoy it. It's been a while since I saw them."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Then they'll be glad to see you. That'll make it easier won't it?" Allie hadn't had much experience dealing with traditional family units in the last few years.

[not_a_whiner]

He hadn't seen them since everything happened. Kaidan honestly wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

He'd guess he'd find out.

"Sure," he said. "We have a lot to catch up on, for one."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"All the weird things that have been going on around here for the holidays would have to take at least an hour or two." She held up the bottle of soda the bear had left. "Really, the bear didn't try to eat me. He just left soda."

[not_a_whiner]

"Yeah, I saw a couple of those around," Kaidan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not really much of a fan of pop, but... hard to refuse when a large bear offers it to you."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I think that's some sort of life rule. Never say no to the large bear," Allie grinned as she pushed her hair back. "It's right on the list after always check that it's water running out of the shower head before you stick your head under it."

[not_a_whiner]

"The wine got you, huh?" Kaidan said, not without sympathy. "I might've been tempted to run outside and stick my head in the pond."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I was tempted. But the flamingos are intimidating." That was her story and she was sticking to it.

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan's laugh caught him unawares. "The flamingos?" he said, glancing towards the pond. "Yeah, they look, uh... vicious."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"They are. Extremely. And I'm completely defenseless," said the vampire with the large sword resting next to her feet. Her straight face held for about a second and a half and then Allie had to laugh as well.

"Honestly I was just embarrassed to be caught unaware like that," she admitted.

[not_a_whiner]

"Welcome to the island," Kaidan said, his mouth curving into an island. "I think I'm going to start keeping a bucket of water around the bathroom, just in case. I'm sure Jack will understand."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I'm surprised he's not already. He's been here longer then both of us after all," Allie laughed. "He's supposed to warn us about these things."

"There's still how many days till Christmas? If I had a phone I could let you know what you're missing by leaving today."

[not_a_whiner]

"Another six days," Kaidan offered. "And... you don't have a phone? That's..." He trailed off for a moment. "I'd say alienating, but you're already stuck here."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

She shrugged, having been on island long enough to get a sense of how vital phones were to some people. "I didn't see much of a need. If I wanted to talk to someone I'd just go find them. The island's not that big."

Or stake out the path they ran on. As you do.

[not_a_whiner]

"Sure, but most of us leave occasionally," Kaidan said. "I mean, if you could leave the island, I'd even offer to take you along... doesn't feel right for people to be alone at Christmas. Even if it's not their holiday."

That sounded like something Ashley would've said, he realized a moment later.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

The unexpected offer shocked Allie enough that she forgot whatever she'd been planning on saying. She was suddenly reminded of Zeke offering to let her travel with him and the others, because people needed to stick together in the Wild.

"I...wow...thanks, just for even offering," Allie said softly once she remembered how words worked.

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan shrugged. "It's not a big deal," he said. "I'd have invited Jack if he didn't have something else going on. Just so many people around here don't have family, you know? Feels wrong leaving you out in the cold."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie shook her head. "To me it's a big deal. It's a trust thing. Other people haven't." She kept you alive for years and you turned her in once she was a vampire. Thanks Stick.

[not_a_whiner]

"All right," Kaidan said, after a pause. "I can get that. But... really. You're a friend."