riverviewlogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who Alex Reagan and You.
What: Alex needing company while she's being bored out of her mind and supposed to be taking it easy for a week.
When: Whenever you want it set for this week period!
Where: ~~Howard's~~ her and Strand's house
Warnings: None.

[Alex Reagan was not a still person by any means. She was someone who normally was a ball of energy, even when she was entirely sleep deprived and exhibiting all sort of bad judgment. Even the nights where she couldn't sleep, Alex got up, did work, did something so she wasn't just... laying there and not doing anything. This was something that she was seriously having a problem with after she'd spent the first day following the rescue basically sleeping and not being aware of the world. But now that at least some of that sleep debt had been paid off, Alex was bored, and restless and had proclaimed to Richard that she was losing her mind more than once.

Because she'd tried to work, he'd taken away her devices, which reminded her of being home when she was supposed to not use her electronics after ten pm. It was frustrating, because she was a god damn adult, but she'd also agreed to take it easy if he didn't push for her to go to the hospital. It wasn't Alex's fault that she couldn't manage to simply be stubborn and wear him down until he let her go back to normal. Nope, it was all Richard's.

Still, she'd managed to compromise for the big and comfy sofa and company so it wasn't a total loss. After all, she'd declared, that she didn't want random people in their bedroom, and she knew that he'd agreed, because well, Strand was private, save for when Alex put him under a microscope and she was making a good faith effort not to do that anymore. At least not here.

So, when people showed up to the stupidly ornate Victorian house that was still in the process of being put together inside, they were greeted by a annoyed Strand who informed them that "The insufferable one is over there on the couch. You deal with her. You may need wine, or scotch." Before he retreated to a nearby room. And when they came into the living room, Alex was propped up on pillows, and her bruises were in various shades of fading, and she just chirped out as if they were her best friend in the world even though they may not be:]

Hey!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, no one should probably trust my judgment. Not even me.

[She's imagining that it's something like that, that it involves something he'd say about Coralee, so she doesn't push him. Instead, she was going to just make a bit of a joke about it. Well, mostly a bit of a joke about it.]

Well, save when it comes to dating you, I guess.

Even that's questionable.

[He continued to move his arm as he watched her with a slight smirk. The truth was that her choice of him was questionable. There were many people who would be more than happy to be with a woman like Alex, someone who was able to light a room with so little effort.

And yet, she'd chosen him, the most tattered toy in the box to fall for.]

Maybe in your eyes it is, but in mine it's not. It's like the one decision that I don't really question myself on. At least not anymore.

[Look, Alex's reasoning of 'journalism ethics' had gotten quite a workout in the three years that the two of them had worked together before they'd ended up here. It had been a fair amount of reminding herself about how much of a terrible idea it was when she did stupid things like fantasize about having sex with him on his desk in Chicago, or not doing the whole separate rooms thing. Or actually a fair amount of things that Nic would chide her about letting go on the podcast and launch a ship and a fair amount of fanfic. Or so the intern had told her. She couldn't go looking, it was too weird.

And of course there had been her reaction to discovering that she loved him without a doubt, when she was entirely certain that he could never love her back. But now that she knew that he did? Well, nope, she wasn't considering it questionable in the slightest.

So she shifted slowly so that she was laying on him, with her head in his lap.]

[His brows rose as she shifted, hand shifting to continue to stroke her arm in this new position. Anyone else and he would have thrown them from the couch; in fact, he wouldn't have been on the couch with them in the first place. This was Alex however, and Alex somehow managed to get everything from him.]

And you've already mentioned your poor decision-making skills.

[Alex was very much aware that she was probably the only person here who could get away with this. Hell, she might have been one of two people alive who could get away with this, the other being Charlie. If she still even could. But also, Alex didn't care. Right now, she was supposed to be laying down and taking it easy, so this was her chosen place to do that. Besides, it was one of the places where Alex ended up feeling the safest from anything. Safest from the stuff at home, safest from the cultists, and yes occasionally sometimes the safest from the way that her brain could run a mile a minute. So, Alex just smiled up at him, and laughed again.]

Well, save for when it comes to being involved with you. It's definitely probably one of the few things that I'm entirely certain about that I should be doing, really. You, and being a reporter.

[This time, as he ran his hand down her arm he caught her hand, fingers curling between hers. It was strange, how such a simple gesture could be only for one person. Richard would never do something like this to or with anyone but Alex. She was the infuriating exception that he somehow couldn't get rid of, and now didn't want to get rid of.]

I think, you just like getting into trouble.

[Raising her hand to his lips, he punctuated his words by kissing the back of her hand.]

[Alex just beamed up at him when he caught her hand like that again, honestly. If people ever asked her about their relationship because they'd discovered that Richard had only told her that he loved her once and that was when he was half-asleep and terribly ill, she'd defend him with moments like this. After all, Richard Strand wasn't an expressive man any longer, even if he had been once, and Alex knew that about him. Which is why his actions, like the way he kissed her hand as he was doing now, spoke even louder than his words would have.

Letting out a little laugh, Alex just shrugged a bit, beaming up at him. There was no way for her to deny the whole like getting into trouble thing. He knew her long enough and definitely well enough to know that she did. Honestly, he'd probably had that bead on her before Alex had a read on him, just by knowing her as he did. After all, Alex was a pretty open and expressive book, and it was quite clear to see how she had that entire penchant for trouble thing.]

Well, maybe I'm a little fond of it.

[Understatement of the year there, Alex Reagan.]

Certain actions of yours dictate more than a little.

[Turkey and her confrontations with Warren had made that perfectly clear. Not many would go toe to toe with someone like Thomas Warren without blinking an eye at the exchange. It was something that was both infuriating and incredibly attractive about her. She had a fierceness that showed through in how incredibly loyal she was toward those she cares about. It was something that he couldn't help loving about her because it was what had kept her by his side all this time. Even when he was being more than insufferable and insulting.]

I am what I am, Richard.

[alex just smirked for a second before she kissed the back of his hand. She knew what he was talking about of course because while Alex Reagan was sometimes a dumb ass she was not always an idiot. So yes, she had been stupid and gone to Turkey and yes she had been stupid and gone to see Warren. Of course one of them is far worse than the other in his eyes so Alex is just going to defend the lesser of two evils.]

I did tell you I was going to ask Warren what he was up to, my love.

[and he didn't stop her or offer to come with.]

[The act of her kissing his hand was, strange. Not a bad sort of strange, but one that he had to pause to think about. These weren't things that he had quite gotten used to. Even if it had been several months of them being together.]

I have every confidence you can handle yourself around Thomas Warren. Even if what you said was, taunting in nature.

[alex was just going to laugh at that, because honestly of course what she said was going to be taunting in nature at that point. As for what it would be now? Let's just say Alex was quite looking forward to Lizzie teaching her how to more firmly kick a man's ass with as few hits as possible.

Speaking with a grin she added, peering up at him.]

Admit it, when I sent you the audio that day you cheered me on even when you were shaking your head.

I don't, 'cheer people on' when they're being confrontational.

[Except that he was more proud of her words than he'd let on. Coralee had, followed, even if that following was because she was a member of the cult. Alex was a woman who blazed her own trail and to hell with the consequences. It was something that drew him to her before he'd realized his unintended intentions, and something he'd grown to love about her. Even in those trailblazing actions drove him to worry and distraction.]

[Alex just laughed softly and traced her fingers over his hand then, and she managed to look more than a little smug while doing it. Clearly, Alex was thinking, and was amused by whatever thoughts she had. After all, Alex was expressive at the best of times, and even more so when she was still on painkillers for those damned broken ribs.

Which were the reason she had her head in his lap rather than sitting on it, really.]

Next time I threaten the most powerful man in the world on tape, I'm definitely going to wait and play it so that I can watch your reaction. [A beat.] Even if you're way to good at playing stoic about it.

I'll find you a good lawyer.

<small.[The most powerful man wasn't Thomas Warren. Richard refused to agree to that kind of worldview. He was simply the most powerful man in their orbit.]

Pfft, like I'd need a lawyer, Richard.

[Let's be honest here, Alex is going to keep thinking of Warren that way, and of course she thinks that if Warren wanted to hurt her, it would have happened when it came down to stuff with the demon in her house, or having her kidnapped with Coralee and Howard.]

It wouldn't be the first time you needed one.

[He might be alluding to when he's threatened to sue them all. He supposes he can't do that now. Not when he's letting her rest her head in his lap and share a bed with him. Not that he was thinking about suing her for any reason.]

Well, it may not be the first time I've had the threat of one, anyways.

[Alex is just going to smirk up at him for that, and she just shrugs a bit, because she knows what he's alluding to.]

Besides, Warren wouldn't sue me. If he sued me, I'd have a lawyer too and my lawyer would definitely subpoena all of the shady things that he does that he doesn't want found.

[Do you know what time it is, Richard? It's time for Alex to have a bad idea, and it's visible on her face.]

Maybe I should do something to get him to sue me.

[As bad ideas went for Alex, it was better than some but far worse than others. If they had been dealing with someone benign, someone who couldn't ruin her life, it might have been a decent idea - almost. Seeing as they were dealing with Thomas Warren, a man who was decidedly insane and powerful, it was a horrible idea.]

Thomas Warren wouldn't sue you.

[It's all he really needs to say on the topic. They both know what he'd try to do to her.]

[Alex was thinking that if Thomas Warren wanted her dead or kidnapped, she'd already be dead or kidnapped. That was all there was to it. After all, he'd had the chance to do it when there was a demon in her house and didn't. So, he wanted her alive to either break Richard's heart (which definitely wasn't going to happen, Alex didn't know how to abandon people, unlike other people she could name) or to die in Geneva (which was always a possibility being as she was the love interest.)]

I don't know, when the new episode comes out, I definitely flat out accuse him of making demons and stalking me. That might make him sue me.

Oh do you?

[Seeing as the 'new episode' as she called it wasn't at all out yet or even had bits of their life recorded for editing, he wasn't sure how she was so sure that she would say that. Thinking it, that was probably a decidedly true thing, but saying it was more of a questionable idea.]

And I advise you not to make Thomas Warren sue you. He'd probably win.

Yeah. Of course. I mean it's not done yet by any means but I've definitely recorded audio for parts of it. And sent them to Nic. Up to Simon's message and showing up at your house. I'll send that audio to Nic on our way to the airport. I told him I would in my quitting email actually.

[A little shrug followed along with a smile.]

Also fuck Thomas Warren in general honestly.

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of us running away together?

[They'd just find them and take them to Geneva anyway, or take her and try to force him to come after - which he would.]

Of course not. I'm going to buzz out the name of the city where I bought tickets to before it even gets to Nic or I upload it in the cloud. So I mean he can start to try and track us all he wants, but MK will be doing her thing to block us once we get on a flight. Either flight actually.

[Alex just grinned up at him for a minute before she stroked his cheek.]

I did think this through, you know. When I say I'm giving you a choice I mean it.

[Part of him wants to point out that it's really the illusion of a choice. Richard has almost never had a single choice in his life. He knows that now. Still, another part of him wants to believe that there's really a choice in the whole thing, and he knows Alex wants to believe that. So instead of speaking the obvious, he sighs instead.]

It seems, very thorough.

[Alex just sighed in response to his sigh, and she traced her fingertips along the back of his hand for a moment, almost as if she was re-memorizing them before she spoke softly, some amusement in her tone.]

You don't need to sound so surprised, Richard. I mean it's not like I ever do anything halfway. I always throw myself into things whole-assed, so of course I tried to think of everything that I could.

[But Alex wasn't him or Warren, and she worried about something that she might have missed.]