Crash, - Ginny -

[Gideon Knight]

"Ruth! Don't p-push your- Oh. Um... N-Noah, is it bleeding? Um, okay, just... Does it hurt? Shhh-sure? Just...d-don't go on the slide again..."

Gideon had found that playing a proactive role in his children's playground antics didn't always work. So, he didn't. Mostly he sat on a bench, usually next to Jacob who was stuck in one of his handheld games, and watched Noah play and Ruth torment Noah. Ruth was a very sweet little girl...when she wanted to be. She wasn't outright malicious, but she was unintentionally a little violent, and Noah, her favorite punching bag, usually bore the brunt of it. Nevermind that Noah was nearly twice her age... His little sister bossed him around like there was no tomorrow. Then again, she bossed everyone around, or tried to. At any rate, when they weren't giving him heart attacks (he still tried to steer Ruth away from the monkey bars when he could), they were awfully fun to watch. He didn't recall being this...well, cute when he was their age. Well, he was never cute, he'd always looked strange, obviously. But he and Samuel had grown up far more quickly in some ways than his own children were. When Samuel was Noah's age, he was already helping Christopher in the fields, doing small chores and the like. Had Gideon been physically bigger or stronger, he would have been too.

But Gideon preferred it this way. He liked watching his children BE children. He wanted them to be children as long as possible. One day they would grow up, and they wouldn't belong to him anymore, they would belong to the world, so selfishly, he wanted to keep them small and sweet and dependent. He wanted to have them in his life as much as possible, for as long as possible.

So, if his babysitting technique looked a little lax, it wasn't. He was actively enjoying his children's presence and enthusiasm...by sitting on a bench and watching. Jacob had holed up in one of the tunnels with his game, Noah was trying to use a collection of bare, fallen branches and a slide to build a fort, and Ruth was just...being Ruth. Running around, shrieking randomly, dancing with her octopus. Gideon was just watching, making sure nobody got into any trouble, and thinking, about anything that happened to cross his mind at a given time. There wasn't much else for him to do, and it was actually quite relaxing... He was so relaxed and at ease, that when someone else entered the park area (it was usually just the Knights since they generally went after sunset), it barely registered. When a brief, chilly breeze sent a familiar scent his way, though, he looked up, seeing a beacon of blonde hair across the shadowy playground.

[Genevieve]

Ginny didn't blame Marcel for what happened. If Alex wanted to go off with Marcus, then so be it. Ginny survived without him before, she could do it again. He was just a drag on her emotions anyhow. He made her unravel. Marcus was doing her a damn favor. At least now...with him gone...she wouldn't feel guilty anymore. She wouldn't feel like she owed him something. She wouldn't have to see him and just wonder. She didn't have the energy for wondering. She had Marcel, after all, and he kept her plenty busy, physically, emotionally, and mentally....or vice versa. Whichever way.

At least the upside to her feelings about Alex were that they operated underneath the concept 'out of sight, out of mind'. She wasn't out and about, walking by herself, because she was angsty. No. She would have been in Marcel's bed, maybe curled up and watching the tele, if he hadn't had to go to work. Ginny hated being holed up in her apartment by herself, so it was only like her to be out and about. She had to think about things anyway...like how she was going to pay for her apartment. She needed a job, that was for sure. She only had enough money left in her savings for a few more payments. She'd just have to exhaust her resources. She didn't really want to go to Marcel with her problems...she'd figure it out herself.

Tonight, she wasn't looking for jobs though. She was just wandering about with Beau. He always accompanied her when she went out by herself. Of course, she couldn't go in anywhere, but that was fine. It was better than leaving him at home where he'd destroy the furniture. You wouldn't think an old geezer like him would have that sort of energy, but alas.

Her feet led her into a park. She did know where she was going and she knew where she want to know. She could hear the delighted cries of children and she could also hear an awfully familiar voice, just stuttering along. Ginny was far past making fun, even in her head. When she first met the man, she found him quite odd, and quite frightening, actually...but now, she'd grown rather...fond.

She entered the park, Beau at her hip. He looked with curiosity towards the children, who were running about. Ginny wasn't entirely sure whether she should just leave the man in peace or what. He was sitting on the bench...alone. No Sofia.

Ginny perked up and put on a smile. What the hell. She and Gideon never had been able to have a decent conversation before, maybe now was her chance? So she walked over and sat down next to him without question. Beau reluctantly sat down next to the bench, looking off towards Ruth and whining slightly. Ginny leaned forward a bit after observing the children, then she glanced at Gideon with a small, sincere smile. "How have you been, Gideon?"

[Gideon Knight]

Gideon hadn't seen Genevieve in quite a while. Of course, he hadn't really expected to. It wasn't as though they were friends. He wasn't even certain what terms Sofia and Ginny were on anymore, and they were far closer to being friends than he was. Ginny had never seemed to like him very much... He wasn't sure what it was. He just rubbed her the wrong way, or she thought he was strange, or...something like that. He was never sure what, nor had he cared enough to wonder. The only time he'd made a sincere effort to make nice with someone that, frankly, he found it hard to be fond of, was after Marcel had done something or said something in some untold cruel manner that had forced Ginny to go cry on the porch. Gideon had...well, felt a little badly for her. He knew what it was like being on the receiving end of Marcel's cruelty. When Marcel took it into his head to hurt someone, he did it with more cutting efficiency than anyone else Gideon knew. It was painful. Very painful. He hadn't wanted to allow Ginny to hurt that way if he could help it somehow.

She hadn't wanted any of it, though, none of his assurances or petty comforts, and after that, he didn't really try talking to her again. It was clear that she had no interest, and if she didn't, then neither did he. Simple as that. He felt the loss as keenly as he would have a fallen eyelash. That is to say...not at all. He simply took for granted that they had nothing to do with one another. Yet here she was, approaching his bench with a large, lazy-looking Great Dane in tow and what appeared to be a smile on her face. She sat down beside him and he glanced over a little uneasily.

"How have you been, Gideon?"

He blinked, obviously taken aback. "Um. F-f-fine, I... Fine. Uh..." He shrugged one shoulder a little awkwardly. ""How are...you and. M-Marcel? Are you... I mean, are you...together? Or still...not?" Part of him almost hoped that they hadn't gotten back together. He hadn't heard anything for or contrary to the matter, but he didn't really think Marcel deserved having Ginny back after treating her the way he'd treated him. He needed to have a lesson learned, and let's face it, Marcel was about as stubborn a dog as there ever was...and everyone knows old dogs can't learn new tricks.

Speaking of old dogs... Gideon suddenly became wary of Ruth creeping slowly over to Beau, who had laid his head down on his front paws, settling his long, loping body on the ground. She was crawling over, as though getting herself lower to the ground would make her harder to see, even on flat sand. She placed herself nose to nose with the big dog, looking him in the eye.

"Ginny..." Gideon said slowly, his gaze fixed on the little girl and the big dog. "Is your dog- Ruth, d-don't!"

Ruth bit Beau playfully on the nose. Beau was understandably surprised, but otherwise didn't seem to be upset about being bitten by a little girl. He just lifted his head a bit and licked Ruth on the cheek, sending her erupting into squealing giggles.

[Genevieve]

Ginny had nothing against Gideon. He was different, that was a given, and the first time she met him, she might have judged him for it. But now...especially after the kindness he showed her...she had become sort of fond of him. She'd never tell him that. Or Sofia. Marcel didn't even know. It was something she had no trouble keeping to herself. It seemed to surprise him, though, that she'd even sat down at all. She asked him how he'd been, and when she got a good look at his ghostly eyes, she noticed that he looked even more surprised than before. She could imagine why. This world was terribly cruel to unique people.

"Um. F-f-fine, I.... Fine. Uh..." he shrugged and she relaxed against the back of the bench a bit, crossing one leg over the other. "How are...you and. M-Marcel? Are you... I mean, are you...together? Or still...not?" Ginny grinned a little sheepishly and gave a nod, looking down at her knees as she folded her hands around them. "We're...together. Again. He came after me in Italy, you know," Ginny's face seemed to brighten a bit and her smile became cheekier. "It was all very romantic. It still is. I think holding out on him for a while helped..." Ginny stopped herself there. Gideon probably didn't want to know. And Ginny didn't want to end up slipping something about a shrink. That was Marcel's business and she hardly doubted he wanted people to know about it.

Things weren't quiet for long. Ginny didn't notice Ruth stalking Beau until the girl was right there in his face. Not a muscle tensed, though, and Beau's big eyes just studied the tiny human curiously.

"Ginny... Is your dog- Ruth, d-don't!"

"He's fine," she mumbled, of course Beau proved that, acting with the opposite of aggression. He actually looked like he didn't know what to think of the girl, but he warmed up to people pretty quickly...even if they were the biting sort. Ruth seemed pretty appeased with him and Ginny chuckled.

"He's an old geezer," she murmured fondly. "Wouldn't hurt a fly. Bijou, Marcel's kitten," she said, glancing between Gideon and the pair at their feet, "-uses him as a jungle gym. So he's used to it," Ginny flashed him a smile. She went quiet for a moment before focusing completely on Gideon again. "Anything eventful happen while I was gone?" Ginny was less prying and more curious. She'd never tried to make nice with Gideon before...better late than never.

[Gideon Knight]

Gideon was terribly tense, watching his tiny daughter with Ginny's big dog. (She was five years old now, not three, but dammit, she was still so little...especially compared to him.) That thing looked like he could swallow Ruth whole! And considering Ruth's...proclivities... Well, she wasn't always the gentlest of playmates. Not that she was mean or violent, exactly, just...a little intense. The dog looked a bit old and tired, but that could translate into either remarkable tolerance or extreme impatience. Luckily for all of them - Ruth for obvious reasons, Gideon because he might have had a heart attack, and Ginny because she wouldn't have left the park with a four-legged dog - Beau just gave Ruth a lick on the cheek. Ruth immediately started giggling uncontrollably and hugged the content old dog around his thick neck and snuggled up at his side.

"He's an old geezer. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Bijou, Marcel's kitten. uses him as a jungle gym. So he's used to it." Gideon's lips twitched, thinking of the few times he caught Marcel playing with or talking to that damn cat of his when they were staying at his and Sofia's house. It was so funny sometimes to imagine Marcel being so tender with something so small and sweet and helpless, but then, Marcel probably thought the same of Gideon and his children. "Anything eventful happen while I was gone?"

Gideon was still watching Ruth with Beau. She had started tugging on his ears and patting his head. Beau just lay there with his head on his paws and took it. "Sorry," he said to Ginny. "She has...this...b-biting thing. Sofia s-says it's a phase... And n-no. Nothing... Nothing, really. Nothing big. Eventful. Just...n-normal. It's a little nice, I think. You know? Letting things be...normal. How have you been? B-better?"

[Genevieve]

It was hard to tell when Gideon was actually relaxed. He just seemed to be nervous all the time, so Ginny didn't exactly notice the tension coming from him as he watched Ruth with Beau. She hadn't seen the dog around children much before, but he didn't have a mean bone in his body. He was too much of a dopey character to be even half-concerned. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the girl, even if she was tugging and poking and patting him. He didn't get that sort of attention much. Ginny let him sleep in her bed from time to time - mostly when she was alone, because otherwise he'd wedge himself between her and Marcel's sleeping bodies - and she took him on walks and cuddled with him every now and then...but she never played with him. He seemed a bit too old for play. Ruth apparently thought otherwise.

Beau sighed and Ginny rubbed his shoulder with her foot.

"Sorry, she has...this...b-biting thing. Sofia s-says it's a phase... And n-no. Nothing... Nothing, really. Nothing big. Eventful. Just...n-normal. It's a little nice, I think. You know? Letting things be...normal. How have you been? B-better?"

Ginny's brow furrowed ever so slightly. Biting? Ruth? She couldn't imagine they entertained that by feeding or bonding in front of her. Ginny wouldn't ask, it wasn't her place.

She nodded with a quiet smile. "Much better. My fledgling left, though, which sort of...sucks..." that was a strange word to use, but she couldn't think of anything else to describe it. "We used to be engaged, you know...then some things happened and I guess now he just got tired of being near me." Her voice got a bit quieter and she looked down at her lap for a few moments before her eyes bounced back up to his. "Marcel makes it better, though..." She released a humored breath before continuing. "You know, he was actually trying to convince my fledgling to stay...for me. Just in case he screwed up and I needed someone..." She went quiet again for a bit longer this time. "How long were you two together before things went bad?"

[Gideon Knight]

When Gideon had last seen Ginny, last spoken to her up close, she was...devestated. Devestated in a way he only saw in particular situations, when a person had had their heart ripped out and crushed beneath someone's heel. On Marcel's heels, Gideon suspected, were the remains of an awful lot of hearts. The fact that Ginny was with him again, after witnessing the kind of pain and heartache he had put her through... Gideon wasn't one to worry about other people, but this did worry him. He remember even long after, even when he had first met Sofia, how desperately he wished to have Marcel in his life again. It took something better than Marcel had been to make him realize that having Marcel back would have been the worst thing for him.

But then...was there really a chance Marcel would try to change? Or could? Was he capable of it?

"Much better. My fledgling left, though, which sort of...sucks. .... Marcel makes it better, though. .... You know, he was actually trying to convince my fledgling to stay...for me. Just in case he screwed up and I needed someone..."

Ginny was unusually chatty, and Gideon was glad for the excuse not to say anything at all. Fact was, this talk about Marcel being better, and caring for Ginny, and changing for Ginny... He adored his wife and he loved his family and he wouldn't trade them for the world, but he was a little jealous. Apparently having Ginny was enough for Marcel to want to change his ways, even a little, and to actively try to make her happy instead of just waiting for her to make him happy. That was great. But...why Ginny? Why was Ginny enough for Marcel when Gideon had obviously not been? What he he done wrong, or not done at all, or done too much of, or... He wanted little to do with Marcel these days, but he couldn't help but be the tiniest bit hurt that one way or another, Marcel just hadn't cared as much about Gideon as he obviously did about Genevieve. That hurt. It hurt more than he liked to admit.

"How long were you two together before things went bad?"

He blinked and looked over at her in surprise. Glancing down at where Ruth was still petting the ever-patient Great Dane, he decided he didn't want his little daughter around if they were going to talk about this. "Ruth," he said, and the little girl obediently looked up. "Can you...p-play somewhere else? For n-now?" Her face fell into a little pout - the same pout that she knew very well melted Gideon on sight. "You can t-take the doggy..." At this, Ruth brightened and she took a handful of Beau's sparse fur and loose skin, tugging him gently away from the bench and over to the slide, where the two holed up underneath and Ruth continued petting him.

Satisfied that they could speak freely, Gideon turned back to Ginny, not quite meeting her eyes. "A...w-while," he said, his normally gruff voice softened with recollection. "I don't... D-don't rem-member exactly, just...just a while. He used to be...g-good. Happy. We were... We were happy. Then, things just... L-like you said, they w-w...went b-bad. I n-never kn-knew why... He started..." He paused and sat back in the bench, staring off into the distance as he ran a hand restlessly through his short salt-white hair. "Well. It...it got bad. Later...g-got worse."

[Genevieve]

Maybe it wasn't exactly a proper topic for conversation, but Ginny could be rather nosy...and she was curious. Not that she was going to compare their relationships with her lover. Maybe if things were still the way they were before Italy, she would. Maybe she should have talked to him then. Then she might have come to her senses about things. Then maybe...just maybe...so much shit wouldn't have happened between them. Not that it mattered now. The past was behind her. But it's not like she didn't think about it on occassion. It's not like she never asked herself 'What if?'.

She forgot momentarily that Ruth was right there at her feet, and whatever words came out of their mouth would float straight through her ears. And Ginny knew better than to think she wouldn't comprehend what they were talking about.

So she was greatful when Gideon sent the little girl away to play with Beau elsewhere. She pouted for a moment, but Ginny shoo'd Beau off with a wave of her hand and the girl dragged him off. She seemed to really like him. Just watching the two together brought a smile to her face, and not just because they looked cute together. Anytime Ginny got around children...especially ones so young, she began to get terribly maternal feelings. It made her...well, it made her really want to have a baby, but that was quite impossible, so she rarely thought about it. Even now, she had to push distracting thoughs and images to the back of her mind.

When he looked at her again...well, he didn't actually look at her. He just turned his body more towards her and she leaned forward a little. "A...w-while. I don't... D-don't rem-member exactly, just...just a while. He used to be...g-good. Happy. We were... We were happy. Then, things just... L-like you said, they w-w...went b-bad. I n-never kn-knew why... He started..." Although he still didn't look at her - he actually was looking off across the park now at, what she though was, nothing in particular. Then he ran a hand through his hair and Ginny smiled just a ghost of a smile. "Well. It...it got bad. Later...g-got worse."

Ginny didn't say anything for a moment. She just sat there processing his words. She rubbed her thigh over her stockings briefly before tilting her head a bit and looking at him with a little grin. "Well, it must have been quite a long time...habits don't form overnight. You know, you both do that...hand through the hair thing. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..." She went quiet, but only for a moment. "You don't think he'll hurt me again like that, do you?" She suddenly asked a little more quietly. "Because...I wouldn't know what to do... I've told him I don't need him to survive, but to thrive? Is it bad needing someone that way? Do you need Sofia that way?"

[Gideon Knight]

Gideon didn't like talking about this very much, even to Sofia. Sofia, thankfully, either didn't care to hear much about his past life, so to speak, or she knew better than to bring it up. He certainly didn't talk about it with Marcel! Samuel, sometimes, would ask a question about his life after leaving home, but mostly the brothers found it best to leave the past where it belonged. Ginny, though... Gideon felt in some way that she deserved to know at least a little bit of what he'd gone through, to know she hadn't been alone in her treatment at the hands of Marcel and perhaps to...warn her. Just a little. Gideon wanted her to be wary, at least, of the implications of her being with Marcel, or of Marcel being with anyone.

"Well, it must have been quite a long time... Habits don't form overnight. You know, you both do that...hand through the hair thing."

Ginny seemed to be reaching for lightness at this point, and Gideon had to admit, it almost worked. Made suddenly conscious of his usual tic, running his hand over his head, he dropped his hand back onto his lap while his lips twitched in a tiny smirk. To be fair, although he didn't feel the need to say so out loud, it was a habit Marcel had gotten from him, rather than the other way around. Marcel's own usual anxious tic, also one of his less attractive habits, was his knuckle-cracking. Gideon didn't happen to pick that one up, though.

"You don't think he'll hurt me again like that, do you? Because...I wouldn't know what to do... I've told him I don't need him to survive, but to thrive? Is it bad needing someone that way? Do you need Sofia that way?"

The first part of the question wasn't much of a surprise. Gideon expected Ginny would ask something like that, searching for some kind of affrimation that she wasn't a masochistic idiot. The second part was more unexpected, though. He had to think about that a moment before answering.

"I...c-can't say he will," he said hesitantly. He was still having trouble looking Ginny in the eye, his gaze falling somewhere around her knee. "Or won't. I... M-m-maybe he...really w-wants to change. It would..." His voice slumped into a kind of low grumble. "It'd b-be a first... But n-needing him..." He considered for a moment, knowing what he wanted to say but not quite how.

"Sofia," he said slowly, "is like...a, a p-part of me. A part I n-n-never kn-knew I was muh-missing until...until I had her. She's l-like a limb. I could live w-without her, I think. I could...f, f-function. I just w-wouldn't have a lot of...reason to. I could lose an...an arm, or a, a leg, and I...I could live. But I...d-don't think I would want to. I don't n-need her to live, I... I need her to m-make living...worthwhile."

[Genevieve]

Heh...Ginny got him to smile. The moment she mentioned his habit, he dropped his hand and his lips twitched into a tiny, but delightful little smile. Not delighted, mind you, but Ginny found it delightful. Gideon's smile was like Marcel's laugh...she would have liked to experience it more often. She didn't speak anymore on that, though. Instead, Ginny suddenly found herself reaching out with metaphorical arms, seeking for reassurance. Ginny knew Marcel like the back of her hand, at least she thought she did...but Gideon had known him for three centuries...

The fact that she admitted something about needing him too...maybe that had been a bit too far. As far as Marcel knew, Ginny would do perfectly fine with or without him, but that wasn't really the entire truth.

"I...c-can't say he will," despite the hesitance, just Gideon saying something like that made her feel ten times better about the question she'd just asked. It was nice to see someone besides herself giving Marcel some kind of benefit of the doubt. He stopped looking at her, though...she didn't know Gideon very well. She didn't know how to read him...all she knew was that he stuttered, and he stuttered even more when he was nervouse. "Or won't. I... M-m-maybe he...really w-wants to change. It would... It'd b-be a first... But n-needing him..." She furrowed her brow, but she didn't take her eyes off of him. Why was his voice so low? Ginny was confused...

"Sofia is like...a, a p-part of me. A part I n-n-never kn-knew I was muh-missing until...until I had her. She's l-like a limb. I could live w-without her, I think. I could...f, f-funtion. I just w-woudln't have a lot of...reason to. I could lose an...an arm, or a, a leg, and I...I could live. But I...d-don't think I would want to. I don't n-need her to live... I need her to m-make living...worthwhile."

As he continued to talk, Ginny's frown began to sneak into a smile. A genuinely warm smile. What he said wasn't exactly poetic, but...she got it. "That's what I meant... That's how I feel... I just am not as good as putting my feelings into words as you are, I suppose," her voice was a bit playful, despite the seriousness of their conversation. "You get why I went back with him, don't you? You've seen the good in him... He can be good. He's been good...to me at least. I'm not stupid to think that I can help him be better, am I? That's all I want...I just want to love him and help him be the best that he can..."