Fray-Adjacent

"I swear," Bridge says. "I think I've seen this episode like eighty times. I mean, don't get me wrong, I *like* Abaranger, but why is it that every time it's on, it's *this* episode?"

From:

"It's the same with Galaxy Quest in my time," Xander says. "It's always the episode with the swirly thing in space." Because that narrows it down.

From:

With the usual terrifyingly appropriate timing only native to Portalocity, a purple shiny portal opened up over the couch. And dumped a Parker in their laps.

"...ow."

From:

Blink, blink, blink.

"I could really use some buttery," yes, even having someone drop on him out of nowhere isn't enough to make him forget the fingerwiggle, "toast right about now."

A beat.

"It was worth a try," Bridge shrugs. "Hi dude."

From:

"Last time this happened it was Alanna," Xander muses while checking to see if everyone including himself as all limbs attached and parts uncrushed. "Hi, Parker."

From:

"Hey, guys," Parker said, her voice only a little shaky as the portal disappeared and she looked up. "Damnit. Not the plan." She rolled off the couch and got to her feet, straightening her jacket, not taking off her shades.

Any glance Bridge would get of her aura would show it not just a roil of dark violet and red -- typical for her when upset-- but black sparks. And gray spaces where an observer might think something had been erased.

A Parker in very bad shape, never mind the mud on the shoes and jeans, and the smell of smoke.

From:

With the gloves on, it's usually not possible to get an accurate aura reading. But sometimes, strong emotions can make it through the barrier enough to give Bridge a general sense of how someone's feeling.

That, combined with the fact that she was obviously not quite her usual composed self leads Bridge to the conclusion that Parker needs a hug right about... now.

From:

It really didn't take aura-reading powers to pick that up, honestly. It just took knowing Parker. "You okay?" Xander asks. "And by that I mean you're not but I'm giving you the legally mandated opportunity to deny that before I ignore it."

From:

"I'm okay." Parker looked at him from inside the caging of the Bridge-hug, and then closed her eyes, voice as flat as she could make it. "If okay means straight out of a war zone. It's been-- an interesting week."

From:

"I hate it when people say it's 'been interesting'," Bridge comments. "Because they almost always mean it's 'been horrible'."

From:

"Notice how nobody we know ever actually says they had a boring week, when we meet up with them?"

From:

Parker tried to laugh at that, but it sounded rusty, rasping. She wasn't fighting to get free of Bridge, or even feeling antsy and impatient. Just limp.

"Don't know what to say," she said. "Um. Got stuck bartending someplace I didn't speak the language. Slept on a beach. That was nice. Crashed a wedding, got thrown out." She shrugged, not meeting Xander's eyes. "Not going back."

Edited Date: 2009-06-15 12:48 am (UTC)

From:

"To the wedding?" Xander says gently. "Or home?" Because he read her message. She was still just - barely - inside the deadline for 'a few more days and we're tracking her down.'

From:

"Home's not home," Parker muttered, closing her eyes. "Not any more."

From:

"You can stay here," Bridge says immediately. "As long as you need to." Still not letting go, this one.

From:

"What he said," Xander says with a nod. "We could use your shoe-throwing skills when the aliens attack."

From:

Slumping in relief, Parker leaned back against Bridge. She still didn't return the hug, but didn't even pretend to just endure it any more. "Took out three at graduation," she said unsteadily. "Never got those shoes back either."

She finally looked at Xander, then Bridge, face pleading but trying not to be. "I can get a hotel tomorrow. I just-- don't know how long its been since I slept." She cleared her throat. "For real, I mean."

From: