MCA0, Late Late *Late* Thursday Night

[needsaparrot]

If the apartment where Xander is waiting for a certain ex-jailbird -- no, the other one -- to finally make an appearance smells like leftover Chinese, it's probably the leftover Chinese. Food, that is; the delivery guy from Ching Tai didn't stay. Isabel had, for a while, but when the call finally came through that Bridge was on his way back, she'd taken it as her cue to head home and get some much-deserved sleep.

Xander hadn't had a lot of that himself in the last few days, not the good kind, but somehow he didn't have any problem waiting up.
___

[OOC: For the water-spanning-structure-person. Best Roomie Ever handwavied with permission.]

Comments

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Well, there was a lot of stuff about 'finding the correct energy matrix' that'd affect them in order to get the best possible results- which, I'm assuming, means kids with powers who still look human."

[needsaparrot]

"Oh, good to know they were at least aiming for you not having three heads."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"And they got what they wanted: a bunch of weapons to use against Gruumm."

[needsaparrot]

The wording hits him like a wrecking ball to the stomach, for reasons that have nothing and everything to do with Bridge.

There's an acid taste in his throat when he finally says, "So did I ever tell you about where baby Vampire Slayers come from?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I... no?" Bridge frowns. "I thought it was some sort of mystical thing?"

[needsaparrot]

"Yeah, it gets passed down to the next girl in line, or it did until Willow kind of broke the system. But before I came back here, before Sunnydale went under, we found out how it started." Xander slumps down a little in his seat, trying to remember how the story goes. "First there was the world. Then there were demons, then there were men. The men took a girl, and they chained her to the earth."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Chained her to- they *made* her a Slayer, you mean?"

[needsaparrot]

"Yeah. That wasn't a metaphor. They chained her up, and then called a demon."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"...Oh." Bridge says, in a very small voice.

[needsaparrot]

"I'm not saying my world doesn't need somebody fighting the good fight, because boy howdee, do we ever. But they didn't give her a choice. Or Buffy, or any of the ones in between." Xander runs a hand through his hair. "They being... the guys who used to be us. The Watchers' Council."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"That sucks," Bridge says, not entirely sure what to make of all that.

[needsaparrot]

"I just... I get it, is all I'm saying. Not because it happened to me, but because it's what we're trying not to do to girls like Mel, you know? Maybe they didn't have a choice about what they did - our guys or your guys - but you deserve not to be lied to."

He's not missing the irony here. He's been the guy who lied, when he thought he had to. It sucked then too.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Z and Jack deserved to grow up with a roof over their heads," Bridge says bitterly. "But they couldn't even do *that*. They knew where they were and they just *left them*."

[needsaparrot]

"I'm not loving your bosses right now."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Cruger doesn't even know, I think," Bridge admits. "At least, his name wasn't on anything Z and I found. The orders came from pretty high up, I guess. And Doctor Manx... well, she's been trying to push us in this direction all along," he sighs, leaning back against the couch.

[needsaparrot]

He'd have thought some not for broadcast things about Hot Cat Lady if he didn't know that the message leading them to break into her office had come from her. "Towards the truth, you mean."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge just nods.

[needsaparrot]

"I wonder why." Not that he's suspicious of Bridge's superiors by now...

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I- I don't know whether she didn't agree with it from the beginning, or changed her mind later, or what her motives are," Bridge says. "But at least I know the truth, now. That's... something, right?"

[needsaparrot]

Xander nods slowly. Assuming that's all the truth. He didn't pull the comparison to the Watchers' Council out of his ass, here. "It's something. Sometimes it's better to know, even if it sucks."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I was so angry with my parents, you know, back when I first thought there had been a lab accident. I blamed them. And, I mean, obviously, we worked stuff out, but all this time, they didn't even deserve that, and..." is that a yawn interrupting Bridge's rambling? Why, yes it is.

[needsaparrot]

"And how long since you slept, again?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Um," Bridge thinks. "What day is it?"

[needsaparrot]

"That pretty much answers my question." Xander reaches over to give him a tug. "Come on. Let there be bed."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Mmm, bed," Bridge gives Xander a somewhat dopey grin. "Gotta say, I'm liking the sound of that."