beyondtheline | Tornadoes and skeletons and nacho dogs, oh my

[Meat grinders?

She swallows and goes very still and quiet, because his being on edge puts her in a similar state. He's always so bold and chaotic, that seeing this quiet concern makes her slip into an anxious state. Her eyes are peeled for any sign of danger, and she's suddenly filled with embarrassment because she's so completely clueless and stupid.

But she thinks she can make up for that by finding the pump controls, so she just nods and hurries inside as quietly as she can. The problem for her is that she's getting more worldly and learning a lot, but she's only been free from the life she was trapped in for about a month. Maybe a little less, time is pretty meaningless to her now. But her mess up with being excited about another gang's tagging hangs heavy in her mind, and she keeps replaying how differently she could've made that moment by just picking up on clues and being more useful right away.

She finds the pump controls in a small closet near the register, and it doesn't take her too long to get things up and going. Once she's sure they're on, she jogs back out to him and tries to show that she's not a complete lost cause by being the one that starts pumping the gas.]

Sorry about before. [She speaks quietly, once she manages to figure out how to get the gas pump working.] It was really stupid to ask that and not realize you were tense about something.

[He's still a little tense, actually, so she bites at her lip and lets it rest there.]

Do you think they've noticed us here?

Edited 2023-06-16 20:01 (UTC)

[Oh, he is certainly still tense as he loads the pistol and watches everything in range of vision. A car goes by down the street and he eyes it, tries to judge if the person inside is eyeing him back or simply a curious onlooker out late.]

I'm not mad at you. You're not stupid, an' you don't have to apologize.

[He just doesn't want her getting hurt, that's all. That, and the whole situation makes him skittish still. Lights on, so they're easily visible from all sides while anyone lurking in the darkness is far harder to spot? It feels like a trap, and he just has to hope either nobody's actually around right now, or that here in the 80s in El Paso, these guys are worried about some other gang and don't realize or care that he's here.]

If they're around, they've seen us. Back home, doin' this, breakin' into a place in someone else's neighborhood an' stealin' gas or whatever bullshit late at night, it's a real good way to pick a fight. These guys are from just north of us. I wonder if by now we ran 'em out an' some of them fled all the way out here.

[He likes that a lot better than imagining that the Meat Grinders actually hold enough power to spread their influence to other cities, but who knows what's happened over the course of fifteen, maybe twenty years.

He nods to a fence across the street with the same tag.]

See, there's another. I bet the highway's a boundary, so we must be right at the edge of things.

[Another car passes, slow, and Johnnie stares hard at a passenger, a guy just a couple years younger, as he tries to see if they're watching them or if they're being overlooked as ghosts.]

C'mon, I don't care if it's not full. Let's not give these guys a reason to stop an' ask what we're up to.

[Seeing him like this puts things a little more in perspective for her, of what turf and territories are going to be like back in LA. She reaches into the pocket of her skirt and makes sure her knife is there and is in reaching distance. Once she's sure it is, she goes to cut the fill up short, and puts the pump back in place.

Just so she can try to relax him a little, she puts her hands on his shoulders and pulls herself in for a quick kiss. They pull apart and go to get on the bike, and it's while they're doing that another car slowly drives by. They drive past the station, but don't make it far, then apply the brakes and move into reverse. Tires squeal as they zoom back, and Chrissy doesn't need to be told to hold on tight. She grabs hold of him like her life depends on it.]

Get us out of here, okay?

[Her fear that the guys in that car are meat grinders and will kill them all over again overrides any other feeling she may have. It's time to get the hell out of town, fast.]

These motherfuckers! Hey we're leaving, you assholes!

[He shouts back at the car over his shoulder just as he guns the engine and sends them rocketing forward toward the highway ramp. It's some relief that all he hears behind is laughter and the engines of the vehicles, rather than the pop of a gun. New York taught him plenty about that kind of future and now he's ready for it, but that doesn't mean he wants either of them being shot at. Especially not Chrissy, currently perched like a human shield between him and the guys in the car chasing after them.

It's a brief chase, only a few minutes, but it's enough to get his heart pounding, until finally the boys in the car break off and take an exit while jeering and shouting at the two of them, calling them cowards and all kinds of things far worse. It feels bad to run, he fucking hates it, but he has to get home. He told Dale he'd be home and he intends to make that happen.

He's still checking his mirrors as they start to leave the center of El Paso behind them, but by now they must be in the clear, and finally he loosens his grip and takes a breath.]

Idiots. They're just fuckin' around, I bet. I'll show their veteranos a thing or two when we get back to California. Stomp 'em into the fuckin' dust so they never make it out this far.

[Her laughter is a nervous chuckle, because she has no idea what to make out of all that. She's really grateful that it didn't turn into being shot at or chased further, but it's sinking in just how enforced those territories that are tagged really are. It's more of a concrete reality for her now, and her mind is taking a few minutes to process that. She's not afraid, not apprehensive by it. But she definitely understands more of what he has been trying to explain to her now.]

That could've been bad if we had to fight.

[Which is why he was worried about her, obviously. She's clueless enough that she really could've gotten hurt if things had gone wrong.]

When we get back and finish taking care of Zazo, you have to teach me exactly who to look out for. So then I can help you get rid of them.

[She's left smiling as her arms loosen their hold, and she's able to just relax up against him.]

Mmm. Yeah, you still got plenty to learn, babe.

[But he laughs it off and pats the side of her leg, then lets one of his hands rest on top of hers for the moment.]

I know you didn't grow up with all this like I did, so don't worry too much about not knowin', okay? You're real smart, you'll pick it up fast. I can tell you about a lot of it before we even get there anyway, an' I know I keep sayin' I'll do that but then we get wrapped up in all kindsa other stuff. Next time we stop, I'll try an' give you a rundown.

[Basics, anyway. There's still plenty that probably won't sink in until she's lived it a little while, but she's got to start somewhere. It's a shame he doesn't have a map of LA itself on him, that would be useful for her. Once they get to California, one of those tourist info kiosks will have one he can grab, and they can look it over together at some little desert bar. Hell, he can take over a table at the Broken Bottle for that, that'll be perfect. He misses that damn place, even if it's only been a few weeks since he was in there last. Feels like years now.]

[He's so gentle with her, so encouraging. It really strikes her in moments like this one how lucky she is. He must really love her, to have this kind of patience as they edge closer to home. That, and to take the time to let her have her moment with Jason earlier. He had even given her a choice about staying and dancing, or heading out on the road. That fills her heart with warmth, even as she feels a little anxiety about the unknown that lies ahead.]

I still really want to stop when the sun starts rising. Maybe you can tell me a little then.

[They fall pretty silent after that, the expanse of road ahead lulling her into a trance. She dozes off a few times, and by now she's an expert at sleeping up against him on a motorcycle.

After snapping awake at one point, she looks around and tries to figure out where they are and what time it is. There's a song playing on the radio that she instantly recognizes as Madonna, and laughs as she reaches around him to turn it up and sing along. Lucky Star is a great song.

It's such a great song that she sings loud over the road noise and wind, and finds a way to wiggle and dance with him while they stay seated. It's silly and fun, and a little levity after what they left behind in Texas. And really, when she's singing into his ear quietly on some parts, she realizes a lot of the lyrics to this song fit how she feels about him.

The song eventually comes to an end though, and she's left grinning as she works her mouth along the back of his neck.]

How far have we gotten since El Paso?

Edited 2023-06-16 22:08 (UTC)

[The road is hypnotic, even when it turns into something freshly paved for the first time in history, or something strange he can't quite understand, a slick glassy surface that hums with electricity. New Mexico is strange - the shifts have been quick but brief at times, like too many times are warring all to be in one place. There's always been a sort of mystery to the state in urban legends, and maybe there's reason for that.

But when she wakes up and starts singing, they're in some time that's relatively normal - with his definition of "normal" now stretching half a century after all they've seen - and he leans back against her a little and smiles at the feel of her lips on his neck.]

You zoned out on me for a few hours, I think. We just passed Deming. Guess we're about halfway through our stretch of New Mexico, now. No aliens out this way.

[He grins at that dumb joke. What is it, Roswell, where those are supposed to be? Sure, part of him is awfully curious too after all he's seen, but if ultimately if there are creatures from the depths of space here in New Mexico they'd better leave them and the bike the hell alone. Virginia was bad enough.]

We should come back sometime and look for them!

[Not that she's sure she wants to see aliens up close, but it sure would be fun seeing if they could find any traces of them. She's really hoping for a clear ride straight through New Mexico. No aliens, no monsters. No more versions of Jason out there trying to claim her and take her. Just the road ahead, the radio playing, and the guy she loves driving them as fast as possible back home.]

Maybe in the fall? Since we're going to the Grand Canyon for my birthday this summer.

[She feels a little bad asking him to take other trips when they're so focused on getting home right now. But it never hurts to have little side trips to look forward to in the future.]

You really wanna search 'em out?

[He laughs, and nearly brings up those fish creatures, but thinks better of it. That wasn't exactly a funny event, and he doesn't want to cast the conversation in that particular direction. Maybe there are little green men out there in the desert that came here on spaceships, and maybe the things he knows that are the most alien to his own mind, things which lurk out in the vastest depths of the black cosmos, maybe those have no intention of being found near Roswell or anywhere else people can just drive to.]

Fall sounds good for a trip out here though anyway. Miss the hottest parts of the summer, come back once it's cooling off. We'll find ourselves some time to get out here. I do wanna see it all.

[And maybe that means doing some driving during the day, too. He'll have to invert his sleep schedule so they can actually see things. Well, he'll deal with that when it happens.]

I mean, why not? I'm afraid of actually finding aliens, but maybe we'll have a lot of fun trying!

[They always have a ton of fun doing whatever it is they get up to. She's not worried about their ability to turn any trip into a good time. He says he wants to see it all, and she wants to be right there with him. Making memories together is what life is all about.

Or their version of the afterlife, anyway.]

I really want to get a real camera once we get back. So then I can bring it with us and we can have a lot of pictures of everywhere we go.

Oh yeah, we haven't been using yours much lately, have we? You still have film? Maybe we'll get somethin' at sunrise.

[It's no surprise, thinking back. They've mostly been through a lot of weird shit since the last time they broke the camera out. He should've taken some of her getting her tattoos, though, all stretched out and topless with the needle to her skin, drawing all those flowers.

Should've gotten some of her just before midnight, victorious before the fire. But that's all right, their celebration was perfect as it was.]

Man, I shoulda gotten coffee at Miss Toni's place. Startin' to feel it. If there's another fuckin' border patrol checkpoint up here I'm gonna raid their shit for coffee.

We'll have to go through a town soon. We can stop somewhere and break in to get whatever we need.

[She wants a big blanket to sit on, and some actual food, and coffee and juice would be nice. A real picnic for the perfect sunrise. It probably isn't going to be possible, and they'll have to just eat whatever they have in the bags.]

I still have some film in my camera though. We can definitely get a couple of pictures together.

Yeah, all right. Next stop, whatever the hell kinda desert town we find.

[The thought of photos has him smiling. He's really taken to her little camera, though his favorite use remains sexy bedroom shots. Maybe if they wind up in the right time again they can grab more film.

They're nearly to the border with Arizona when they finally wind up in a town that's a real town, and not just a shack along the highway. Lordsburg, though, what a name. The road itself has become narrow and barely paved, and as they approach the small stand of buildings, he can see that the current label for it is not, in fact, 10, but State Road 14.]

All right, what's this, the 40s? Maybe early 50s?

[He speculates as he looks around at the dated buildings and style of the signs. But hell, it's still modern enough to be a place they can get food and coffee, surely. And it doesn't look terrible - there are lights here and there, including several at the town center around a pretty majestic-looking stone courthouse that must date back to when all this was actual Mexico, minus the "New".

Just outside town, actually, there are a lot of lights, all in a line. Odd, for the time of night and a small town like this. But they're not moving, so he figures it's a fence or building or something like it, and parks the bike under a sign reading Lordsburg Market and Cafe.]

Should have everything we need. You wanna try your lockpicking out again?

[He'd noticed earlier, and definitely approved, it's just a shame they had to hurry. But here? Chances are good nobody's going to come by any time soon.]

[Her face lights up with a big smile, and she kisses his cheek before she hops off the bike. It's good to get a chance to stretch her legs, and she wants to try out her lockpicking skills. The bobby pin from earlier was shoved into her pocket, and she pulls it out to approach the door with confidence.]

So, any tips?

[She's joking around, grinning and laughing. But she's also serious, because when she straightens out the bobby pin and pushes it into the lock to start turning and twisting it, she's just leaping in blind. That method seems to work pretty well, because as luck would have it, the lock clicks open the second the words leave her mouth.

Her jaw drops as she glances up at Johnnie, absolutely stunned she managed that on her first try. It's definitely just beginner's luck, but she still looks pretty proud of herself.]

Nevermind. I guess I should be teaching you, huh?

Oh, fuck off.

[He laughs as he swipes a hand through the air in her direction, then stretches his arms up into the air and cracks his back. Fuck, that's better. Been sitting too damn long this whole trip, and as much as he likes driving, he's looking forward to not having to do quite so much of it for a while.]

That's your lucky bobby pin now, better not lose it.

[Beginner's luck is right, though, and he's happy for her either way. Hell, maybe she'll get legitimately good with it after a confident start like that. His little thief would be even better at her job.

He slips on inside after her and starts grabbing a few things. Once upon a time he had a thermos, but he hasn't seen it in over a week, meaning it probably got lost in Virginia. Time to pick up a new one, while they're in here - a sturdy stainless steel thing that ought to keep coffee nice and hot on the road. Maybe they can make a little sunrise campfire and boil some water - so he grabs a jug and a little tin of instant coffee.]

Man, I wish we'd had more time back in El Paso. I really gotta stock up on Pop Tarts next time we're in the 80s or 90s.

I'll have to figure out how to make you homemade ones.

[She sounds amused as she suggests it, but she's actually pretty dedicated to the idea now. He really loves Pop Tarts, and she wants to make him something similar that's even better. He seems content with his instant coffee for now though, and she's smiling as she browses the aisles to find things she wants.

A jar of cherries aren't great for breakfast, but they sound yummy. And a tiny little box of powdered donettes is good too, and so is a box of graham crackers. She has to go grab a paper sack to start putting everything in eventually, her arms get so full. The bag is carried over to him so he can put his things inside too, and she pauses to give him a kiss. That bag that's been in her arms is passed over to him in the process, leaving her smiling in amusement as she pulls away.

Something catches her eye, and her head turns with a swish of her ponytail.]

Oh look, they have flowers over here. That's really cute!

[Sitting on the tables in the little cafe are vases with daisies inside. She hurries over to pluck one out to stick into her ponytail, and another to tuck behind her ear. A third is grabbed and she chases him down with it so she can try to tuck it behind his ear too.]

[The bag's handy for sure, and he takes over carrying it even if it feels like she baited him into doing it with that kiss. He smiles and shakes his head as she trots off to look for whatever else she wanted, at least until she gets distracted by flowers.

And all right, that's a fair distraction. She looks cute with them in her hair. He's even about to say so until she raises the third one and starts toward him, and he has to quickly turn and duck to playfully attempt to avoid her - but ultimately lets her catch him because really, what kind of asshole dodges a girl having fun?

He grins as he submits to her floral decoration, then stops to look at a reflection of himself in a window, then winks and tips his head.]

That's gonna be the new fashion, you know. Guys with flowers behind their ears. You wait, it'll happen.

[Snickering, he beckons her over for a one-armed hug while the other is occupied by the bag, tips his forehead forward against hers, then reaches up to remove his daisy and slip it into her cleavage.]

On the other hand, that's even better! They'll call 'em, uh. Bra blooms.

Bra blooms? Baby, please.

[Her nose scrunches up as she laughs, and plucks that flower right from her chest. It's too tempting to bring it up to tap against his lips for daring to say something so ridiculous. But it's pulled away a second later, and she kisses him quickly before putting it behind her ear to join the other. She's all decked out in daisies, and is in a really good mood as she takes one last look around the little market.]

Do you know what would be really fun to try?

[She decides she's finished, so she goes to take hold of his hand.]

The next time we're naked, we should see what flowers feel like against our skin.

Oh, should we? We could even make that a game.

[He takes that hand of hers but stands still a moment, lips against her ear as he explains.]

'Cause I could blindfold you an' cuff your hands back, and make you guess what kinda flower I'm touching you with. The sooner you get three right, the sooner you get what you want. Hm?

[Pretty damn good game for something he just invented on the spot, he thinks. Chuckling, he pulls away and tugs her along with him as he heads back out toward the bike.]

[Oh, she likes the sound of that game. Her eyes go wide, and she eagerly nods. It's no fair that just his voice alone can make her shiver the way it does. He has to be aware what talking into her ear does to her. She's a puddle of goo when he tugs her along after him, and she's busy imagining his little game the entire way back to the bike.

Those thoughts are still in her head as they get on and head back out, and it isn't until they're back on the road that she finally responds.]

I think that if I don't get to play that, I might die all over again. So we have to do it. Or else!

[Like she's at all threatening, especially when she's grazing her teeth against the back of his neck before softly kissing the spot she's just reddened.]

Maybe we can tomorrow night?

[He sighs under the feel of her teeth and reminds himself to focus, meanwhile, on the road ahead as they zip on past the outskirts of Lordsburg.]

Sounds like we better do tomorrow night, or else.

[Or tomorrow day. Tomorrow any time, after they've both had a chance to clean up and get some sleep, probably. He can tell it's been a busy, tiring one that's just now starting to catch up to him when the graze of those teeth doesn't quite start getting him hard, even though he feels that shiver run down his spine. They'll get their picnic breakfast, find somewhere to crash, and then after he can cover her in desert flowers.]

We'll be in Coachella Valley by tomorrow evening, before the sun goes down. We'll get us some flowers there, they oughta have a bunch blooming right now. I'll give you a little history tour, too. That's technically where the gang started, you know that? That's where the Ender was, back when he was alive.

[Palm Desert by evening. That means Los Angeles by midnight, if everything goes smoothly. Just under 24 hours away, so close he can almost feel it, if a city is a thing that can be felt. But it has a heartbeat of its own, a pulse that beats to the rhythm of traffic and music and dance and good food, and all the best things.]

Really? [Her voice has that genuinely awestruck tone to it, not at all mocking in her surprise and enthusiasm.] Maybe we can catch a glimpse of him there. If he still shows up sometimes, he'll want to welcome you home.

[She knows that's a silly idea though, and shrugs it off. She's more excited about the fact that they're entering Ender territory soon. They'll be home, and she'll finally be able to be a part of a family that accepts her for who she is.]

Can I tell you something though? [She already knows she can, but she still struggles with shifting to something more serious that she wants to say.]

We're so close now that I'm getting nervous!

[Okay, maybe it's not that serious. But it's a real thing she's feeling. She's going to be meeting his brothers in a day or two. And she knows Johnnie will vouch for her and he swears that both brothers will adore her, but that doesn't stop her from letting some of that social anxiety creep in.]

[He keeps from commenting on the thing about catching a glimpse of the Ender. It's hilarious to him how she treats him as some kind of legendary creatures - and, okay, maybe he is but there are better places to find the dude than Palm Desert these days. It's cool though, he'll casually introduce her at some point back in LA like it's no big deal, just to watch her eyes bug out.

At her admission of nervousness, his smile softens, and he reaches back and around to cup the back of her head and scratch his nails against her scalp for a second.]

You're too damn cute. You'll be fine, no need to be nervous about anything, babe. Get excited, how about? You're comin' home to a way better place than the one you left. You'll have more friends an' more fun than you know what to do with.

[Her eyes close as she soaks up that affection, the contact enough to comfort her and stop her heart from racing too much. It's hard when she gets all that nervous energy with no real outlet.]

Oh, I'm really excited. Honest! I'll finally have a real home. One that I want to be in.

[Which is a pretty big deal, in her opinion. She knows that he's aware it's a big deal to her, so she doesn't bother saying so out loud.]

It's just hard to believe we're finally almost there. We've been through so much to get to this point.

[Her arms tighten around him, and she smiles as she relaxes.]

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