Sanctuary (Flynn, Peter, Deirdre)

[myeyesarehollow.livejournal.com]

Flynn's time in Dublin had been more motivating and important than he had ever thought possible. He had expected to be traumatised by it and the memories that place would inevitably bring to the surface. Yet he was not. He had expected pain and grief and anger, and he had felt none of those. Being in that place again with Quinn, and not being in a desperate situation where they feared for their lives, had completely broken the spell the place had cast on him so long ago. Flynn felt as if the last of the chains his soul had been held in since his had turned sixteen, had finally fallen away. Thomas and Spectre had started the process, and here, nearly two years later, he had freed himself.

The thing Flynn understood, probably better than most people, was just because you freed yourself didn't mean you stayed that way. Once your defenses had been breached, chains and traps had a way of sneaking themselves in. And if he wanted to stay this was, he was going to have to work on it. Now was not a time to rest on his laurels and enjoy the peace of mind. He had work to do.

Flynn had told Renee he wanted to help. Saving others was ensuring that he himself would remain saved. It was making a statement. For Flynn, it was more than just helping out in a shelter or a soup kitchen. It wasn't a band aid on his soul. This was saying, 'I'm safe now. I'm done. I've freed myself of the streets and now I can free you too.'

First, however, he had to have a place he could free them in.

Peter Kemp had always been a powerful ally, and even though he was closer to Quinn, Flynn certainly wanted him to be a part of this. Deirdre too, which was why she tagged along to the meeting Flynn had with Peter in his office.

"I want a shelter," Flynn started right in. "For young kids on their own."

Peter nodded, leaning forward. He was very interested in this. "I'm interested," he said, just to make that clear.

"There's so many family shelters out there for single mothers and their kids or...you know...you don't often see homeless families much. Which good! But the kids who don't have parents...they're everywhere. And I know there's shelters for them too, but some of those places are...fucking horrible..."

Peter's expression softened and he tried very, very hard not to give Flynn a sympathetic look because Flynn no longer needed sympathy and he might read it as pity. Here was a man who had had servants, sitting across from another man who had eaten garbage to stay alive, and suddenly Peter felt like his attempt to help with his hospital, was slightly pathetic indeed... "I've heard that..." Peter said quietly.

"I want to make a safe place. A lot of the kids out there...they're on drugs or shit, but they don't know any other way to be, right? Thomas gave me money to get a place, but that won't keep it going. And...okay, this is what I want to do." Flynn took a deep breath and he held on to Deirdre's hand. "I want to have teachers? You know...teachers who can help these kids catch up and then send them back to school. And for the ones who don't want school, I want to help them learn a trade? I want to get them back on their feet. Shelters are a place to stay and a warm meal, but what else, right? You can't just stay there forever and then what? I want to have a housing service that looks for safe places for these kids to live if that's what they want. Or they can stay in the shelter until they get back on their feet too."

"Flynn..that sounds wonderful." Peter was impressed, but he wasn't entirely surprised Flynn had thought so much about this. He had lived it. He wasn't just someone who wanted to help who had no idea what he was doing. He knew exactly.

"A lot of those kids turn to drugs because there's nothing else," Flynn continued. "I want to give them something else. And...I was hoping that maybe the ones who...did need help with drugs. Or if they need counseling or other kids of treatment, medical or psychological... Uhm...maybe they could come here? I mean, I know they're not demons or angels, but it's still the safest place I know-"

Peter was so touched by that and immediately he nodded. "Flynn, of course. It doesn't matter if they're human or...narwhal.... Of course we'll have them here, and we'll do whatever we can for them."

"Narwhal?" Deirdre asked, speaking up for the first time.

"The...unicorns of the sea? Short notice, I don't kno...ahem, anyway." Peter shook his head. "I think it's brilliant, Flynn."

"I uhm...there's more. Because you have angels and demons here and sometimes in places like this, there is violence, no matter how hard you try. And the demons and angels you have...some of them don't know what to do either after everything's better and...well you know." Peter nodded, indicating that he did. An awful lot of them stuck around to help in the hospital, but they couldn't just employ every single one of them. "I was thinking the trustworthy ones could work with me? With the kids? They could not only keep order, but they'd be helping. And it'd be a job. They'd have to...you know...pass a legal working with children check in order to be compliant." Which was Flynn's very subtle way of saying people like Caoilfhionn need not apply. Which Peter understood anyway, but it was best to be sure.

"That's a wonderful idea, Flynn. Like a partnership. Which I'm assuming you mean officially? As in, you would like the shelter to run as a subsidiary of the hospital?"

"If...that's okay." Flynn turned deep scarlet then.

"I would be honoured, Flynn. I do have to say though, the hospital and myself...it won't be able to afford the expense of a place like that all on it's own."

"I'm going to help," Deirdre spoke up again. "But we're aware that won't completely do it either. All that money going out and none coming in? Thomas' money is enough to get a place and start it up, but to hire teachers and any one else to help...we know it'll need another financier. We can always go charity concerts and functions and things like that, but we'll have to find another backer. I'm looking into it. Quinn and Autumn are looking in to a place. Flynn's taking care of the logistics because he's the best man for the job." Deirdre beamed brightly at her best friend, who blushed again. "Somehow, though...a place like this who plans to actually help solve a problem instead of keeping the problem going? I think we'll find financing."

"I think you will too," Peter agreed.

"All I needed was a foot in the door," Flynn said softly. "For years people gave me a place to stay and a meal, but I was stuck there and I still would be. But I had someone kind enough to give me everything instead of a bed and a meal. He gave me family and friends and a job... That's...I want to do that. I know there are people out there who we might not be able to help. But I can't believe I was the only one out there who was standing outside the door waiting for it to open. I just can't."

Apropos of nothing, Deirdre suddenly reached out and she hugged Flynn desperately. Flynn heard her sniffle and he looked at Peter in alarm. "Er...Deirdre? Are you okay?"

"I'm just so happy!" Deirdre wailed, clinging.

'Pregnancy,' Peter mouthed, and then he signalled !!! to Flynn so Flynn would understand she was probably hormonal.

"Ah..." Flynn patted Deirdre's arm lightly. "Me...me too, Deirdre. Me too."

"You...you...you sweeeeeeet boooyyyyyyy! You had nothing and...and...and...you're so niiiiiiiccceeeeee!" Deirdre sobbed and sobbed.

"I'm being beeped!" Peter jumped out of his chair as if he had been burned, and he dashed out of the office quickly, leaving Flynn sitting there with a sobbing demon on his shoulder. Still, he felt accomplished and pleased. This was going to happen. It was. They were closer every hour.