darker_london | Deirdre / Renee / Jamie - Visiting

Renee disconnected from the Internet and rose shakily to her feet. Her ankle was almost better, but it was still tender and hurt when she first stood up and when she walked, especially up or down stairs. Still, another week or two and it would be as good as new. She grabbed a her discman for the bus ride, put her new Covenant CD in, and gingerly headed downstairs and out to the bus stop. The ankle really was a pain, she couldn't even wear her customary high-heeled boots in this state. Instead, she was forced to resort to soft runners that in her opinion, looked simply abominable. She was growing fond of the small scar at the end of her left eyebrow though, and today it hadn't even hurt too much to put make-up on. She sat down at the bus stop and waited. The trip wasn't all that far, probably only half an hour. Then again, knowing London's public transport system, once can never truly tell...

Forty-five minutes later Renee finally stepped off the bus and headed up the street to Jamie's house. She had never been there before, but Jamie had sent her a quick e-mail letting her know his address, and it hadn't been all that hard to find. She placed her discman in her rubber-spiked backpack and rang the doorbell, trying to look as charming as she possibly could in her runners, ratty jeans and Cure t-shirt.

Deirdre was curled on a bed in one of Jamie's rooms, when the bell rang. "Mumphf" she said, as she was roused from sleep. Her entire body throbbed. Memories of the previous night...or techinically earlier that day, came flooding back to her. Who was visiting Jamie now? She stood shakily and edged over to the window, peering out. She saw Renee standing there, and her stomach flipflopped. She wasn't sure if she was ready for Renee to see her, but the sight of her friend standing there was reassuring.

She watched at Renee moved inside. Jamie must have answered the door. Deirdre went to one of her boxes of things, and tossed Maeve out of it, sifting through for something to wear. In her haste, she had only grabbed a few things, but she sighed in relief when she pulled her favourite jeans out. Finding a black t shirt, she dressed, and then cracked the door open a tad to listen down the stairs.

Jamie heard the doorbell ring and hoped it hadn't woke up deirdre. He knew it must be Renee since she would be the only person it could be. For a moment, the thought crossed his mind that it could be deirdre's dad but if so, that just made it all the more important to go answer it before it attracted Deirdre's attention. If that man was foolish enough to come here...

Jamie walked over and opened the door and saw Renee wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Some part of his mind registered that she was a knock-out even in normal around the house attire. But he ignored that part of his mind, partially because of the circumstances being so serious and partially just instinctively. He merely smiled at her and taking note of the damage he could see or discern as he invited her in.

Jamie was nervous about sending for her but knew renee had to be told something before she called deirdre's old place or stopped by and set off deirdre's father. Plus, if the situations were reversed and deirdre had gone to renee's, Jamie certainly would want to know what had happened and that deirdre was ok. He just hoped deirdre wouldn't see it as a betrayal or he hadn't made a mistake like he did awhile ago with that darn comment on deirdre's journal.

All of that ran through his head as he walked her to his living room and helped her get settled in a chair. When deirdre got up, they could figure out who sat where and whether deirdre would need/want to sit by him for support while telling the horrible story or not.

Jamie prepared to distract renee with questions about the attack and her vacation for awhile until such time as deirdre came down and the real discussion began.

At least, that was the plan.

Renee smiled as Jamie opened the door. This was the first time she had physically seen him, and he wasn't unpleasant to her eyes. She had been too involved in her own world to really think about it before, but if Jamie had dropped the whole mysterious act and allowed her to not only see him but enter his home, there must have been something serious behind it. Worry began to creep into her heart as he took her into the living room, trying just a little to hard to position himself between her and... well, something. He stuck to one side of her like glue. Her eyes flicked over to a hallway, telephone, staircase. What was going on here?

Jamie began speaking to her. Best to pay attention now, and let things unfold as they would.

Jamie looked at Renee. He wasn't sure how this was going to go, he was mostly playing it by ear. But he knew he had to start somewehere.

"Hey Renee. Hey, you want something to drink ? I am going to get myself something anyway. I also have snacks if you are hungry. I'll even let you rummage through my stash if you aren't sure what you want yet." Jamie said with a smile that was genuine since he really did enjoy talking to renee, though that had been online and the phone. He just hoped none of his nerves or the stress from the previous night was showing.

Thoughts of Deirdre kept running through his mind while he waited for her to reply.

"Just water is fine, Jamie dear," Renee answered, almost on automatic pilot. She was distracted by worry; Jamie seemed to be speaking just to hear the sound of his own voice, rather than silence. From what she knew of Jamie, that wasn't like him. This whole situation was too strange to be natural.
"Jamie," she said as he returned with her water, "what's wrong?"

Deirdre heard Renee ask Jamie what was wrong, and her stomach tied in knots. The concern from Renee's voice almost set her off crying again. She composed herself, and waited to see what Jamie would say. Really, she hoped he explained it. She didn't have the energy to go through the whole story again, or go downstairs if Renee wasn't aware of what was happening. She imagined the shock on Renee's face if Deirdre just sauntered in to the room, and Renee didn't know what to expect. Deirdre couldn't face that look. She just continued to listen, as Maeve nuzzled her legs.

Jamie just stopped dead in front of Renee as his mind exploded in conflict over what to do. He knew he wouldn't be able to fool her or distract her, he was just afraid of betraying Deirdre. Finally he decided he either had to go wake up Deirdre or just break down and explain things to Renee.

Jamie just shook his head and realized he wasn't going to wake her up. But first, he would test her to see if Deirdre told her about things like these.

"Ok, Renee. But it is hard to know where to begin. Tell me, what has Deirdre told you about her father ?" Jamie sat back and tried to make it look casual but knew he would fail and she would know the question was important.

Renee tilted her head, thinking. The question was out of the blue, not what she was expecting at all. "Well, nothing particularly endearing..." she began. "He's not around very much, and when he is, there isn't any warmth between them. He seems very negligent, like he forgets he has a daughter at all. He leaves her money, but he even forgets that sometimes. It doesn't sound like there was really very much to tell, except maybe that it's been getting worse lately."
Her brow creased into a frown. "Did something happen to him while he was gone?" She leaned forward, trying to get a better view of the hallway and stairs. "Is Deirdre here? Is that why you asked me to come?"

Jamie nodded to himself and decided to just go for it. "To answer your last 2 questions first, yes she is here and is the reason I asked you to come over so you could hear what happened before you called or visited her house and set things off again unknowingly."

Jamie composed himself and started. "I hope I am not betraying her trust here, but at least I can save her the pain of having to repeat it again so soon." Jamie said with emotion so thick in his voice that it nearly choked him.

"The condescended version is this. She came over to my house yesterday and we talked for several hours about some things. Then she went home and her father came home late at night. He asked about her trip so she told him her mom asked her to come live with her. He got nasty with her and it turned into an argument."

Jamie paused and collected himself before continuing. "Then the bastard hit her with a briefcase he was still holding since he had just got in. When she didn't cower in fear enough, he preceded to beat her with his fists telling her that he was going to teach her respect. He threatened her if she told anyone and then left. She smartly realized it would be bad to still be there when he got back and ended up at my front porch at 3 a.m. this morning. I got her cleaned up and she realized she hadn't brought anything so we went back together and collected some stuff and then came back here. As far as I know, she is still sleeping and resting in bed."

Jamie thought he saw renee flinch when he mentioned her being "in bed" and realized how that could be taken. She looked Renee in the eyes and the pain of what she could be thinking nearly kept him from speaking. "you flinched. no, renee, in her new room, my spare room. I wouldn't... I couldn't... she had already been betrayed by the most important male in her life... that is the last thing... she is my best friend... she means so much to me... to take advantage... I wouldn't..." Finally the sheer emotion and outrage took away his voice but his mouth kept moving soundlessly as if to continue the protest.

Finally he bowed his head. the explaination had taken so much out of him, though no tears had broken through. He merely said "That bastard..." and then fell into silence again

Renee's face paled as Jamie explained what had happened to Deirdre. She never could have prepared for... could have expected... she had just never experienced anything like this before. Abusive parents had always been something that happened in books and movies. They were plot devices. Never had she imagined that someone she loved would be a victim of one. Her entire body was trembling, but she was only vaguely aware of it. Mostly, she was just numb. There was a dull ache in her stomach, worry for Deirdre made manifest. She wanted to erase it from history, make it so it had never happened, take away her pain. Distantly, the thought occurred to her that she could try a healing spell. Thoughts weren't coming easily, though. Eventually, it was Jamie's silence that broke through her numbness and brought her back to reality. There were so many strange thoughts inside her, so many emotions waiting to be felt but somehow blocked and held in check, that the silence outside of her had become incongruous. Slowly, she rose to her feet, not feeling the pain in her ankle, and moved across to Jamie. Gently, she wrapped her arms around his head and shoulders and pulled him into a comforting embrace, softly stroking his hair and resting his head against her soft stomach.
"Shhh..." she whispered, even though he had made not a sound. "It's going to be okay. We'll take care of her. I'll stay here and help you as much as you need me. I won't be missed. We'll take care of Deirdre, we'll help her through this. It'll be okay..."
She kept repeating the words over and over, like a mantra. She was comforting not only Jamie, but also herself. As long as she comforted him, she could avoid feeling her own pain. And when Deirdre awoke, all her efforts would be focused upon her, and she didn't want Jamie to feel alone. Her soul screamed to find Deirdre now, but control prevailed. It would be senseless to wake her after such an ordeal. The best thing to do was simply to be there when Deirdre awoke.

Jamie stayed there for what seemed like a long time but he knew was probably only a few minutes before gently straightening up and leaning back slightly to break contact with renee.

He looked up at here and smiled slightly. "Quite tempting to stay like that for awhile longer, it is actually strangely relaxing. However, I think there is something more important. As for me, I'm... well, I won't lie and say I am ok. but I am better off than it seemed just a few minutes ago. It is just so hard to retell that story, with all the images it pulls up and the pain of imaging how much it must have hurt her, especially emotionally. Plus, when i thought I saw you flinch at me saying she was in bed and realizing it could be taken to mean I had... that the bed I meant was mine and the sudden realization of what some guys would have done in that situation and what you might be thinking I had done. Well, it hit me pretty hard."

Jamie paused before admitting "All of that was hard, but just as bad was the fact that I am still not sure whether I just betrayed her trust in some way. I don't know what she would have told you, or what she was ready for you to know. and what was supposed to be just for me to know. I just don't know.... So I had to guess what was okay to tell. I honestly expected that it would take time for you to see the reply and for us to arrange for you to get here and that she would be awake when you got here. I just knew if things were reversed and she had ended up at your place, I would want to be contacted and told about something like this happening to her. But in the end, I told you so that she wouldn't have to go through retelling it again. If it was hard for us to imagine and hear and tell, it must be so much worse for her."

Jamie paused and then continued. "I also saved her from seeing you go through the first few minutes after hearing it. Right now you are probably in shock and numb inside. And if I had to guess from the look on your face that echoed mine, I am guessing something inside hurts from how worried and how much we care for her and wish we could take the pain from her. To be honest, that is one of the main reasons I pulled away there. You have been given time to process this and deal with it to some degree before she comes down here. And even though I will admit it felt good to lay there, I need to be prepared when she comes down and so do you."

Jamie smiled quickly at Renee and gave a chuckle. "You ready now for something else to drink or eat ? I know I am ! Oh, and by the way, I am not completely changing the subject. I am merely opening back up the parts of me that she has touched and changed because tapping into how much I care for her and the strength I have gained from having a best friend helps stabilize me and aids in trying to help her. As it turns out, taking care of my guests is one of the things she enhanced in me. Regardless of what has happened the past day here, I am far better off for her being a part of my life. And my guess is that you could say the same about her."

Jamie paused for a second and his voice came out stronger and louder than he intended "she really is an amazing person to know and an amazing friend to have."

Renee nodded and gave a small smile. "She is amazing," she said more quietly. Extolling Deirdre's virtues made her feel warm inside once more. Deirdre was the best friend she had ever had. In fact, she had never felt quite like this about anyone before. She loved her so very dearly. She turned back to Jamie.
"I'm sorry if my reaction frightened you. I've just... never been close to anything like this before. I'm actually more used to boys your age hurting girls than their fathers. It's new and quite frightening, but I'm well aware that what I feel is nothing compared to what Deirdre must be going through. Believe me, I'm ready to give her everything in my being to get her through this."
She moved into the kitchen, already feeling welcome and more or less at home in Jamie's house. Once there though, she stood in the centre at something of a loss. "Normality is good... I'm sure Deirdre could use some food and drink... it's just, well, I can barely make toast. No one at my house can cook. But you live on your own, so I don't suppose you...?"

Jamie stood there and heard her admit no one in her house could cook.

"Cooking, huh ? I must admit Deirdre is a much better cook than me. However, I have been watching and paying attention when she has cooked in front of me. I may have picked up a few things on top of some basics I knew before." Jamie laughed lightly and started going through his supplies.

"In fact, I actually have stocked the stuff she has mentioned she liked. That is one of the advantages of living on your own, you have room to stock your stuff and other things since you require less space for your normal food. In fact, I have the supplies for a few chinese and thai dishes I have watched her make that I know she likes that I could try to fix. I also am going to fix some pizza so I can have both, or in case I don't get her dishes quite right. You are welcome to have either, or I can fix some grilled cheese or microwave some of the dinners I have in the freezer, if you care to pick one out. It is up to you what you want."

Jamie started pulling out some supplies he knew he would need. He laughed and then said over his shoulder "I will say this, at least I don't have to worry about celery, which is a blessing. I hate the stuff and luckily, she does, too. Now, where did I put those bears with Sour Sugar on them she likes ?"

Renee laughed in spite of the dire situation. "Bears with sour sugar? You do turn an odd phrase, Jamie." She smiled warmly at him. "I am glad that I finally got to meet you."
She leaned against the counter and watched as Jamie dug through his supplies. "Anything that will work as comfort food for Deirdre is probably in order. Chinese seems to make her happy."
She pulled out a knife and twirled it absently on the chopping board. "I don't know how much help I'll be, but I can probably chop or peel anything that needs it." The corner of her mouth raised in a cute half-smile. "Just give me the menial tasks."

Jamie laughed and smiled back at her. "I know it sounds strange. but she says they are pretty much the only sweets she can stand so I make sure to have some ready for her whenever I can, just in case."

"Ok, I will make chinese. oh, by the way, pizza is actually chinese food in a way. It was one of the things brought back to Italy by traders from their trade with China, I belive I read somewhere. Of course, it has changed over the years, but still. But yeah, I have seen her make some chinese dishes so I will make one or two as well as the pizza."

Jamie started sorting out the stuff he would need and putting back the stuff he figured he wouldn't. He gave renee some tasks to do and they started preparing the food in silence until Jamie said out of the blue "I am glad we have met too, though I always planned on it being under better conditions and not when I am not at my best, which I am not right now. Ok, that was probably not the way my grammar or english teachers would have prefered that sentence be put together, but I hope you know what I mean."

Renee smiled, her eyes regaining some of their customary shine with the influence of cooking and good company. "I know. In a strange way, I actually prefer it like this, though. Not the circumstances, of course, just... I'm not at my best, either. We both understand that, so there's no pretentiousness. I feel like I get to know the real Jamie, which I might not have otherwise. And you get to know the real Renee. Eee!" she squealed as the onion she was chopping sprayed her with juice. "Maybe a little too well," she said with a grin and a wink as she wiped her hands off on a serviette.

Jamie thought about it for a moment before responding.

"I will admit, I won't miss the pretenses that much. The dressing up is a pain, sometimes literally with some clothes. And too much makeup and perfume, neither of which I am a big fan of, with good reason in regards to the perfume since most of them affect my stomach adversely. The awkward editing of what is said because neither know what will offend the other person. And not knowing if you will ever see the person again. No, I won't miss too much of the pretenses." Jamie said with a laugh.

Jamie tossed her some paper towels to clean up the onion juice. With a chuckle, he said with his eyes on the food preparation "I doubt that it will be too well. but I will take my chances and take as much as I can get of the reality over illusion."

Renee chuckled as she cleaned up and got back to her preparation. "Now that sounds more like the Jamie I am familiar with, debating illusion and reality. Trust me," she said with a smile, "you'll be seeing plenty of me. I'm not terribly easy to get rid of, you know."
She passed the readied food over to Jamie to be assembled and cooked as he saw fit. She leaned against the counter, favouring her injured ankle, and sbsent-mindedly toyed with her small scar. It was rapidly becoming a habit, like a man stroking his beard. She was becoming more at ease though, and she settled into watching Jamie cook, mentally preparing for when Deirdre awoke and would need their support.

Jamie took stock of the progress of the food and noted it was coming along nicely, though he knew the final test would be how it tasted when they ate it.

Jamie turned his head slightly so she could see his smile, though his eyes stayed glued to the preparation before saying "It is good to hear I will be seeing more of you. Though whether it will have more to do with me or with the fact that deirdre will be here..." Jamie let his voice trail off.

Jamie added another ingredient before casually inquiring without looking up "Do you want an ice pack for your ankle or need to take some weight off it ? I know it is considered impolite at most people's houses but if you want to pull up a chair and put some directories or whatever on it so you can sit down and still work at the counter, by all means, go for it." Jamie said with a gentle and amused smile to let her know it really would be ok.

Renee smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Jamie. My ankle is nearly better, but I'm sure it'll heal a lot faster if I rest it."
She touched Jamie fondly on the shoulder as she exited the kitchen, always one to communicate her feelings through touch wherever possible. She found herself back in the living room, though not quite in the position she expected. She always got a bit turned about in a new house, though, especially when there hadn't really been time or occasion for a 'grand tour'. Still, she managed to find some thick London phone directories and a chair high enough to still support her back. She was just heading back to the kitchen to ask Jamie for help moving it when she glimpsed the staircase out of the corner of her eye once more. Almost involuntarily, she took a few steps towards it, just close enough to be able to see to the top. Beyond, a crack of light indicated a door left slightly ajar...

Jamie noted that the food was coming along nicely and would be done in a few minutes. His thoughts turned to where renee had gone and after quickly running through the inventory of chairs in the place, he realized that the ones that would be useful for what they wanted were bulky. He saw that the food would be alright for a few minutes and went to help renee carry whatever chair she had chosen.

As he walked into the room, he saw that she was near the stairs, looking at something on the second floor. He quietly walked up behind her and peered up to see what had caught her attention.

Seeing the light, he realized by the location that it was the door to her room and he was sure it had been firmly shut when he had checked shortly before renee had arrived.

He caught Renee's eye and nodded at her unspoken question. He motioned her towards the kitchen.

They turned to go collect the chair wanted but before they got too far, Jamie turned his head towards the stairs and spoke in a voice loud enough that he knew Deirdre would hear it if she was awake but softly enough that it wouldn't wake her up if he was wrong and she still was asleep "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so we ought to set the table and get things ready. Remember to set 3 places at the table, in case Deirdre comes down and wants to join us. There is certainly enough food."

He turned back, collected the chair for Renee and they went back into the kitchen. Jamie was relieved to see the food did not look any worse for the lack of his attention for a few minutes. He turned towards Renee and gave a reassuring smile to her.

"Thanks Jamie," Renee smiled, and began setting the table as he went about the finishing touches of tea. He certainly seemed devoted to looking after them both. She was glad that Deirdre was here now, it seemed like the right place for her to be. When she was finished, she returned to the kitchen and sat by him.
"Do you think she'll be okay to come down?"

Jamie looked up from the preparations at Renee for a moment, looking her in the eyes, before looking back down to what he was doing.

"Honestly, I fairly sure she will be physically okay to come down. And she will need to eat after what she went through. That is assuming that the door wasn't because of her going to the bathroom back when we were talking and then falling back asleep without properly closing the door. That said, I am not sure when she will come down. If she is awake, then she might be getting around and ready to come down. Or she might be trying to collect herself before she comes down. I think it will be a good thing overall for you to be here but I expect that initially, she will be hestitant to face you. Heck, with it being the evening after, she might be hestitant to face me too, now that things have settled down and she has gotten some rest. So, I am not sure when she will come down."

Jamie paused to do some more preparations, the meal was done except for a few minor things that would hardly take any time. "We will just have to wait and see. But at least we have some food. and the company is pretty good." Jamie said with a small but amused smile.

Renee raised an eyebrow playfully. "Pretty good?" She leaned back in her chair, pushing out her breasts and raising her leg in what she hoped was a sexy pose despite her apparel. "Do you have any idea what most boys would give to have me in their house?" she said with a cute pout. She couldn't hold it though and burst out laughing, a beautiful release of tension under the circumstances. Goddess, it felt good to have something to smile about.

Jamie laughed along with her before finishing up the food. He was ready to take the food out to the table but paused to reply while looking at the food.

"I imagine they would give a lot... maybe even some limbs or vital organs, though hopefully, you would leave them the ones necessary to live."

Jamie looked up with a smile and gathered the food up. He started taking it out to the table. As he approached the doorway, he spoke over his shoulder "I am going to keep my limbs and organs for now, but you are welcome to join me and share the food we made. Unless you have a better offer somewhere else you want to go collect on."

and with that, Jamie walked into the dining room and put the food on the table. He thought about going back to get the chair she was using so she wouldn't have to carry it but realized there were enough chairs around the table for all 3 people to sit already. So instead he merely called into the kitchen and told renee she could leave the chair in the kitchen and he would get it later.

He waited by a chair so he could pull it out for renee with a friendly bow when she came.

Deirdre had been listening, and was honestly touched by what they had said. She had the best friends in the world. But that still meants she'd have to go down and face them. She really didn't want to.

Reluctantly, she stood, her knees shaking. She could smell food, but her stomach felt fluttery and sick. She sighed deeply, as she opened the door and descended the stairs. She heard Renee laugh loudly, which brought a smile to Deirdre's face. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe they could just sit and have fun. And forget.

She wanted to forget. But judging by the reflection she'd seen in the mirror, it was going to be a long time before that was possible. She looked even worse today, the bruises darkening like they do. She was sore too, but they wouldn't know that. With one last pause, she walked into the kitchen, knowing delaying it more would just be worse.

Without a word, she walked to Renee and leaned over, hugging her tightly, never wanting to let go.

Jamie saw deirdre come in and opened his mouth to speak but she didn't seem to see him as she headed to the kitchen towards the sound of renee's voice.

Jamie shrugged to himself and decided to give them a little space, so he stayed in the dining room, made sure the food and everythign was in the right place and sat down in his chair.

Renee hugged Deirdre back tightly. Deirdre's head was resting on her shoulder, unmoving. She felt so tired, as if she had been awake for a year. Her slender body felt as if it was weighed down with the woes of the world. Renee stroked her hair, and moved a little to whisper something reassuring in her ear, but no words would come. Her lips just brushed Deirdre's ear, bringing forth a slightly ticklish sensation. She sighed a little and kissed Deirdre tenderly on the cheek, not wanting to hurt her. She couldn't believe what that man had done to her. After the carnage of the bombings, Deirdre's injuries looked relatively mild, but were somehow so much more disturbing for the fact that they were so... personal. And she was clearly in far more pain than Renee had been. She knew she had been lucky, but Deirdre's injuries added a whole new perspective to it.
"I love you, dear," she finally whispered. What more could she say?

Something stirred in the pit of Deirdre's stomach. She hoped it was nerves, and not that she was about to upchuck all over the girl she had a crush on, now that she had kissed her. Deirdre pulled away, trying to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

She was trying to say thank you, but all she could do was nod. Then, instead of talking about it more, she said "But are YOU ok? I was worried about you."

Tears welled up in Renee's eyes. After everything Deirdre had been through, that she would even still think to inquire after her well-being... Renee had never felt so warm and loved in her life, even though Deirdre had not reciprocated her words... It lifted her spirits and broke her heart all at once to see this girl she loved so much standing battered and bruised before her, and having her ask how she was. She rose to her feet quickly despite the pain and hugged Deirdre close to her, letting the tears fall silently.

Deirdre stroked Renee's jet black hair whispered nothings, until she felt Renee go still. Then she realised Jamie wasn't with them, and silently, she released Renee, ducking out into the dining room. Allowing herself a small smile, she said quietly, "Care to join us?"

Jamie looked up at her and gave her a supportive smile. He decided to merely stand up and follow her into the kitchen and that is exactly what he did.

He looked between the two and they both looked so beautiful and happy, and yet so sad at the same time.

He noted the tears on renee's face. He went over to the fridge and pull down a box of kleenex and simply opened it and set it on the table for all to use. He realized it might be uncomfortable for them to go first so after glancing at renee, which she noticed despite his efforts, he reached out and pulled one and and blew his nose in hopes that it would make it easier for them.

He reached over and gave deirdre a hug and simply said "good morning, sunshine".

Renee grabbed a tissue and gently dabbed at the corners of her eyes, barely touching them. It was an old habit from constantly wearing make-up to avoid any contact with the eyes, and after so many years she was hardly even aware she was doing it. She smiled as Jamie hugged Deirdre. It was nice to finally all be together.

Deirdre smiled and said "Good morning, Jamie" basking in the love and support that her two wonderful friends were giving her. Realising that she hadn't eaten for more than a day, she said, slightly embarassed, "Is there anything to eat?"

Jamie laughed.

"As it happens, yes, I Just got done making dinner for 3 or maybe slightly more than 3 since we both tend to err on the side of making more and it is out on the table, so whenever you want, we can go sit down and eat together." Jamie said with a genuine smile, letting his love and support for her flow through his eyes.

Deirdre smiled slightly. Smiling too widely hurt like a bitch. She moved into the dining room, and slid gingerly into a chair, her ribs protesting as she sat. "You guys are amazing" she said, a bit to herself, but loud enough so they both could hear.

Renee smiled and sat down beside Deirdre, ready to support her in whatever way she could. "We're just doing what friends do," she said softly, stroking Deirdre's hair. "Whatever you need, darling."

Jamie patted her on the opposite shoulder and smiled at her.

"Just following the example of someone we think is amazing and love and trying to be there for her and make things easier for her when she could use it."

Jamie picked up his glass and made a toast to Deirdre "To one of the most amazing person I have ever known. She is wonderful and makes our lives better and we are blessed to have her in our lives. If anyone else can't see it, it is their loss and screw them."

Renee lifted her glass to the toast. "You certainly have a way with words, Jamie," she smiled. She turned to Deirdre. "You bring so much light to our lives, my dear. We would be remiss if we didn't do the same for you. Always remember that you are loved, sweet girl."

Jamie nodded to Renee "Thank you. Given your gifted way with words, that means something."

He turned to Deirdre. "You really are loved and bringing light into our lives is definitely a good way to put it."

He reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze, once he realized the angle was wrong for a hug like he wanted.