Ditto Fountain I

[BuBbLyLu]

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Dotty frowned at his harsh command, her lower lip growing puffier in the show of disapproval. He was being serious, she realized, despite his lack of sensitivity. But she was in a hospital bed for Pete's sake! One would think the appropriate thing to ask was how she was feeling.

Not that she was ever on the receiving end of appropriateness. . .

Her jaw clenched, anger flaring from the underlining meaning of that thought, and she shook her head, as if denying him access to top secret information.

~~~~~~

Mary Jane's smile grew wider as Chase rambled, his suggestions amazing her with each one popping from his mouth. She shook her head and laughed a little. "No, not really," she said, but then with another laugh she added, "Well, just a little." She lifted her free hand to express how much with a pinch on her thumb and index finger, but there was nothing in her tone that suggested she minded.

Ruffling his little brother's hair, Shane side stepped around him to stand before Layla, hands deep in his leather jacket pockets and crooked grin in place. "Um, I'm here to check out MJ. . .?" he said, a frown suddenly appearing, and he looked at the sitter questioningly, as if waiting for it to dawn on her.

[Rising_Star]

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Ty ran a hand through his hair agitatedly and looked around as if to located a place to sit, but he had used the chair to lock the door so there was nothing. He slapped absently at his pockets and then looked back down at Dotty, his frown deepening.

"Do you have any idea what you put me--" he cut off, swallowing hard. "What you put us through? Nate nearly killed me because he thought I had something to do with this."

----

"Sorry," Chase said with an apologetic laugh. "I talk a lot when I'm excited or nervous or afraid or too hyped up on sugar. I'm starting to do it again, aren't I? Okay, I'll shut up now. Tell me about you. Are you okay?" He took a deep breath, ignoring the ache in his ribs, trying to get himself to calm down.

Layla slapped her palm to her forehead. "Oh right, the note! Well, she's fine. A couple bruises and cuts, but she'll be alright. It's Chase who's . . ." her voice faltered. She shook her head slightly. "Chase will be fine eventually. Just has to stay here a couple nights." She smiled weakly as she looked up at Shane.

"But you probably don't care," she added slowly. She swiped at her face with her hands, wondering if she looked as awful as she felt. She had been doing her best not to burst into tears, seeing as John Luke had to be looked out for.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[BuBbLyLu]

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"Well, gee, sawry," Dotty grumbled, ditching the no-talk policy since he brought up Nate. If she wasn't in so much pain she would have waved her hands in dramatic surrender. "But someone had to clean up your mess."

She was mad enough to tell him anything now, even if it was half the truth.

~~~~~~

"I'm fine," Mary Jane said with a nod. "Nothing broken. . ." She trailed off as she looked at the chairs behind her, and, finding it as a good enough excuse from continuing, she released Chase's hand and pulled up a chair. She tried to scoot it up as close to his bed as possible.

The seat was a lot lower than his bed was, so she had to crane her neck slightly to look at him. "Just shook up," she finished quietly.

Shane's frown deepened only slightly, but he didn't address her last remark. "You're the only one here?" he asked, looking behind her only to see John Luke. He half expected to see the rest of the Sutcliff zoo sitting out here waiting with Layla.

[Rising_Star]

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"My mess?" Ty gaped at her. "What do you mean my mess? You get yourself into messes Dotty. Whatever happened, I had nothing to do with it." He frowned again, wondering if it really was his fault and if he should be feeling extreme guilt right now.

----

Chase reached over and brushed his knuckles lightly against a bruise on her cheek. "I'm glad you're okay," he said softly, smiling somewhat shyly now. He frowned suddenly and his hand dropped from her face. "Hey, what happened to that other guy. The one that hit us. Is he okay?"

Layla looked around instinctively. "Yes . . ." she said slowly. "I did not want to bother the others with this. They'll find out soon enough anyway and they would be too rowdy to stay here."

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[BuBbLyLu]

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"My fault, is it!" Dotty snapped brusquely. Fueled with rage, her eyes flew open and glared back at Tyler through tiny slits. She was starting to remember the argument they had at the hotel before she left. Obviously not much can change from before then, even after this incident. "So it was my fault that we were seen going into the hotel? It was my fault that someone splashed us all over Monstropolis' gossip with pictures and disgusting lies!"

She growled something ugly under her breath, unbelieving she was having this conversation and that Tyler could be such an idiot. "Forgive me if I can't recognize my own mistakes," she snarled, clenching her fists. She disregarded the rupture of pain from her infected hand as anything but the burning desire to punch Tyler's lights out. "But at least I was out there fixing the problem!"

~~~~~~

Mary Jane frowned. She hadn't thought about the man that hit them, not once since the accident, and guilt warmed her face for being so heartless. "I don't know," she said, biting her lip as she tried to remember the last time she saw him and coming up with nothing. "We left as soon as they got you out, I didn't see him."

Shane actually looked pensive for a moment as he thought about what she said. "Huh, yeah, I guess they would be," he muttered offhandedly, not thinking about what he said might be overheard.

He turned around and looked around the hospital, glancing over the receptionist's desk and at the hospital staff that walked by without really seeing them. "So--where's MJ?" he asked finally, turning back to Layla. From her description Mary Jane couldn't possibly still be having a check up with the doctors.

[Rising_Star]

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Ty's face flushed angrily. "I never said it was all your fault, but when you put it that way. Yeah, I guess it is. If you hadn't been so insistent about leaving the hospital, I wouldn't have had to take you to the hotel," he snapped.

He stopped and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "If you had left it alone," he said in a low, careful voice. "People would have forgotten about it eventually. The next girl I had my arm around in public would be the new gossip. But since you had to go and get yourself jumped in front of the newspaper office, duh they're going to continue trying to get your story. And mine too. Why can't you just leave well enough alone? Forget about stuff and make a clean state? Why do you have to be so darn stubborn about holding grudges? Huh???"

----

Chase shook his head and then tried to smile. "I'm sure he's fine," he said with more confidence than he felt. "I mean, he can't get any worse than me right? I mean I bet his airbag went off." He shook his head. "Man, I should sell that junk of a truck. It almost got me killed! Of course she'd favor your pretty face, but mine? Forget about it. What did I ever do to her, huh? I saved her from being a pile of junk, and this is how she repays me?" He shook his head in mock disgust.

"Visiting with Chase," Layla said, watching Shane carefully. She had never seen him worry or seem concerned about either of his siblings, so this was a nice change, she thought.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[BuBbLyLu]

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With all of Dotty's might she wished she had a table sitting right in front of her. Or a book, perhaps, a pillow would work if she could reach it. Anything that she could slam her fists against, throw, break, or any object she could use to let off some steam. Being confined to this bed was working hard on her nerves.

"Gah! Come back to earth, Tyler!" she all but screamed at him. "This isn't some fantasy movie that has a happily ever after at the end. There is no such thing as a clean slate where I stand. Not when everything works against everything I do just to have a normal life."

In her frustration she kicked her mattress as hard as she could. "And you have no idea," she punctuated it with another solid kick, "what I had to go through just to get a tiny piece of that. No--I don't even have that anymore!"

She laughed harshly as her chest seized suddenly, a noiseless moan lodging in her throat and shaking her. She brought her good hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, forcing raw emotion down by holding her breath. She held her breath for a few minutes before her face turned really purple. No one had any idea--they just could not imagine what she's had to go through to survive. . . and she couldn't tell.

~~~~~~

Despite how awful she felt, Chase's efforts did cheer Mary Jane up, just enough for a small smile.

Shane nodded. "Riiight," he said, as if he had to process that. "Well," he added suddenly, "let's go."

He waved over at Layla and John Luke to join him as he went to find Chase's room.

[zlcva]

A (Slightly) Less Normal Life

The preparations for the expedition were speedily completed, and soon Chase found himself in charge of a dozen soldiers and accompanied by one of his biggest heroes and his hero's daughter. He had always worked with small groups before on archaeological expeditions, and was very uncomfortable with so many people standing around waiting for him to lead, especially the silent, stern soldiers. But Zacce gave him an encouraging smile, and Chase found the courage he needed to continue.

Their guide, a wiry, bald man dressed in a grey jumpsuit, led the group down the tunnels beneath the Lord Overseer's office complex for what seemed like hours. The first few bends were illuminated by light panels strung along the ceiling, but afterwards they had to rely on green luminescent globes that each soldier had strapped to their shoulder. The emerald light gave the tunnels a distinctly eery feel as they continued in silence.

[Rising_Star]

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Ty frowned in worry as Dotty began to cough. He dropped to his knees beside the bed and reached forward as if to touch her hand. Before he made contact however, he pulled back, sitting back on his heels and shaking his head, Dotty's face obscured now by the edge of the bed.

"You won't let me understand," he murmured softly, running a hand over his face wearily.

----

Chase grinned. "Ah, there's that pretty smile I've been missing." He reached up again and touched her bruised cheek again lightly. "Does it hurt when you smile?" he asked, curious.

Layla grabbed John Luke's hand and followed after Shane. "He's in this room," she said, gesturing to the right door.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[BuBbLyLu]

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As Dotty's breathing started to relax, the remnants of coughing dissipating with each exhale, the colors on her cheeks returned to normal. Well, as normal as they could get with bruises on one's face. The concentrated breathing helped to calm her, somewhat, and she closed her eyes. She was beginning to realize that she was going to have to keep an eye on herself; her normal habits were going to be the death of her if she let it run loose much longer.

"Maybe you should stop trying to make sense of it," she suggested with a snort. Peeking, she lifted her bandaged hand and teasingly smacked the top of his head. However, the smack was more like a light tap; she couldn't really reach him to give him the real thing.

~~~~~~

John Luke casted a dismayed look back at the card's they were leaving behind, disappointed they couldn't finish their game. His little feet pumped quickly to try to keep up with Layla.

Mary Jane lowered her gaze shyly. Suddenly her face felt really warm and her breathing hastened. "Not really," she admitted, wondering what was the matter with her and if it had anything to do with Chase's invading of her personal space. When the word "invaded" popped into her mind, she paused to think if that was what it really was. . .

But then someone walked into the room and she looked up abruptly.

Shane caught himself when he saw Mary Jane with his leg extended in mid-step, not realizing his rudeness for barging in, but had stopped himself with a halting reaction of seeing his sister. Seeing her now he actually expected something a lot worse than what he saw.

Suddenly feeling awkward for staring he stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. "Hey, sis."

"Hey" was all Mary Jane could say in return.

[Rising_Star]

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Ty tried to smile but failed. He shook his head and sighed.

"I just want to help. But you won't let me," he said finally.

----

"It's okay, really," Chase said after a moment in an attempt to lighten in the mood. "I'm fine. No need for anyone else to come check up on me. I'm flattered really, but I can take only so much affection."

Layla covered her mouth with her hand to hide the smile that was threatening to creep up her lips.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[BuBbLyLu]

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Dotty didn't open her eyes, but her face relaxed into a serious expression.

"Have you ever asked yourself why?" she posed the question as she drew her hands up and laid them on her stomach.

~~~~~~

Shane cracked a grin at Chase's joke, his words really helping to break the ice. "In that case," he started to say as he walked further into the room, "would you mind if I take MJ home?"

He stopped beside where his sister sat, not looking directly at her but at Chase as he spoke, and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Her mother is worried about her."

Mary Jane didn't look up but felt the weight of what Shane's words meant as heavily as the weight of his hands resting on her.

[Rising_Star]

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Ty looked surprised. "Well yeah, sometimes. But I never thought you'd actually answer me if I asked." He frowned slightly.

----

"Oh yeah, the mother," Chase said with a grimace. "Well don't let me stop you. Hurry up and reassure her you're okay. I'll just stay here and pray she's understanding and all that." He grinned faintly.

Layla thought the idea of Mrs. MacShane ever being understanding was rather ridiculous.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[BuBbLyLu]

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Dotty snorted. "You got that right. . ." she muttered, not trying to not be heard.

She scratched her thumb absently, but really she was stalling. "This isn't your fight, Tyler," she said finally after a long pause. "It's mine, and . . ." She swallowed hard, her eyelids squeezing together tightly as if to forcibly hold everything in. "I don't know how to share."

~~~~~~

Shane had to smirk when Chase called Mrs. MacShane "the mother". Finally there was someone else who had the same sentiments towards his mom as he did.

He squeezed Mary Jane's shoulder. "You heard the man," he said, speaking as if he was reminding her they had to go. She hadn't moved an inch since he came in.

Mary Jane nodded, but instead of getting up she leaned forward and took Chase's hand. "You sure you're going to be OK?" she asked softly. She didn't want to sound like it, but she really didn't want to go home.

[Rising_Star]

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Ty's hand itched to reach up and hold hers, but he kept his fingers tightly curled into fists in his lap.

"But I want you to share it with me," he said softly. "I know it sounds really cheesy and cliche, but that's what friends are for." He attempted a half-smile that mostly failed.

----

Chase gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "I'll be fine," he said with a crooked grin. "You go and wheedle your way out of a grounding. And when you visit me again bring me a cake with a file in it? I want to get out of here."

Layla could not help but chuckle softly.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

[BuBbLyLu]

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That's what friends are for. Dotty couldn't remember how many times Tyler had said that or another version of the same thing. She did remember scoffing it, though, and remembered their heated debate about the meaning of friendship. But really, did she know what it meant back then? She didn't think so, because what she thought of it now was an entirely new feeling, one she never felt before.

"I c-can't," she choked on the words as something like a sob clutched her chest. She did not know what this was, however, as this was a new experience for her. But whatever it was, was terrible and wet. "He--" She stopped herself as she lifted a hand to press against one of her eyes, trying to dam up whatever was starting to flow. But her other eye opened a crack and a huge tear washed over her face.

Just then someone banged on the door.

"Hey! Who's in there!" a voice shouted as the doorknob wrestled with the chair planted under it. "Miss Hennessey? Are you awake? Why is this door locked?"

There was another shout for someone to find a policeman.

~~~~~~

Not knowing he should be trying to hide it, Shane laughed outright at Chase's words. Mary Jane, though, smiled slightly as she stood.

Shane lead the way out, but when they started to pass Layla he released Mary Jane and knelt beside John Luke. "C'mon, little bro," he said as he reached out to pick his brother up. "You too. I wouldn't be surprised if Mom wasn't more worried about you than anyone else."

John Luke had his finger in his mouth already after Shane swung him up. Over Shane's shoulder, he waved goodbye to Layla with his sucking hand.