Santa Monica, Remy and Lorna

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While Paul and Alex watch baseball, Lorna is saying farewell to her home state. Someone else has a farewell for her, too and tracks her down to deliver it.



Confident that Alex and her father would get along quite well in front of the game, Lorna had grabbed her mother's car keys and headed for the boardwalk to do some shopping and general beach basking. After a hair appointment and manicure, she went for a walk down the beach, shoes in hand, watching the sun set over the Pacific. It was something that she could have easily done with Alex, the setting was certainly right for it, but something in her wanted to just be a California girl for right now without the complications that came with her surfer boy. Reaching a rocky spot, she sat down with the spray of the water hitting her feet and thought about nothing at all.

"No boardwalk. Shame to mess up a perfectly good cliche." Remy's voice was completely unexpected, and it wasn't until after he'd spoken that she could hear the soft slither of sand under his shoes.

Remy was standing less than ten feet behind her, hands in his pockets as he looked at the ocean. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, having foregone his requisite trenchcoat as a concession to the heat. His sunglasses reflected the sun in a bizarre negative of his normal strange stare, and the smile cut under his mouth was too self-satisfied to be on the face of anyone else.

She smiled at him, surprised to see him but not terribly so, "You're a crazy stalker. How on earth did you find me?" She stood, ankle deep into a wave and walked up to him, tilting up her own sunglasses to get a better look at him. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was up in Seattle, doing some work. Figured dat they could do without me for an extra ten hours." Remy said. "Besides, chere, you left without saying goodbye."

"You can't tell me you didn't know when I was leaving; you probably ran a background check on the pilot. It's your fault you weren't in the mansion to say goodbye to." Her smile was a bit sad, "I have to admit, I thought that was on purpose and I was mad at you for it."

"Believe or not, dere are times dat it is legitimate." Remy shrugged eloquently. "Lot suddenly appeared de last couple of weeks, and as always, too much work and not enough people to do it. Remy makes up more frequent flyer miles dis way too."

"I'm horrible to have doubted you." Lorna brushed her hair out of her face as the wind tossed it about, "Want to take a walk? I was just basking in my beach." She looked around, smiling at the collection of families and freaks that was Santa Monica. "No place quite like it."

"Non. In de south of France, all dem femmes would be topless." Remy said wistfully, earning a swat from Lorna as they started down the beach. "You gotten everything sorted for de move yet?"

"Ha ha. Yeah, it's more a matter of how I'm going to get all the stuff Mom's bought me in the last week there. I'm going to need another suitcase. The rest of it was already packed and shipped. It'll get there about the same time we do." She slipped her arm through his companionably, "Then we just have to unpack everything again, go through orientation and try to survive the first week of classes."

"Actually, chere, it wasn't your luggage dat Remy was asking about." He said casually. "Have you got everything sorted for dis move?"

She looked up at him, halting in her track and gave him a half-grin. "You know, I think I do. I mean, there's still things that I'm not sure about but...I think I'm going to be okay." She started walking again, "I told Mom about my anorexia."

"Really? Dat's one thing you swore you could never do done." Remy chuckled lightly. "Dat mean de nude calendar photo shoot is next?"

She laughed incredulously, "Not a chance. I was going to say in your dreams but I really don't want to encourage you." She grinned and giggled at him.

"Every day, you break Remy's heart a little more." He patted her hand lightly. "How did she react to de news?"

Lorna sighed and shook her head, "About like you'd expect. She felt guilty for not seeing it and not doing anything to stop it. But she's...she's just so strong, you know? Just promised me that she'd be there no matter what happened."

"Dat's nice, being able to count on you family like dat." Remy said sincerely as they navigated across the sand. "What do dey think of you going to Hawaii?"

"They seem excited. Well, Mom and Dad seem excited. Cammy, on the other hand, I thought was going to break my eardrums with the happy noises. She wants to come visit." Lorna laughed lightly, "I think my parents are a little bit worried. That whole living with my boyfriend on my own with no one I know around to save me if I break a nail."

"If dey only knew dat you were a superhero, neh?" Remy guided them back towards the water, looking across the ocean while he talked to her. "You're sure dis is what you want to do, and not just because of Alex?"

She wrapped her arms around herself, "I've thought about that." She shrugged, "I don't really know. Because I want to go back to school and Hawaii is one of the best places for my major. But would I do this if it wasn't for Alex? I don't know because he's here and I can't ever imagine leaving him."

"As long as dat's enough for you, it will be alright, chere. Just make sure dat you're dere because you happy, and not dat you think you have to be." Remy said seriously, a rare display of concern.

"Happy..." she stretched her arms above her head as she pondered the feeling, "You know, I think I am? Not deliriously, frighteningly happy but normal happy. I'm happy about this decision. Scared a little but okay."

"Well, you know dat no matter what, you always got a place to go." Remy said lightly. "And it not like you moving to Mars either."

She gave him a grin, "Yeah, I know. Don't think I don't count on it." She gave him a hug. "So you never did tell me how you managed to find me here?"

"My powers are many and terrible." Remy gave her a lopsided grin. "Also, I called and asked your mere where you where."

"Ah, that rat. She knows better. You totally charmed her with the accent, didn't you? I'm going to go home and she's going to want to know all about the man with the sexy voice who called looking for me." Lorna tsked at him and shook her head, "Terrible, just terrible."

"Not to worry, chere. Told her dat Remy was your other boyfriend. She's looking forward to de wedding." Remy ducked the swipe she took at him.

"Nerd," she accused with affection and ruffled his hair. "She likes Alex. Daddy would have been a better bet."

"De funny thing is dat fathers tend not to trust me. Wonder why dat is..." He joked as they started back up the beach towards the parking lot. "So, it's dis weekend you fly over?

"I really don't know since you're such a marvel of good values and clean living." Lorna nodded, "Monday afternoon, actually. Do you want the flight number so you can check the flight attendants for nefarious purposes?"

"Already did. Going to go threaten de life of de pilot before I head back to de mansion." Remy shook his head as they reached the rental car. "But, you know, in a nice way."

"Aw, you're so sweet, I feel safer already." She leaned against the car to put her shoes back on and fished her keys out of her pocket. Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you for coming all the way out here to say good bye. It means a lot to me."

"You knew dat I would." Remy said with certainty. "Doesn't matter whether you down de hall or on de other side of de world, chere. You need me, and I'll be there."