Madelyn, Haroun - Saturday afternoon, at the pool party

[x-madelyn.livejournal.com]

Madelyn wanders by and stops for a chat with her gym buddy. As conversation proceeds, it's obvious she's aware of a secret being kept, but respects Alison's right to keep it. A challenge is made.




Haroun streeeetched himself as he tried to work a knot out of his lower back. His body was screaming at him, but he was hoping that a little sun, some food, and maybe a swim would make it shut the hell up so he could finish up with the Blackbird. Like Scott said, they couldn't afford much downtime. He brought a pad of graph paper and a mechanical pencil outside with him, and while he soaked up the sun he sketched out what still needed to be done to the Blackbird's wing.

A hand bearing a cold bottle of Gatorade appeared in his field of vision, and a voice said: "Still at it? Got time for a break, or should I go away and pester the kids some more about the perils of sun cancer?" When he looked up, Madelyn was smiling down at him. She'd chosen to let the girls have their bikini fun unchallenged, wearing the simple dark green one piece that she used for swimming laps in when she was on one of her fitness kicks, with a light cotton wrap-around skirt and possibly the largest hat seen outside of bad Mexican movies. Noticing his glance upwards, she snickered. "Moira's choice weapon in the battle against skin cancer - she's gone for a lie down in the air conditioning, so I swiped it. I burn like you wouldn't believe. And then I freckle. It's all very tragic."

That, at least, got a grin out of Haroun. "You poor Anglos." he said with a smirk. "Just can't handle your sun at all." He put the pad and pencil down to snag the Gatorade, uncapping it and taking a healthy swallow. "Good stuff." he said in approval. "Do you like the shorts?" he asked, pointing out that he was wearing the truly obnoxious board shorts she had bought him a while back.

"They're every bit as eye-searing as I thought they'd be. They're perfect," she replied, chuckling as she took the putting away of pad and pencil as a cue to sit down next to him. "As soon as I heard Kyle practically shrieking about how he'd been struck blind, I knew it had to be the shorts. How's the 'Bird coming along? I had Nathan in for tests earlier and he looked pretty wiped."

"We ducked so many bullets I would think we had Wanda onboard. Blast managed to trash a lot of the secondary stuff, but missed all the really volatile systems. And there doesn't seem to be any structural damage, so this is pretty much just a straight replacement." he said, cracking his neck with simple, sharp movements. "We should be back up and running in a few days."

"As long as you don't kill yourselves doing it - the plane needs pilots as well as wings," Madelyn replied mildly, looking over at the pool and smiling at Hank carefully floating Billy around in the shallow end. "I'm glad you gave yourselves a bit of downtime to join the festivities - Hank's been poring over those X-ray adjustments you needed all night."

Haroun shrugged, then winced as something in his back pulled. "Even I still need rest from time to time. And some well-done burgers, some sunshine, and lots of eye-candy is just what the doctor ordered." he smirked. "And I think I want one of the hats like you have. It's really dreadful." he said with a laugh. "That hat, these shorts, and a pair of that Spanish kid's shades, and I'll be stylin' at last!"

"Mine!" Madelyn said, clapping said hat to her head in mock-defensiveness. "Well, mine by right of theft, any way. Possession is nine tenths of the law, after all." She glanced around, looking for Alison, and didn't see her. Hmm. "And what did Alison think of your get-up?" she asked casually. "There's no laser burns to be seen, so she can't have disapproved overmuch."

"I don't want THAT hat, I want one _like_ it! Think I could score one in black with a white feather?" he smirked. "And I don't know - I've been so busy I haven't seen her much. She may be otherwise occupied, I don't know. I myself am only up here for an hour or two before I have to get back to work."

"It's not like her to miss a party. Or an opportunity to show herself off in a swimsuit," Madelyn observed, pushing the hat back a bit so she could see Haroun's face properly. "But then again, trauma has that effect." She was fishing, but she was reasonably certain she was on the right track. Too many little clues not to, really.

Haroun fought with an urge to keep Alison's confidences, but he was too tired and the charade had gone on long enough. He nodded, once, brusquely, before taking a long pull from his Gatorade bottle. "Give her time. She'll pull out of it." he said softly.

"She will." Madelyn's tone was certain. Then she nudged Haroun gently with her shoulder. "I don't know what happened, and I respect Alison's right to tell or not tell in her own good time, but... if you need a break, or even someone to vent at, I'm told I'm a good listener. Secrets are hard, especially when they're someone else's."

Haroun nodded. "Perhaps I will. Someday." he said, with gratitude in his voice. He wanted to blab it all, get it off his chest, but he wouldn't do that to Alison. Not now, not ever. If he was going to bring her inside, he needed to clear it with Alison first. "But not right now. It's her call to make, not mine."

"Of course - I wouldn't dream of taking that choice away from her. It's important she has as much control over things as she can get right now. And I promise I haven't been snooping, either, if it comes up at all." She said the last with a smile. "But do expect to be kidnapped at some stage for a night at Harry's. The cheese fries will be on me, and I might even let you beat me at pool."

"You're too kind." he said with a grin. "And you'll _let me_ beat you at pool? I got a nice crisp clean $20 here that says I whoop your skinny white ass up and down the felt!" he boasted. "No, I've changed my mind. Not cash. You win, you got yourself some step-and-fetch-it for twenty-four hours. I win, and you're goin' for a ride with me." he grinned. "You woman enough to take the challenge?"

"'Ride' as in flying with you? You do know there's supposed to be some incentive for me to win, here," she replied, unable to repress the glint in her eyes. Or the excited little bounce at the thought. "You're on."

Haroun just _laughed_.

Comments

[x-wildchild.livejournal.com]

Kyle would like to point out that despite Haroun's shorts making him blind, that he is a giant hypocrite and has a set of his own, only slightly less loud. :)