Log: Doug and Laurie

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Doug and Laurie meet up after their e-mail conversation to have a bit of a chat about the possibilities of going on a date.



Laurie grabbed her Chai latte and moved over to a small booth at the back of the all night cafe. It had been a hard session in the dojo but it left her feeling hyped rather then tired.

Physical exertion was always good for getting her out of her head.

"So, what exactly is so bad that you need to talk to me about it even before a first date?"

Laurie's easy smile took any sting out of the words, as did her posture, which was that of someone seeking to solve and interesting puzzle.

Coffee was good. Coffee was safe. It gave Doug something to wrap his hands around, it gave him a way to take an extra moment to compose his thoughts while sipping it, and there were plenty of people around, which made him feel less put on the spot and self-conscious.

He took a sip, then another, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. Finally, just before the silence turned a bit awkward, he sighed. "I'm not sure how to put anything in a way that doesn't make it sound terribly cliche or ridiculous. But...I wanted you to know that dating me can be kind of...complicated." Which still sounded ridiculous, but was about the best he could do without going into a bout of putting himself down.

"Complicated as in 'I need to balance getting to classes and saving people, or complicated as in 'I went back in time and now I'm my own Grandfather'?"

It wasn't that Laurie took this lightly, she didn't. Doug obviously felt this was not only a difficult conversation but one he was worried would go badly. She didn't have Doug's abilities but she could read him somewhat successfully after so long training together.

"I've met all your bosses, I have somewhat of an idea, but you might have to spell out your exact worries."

"A little more than the first...probably a little less than the second." Doug managed a bit of a wry chuckle. "You've met my bosses, and that's part of it. My job isn't nice. But you've dated someone in this sort of business." He shrugged. "Really the more complicated part has to do with my...other position. How much reading in the files have you done about the Hellfire Club?" The X-Men had dealt with the Club in the past.

"I've read the files, but I have no personal experience with them. If I was asked to make a tactical assessment, I'd note their fondness for Game of Thrones style schemes and suggest a scorched Earth policy. Hit them quick, wipe them out and salt the earth behind us."

Laurie had an idea he wasn't asking her for a tactical opinion but her personal feelings or assessments on the group were non-existent. She'd long ago she'd any particular moral or ethical pre-judgements on things she had no experience with.

She'd learnt, sometimes with great pain and regret that making oneself blind with assumptions was dangerous.

"I'm going to take a wild stab here and assume you're talking about some form of connection between yourself and them?"

"The Black Court...yeah, I wouldn't mind the 'hit quick and wipe them out' tactic." One day, Doug swore to himself for the millionth time, he'd be there to see the smug smirk wiped off of Belladonna Boudreaux's face. "But the White Court...well, that's a bit more personal. Emma...has been White Queen for some time. Pete was White King for a while. Manuel has served as both Knight and Bishop." He took a breath. "And I'm the current Knight. Have been for a couple years."

"And what makes that court any different?"

Laurie's tone was neutral, her expression an interesting cross between questioning and interest. Knowledge, even if only for its own sake had always been a driving passion for her.

Doug blew out a long sigh. "Some days, not a lot. I know that my goals are far different from the Black Court, and I believe that Emma is a better person than people give her credit for sometimes...but I've had to make some crap compromises in the name of those goals." He could -still- see the hurt betrayed look in Wanda's eyes with the immediacy of memory, even if he had managed to patch things up with her and his other teammates regarding Belladonna's elevation as Black Queen. There was still the occasional sting of feeling like he could never fully fix that. "Something about good intentions and where they lead."

"So, the ends justify the means?"

Laurie took a sip of her drink, wondering what she might have said even a year ago. Genosha had changed her, although the change had started long before then. She knew all about monsters and what it took sometimes to make sure they didn't survive.

Doug grimaced in reply. "Like everything about my life, the answers are rarely that cut and dried. Sometimes I think yes, sometimes I wonder a bit more." He shrugged. "And believe it or not, my bringing up the Hellfire Club wasn't really about the moral ambiguity. Mostly, it's...well, about the fact that the Club has a certain outward appearance, and when you occupy a position of authority..." It meant a lot of kinky, relatively emotionless sex. With people who wouldn't be Laurie.

"So, what you're asking me is if I'd be okay with an open relationship?"

Laurie knew of the clubs reputation, and she could take some guesses as to what exactly 'keeping up appearances' would mean. While she and Eamon had enjoyed a monogamous relationship, she'd heard of such things working as long as the groundwork was done, and you had a guarantee of complete honesty between all parties.

"That's a bit cart-before-the-horse," Doug replied, twisting the cup in his hands. "More like, would you be okay with a relationship given all of that." He paused. "And the fact that you'd likely be a target for intrigues and all of that. People trying to get at me or Emma through you." He still felt vaguely ridiculous, like he was putting up a wall to keep Laurie at bay, but it was important that she know what she was potentially getting into. In some ways, even though it made breakups awkward, it had been easier dating Marie-Ange and Jubilee, because they already had an understanding of his job and such.

"You seemed intent on talking about the future, I figured I'd get all the interesting questions out of the way."

Laurie took a slow sip of her coffee, gaze locked on Doug as she mulled over what he'd said. She would give his honesty the respect it deserved, even if she thought he was being overly cautious. She eventually shrugged, and then used a napkin to wipe some froth from her upper lip.

"Intrigue doesn't bother me, and anyone trying to use me for anything will find that I'm not that much of a pushover. I may not be a super-spy but I'm certainly not above using my connections to make sure people who bother me or the people who associate with me don't continue to do so."

She realised she sounded almost like a mob boss with that last little speech, so maybe her father had rubbed off on her a little more then she'd thought he had. Hopefully she wouldn't start making inappropriately sexual jokes as well. He might get away with it through a well placed hand and a hint of his mutant abilities, but she didn't have his particular way with people, nor did she wish to.

"I suppose I just figured I should put everything out so you'd know and be able to make an informed decision." Doug blew out a long breath, not quite a sigh. "I imagine my therapist will probably have something to say about self-sabotaging at our next session." He gazed off out the plate-glass window of the cafe. "Truth is, I'm kind of a hot mess. Can you handle all of that?"

"Have we met?"

Laurie smiled, trying to take the sting out of her words as she pulled her diary out and opened it to today's date. She turned it around so Doug could see it.

"Look, I'm not exactly low maintainance, it's just one reason I figured we could give this a shot. As you can see, once we're done here, I've at least an hour of study before I can sleep, and it's going to be next month before we can go on a real date unless you want to just pencil in some time after dojo. Like I said, I think you're hot and you've got a time poor life just like I have. Long as that's not going to bother you, then we can work on the rest."

Doug raised an eyebrow. The dayplanner didn't faze him, Laurie had always been the driven sort - a compulsive planner. He could respect and understand that. "Just so long as there is -some- spontaneity," he observed with a chuckle. "Not -everything- should be on a rigid schedule."

"I can do spontineity, just not around exam time."