Darcy & Garrison | Chats at Harry's

[xp_darcy]

(backdated) Darcy and Garrison have a somewhat serious chat at Harry's.


"Oh, is this your seat at your table?" Darcy gave Garrison her very best wide-eyed look of surprise as she looked up at him, tone laced with laughter.

"Wolf, gnaw on her foot until she moves."

"I'll slide over if you buy me a drink and let Wolfie walk me home. You can come too." She did, too, giving Garrison the best view of both the TV - tuned in to the first game of the Final - and the room. Having her back partially to the room only made her itch a little, and she ignored it with her usual determination.

"I thought that was Inez' seat for that these days."

"Just walking, Mountie." Darcy got a sly look on her face. "Well, unless Inez feels like some Canadian takeout. I do love to indulge my partners."

"Murph?" "Hang on." Kane dropped a chicken finger beside the chair. "Hnck-!"

Darcy glanced down. "You ok Wolfie? Is Gar being mean about the fried foods again? You wanna stay the night with me and have some roast chicken and eggs for breakfast?"

The wolf looked up between bites of the fried chicken, his eyes bright. "He just wants all the food, all the time."

"He's a good boy and he deserves to be well-fed. And I'm a good girl that deserves another drink. And maybe some fried pickles."

"I think the definitions of 'good' are a little different between you two."

"He's a good boy always and I didn't overly traumatize your X-Men this morning. That makes me a good girl too."

"So do you-" The wolf grumped at Kane and nudged the bottom of Darcy's shoe with his nose. "OK, you have a supporter."

"Thanks Wolfie." Darcy reached a hand down, slouching in her chair until she could scritch him between the ears without giving half the bar a peek at her bra. "So do I what?"

"Do you wonder about what you do?" Kane said. "Don't get me wrong. My father is the world's superspy and Amanda and MA are about the closest thing I have to a love life. But... do you ever question it?"

"Sometimes. Not as often as I thought I would, but then... a lot of what I do right now isn't field work." Darcy paused to think about it. "I feel like I'm doing something more useful than I was just rattling around the science labs and being Team Mom. And I don't think my powers are very well suited for what your lot does. Before the stuff with Laurie I was definitely just a liability. What about you? Having doubts about where you belong, Gar?"

"Always. If I was smart, I'd be in the South Seas with my rich girlfriend who I love more than anything screwing each other senseless on the beach. Or I'd be an Avenger. If I was anything but me, I'd be happy. But I swore an oath a long time ago which seems to ensure I will be unhappy but true."

"Your Mountie oaths?"

"I swore an oath to them. And to the mansion. The Bureau... I know in these ACAB days, it doesn't sound authentic, but there's some of us who take it very seriously." Kane winced. "I know, it's stupid as hell.... but it matters to me."

"I don't think it's stupid. I try very hard not to promise something unless I can deliver. It's important to me to be a woman of my word."

"Yeah. Yeah." Kane said, looking at his hands. "I swore an oath and I will live up to it. I will."

Darcy was quiet for several long minutes. "I think it's important to keep your oaths. But I also think it's important to know when it's time to go reserve or hang up your boots altogether. Or when it's time for your oaths to change. The two of you never got married, did you?"

"No. Because if something happened. Something I could have stopped. I'd never forgive myself. Adrienne knew that. People know that." Kane said, his expression saying everything. "So I'm here, good or bad."

Darcy nodded. "That's about what I thought you'd say. I didn't know Adrienne well enough to guess why that was the breaking point for her, but... seems like at the end of the day your commitment to your oaths comes first. That is -" she floundered for a moment, wondering how to phrase things the polite way she wanted them to come out. "It's admirable. It takes a strong person to say that the work comes first, always. But it's deeply, deeply difficult for the people who love that sort of person." Her thoughts of M left the fleeting sadness long associated with the other woman. Laurie didn't even factor. She had her own thoughts on why this time, if she put herself in the woman's shoes, but had zero intent on voicing them.

"Yeah. That sounds about right." He said, leaning back and taking a deep breath. "Also, man, can I kill a conversation, eh? I mean-" He paused as the wolf nudged his leg and he dropped the second chicken finger down. "That's your last one. You don't have my metabolism. Sorry, what was I saying?"

"Killing a conversation?" It was a prompt, but Darcy was also fine to drop it. "I'm happy to listen, if you want to drink and talk." She caught movement from the TV, turning her head just in time to see Vegas score their 4th goal. "Ugh, really?" she groaned. "Come on Bob, I've got some high-quality oral and breakfast in bed riding on you actually winning again tonight!" She turned back to Garrison with a noise of disgust. "Up to you, really."

"Got to be honest, I'm-" He paused for a second. "I'm going to go home. Nothing you did but... it's been a lot lately." He got up and pressed a kiss into the top of her dark curls. "Thank you. I liked just- not - I don't know. But I liked it."

Darcy smiled up at him, wrapping an arm around his hips and giving it a quick squeeze. "If you don't mind waiting a mo' while I settle my tab, I'll walk back with the two of you. Otherwise, I'll get a cab later."

"I have to ask the boss." The wolf wriggled out from under the table. "You want us to wait?" The wolf nosed her toe for a moment. "I guess that is a yes."

"Gentleman Wolf," Darcy teased as she stood, stooping to press a kiss to Wolfie's head. "Alright you two, quick stop at the front and then we're outta here."