xp_logs | Nathan and Angelo, on the flight back

On the plane on the way back to New York, Nathan and Angelo assess the events of the weekend.

On the plane back, Angelo was... calm, pretty much. Things had gone better than they could have done, and he thought he might have broken through to one or more of the gang, maybe even to Miguel. Even if he hadn't, he'd done everything he could, and he could try to stop looking back now. Some degree of closure had been achieved, at least. As Paige got up to head to the queue for the restrooms, he turned to offer Nathan a slight smile.

Nathan smiled back a bit half-heartedly and sipped at his drink. The weather was worse than it had been on the trip down, and his nerves were correspondingly worse. He was going to be very, very glad when they landed.

"Not enjoyin' the flight?" Angelo asked sympathetically.

"Commercial flights and I don't agree at the best of times. And this is not the best of times." The stewardess walked back, giving him a concerned smile and he did his best to ignore her.

Angelo nodded, knowing what he meant. "We'll be back soon", he offered quietly. "It'll be good to be home."

The plane dropped ten feet abruptly, and Nathan bit back a curse. "I could stand it much better if we would stop doing that," he muttered, rattled. Not that he hadn't flown through worse. But then, those times it had usually been him doing the flying.

Angelo shrugged. "Is this much worse'n usual, then? I haven't flown much."

"No, it's just--" He cut himself off, grimacing irritably. "It's not that bad. I'm just being overly tense. Ignore me." He managed a faint smile.

Angelo still looked a little worried, but nodded. "Like I said. Not long now."

The alcohol really wasn't helping. Next thing he knew, Moira would be suggesting mild sedatives or something the next time he had to fly. "So has it been worth it?" he asked more quietly, leaning back against his seat and letting his eyes move to the window.

Angelo nodded. "I think so. May not have done what I set out to do - but I think maybe they listened to some of it - but at least I got to face them again."

"Good," Nathan murmured. "I'm glad you got the chance. You handled it well, you know."

Angelo smiled slightly, pleased. "Went better than it could've done. Mostly 'cause you two were there, I think."

"Well, Paige does have a rather menacing air about her," Nathan joked, but not before he glanced at the aisle to make sure there was no sign of Paige coming back.

Angelo chuckled. "She does when she wants to", he said lightly, before turning more serious again. "Got to say a couple of goodbyes, too. Since I don't think I'll be goin' back."

"Sometimes you're finished with a place," Nathan agreed simply. "There's no more need to come back, and you know it."

Angelo nodded. "Yeah, that's it. Now Mom's not there, I've got nothin' to go back for."

"Makes the question of where you go from here a little easier to answer, maybe," Nathan offered with a crooked smile, taking another sip of his drink.

Angelo grinned wryly. "Maybe a little bit. Said goodbye to my dad an' Jorge, cleared things up with the boys as much as they're goin' to be, so no more lookin' back. Where I'm goin' is New York. What I'm gonna do... not so clear."

"You'll figure it out." It wasn't a platitude, but the truth. Angelo had come a long way in the last several months. "Just keep in mind that you don't have to find all the answers on your own."

Angelo nodded, with a genuine if faint smile. "Yeah, I know. Not the easiest habit to break, but I think I'm gettin' there."