Is it ever too late for panic? It's never too late for panic. It's only when Heather confirms the flight plans that it hits her that she and David are going away together which is about ten times more like a date than, say, living together. She can't even explain why that's the case but she's sure that there's a scale somewhere and booking a flight for two is different from cooking for two.
Deep breaths, Mac, she tells herself. She can't undo this. She needs to go see Mac's mother, she needs to visit his grave, she needs to get onto the rest of her life.
Sue will have good advice. Or at least will laugh at her. And Sue will have wine. That will make everything better. Might as well start drinking now. She hops in the elevator and fidgets all the way before buzzing in hopes of someone being home at the F4 apartments.
*
Reed has connected.
*
It's night, but not quite late enough to be considered late-late. The Fantastic Four residence is quiet thanks to travel preparations Friday. Of course, the quiet is for incredibly different reasons. At least one member 'needed' to go out because ohmygosh they were going to miss the fun times to be had on both Friday AND Saturday. Another had retreated to the lab, at least for awhile, to finish prep for flight tomorrow. A third had mentioned something about the pigeons the roof and needing to build some kind of auto feeding device.
And the fourth?
Well, Sue couldn't resist a bit of time in the main residence alone. Known secrets may have beckoned the others to their retreats. Sitting atop the couch, in loose pyjama pants and a shirt that definitely doesn't belong to Sue, Seo basks in the quiet that is the residence. The tub of rocky road ice cream, bottle of wine, and crossword puzzle are all testament to the little bit of RnR she engages in.
After having opted to keep ALL of her current work from the limelight, she's oddly at peace right now. At least, at peace enough… after having invisibly rifled through Joon's things to find her research to no avail.
The spoon dives into the ice cream once more as the buzzer rings. Curiously, she unfolds herself from the couch, and silent, barefoot steps bring her to the elevator. Seeing who it is, the woman is easily accepted inside. When the door opens, her head tilts to the side curiously, "Heather? Please," she steps forward to grasp her friend's hand and draw her into the residence.
*
"I need you to tell me I'm being ridiculous." Heather lets Sue pull her in. She looks alarmingly bruised, still, but Sue's got to be used to that in her line of work. "Or not ridiculous, I don't know. David and I are going away tomorrow, and…" She turns around and throws her hands up dramatically. "I'm making a mess of this. I don't know what to do."
Uncharacteristically, Heather invites herself in and collapses on the couch with her hands over her face. Things are bad if she's not even minding her impeccable Canadian manners.
*
"You're never ridiculous," Sue counters softly as she pads to the cupboard and retrieves a second wine glass that is quickly set next to the bottle on the coffee table. Carefully, the pours the pinot noir into the glass and passes it over to Heather before grasping her own from the coffee table before sitting next to Heather on the couch and watching her carefully.
She leans forward and reaches out to grasp one of Heather's hands. "Alright. So," she attempts to rewind the conversation. "Let's start at the beginning. You're going away with David. Is this…" her eyes squint lightly, "…different than having him live in your apartment?"
*
"No. Yes. I don't know." Heather sits up and grabs the wine glass as though it's a life preserver. "Tomorrow, it's been a year since Mac died. I didn't want to go home alone so I asked him to fly out with me. Which — that's okay. I think. But I accidentally kissed him the other day, which was totally my fault and really an accident, Sue, I mean it."
Heather sags back into the couch and squeezes Sue's hand. "I feel like I screwed this up. I don't feel like I'm being fair to him and when I booked the flight, it felt so much bigger than just him coming along to make sure nothing happens while I'm out on my own in Canada."
*
Sue takes a long sip of her wine and hums quietly as her fingers drum against the glass. She's obviously considering something as she leans forward and offers in a near whisper, "I know you know what I'm going to say." She's not a psychologist, but she definitely had a minor in it early on, "There are no accidents. Unless," she lifts a finger, "you accidentally tripped and your lips just happened to graze his. Otherwise," she levels at look at Heather, "some part of you, conscious or not wanted to kiss him."
She takes another sip of her wine. "Also, I'm not sure I'm who anyone should be turning to for relationship advice." Her eyebrows quirk upwards. "I've loved a man for years and only made my move because a Russian fellow in a bar observed that I'm not happy." She winces. "That doesn't exactly scream authority."
"But," she arches a single eyebrow, "perhaps the most important question is: if you thought booking the flight was bigger than having some company, maybe you need to explore that. Why?" Her teeth toy at her bottom lip. She could say more, but for now, she just retreats into the glass again.
*
"It was an accident, it really was. I just. I trust David, I really do. He makes me feel safe without making me feel like I can't take care of myself." Heather takes a drink of her wine. "And I'm used to the person who makes me feel that way being my husband. I don't know if I wanted to kiss David or Mac right then, if I forgot who he was, or…I don't know what's normal, Sue."
Heather sits up, crossing her legs, and stares into her glass. Finishing it will make everything better, her reflection says. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that if you took everything else away, I would have kissed David before then — which, I suspect, would have been scandalous. I've never been good at dancing around things. But that's not how things are. He's not a replacement or anything. He deserves better."
"I just realized that us flying out together was, I don't know. Something new. Something on purpose. Not necessity because he needed a safe place to be." Heather exhales sharply. "It was because I wanted him to come with me — him. Not just someone to fill the seat. I could have asked anyone."
*
Sue reaches out a hand to squeeze Heather's shoulder. "Breathe," she encourages softly as she slides closer to the other woman. "Heather," she manages a very faint smile, "you wanted to kiss him. And that's okay. You're not betraying anyone. Not Mac. Not David. You are a kind and loving person. You're allowed to have feelings and want to be in someone else's company." Gently, Seo slides an arm around Heather's shoulders.
"I know you've said you felt that you struck gold once. And I'm so glad that you and Mac found each other, but that doesn't preclude any feelings you could have now. You still have a lot of life to live, and it's okay to want to live that." She takes another sip of her wine.
"It's okay to have feelings for David. And it's okay to feel," her smile falters, "off about it. You've been through a lot. And I know," her eyes turn downwards, "that David has too," thanks to the files she's received. "You're not being unfair. You're feeling what you feel."
*
Heather puts her head on Sue's shoulder. "I thought I wasn't going to have to deal with this. It was easy with Mac. You know. Steal some top secret tech, work on it in secret, nearly get caught, go on the run, get married…then do all the kissing and the falling in love. It's easy to do that when you're already married." Heather can't help laughing at that.
"Actually, it only looks easy in retrospect. It was kind of funny and awful at the time. Poor Mac. I remember the look on his face when it hit him, on the courthouse steps, that he had a wife." Heather manages to stop giggling long enough to finish her wine. "He looked like he'd swallowed a frog. I thought he was going to run by inside and say he'd changed his mind."
*
"Certainly a… simpler approach to romance," Sue offers with a wry smile. "Although, there's no guarantees it'll happen, I suppose." Her smile turns a stitch mischievous, but it's not clear why. "It's a strange ride," she muses softly, "but rewarding. And I'd hate for you to shut it down when you're actually — " her words get cut off. "Before David was around, I worried about you. I mean," her eyes roll, "I'm still keeping an eye out, but I can't imagine what it's like to lose — " her eyes turn downwards. "Loss is something I do understand, and it's hard to figure out new reality. But lately?" her smile grows, "Lately, you've seem more alive again. Looking out for someone is good for you."
Seo gently strokes the other woman's hair. "And as someone who has never been married, much to my very Korean aunt's chagrin, I can attest that the kissing and falling in love part is pretty fantastic on its own." Her smile tightens slightly. "Mind, the kissing part is rather new." Her eyebrows draw together slightly, "Don't tell anyone about the other bit. I'd rather keep that to myself for now."
A knock at the staircase has Sue sliding her arm away from Heather's shoulders, and padding towards the door. "Kind of unusual time for visitors — " she opens it slowly.
*
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Standing just outside in a somewhat rumpled suit is David, his hands already raised in apology when the door is drawn open. <I am so sorry to come calling so late,> he says with a wince. <But I didn't know where else to ->
He pauses, blinking owlishly when he finally notices the redhead further inside. "…oh. That's where you are." Of course, this revelation does not seem to make David any less flustered. He glances uncertainly between the two. "…perhaps I should interrupt Doctor Richards so that you two can..?"
*
"David! Is everything all right?" Heather is on her feet in an instant, hurrying toward the door. She's trying to gauge what's going on given his appearance and his choice to come up here for help. "Did something happen?" Interruption, what interruption?
*
<It's fine. The house is still awake. Please, come in,> the easy Korean sees Sue stepping aside as she holds the door open. A glance is cast over her shoulder towards Heather, and warmth easily enters her gaze, even if there is no smile to meet it. "And it's not… we weren't…" she points at the couch. "Just catching up," she manages with a tight smile. "I suspect whatever — " David is here for " — is far more important."
"Please, come. Sit." A glance is given to the wine bottle and the now nearly-melted tub of rocky road as she draws the pair towards the couch. She motions to the couch, indicating that they should both sit. "Can I get you something to drink? I can get another glass — " A glance is given towards the stairs.
*
"I don't know about that — but thank you." David smiles apologetically as he comes inside, his hands coming back up in what is probably an entirely futile attempt to placate Heather. "It went fine," he promises her. "It was what I was expecting and we shared some notes. That's all. I'm going to need to copy the New Orleans files again, though," he says with a slight grimace. "I can't see the harm in sharing them with her, since… well." Since he already gave them to a reporter.
He runs both hands back over his hair and starts towards the couch. A drink? "No, thank you. I'd hate to waste your wine," David says with an odd smile.
*
"I can do that for you," Heather offers. "You came up here for something, though…" She lets it trail off, beckoning for David to come in. "Did you need to speak to Sue alone, or Reed? I can get that started if you need me to." Yes, productivity is an excellent way to deal with feeling things.
*
"I have coffee," Sue offers as she takes a slow step back. "Or water?" They have visitors, she needs to do something. "I can," again she looks towards the staircase, "get Reed if you think he should be here?" Her cheeks puff out with an exhaled breath. "Or…?" she watches David carefully. Her smile tightens. "I assume this isn't just a social call."
*
"No," David says quickly, reaching out to lay a hand on Heather's shoulder. "I want you here for this. So." He gestures at the couch, giving her a chance to sit before he does the same. Then he's nodding towards Sue and clasping his hands in his lap, trying not to look anxious. "…water, I suppose. Thank you. And I will talk to whoever you think I should talk to." He takes a deep breath. Right. Here's a sentence he doesn't say very often.
"I need help."
*
It takes a little bit, but Reed manages to turn up on his own when the knock and conversation breaks through his lab-induced trance, even at a distance. "Heather… David," he greets the clearly unexpected-to-him guests. "…what time is it?" He checks his bare wrist where a watch should be. Did he work through to lunchtime the next day again? Usually someone kicks him out of the lab before he can do that.
"What's going on?"
*
"Of course," Heather says, when David uses those three magical little words. No, not those three. She puts a hand on David's arm and is about to say something more when Reed wanders in. "Not sure yet, but it's good to see you, Reed."
*
Retrieving water turns into an incredibly important task as Seo treads to the kitchen, fills a glass, and silently steps back to the living room. "After eleven," she easily replies to Reed. The glass is set in front of David on the coffee table, and she assumes a seat on the other side in one of the arm chairs.
"We have visitors," she glances towards the arm chair next to her as an invitation for Reed to take a seat.
Her jaw tightens and she leans forward as she watches David carefully.
*
David offers a genuinely apologetic smile towards Reed as Sue tells him the time. "Sorry to come calling so late," he repeats, in english this time, studiously not glancing to Heather. "I wasn't sure where else to go."
He keeps his hands clasped tightly in his lap and forces himself to keep his eyes up, looking between Sue and Reed rather than studying the floor or glass of water. Anything that isn't looking at Heather, really. David purses his lips.
"The short version is, I've been given reason to believe that during my time at Coney Island, I was programmed," David says slowly, trying to keep his voice from sounding too tight. "Auditory triggers. She only mentioned one, but if that one is there, it would imply others. They'd be necessary."
*
Reed waves the apology off, vaguely. "I thought it was—" he considers. "Much later. It's fine." Then he fall silent while David speaks, lips becoming a thin line. His thoughts? "Well. That shouldn't stand." Obviously.
*
"That makes sense, upsetting as it is." Heather isn't perturbed, just thoughtful. "Finding them out is not going to be easy, unless Reed's invented some kind of brain-picker?" She gives Reed a hopeful look and a little smile. "Probably not, so I'm guessing the answers are probably buried somewhere in the records of the work they were doing."
*
Seo's expression flattens at the words. Her dead serious gaze drains of its warmth and her hands fold lightly in her lap as she considers what a trigger might look like. She looks towards Reed, silently willing him to have something she's never heard of, but after a few beats asks, "Do we know any telepaths?" her eyebrows lift. "Barring that," her tongue clucks. "Are they in the files? It's theoretically possible to reprogram them, but we'd have to know all of them," her gaze lands on Reed.
*
"She implied they were documented in the Coney Island files. She's bringing us copies," David reports, finally casting a glance at Heather. "The one she mentioned is the compulsion to return to the closest facility brought on by hearing Brahm's Lullaby. If they put that in here," he notes, lightly tapping his temple as his eyes move back to Reed and Sue, "then there has to be more. Something to keep me from just tearing the place apart once I got there."
*
"No," Reed confirms he does not have an amazing brain-deprogrammer on hand. "I mean, the complexity involved…" he looks thoughtful. "Or rather, scanning the structure wouldn't be the hard part in theory, but interpreting the data… Of ourse, if you had a previous scan so you could assemble a delta… but that doesn't give you content— there's still an interpretation problem. …though you could just wipe the delta back to were it was. But you'd probably lose all the delta memories… Then again… But that's assuming you had a technique for altering brain composition in the first place…"
*
Heather winces at Reed and mutters, "You'd think I'd have learned." She has also learned not to suggest things like using someone programmed to find a secret base to, you know, find a secret base. "I'll go over the files again, and any other evidence we've managed to collect. There's got to be some logic to it — one does not accidentally hear Brahm's Lullaby that often, so they must have intended to trigger it somehow. Otherwise you'd have people wandering off at random. Beyond that, yes, they can be reprogrammed. That has to be dealt with first."
*
"If we have all of the triggers down then," Sue sucks on the inside of her cheek, "well, then we should be able to clear them. I mean," Seo stares at the ceiling. "It's operant conditioning on a subconscious level. There's no reason why we can't trigger it and rewrite it." Her expression sours, "But… it won't be quick. It's possible they put the triggers in by other means, but psych experimentation is slow-moving."
*
David watches as Reed starts thinking out loud, but unlike Heather, he doesn't wince. He just taps his fingertips together and slides his attention to her and Sue, instead. "I'd assume the telepaths," he says quietly. "The girls. Suppose I could always just ask them to take them out," he says in a slightly too-bright voice, casting a thoughtful look up at the ceiling. Something like that, though, would involve trust. And he does not trust those five girls. At all.
Sighing tiredly, David looks down and runs both hands over his face. "She also mentioned another Armory facility — somewhere north of Wyoming, she wasn't certain where. So. There's that, too."
*
Absent of anyone telling him to DEAR GOD PLASE STOP THINKING OUT LOUD, Reed keeps doing so. though down a slightly different track than previous. "In the meantime… well, perhaps we could implement a safeguard. We'd need to… get a brain activity scan— *much* easier— stick David in containment, play the music, see what the brainwaves do. If there's a descrnable pattern— and there should be— we could set up some sort of wearable monitor device to knock him unconscious when the pattern crops up. That should, in theory, disrupt the response state by the time he woke." He thinks. That expression on the end is a big ol' IN THEORY.
*
"I don't think we'll be experimenting on David, thank you," Heather says, as much to David as to anyone else in the room. The look she gives Reed is a little sharp. Tested equipment, yes, she'd trust Reed on that, but not something cobbled together.
"I don't know about letting the girls at your brain again, David, if only because it could be retraumatizing and we've come so far already. They might be willing to share what they know, though? I could talk to them without you." She puts her arm around David protectively. "Until then, we need to be careful not to set anything off." She doesn't know how to do that but she's also not about to leave David potentially vulnerable, either. "Maybe we shouldn't travel."
*
"It's not experimentation, exactly, Heather. It's undoing whatever they did. The problem is, we don't even know the strategy or method used to create these triggers. That means what we'll be doing, if anything, will be, at least somewhat," Seo's tone turns apologetic, "experimental." She cringes slightly.
Following Reed's thought, Sue nods slowly. "Right. That actually could work." An apologetic glance is shot towards Heather, "And it would keep you," her eyes flit towards David, "safe in the interim while we come up with a more permanent solution." She taps on her chin lightly. "Or," her eyes widen, "or barring something to knock him out, maybe something to interrupt them altogether. Waves have their own frequencies, there could be a way to deaden the frequency when it comes up. Like finding the perfect pitch to kill a sound wave. It's definitely possible. It's just a matter of finding the right frequency."
She lifts her hand, "And, while I'm inclined to believe that David," her lips twitch into a tight smile, "may be hard to contain, I'm rather — " her expression turns sheepish " — somewhat gifted in containment." She issues a one shouldered shrug, "I'm not convinced there's a better solution, at least in the short term. Unless you rely on a telepath." She glances towards Reed, "And I definitely don't have one of those in my acquaintance."
*
"'David' is right here," David notes to Reed in a very wry voice, watching him from his spot on the couch with growing wariness. He would very much like the triggers found and removed. Not, you know. Set off. At least Heather's arm around his shoulders is keeping him from full-on 'fight or flight' status. Absently, he reaches up to cover her hand, dropping his eyes to the floor.
"Just… check the files," David says in a quiet, tight voice. "Find out if there actually are any there, first, and what they do. Maybe being aware of them is enough to make them less effective. But I'm not being locked up for a 'maybe.'"
After a pause, he glances sidelong at Heather, looking a little pained. "No, no, you should still go. At least. It's important."
*
"Mmmm? Oh, yes. Sorry." Reed isn't a bedside manner kind of Doctor. That's those medical people. Sometimes. "Just mulling it over. You know, this isn't really my feild of expertise. As for the question of telepaths," he did not miss Sue's glance. "If I know any, they've perhaps correct opted to keep it to themselves. Though I might harbor some private suspicions now that you mention it." Nothing he'd act on. You don't just go asking people if they're telepaths.
*
"Don't worry about me." Heather gives David a smile. "I'll be fine, I always am."
"I've been through the files but I'll go over them again. I certainly wasn't looking for lullabies. Locking you up isn't a good option, but maybe we could find a way to track you so you don't disappear." Heather thinks about it for a moment. "I know that's not ideal for you, though. Will you let me talk to the girls for you?"
*
Sue frowns slightly. "Hopefully there's something in the files. But if there isn't — " her lips purse slightly. "David," she turns to him, "you need to come up with a contingency plan. Of some sort. I mean, no," she directs towards Heather, "you weren't looking for these triggers in the files, but it's possible they're not there. Right?" Her eyebrows lift. "I feel like it's the kind of thing that would've stood out as strange or unusual."
*
"This wouldn't be in the files we have already. She's going to be bringing me copies," David tells Heather, before glancing again towards Reed and Sue. "But the doctors at Coney Island were apparently very meticulous in their documentation, so… that's useful."
David finally leans forward to pick up the glass of water Sue brought for him, managing to keep his hand steady in the process. See, Heather, look how much process he's making. "If you have suggestions for a contingency plan that don't involve never answering a telephone or talking to strangers, I'm all ears," he says tiredly, raising the glass in a salute before having a drink.
*
Reed gives Sue a bit of a sidelong glance. She had a better look at the binder than he did. But instead of asking a question, his eyes go back to David— and Heather. mostly David. "She, files… this sounds familiar. If I may ask?"
*
"A journalist — well, not a journalist by the sound of it — that David knows. Gretchen Steingate, she said, but you know this business. Half the people I know don't remember their given names anymore. She was helping him back at Coney Island but things went sideways before she could return." Heather gives David the smile of a proud mother. "David told me before he left to meet her." He can be taught!
*
"Do you think she's trustworthy?" Sue asks quietly. It might not be the best question to ask, but it's the one that she can't seem to help asking. "These people have access to resources they shouldn't. If she managed to infiltrate them…" she frowns. "I've met quite a few journalists since the Fantastic Four became a thing, but none of them could pull off that level of infiltration…"
*
David is trying to ignore that look on Heather's face. It's difficult. "I've worked with handlers before," he asides to her in a quiet, awkward mumble… and then he's running a hand over his jaw, lips pursed in thought. "Her name's not Gretchen. I don't think it's Natalie either, but even a half-truth is acceptable. Red hair," he tells Reed. "Very competent."
He taps his fingers against his glass of water as he looks to Sue. "There are… degrees of trust," David says slowly. "I don't trust that she is altruistic in her pursuit of the program. Not for a second. But all the information she's given me so far has been accurate."
*
It's the description that catches Reed's attention, though it doesn't seem a surprise. He must have asked for roughly this reason. "A vigilante by the nom de guerre of The Black Widow," he supplies. "When she came looking for an opinion. I passed her along to a more expert opinion from an old colleague. She did not seem at all reticent when I asked to make a duplicate, so I was inclined to take her at face value. With the usual caveats for a total stranger. If there were an ulterior motive, she's very, very good."
*
"What was she after?" Heather fixes a narrow, piercing stare on Reed. "She came to you for an opinion on what? She brought you information? Files?" She's ready to go fetch it herself if Reed takes too much time getting around to it.
*
"That's… concerning. If she's on the inside, she could do, well, whatever she likes. Seems… concerning." Sue's eyebrows lift to punctuate the point. Because they didn't actually touch base about this last they'd discussed the files, Sue's head cants to the side as her eyebrows draw together, "Who did you send her to?" She'd been too distracted at the time to ask the question.
*
David nods once Reed says the word 'vigilante', absently laying a hand against Heather's shoulder. It's meant to be a calming gesture. "That fits with what she's told me. Meeting her where I did… mm." His lips press into a thin line. "If she really is just a journalist moonlighting as a vigilante, it's a waste of her skills."
*
"I gave her a number to contact Dr. MacTaggart," Reed replies to Sue. "And gave her a head's up. Considering she didn't even bring up journalism when she was here and went straight to 'vigilante'?" he doesn't seem to feel a need to finish the thought about journalism as a vocation.
He turns his attention to Heather. "Just making sense of the data. It was a lot of deep genetics and organic chemistry. I got the gist, but a good geneticist can pull a lot more out of what she had than I." He gesture towards Sue. "Or an organic chemist, which is why I kept a copy." He frowns thinly. "Which… I might have some small regrets about." and then promptly holds up his hands in Sue's direction, as if to signal he knows she has opinions on the topic and he's just being honest about it.
*
"There might be something in there, but…" Heather is frustrated — it's just concern without any outlet for action — but she subsides a little. "Can I take a look? I'll see if there's anything we can use. I doubt it but it might. I'll take anything right now. Even if it's just something to do. I have to do something."
*
Seo stares at the coffee table as each says their their piece in turn. She slowly slides off her seat and plucks her wine glass from the coffee table before padding towards the kitchen. Retreating into the wine again seems apt as she brings the red fluid to her lips. She lifts her hand towards Heather, "I made a copy. I'll be right back," and then rather silently, her barefoot steps carry her out of the room.
*
<Thank you, Sue.> David offers her a wan smile. Once she's up and walking away, though, he gives Heather a very patient look, his hand still resting against her shoulder. "This… Heather. This is not something that's going to be fixed overnight," he says quietly. "And I am still willing to go with you in the morning, if — I mean. You should still go, and unless you tell me not to, I'll still come with you."
*
Reed makes a… less than happy face once Sue's off to find the data, watching her go. He remains silent for the moment, letting Heather and David talk amongst themselves for the moment. Maybe he shouldn't have admitted to regrets about keeping a copy to show her. But of course he does after how that all went. By the time she's back, though… he's only got a touch of concern left on his face.
*
"You should stay." Heather is very certain about that. "Where I'm going, it might be close to where they want you, David. They haven't activated you yet here in New York, I don't think they will in the next forty-eight hours. I couldn't help you if they did, either, I'm not foolish enough to think that I could stop you if you were determined to go. If you were… you might not want me in the way."
*
As silently as Sue had left, she returns with those same barefoot paces. Under her arm she carries a red binder that she holds out for Heather. "Please forgive my notes." Her eyebrows draw together tightly. "They're…" her expression turns sheepish and her eyebrows lift as she attempts to find a diplomatic way of phrasing things, "…personal and rather indiscernible." She swallows hard. The expression remains when she looks towards Reed, and that sheepishness seems to spread, so much that her eyes train on the floor. The wine glass in her grasp is given a sharp swirl.
*
That particular observation of Heather's is enough to make some of the color drain from David's face. He doesn't even argue, just swallows hard and nods once. "…no. No, I wouldn't," he agrees quietly, taking his hand back so he can wrap it around his glass of water. He's just gonna. Study his drink, now.
*
Reed gives Sue a tight smile, and after a moment's thought, reaches to pull her into his lap. Company can deal with it, he's not leaving her hanging in the confines of their own home. Support will be had.
*
"Thank you. I won't pay the notes any mind," Heather promises, reaching for the binder. "I'll have them back for you as they are by Monday." When David pulls away from her, she rubs his shoulder gently. She understands, isn't going to make a big deal of it. She's not happy about it either. "We'll get this sorted," she says with a surprising amount of certainty. She doesn't say how, she just seems sure of it.
*
It's easy for Reed to draw Sue into his lap. She balances the bottom of the glass on her leg as her fingers curl tightly around its stem. A few beats pass and she emits a quiet breath. "Heather, when are you flying out?" the conference looms but, "You shouldn't have to go alone." Almost subconsciously, thinking about Heather's situation, she reaches for Reed's hand to interlace her fingers with his.
*
"I'm sure it'll be fine," David says quietly, glancing over to offer Heather a small smile. "And until it is… I'll find a hotel nearby. I can afford it, and you should be able to feel safe in your own apartment." It feels odd to add, "Strictly temporary," to the end, considering that staying with her in the first place is strictly temporary, but he doesn't question the impulse.
David glances across to Sue, but doesn't say anything. Yet.
*
Reed lets Sue have his fingers without a hint of complaint. "We're pretty well ready for the Conference at this point, you could meet us there," he says agreeably. "It's insane, but the boys can get the boxes of things from one place to another— we're actually pretty good at it." so it's up to her and Heather, really.
*
"I do feel safe, David." Heather shakes her head at him. "Still. But I don't want to put you in a position you already know well enough." She's not going to bring things up beyond that. "It's your choice. I will always understand if you need to make it."
"And I'll be fine, Sue. Really. I'd planned to do this on my own anyway. You should stay here. Someone with some common sense needs to look after things." Heather gives Sue a smile. "Also, you were right about being able to contain people. That might be the fallback option if things do go sour. So don't worry about me, there are more important problems than a grown woman taking a flight she's made a dozen times."
*
Sue's eyes flit between the pair and something tugs in her heartstrings. Reed wins a grateful smile and a squeeze of his hand as she nods. "We're heading to a conference this weekend anyways. I won't be able to stay long in Canada, but I can easily join you for your flight tomorrow and still make it in time," her cheeks puff out, "for science duty."
Her tone softens, "You may have taken the flight many times, but you haven't made this trip before. You know that. Let me… let me be there for you. Please. At least for the journey there."
*
"If I can't go with you, at least let her," David says quietly, lightly bumping Heather with his shoulder. "You said yourself, people hold grudges. Even if you don't think you need it, just… indulge me." He raises his eyebrows at her, looking hopeful. "Please."
*
"If it'll make the two of you feel better," Heather says to Sue and David. "I can move our flights up. We can go in the morning, fly back in the evening. And I'll help you set up, Sue. I was planning to go anyway. Mac would have loved to be there. So, if that works for you? It's not exactly a girls' night out but it's a trip away from Central Park. That can't hurt."
*
Heather's plan earns a small nod. "Alright then." Sue gives Reed's hand another squeeze, "We'll leave in the morning, shift things around a bit, and then fly to Austria together." A wry smile is shot towards Reed, "This does mean, you three are going to have to have things relatively sorted by the time Heather and I arrive. While we'll be able to help, in order to ensure everything we have in mind flies, we're going to need set-up started." She manages another flicker of a smile. "And now," she slides off Reed's lap, "I think we all need to call it a night. It's late, and apparently Heather and I will be hopping a flight in the morning."
*
David tries not to look too relieved. He gives Sue a very grateful look as he sets his glass back onto the table and rises to his feet. "Sorry, again, for dropping this on you both so late. I'll let you know if the files Natalie brings me include anything you don't already have," he promises the both of them, gesturing to the binder.
David turns to offer Heather a hand back to her feet. "And I'm sorry I interrupted… whatever I interrupted."
*
Reed squeezes Sue's hand back with a lopsided grin. "I know we occassionally seem hopeless, but don't let 'can't do it without you, Sue' go to your head *too* much. We'll get it done, all the planning is set."
He rubs his nose, eyeing David. "I wouldn't worry about it. Just think, they'll have all that flight time to talk about you."
*
"That's okay. It was a timely interruption. I think it's all worked itself out anyway. But Reed's right. I'm sure we'll find someone to talk about on the way." Heather takes David's hand, lets him pull her to her feet. "Let's let these two get some sleep. Thanks, Sue."
*
Once Heather and David have left the residence, Seo observes to Reed, with a hint of a frown, "This is a mess. It just seems like every time we trail down the bunny hole, it's even more of a mess." Once again reaches for Reed's hand, "But thank you. I think," her eyes narrow slightly, "she needs me." A wry smile tugs her features, "Not like you guys don't, buuuut." She shrugs a single shoulder.
Her teeth toy at her lip as she begins to tread to the bedrooms, "Just, make sure you eat. And please don't encourage Joon to fly." Her lips purse. "And Ben. I think I might have convinced him not to bring the pigeons. But." She cringes. "We don't want to travel with pigeons — "