The Not Knowing is What Gets You: Part 2

by Alystraea

 

 


"Flight 815 from Chicago now unloading at Terminal 7."

Rahne was more than exhausted. The four different flights that she had been on in the past two days had wiped her out. She wasn't sure which was worse the waiting at the airports or the actual flights. She had thought about calling the mansion during her five hour lay-over in New York, but had decided against it after she had dialed half the number. She wasn't sure what she would have said to Kurt or even Kitty. She wasn't sure if they'd have time for her. Anyway, she was glad that she had finally made it to San Francisco. She hadn't been too keen on the idea when Sam first suggested it, but Moira had finally convinced her.


last week...

Rahne entered the kitchen as she pulled her hair back in to a tighter pony tail. It had come loose during her morning jog. With her heightened sense of smell she detected Moira's coffee before she saw her mother actually pouring herself a cup.

"Oh Hello Rahne," Moira smiled affectionately at her.

"Is there any orange juice left?" Rahne asked as she poked her noise into the fridge.

"I think so."

Rahne went about pouring herself a glass and glanced at the mail that was scattered across the table. It still amazed her that they actually got snail mail at this high tech research facility. Well it still came only every two weeks by boat.

"I've been thinking..." Rahne glanced up at Moira, who was leaning against the kitchen counter gently blowing at her steaming coffee, "that you really should take Sam up on his offer and go out tae see yuir friends in the states."

"No," Rahne said a little too softly, "I don't think I'm going tae."

"And, why not?"

"Well, it is an awfully long way and well... I'd be gone for a while and besides ye need me here."

"Rahne girl, yuir not doing me any good while yuir moping about the place," Moira leaned forward waving her coffee cup about so that the dark liquid seemed ready to tip right over the edge. "I know ye hav'na been happy lately and I don't blame ye, this is na exactly the kinda place a young girl wants to spend all of her time."

"That's nae true!" Rahne protested, "I love it here, this is the only true home I've ever had. Besides I canna go traipsing all over the world when I should be here doing all that I can to help ye."

"You'd help me more by going out and enjoying yuirself," Moira pointed her coffee cup at Rahne, the coffee seeming to almost all shoot up in a straight line. Rahne was sure that it was going to plummet to the floor this time. "I feel bad that yuir all cooped up in this place with no one to keep ye company but me and Doug. Ye need to live yuir own life Rahne. Ye have to enjoy life while yuir still young and able."

"But..." how could she just run off and leave her mother like that?

"Now no buts about it lassie!" Moira was really shaking that coffee cup now, so that it seemed to almost surge over the edges with every tiny jerk. "I'm sick and tired of seeing ye so depressed. Yuir not going to get any...." Rahne couldn't believe it. As Moira became more passionate in her sermon about living life to the fullest, her arm movements got more exaggerated. The coffee seemed to rise and fall in massive waves that resembled the worst storms Rahne had seen around their island. It seemed to tip and slosh like there was a tempest raging around it, and there was one, Moira. Yet with all this torrent of motion, the coffee politely remained in its cup. Not a single drop fell to the tiled floor.

"Rahne are ye even listening to me?"

"Yes," her gaze immediately snapping to her Mother's face. "Well if ye feel like that... then I think I'll go Mummy."

"Ack my wee bairn," Moira gently put her arms around her daughter and in doing so tipped her coffee cup over. Rahne tried not to laugh as the dark puddle seeped across the floor, yet she had to remind herself that the steam raising up from it was just because the coffee was hot. Or at least she hoped so.


Still Rahne almost wished she hadn't come, but Douglock was on Muir Island to make sure that nothing would happen and she wouldn't be gone that long. Besides she needed some sunshine. She glanced around trying to find her way to the luggage carousels.

"Rahne! Rahne over here!"

Turning around she couldn't help but smile as she saw two of her closest friends in the world.

"Sam, Dani!" She waved back at them and rushed over to them, giving them both big hugs. "Ack, its so good tae see you!"

"How was your flight?" Dani asked her.

"Long, but I'm so glad I came," Rahne couldn't help but smile.

"See you should listen to me more often," Sam joked putting his arm around Rahne's shoulders. "Where's your luggage?"

"This way, I think."

They slowly made their way through the crowded airport.

"Where are the others?" Rahne asked casually.

"Well Bobby and Tabitha were going to come along to but..." Dani rolled her eyes.

"Let's say they got drafted into the clean up crew," Sam smirked.


Earlier that Morning...

Sam rushed out of bed with the sudden realization that he had overslept. He had so much to do today. He had to take the car in to the garage because someone had forgotten to get the oil changed, make an appointment with the plumbers since their hot water had vanished, and get to the grocery store, all before picking Rahne up at two from the airport. At least that was all he thought he had to do. Something else was sure to pop up to cause some trouble. He threw on the first clean clothes he could find and ran out of the bedroom he shared with Bobby and James. Flipping through his wallet to see how much cash he had on him, he paused as he spied the main room of their warehouse.

To say that it was a mess was an understatement. The laundry seemed to have overflowed from the small closet they had just converted into the laundry room to invade almost every section of the house. There was a tower of soda cans next to a landslide of pizza boxes. Old magazines and newspapers were strewn about in odd places. Paint cans and two by fours seemed to have just been left in the middle of the floor and it seemed that every square inch of the place was covered in something it shouldn't be. He felt the floor drop out from underneath him. And Rahne would be in here in just two hours!

"Great!" he exclaimed throwing his hands up.

"Sam?" Tabitha's head appeared above the back of the sofa. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Early!!" Sam shouted, "Its noon and look at this place." He gestured wildly. This was not good.

"What's all the noise about?" came Bobby voice from the sofa. His head appeared by Tabitha's. They must have fallen asleep on the sofa. Sam tried not to glare at them. It was hard though.

"Rahne's gonna be here in no time at all," Sam rushed over to grab a box of garbage bags.

"Is she coming today?" Bobby asked rubbing his eyes.

"Yes today," Sam glanced around where to start.

Tabitha let out a groan and fell backwards, "Tell her to come out next week sometime."

"I can't believe you two," Sam said disgusted, "Rahne is one of our closest friends and you act like you don't even care that she's flying all the way from Scotland to see us."

"Calm down Sam," Bobby started to get up.

"Just get this place cleaned up before I get back," Sam tossed the garbage bags at Bobby and stormed out. He almost ran over Dani as she walked from the car.

"Oh good Sam," she smiled, "I just took got back from the garage, the car's fine... but you're not. What's wrong?"

"Let's just say that Bobby and Tabitha are going to have fun cleaning that place up."


"SO this is where ye live?" Rahne commented as they pulled up to the warehouse.

"Yeah, it looks a little rough from the outside, but it's not that bad, really." Dani said as she got out of the car.

"We've been doing a lot of renovations. Here let me get that for you," Sam grabbed Rahne's suitcase for her, "It should be half livable soon."

"Well at least it's warm here," Rahne glanced up at the sky blocking the sun from her eyes with her hands, "I can see why ye decided to stay out here."

"Well it was mostly Bobby's idea, but it was one of his better one I have to admit," Dani said as she put her hand on the doorknob. She paused and glanced over at Sam. He shrugged though he looked a little worried. Rahne stared at her friends slightly confused. Dani sighed and opened the door.

"Wow, this is nice," Rahne said as she entered the building, taking it all in.

"Yeah, its very..." Sam was carefully spying everything as though he was intently looking for something.

"Clean," Dani finished for him, the astonishment clear in her voice.

"Here already," Bobby and Tabitha suddenly popped up from the sofa.

"It seems like you guys had just left for the airport," Tabitha was kicking something under the sofa. It looked like a pizza box.

"My flight came in a little early," Rahne said, "Where can I put my stuff?"

"I'll show you," Dani said, "I hope you don't mind being a little cramped. For all the space, this place was remarkably void of living quarters. We're working on that now."

"Oh, I don't mind," Rahne laughed as she followed Dani to the bedroom.

"I have to say I am impressed, you two," Sam told them, "This place is spotless."

"Did you doubt us?" Bobby asked with mock hurt, though he discretely shoved a pair of boxers under the sofa cushion.

"We had this place done in plenty of time," Tabitha moving her arm to block Bobby a little more.

"Uh huh," Sam eyed them suspiciously, "Where are Terry and James?"
"They went out to do that grocery shopping," Tabitha said, "They should be back any time now."

"Good," Sam breathed a sigh of relief, but smiled as Rahne and Dani came back.

"So how's Moira doing?" Bobby asked as he and Tabitha sat back down on the sofa.

"She's well actually all things considered," Rahne sat down in a recliner by the sofa. She felt something hard. Was that a soda can shoved behind the cushion? "She's been keeping her spirits up."

"Do you want anything to drink Rahne?" Dani called from the kitchen area.

"No, I'm fine thank ye," Rahne leaned forward a little bit.

They talked quietly amongst them selves, just catching up. Rahne felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Maybe Lady Moira had been right, that she really did need to be here with her friends for awhile. After about an half an hour, the door opened.

"Hey can we get some help here?" James said as he struggled with several bags of grocery. Sam jumped up to help him.

"Hi Rahne," Theresa said as she came in with her own bags of grocery, "I was hoping we'd beat ye here."

"That's all right," Rahne stood, "Let me help ye."

"Nope," Tabitha stood and barred her pathway, "You're the guest. Let us do all the boorish manual labor."

Rahne sat back down. She felt a little out of place as she watched her friends. This was their home, not hers. How did she even know if they really wanted her here? She chided herself for being so foolish.

"Actually I'm glad yer here Rahne," Theresa said as she dug around in one of the bags, "I hope yer not tired, 'cause we have flyers for this new club, it's one of those swing dance places. We thought maybe ye'd like to go."

"Sure," Rahne said a little unsure, "It sounds like fun."

"I bought one of those learn how to swing dance tapes a while back, I wonder what I did with it." Theresa muttered as she walked over to one of the closets. "I think I put it in here."

"Terry! No!" Bobby shouted as she opened the door only to have a mountain of dirty clothes unceremoniously dumped on her head.

To Be Continued...


Part 3

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