Gunn parked the truck at the park. He got out and locked the driver side door then went around to help Thorn down, even though she would probably stubbornly refuse him. She wanted to walk, said she couldn't stay cooped up. At least she had been agreeable about bringing him along. Though sometimes she wanted to walk at 3 o'clock in the morning. He humored her in this but always stuck his pistol in the back of his waistband with out telling her. (not all the time at 3am ppl)

Today they were here to walk once again. She'd tried running the other day even though he'd told her no, and she still hurt from that one. She was just so stubborn. He was still jittery but at least he'd quit shaking from withdrawal a couple days ago. He was utterly sober, which sorta sucked for him. No way was he going to drive Thorn around in her truck while he was wasted and she still couldn't handle the truck.

She grinned and of course, did not take his hand for the help down but did indeed let him open the door. (though opening the door herself and letting him help her down probably would have been a better pattern to being stubborn but...). Holding her side she slid out of the seat and hit the ground with a dull thud from the heavy boots. Yep. She's back in boots. With platforms on them to promote her five foot three inches to a whooping five feet four inches. How lovely.

She's actually let him wash her hair now (in the sink of course) so it's not oily and it's in a curly ponytail down her back. She's in blue jeans and a sweatshirt that's possibly twice her size, hung to her knees, and had the Keaton University Logo on it (though she doesn't go to school there...wonder where the shirts form. Hmm...). While he's carrying a gun when she prods him restlessly out the door in ungodly hours, she's now (unbeknownst to him) carrying a gun tucked into her pants at all hours when she leaves the appartment. A little firestar tucked into an inner-pants holster, which is why her sweater falls to her knees to cover it. (she'd had it since she started living alone and just never carried it.)

"Thanks."

He shuts her door and locks it with an exasperated sigh at her stubborness. "Your welcome." he says. He scans the other people at the park as they make their way to the walking area. He likes it when he can convince her to walk here, there are benches, sometimes he can even get her to rest. He's quite thankful he is used to walking everywhere, otherwise he would have walked his good leg off at the whims of Thorn.

Of coarse she is in a hurry today as usual. He wishes that she would learn to pace herself. He limps along with her. At least he's not getting so many stares now in the park, the people who come here routinely are getting used to him limping along with Thorn. He hates it when people notice his limp.

They must look like a pair. The bruises are starting to go away, which is good, only...when bruises start to fade they stop being purple and black and start to turn sickly colors of brown and greenish. She's not yet tried to put make up on to cover it so maybe it's not a big deal to her but other people tend to wonder if she's being beaten.

She almost immediatly took off through the parking lot and through the park gates. She's not complained about her legs for a while, walking seems to replace the amount of running and excersise, taking pain to just a dull ache. As a matter of fact, much of her body isn't hurting anymore. Still sore but not as bad. Now all she's been feeling is in her side. She partly turner her face towards him as she spoke but not her eyes. They were bounding around looking at people.

"Do I look that bad?"

Why? No one seemed to be staring at the moment.

He sighs, " You don't look bad, per se, it's getting better not worse, so hopefully no one beleives I beat you all the time and calls one of those annonymous violence tipster lines." he tells her. He means it to be funny, but then he's sorry he said it, since laughing still hurts her. It'll be a while before her side heals. Which they constantly argue about, she wants to run, he wants her to take to take it easy. She shouldn't be as far along as she is recovery wise but he keeps pumping her injuries with healing magic while she's asleep. That and dealing with her nightmares when he catches them.

"Sorry." he says knowing he's made her laugh and hurt. He kicks some rocks down the path. next will come the what's wrong? from her, it always does come if she thinks he's being broody. He's not though, just down from the drugs and alcohol. He suspects she thinks he was kidding when he mentioned he drank and took too many pills. Some nights it feels like he'll explode when he doesn't go get screwed up, especially the nights when she asks him to go away and leave her alone for a while.

He kicks another rock, this one angrily as a chubby preppy boy stares at them.

She indeed did laugh. But this time she didn't tell him not to make her laugh. This time she didn't tell him it hurt. Because it doesn't hurt to laugh today as it had yesterday. And yesterday it had hurt less to laugh then the day before. And, thinking that her telling him not to make her laugh may be getting old to him, she thinks about how bad it had hurt a week ago and realizes today it isn't that bad. But she rubs her side gingerly.

You don't look bad, per se. She grinned at that part.

"Great. So I look like shit is what your saying." She said it in good humor. She shook her head. Actually, she supressed asking what the matter was when he kicked the rock. She suspected that too was probably going to get on his nerves if said to often. "Chanler suggested that I might want to wear makeup so I didn't scare anyone, in not so kind words, today."

Chanler was her boss, and also happened to be a retired Judge and now a Lawyer. She frowned when he kicked the rock more violently and asked before she could stop herself.

"Whats the matter?"

"Little shit keeps staring. I'm gonna count to three and then we can both stare back." Gunn says irritated. "1.......2........3!" and they stare. The kid looks away and hurries off, much like a dog that's been scolded.

"What exactly to the prince of pricks say to you today?" Gunn asks, the prince of pricks being his pet name for her boss, other favorite are legal lardass, and judge jerk-off. Chanler was on the list of things that Gunn was pissed off about on Thorn's behalf. It was a list he kept in his head.

"And you don't look like shit, it's more noticable because you're pretty, I promise beat up ugly girls don't get stared at half as much." he tells her

They stared. She would have if he hadn't said anything, though, she was sure it was half as intimidating as it would have been if she'd been unbruised and wearing her usual style of clothing. But they got the point across. When he ran off she spared a side-glance at him. "Feel better?" Smile.

She frowned at the use of the nickname. She always did. After all, she was so used to just bearing Chanler's bullshit that calling him a prince of prick was rather a new thing, and so far, she'd not decided if she liked it. She was sure one day she'd be so used to hearing it that she might slip at work and call him that to his face. That wouldn't do.

"He thinks I scare the clients. That a law firm shouldn't let their people come to work looking like that and the only reason he let me at all was because Perrie likes me and wanted me back to work."

Perrie was the judges wife, also co-owner to the firm. Chanler didn't like Thorn, the feeling was mutual. But Perrie adored Thorn and wouldn't allow Chanler to fire her. Thorn thought Perrie to be a very classy lady, if a little motherly for her tastes.

"Bullshit, it's not like they know you, you're not that damn intimidating."He does smile though, "He wants you to wear make up.....It's so tempting to just paint you up like something out of a Kiss or Gwar concert and see how the clients feel then." Gunn does have a sense of humor. She'd never let him do it, but he still finds the mental image funny.

"Who's turn is it to cook tonight anyway?" he asks her, he asks everyday because a couple times it has actually been his turn. She'll let him heat up leftovers.

They are walking along under the trees now and no one else is on this side of the park right now. This suits Gunn fine, no one to stare at them.

This suits Thorn just fine. No one to watch out for. But for some reason, her eyes still bound around the trees, searching...? For what? She can't help it. She's scared to be alone now. Because if she'd not been alone that night, she wouldn't have been attacked (or maybe not anyways). And she's afraid to be with people other then Gunn, and probably Irving but she's not happened by him since Gunn's mostly kept her home. Anyone could be dangerous if a little boy can be.

"Suuuure. I doubt even Perrie would settle for that one," she replied sarcastically. She crossed her arms as they walked to keep herself from adjusting her pants. It doesn't matter how comfortable advertisment claims they are, holsters of any sort are not comfortable.

"Mine. I don't want pasta again." It's what she cooked two nights ago and he's heated up since then. "Can we go to the store before we go..to my house. I want to get some rice to go with Stir fry." As healthy as she is physically, as much healthy food she eats, she can't stay away from stir fry...so fattening, so yummy.

"Yeah, we can go to the store." he tells her, he needs some razor blades anyway." He's been watching her look around. He knew she was still spooked. He didn't blame her one bit. "Rice, how is that really any different from pasta?" he asked her, he was not serious, he rarely was in conversations with her. Fankly he was afraid to be. He wondeered sometimes if she had any good memories.

They walked closer to a bench. "Gotta stop for a few. I'm sorry." he pleaded. Damn ghost limb." he cursed to himself.

Stir fry sounded good to him, but he'd eat nearly anything, especially if it got cooked anyplace with out a drive through or a slurpee machine.

She wouldn't sit with him this time. Once he sat he realized, he should have been able to predict that. The bench faced the park and away from the trees. She stood opposite him scanning the treeline. I'm such a dumbass, can't sit long. he thought.

"It's different because I'm tired of Pasta and want Rice." She smiled. He'd be suprised as to whether she had happy memories or not. "Sure." She didn't sit, not because she wanted to keep walking. That would have been rude and seemed like she was hoovering. And usually she doesn't care about being rude but seeing as he helped her so much and she actually doesn't mind his pressance, she doesn't want to be rude. She didn't sit because the gun already dug into her stomach, and the bottom of the now scabbed over 'Y' wound on her stomach, it would only ride higher and dig harder if she sat.

So instead of sitting, she put one knee on the bench, leaning on that knee. She's feeling better, being able to walk. She'd been getting antsy. At work all she did was sit at that stupid desk. She'd been digging for excuses through out the day to stand up and walk over to the file cabnit. That was sad.

She touched her face. Pretty he said. 'Sickly' Chanler had said. 'Disgusting' he'd whispered so Perrie couldn't hear.

"Perrie asked me if I went to the hospital." She was looking over the tree line still. "If someone calls asking, say yes?" It was a question. She'd said if someone called, let the machine pick up. She threatened him while holding a knife and a head of lettuce that if it was her parents he would not answer, anyone else and she didn't care (since really no one else called). So far, they'd not called again.

He made a smug face at her,"You want I'll write you a note for teacher." he said with a grin. He'd behave if anyone from work called, he knew she needed the money. Even though he did think her boss was probably one of those creepy older guys, who was a dick to his female employees cause he knew he could never have them. Gunn can be so judgemental at times.

He stood up. He was tired but didn't say anything. He could tell she was still restless. "You ready?" he asked her.

She smiled but said "Just play nice with the children huh?" Ready? Her? Of course. "Not yet." He was tired. He'd deny it. She knew that about him by now. So she stayed there, one knee on the bench, her eyes darting over the treeline. She sighed and turned them to him finally.

"Just don't be mean to Perrie about Chanler please. She's the only reason I have that job still." She actually sounded a little worried. She knew Gunn would be nice to Perrie, she didn't know him well enough to be sure he'd keep his mouth shut about Chanler yet. "They should have got rid of me a long time ago, would have if it wasn't for her." She smiled a little slyly then. "I'm a little too disrespectful to him for a normal boss' taste."

"Why don't you look for sonmething else, surely you're qualified to be a secretary someplace else.....You seem like you don't like it that much, and you're perpetually worried, that you're going to get the boot. Which also worries him. I'll start circling classifieds if you want." He's not completely serious but he knows she's not entirely happy with her job.

"I'm hungry, let's finish walking so we can go eat." he says to her. It's true, his stomach makes roiling noises that confirm it.

"And I won't say anything stupid to your bosses wife. Okay." he reassured her.

"Nah. I just bitch about him. I give him as hard a time as he gives me. It's just..." She sighed and trailed off. Gunn didn't need another thing to worry about her. She's just full of problems. Since she'd gone back, both of her bosses had hinted somehow that they suspected she was living with a boyfriend who was beating her, just as Gunn was worried people thought he was. She hadn't told them what had really happened. Not embarassment, just didn't want to think about it. Instead she sighed twice and said: "He quite asking me to bring him his coffee over six months ago." She attempted a half-hearted evil grin.

"We don't have to finish," suddenly she just felt like going home and cooking. "Lets go." She brought her knee off the bench, uncrossed her arms, and turned back the way they'd come.

He was happy to follow her back to the truck. He only laughed half heartedly at her joke about the coffee. He kept up with her brisk pace back to the truck, made him sore, he wondered if he'd be able to keep up with her once she was fully recovered. He wondered sometimes if she'd even want him around once she was. Even though he hadn't hurt her, he knew he must present a reminder about what had been done to her.

He managed to out stride her just enough to get to the truck and open her door for her. He was silent while he took her to the store.

Actually, he hadn't hurt her in one bit and she'd never have turned someone away once they weeded through her barriers and arguments and her rude comments. If someone could stand her through all that then they've gained her respect. But she spent a lot of her time hurting because she was trying not to get used to him. She was afraid still that he'd leave. Like everyone else (even though he'd made it clear he wasn't like everyone else) and now that she's got respect for him, and actually realized she likes a human being around to talk too, she knows it'll hurt twice as bad when he does walk away like everyone else.

But currently, she's not thinking about that. He opens the door and she smiles again, trying not to. With a little struggle she climbed into the seat. She let him have his silence on the way to the store but once there resumed talking about random things. Her day at work, how boring, except that the Mr. Baker came back in today, how unfortunate that he was in a custody battle.

Mostly she was trying to fill in the silence. Silence alone was alright but if she's going to have someone to talk to, she's going to talk. She didn't talk ones ear off but rather idely chattered about nothing important.

"D'you want anything while we're here?" She walked into the section he'd find his razor blades at. Nope. She'd not forgotten.

While in the store he got razor blades and a box of donuts. He was eating her food anyway, he wasn't going to buy more food, it was hard to eat all the leftovers sometimes, no need to buy more that might go to waste. It was hard to eat the leftovers, because she seemed to want to cook every night, he also suspected she was still trying to gauge just exactly how much he ate.

He was edgy in the grocery store, the stares of people and the occaisonal whispering and pointing pissed him off. Sure all these assholes noticed her walking around with him all bruised up and assumed he did it, but it really pissed him off that no one noticed while it happened.

He still didn't talk much in the store. Mostly he listened to her. He had a headache, which was probably from being hungry.

She noticed people staring, narrowed her eyes a few times. Got only one woman to look away ashamed and then look back again when she stopped glaring. It bothered her. Why did it bother her so much? Maybe it was that usually people went out of their way not to stare at her when she glared. Maybe it was because she knew Gunn hadn't done anything and they should know too (completly irrational but true all the same) or maybe it was, just as Gunn was thinking, no one had helped her while it happened but it was ok to stare and suspect when nothing was happening.

"You know, I hyperventilated a few weeks ago when i was running, completly my fault. I knew I shouldn't have been running in that state or that heat but I did. Anyways. I hyperventilated and only one kid stopped to help and he didn't have a clue what he should be doing. I ended up taking care of my self while he sat their and bitched at people walking by." She said this because she knew that he'd been thinking the same thing. "Is it just me? Or are people like that to everyone?" She knew the answer, she was venting anger and putting it to better use then arguing. Wow! She's learning!

She marshed off to pay.

"I dunno any more.....I really don't." he answered softly. He knew he'd lived places where things like that just didn't go on, but that was also when he was still a kid. Maybe the whole world had stopped caring about anyone....He didn't know.

He walked at a leisurely pace to get to the check out. By the time he got there Thorn was paying. He was begining to suspect more and more that he would not be able to keep up with her once she was well.

He thought about what she said, hypervehilating, and one kid stopped.....and no one stopped at all while she got raped, beaten and mutilated. He figured statistically that meant one person in the grocery store didn't believe he beat the crap out of her.

He was glad they were leaving now.

She slowed her walk through the parking lot when she realized he'd finally gotten to her when she was already paying. She was doing it again. Racing the clock even though she had no where to be. She wasn't usually so pacey, it was probably because he wouldn't let her run at morning and night. If she can't run she'd walk as fast as she could. Sad. It's a suprise she's not broken her ankle in those boots.

She moved to lift the groceries into the bed of the truck but when she lifted her arms pain jumped up her entire left side. She did possibly the smartest thing she could have done and didn't lower the bag quickly, making more pain but let go of it. It fell and the contents spilled out, lucky there was no glass. She kept her arms up though, eyes squeezed shut.

She did not cry in pain or swear like normal. Instead: "Ididn'tmeanto." She said it fast, before he could yell at her for being stupid and tell her to take it easy.

He doesn't yell at her.....he just talks like a drill seargeant sometimes, almost the same thing.

He frowned. "I know." he said. Thankfully there actually wasn't anyone in the parking lot to stare. He picked up what she dropped and emptied the cart into the truck. She stood there slowly lowering her arms and wincing.

He knew she'd done it with out thinking, putting groceries in the truck, such a normal undemanding task, she hadn't given it any thought. It was a big truck though. He walked her around and unlocked and opened her door. "You okay?" he asked her.

"no but I will be," she replied, feeling stupid and angry again. She climbed into the truck muttering something about 'stupid truck, why'd I have to want such a big truck,' like it was the truck's fault but she knew it wasn't.

She waited until he'd shut his door and was walking around the truck to yank up her shirt, exposing the butt of the gun over her waist line, and the bandages. The gun's rubbing had made the lower part of the 'Y' under her belly button bleed again but thankfully her stupidity didn't break open the wound in her side. She frowned and pulled the sweater down over the gun and pulled her seat belt on.

She sat slouched in the seat, feet on the dashboard, brooding all the way to the apartment for being stupid. It wouldn't suprise me, though it might shock her and Gunn, if a little rain cloud followed them.

"You've made any progress looking for Viv?" She remembered he'd called her Vivian rather then Katie once...'Is Rose running from somthing like Viv is?' She was angry still about that. Not at him but because she was careless and he found out.

"Nope." he said. Nothing she had to be somewhere.....he had a gut feeling about her. He also knew she was keeping it low key where ever she was. She had no clue Mac was dead. So she ws still hiding. One thing he had learned, His sister was good at hiding, from people, from magic, from herself....He stared at the streets while he drove. Was she somewhere giving some one the beat down in one of these alleys?

He was glad when they got to the apartment he was tired hungry and preoccupied. Sleep might be just the thing. Unless of coarse he got sent out for a while. If he did he'd do what he'd done last night and drive around looking for Viv, and a half a face he'd etched into his memory with magic.

"I'm sorry." She sounded sorry.

As for that drawing, he may or may not have found the ashes to that half-sketch in the kitchen sink when he'd come back that night. She had not been a happy camper.

By the time they'd gotten back to the apartment most of the ache had gone away and she waited for Gunn to hand her bags of groceries to carry up rather then reach up again to get them herself. Though, she strongly suspected he was giving her the lighter bags. Not that she was complaining. Right now anyways, normally she would have.

In the apartment she put the bags on the counter and went to the bedroom, closing the door. Whenever she even stepped in there she'd close the door. This room off limits. She was willing to share her home openly but her room was her's. Not greedily, just feeling secure. She removed the gun and holster and shoved it under her pillows, then came back out and began putting groceries away and bringing out a skillet to start dinner.

"I'm bleeding again." She said it almost idely. It's because the one she was bleeding at, the stomach, she wasn't so worried about, since he seemed less worried about it.

She went in the room. That's how he thought of it, "The Room" he hadn't been in there since the first night he'd brought her back to the house. He wouldn't mess with "The room" it was simply an unspoken thing. He didn't even like knocking on her door truth be told.

She came out and was helping him put things away. "I'm bleeding again." She said to him.

"Show me." he said, hoping she didn't hurt herself tearing around like a maniac. He didn't say that, but he knew he was very fit, and she was running him ragged. Of coarse he's not thinking about how much his magic is running him down.

Not to mention worrying about people can be exhausting in and of itself. He was worried about two at the moment.

She turned around and leaned her butt/lower back (since she was so short) against the counter and lifted her sweater just enough to show only the bleeding part where the gun butt had rubbed the bandages, causing them to rub the cuts. This seemed to be becoming a routine for them, her showing juuuust enough to get by without being yelled at. She was finding herself more and more comfortable.

She'd realized the reason she'd been so embarassed and uncomfortable showing her belly to him so often had been only because she was still feeling violated. After all, she used to wear belly shirts to show off her flat belly. After the first night she'd removed the belly ring, now it was closing and that was still a sour point for her.

The bottom of that long cut down her torso had bled through the bandage (since it'd been bleeding before they'd gotten to the store even but she wasn't going to say that) but wasn't much more then the scabs had been pulled open. She groaned.

"look. My holes closeing up." She groaned again, this time with a small smile. "And if you don't let me run soon I'm going to get fat. Look. I'm already working on it." She laughed lightly, enough not to hurt her side too much.

"Yeah sure, you might get as fat as my phoney leg." he told her as he doctored the stomach, again, what the hell did she keep doing to her stomach he wondered." The side okay?" he asked while he changed the bandage on her stomach.

"Aw the poor little hole. Just get it pierced again later." he said finishing up. He looked up at her for a minute when he was done. She was teasing and laughing with him. Her face did look bad....those bruises stood out, for exactly the reason he told her.....she was pretty and they marred that. Just a little more magic so her prick boss will shut up about the make up. he told himself while he stood there staring at her for longer than he meant to. When he realized how long he had and that she hadn't tried to get him to back off, he said nothing. He just walked off to put the bandages and ointment away.

"Yeah it's alright." She answered his question, fingers automatically going to the spot for some reason, "I might," she said in a thoughtful voice about her belly button. "I was told once that it cost more to pierce over scar tissue, though. I hope it doesn't actually scar." Probably would. Nothing can be cut that deeply and not scar at all. She knew this, but it was worth saying outloud that she hoped it didn't.

She was smileing. And he was staring. The smile fadded slowly and she looked away quickly and back quickly, fidgeted with hem of her pants. Didn't say anything. Wasn't sure what to say. She smiled again and he walked away. She breathed again. That was awkward.

"Thanks." She turned around and turned a burner on and took out what she would need. "what do you think of Belly button piercings?"

Why did she ask that outloud?

Why in the world is she asking me this? he asks himself. "No, I don't think I should go get one Thorn. I get enough wierd looks with six earrings. Those look better on girls." he said trying to play off the question.

He set the table. He was going to forget that had just happened.....too wierd. He was tired hungry and not thinking straight. Though he kept glancing up at her while she stood facing the stove.

She laughed again, again just a little pain up through her side, but hardly enough to complain. "No. I don't think you could pull it off either." She smiled at the stove. Why had she gotten it in the first place? five years ago she'd thought they were rediculous and senseless. Oh yes, because he brother was suposed to have been watching her that night and she'd done it to piss him off and get him in trouble. She'd just grown sort of fond of having it there since only one of her ears was pierced and she didn't wear earings. What a brat.

When she was through cooking she turned the stove off and found a big metal bowl to put the stir fry in, a smaller bowl for the rice and took it to the table. She wrinkled her nose when the table wobbled.

"Help yourself." Didn't sit. She went to the kitchen and came back with a deck of cards in her hand and stuffed a few more under the leg. "I'm going to by a new table. I just havn't got around to it yet. Figured I never used it so what was the point." Until she'd gotten a friend, since then her and Gunn had sat at the table nearly every night. She sat down, tossing the little box of cards to the sofa.

He portioned the food onto the plate. He couldn't really think of much to say. He ate figuring that she'd ramble at him some more, he never knew what the topic of conversation would be with her. He thought about what he was going to do the next day......job hunt.....cab company was not an option right now, he could not work twelve hout shifts and still keep up with Thorn and try to look for Viv. He pushed the food around a lot before he finally ate it all. Too much on his mind. "Sorry I'm not much company tongiht." he told her sheepishly.

She watched him push the food around for a moment, frowned down at her own plate and wondered if she'd messed up again. See, Thorn's a good enough cook but when she messes up it's a big screw up. She almost feared taking a bite but finally did. Nope, Gunn's still lucky enough to have not caught one of her mistakes yet. She ate and let the silence fall.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "It's alright. I don't mind." She's used to it. She's not, however, used to being able to ask, "What's on your mind?"

"Everything, gets that way, just tired, so my mind wants to try to solve the worlds problems all at once, before I go to sleep. Just happens sometimes. My sister beats people up, for loan sharks, drug dealers, she goes and messes up the people who can't pay them. Makes them examples. She's completely fucked in the head. I need to find her and hope her knowing that Mac is dead and not looking for her.....I need to help her if I can find her." It all jumbled out at once, he couldn't stop it.

She stared at him.

That's all she could do for a moment, and do you blame the girl? Only a week ago he'd said she was running just like his sister. She'd thought he meant literally just like. She wasn't doing any of those things so it suprised her. Now we know why he didn't want her to approach Viv if she happened by her.

She recovered from her suprise by blinking several times and putting her fork down. Taking a drink of water provided her a moment to gather her thoughts back around her.

"Well...." That's terrible. But Thorn avoids showing anyone pitty so she doesn't say so. "Then we'll just have to look harder right? Is...that why you drink?" To get rid of the stress? "And take the pills?" To sleep? Or to forget for a while? Yes, unlike he thought, she believed him more then he thought she did. She didn't sound happy when she said it, though she avoided telling him she thought it was stupid.

"Just got hooked, had me on so many drugs when the leg went.....and I was so bitter over it. I just didn't stop. Wasn't any reason to. Though if I find her she will kick my ass for it. She won't even drink caffiene, she's obsessive about remaining in control of her mind and body. She wasn't always like that. Every time she thought she was safe and she'd get close to anyone, Mac would find a way to make them dead. It was to show her she couldn't get away. So she's pretty screwed up now. Finding all this out didn't make me wanna stop. My brother won't talk to any of us, not anyone in the family. My mom, well I only heard from her when she wanted something , or to rub something in. So I haven't contacted her in over a year.....she'd just drive me to drink more if I did." more came rushing out, he didn't want it too, but it was like a dam had been opened and here came the flood.

She frowned, her lips apart just a little, her eyes saddened by this news. It wasn't the part about his brother not talking to any of them, it wasn't the part that his mom would drive him to drink more, it wasn't that he'd been so bitter about his leg that he'd gotten into the drugs. What saddened her was his sister. It made her want to hug the girl, though she's sure after what he'd just said about her, she'd get a hand torn off for that.

"poor..." Poor girl. No pity. People hate pity so she stopped herself. She'd thought her life was bad, at least her father had never killed someone she got close to. She'd never been close to anyone, but he wouldn't have. She resolved in her mind that she'd help find his sister, not just keep an eye out but she'd look for her. Hearing that about his sister hurt her, struck something personal, though their stories were quite different. Maybe it was the mutual running.

"Have you ever tried to stop?" The drugs that is. Drinking scared her. She'd been afraid when she invited him to stay that he might get drunk. He hadn't. Lucky him. Yes lucky him. She'd have either beat the hell out of him, even if it meant tearing herself up, or locked him in the bathroom for the night and made him leave the next morning. Drinking was just out. Period. More then entering 'The Room' was.

Gunn isn't stupid, he's smart enough to know this in the back of his mind, so it's not quite luck, rather a matter of knowing when he shouldn't push it. He's saddest for Viv too. He never had any one killed just to send him a message. Sometimes he thought Mac had laft him alone counting on him to feel guilty.....he didn't know. In fact he didn't want to understand how Mac's mind had worked, Mac was a sick man.

He answered wihtout even lookng up....."Every time I try it's like an avalanche of more bullshit smacks into me.....tried to get help in the service cause I knew I was hooked on my scripts and they kicked me out. Went to this re-hab place in Mexico, found out about Viv......it just never stopped and so I didn't either."

She watched him, didn't look at the table or look away. This was somthing she didn't want to know but she was going to ask anyways. "You've......not been doing it here have you?"

It's all she needs, to have spent so much time and money on this place to have the land lord find out someone was doing drugs here and evict her. She immediatly regreted the question and shook her head, put her fork on her plate from the table.

"Never mind." Forget it. She didn't want to know anyways. She finally had the decancy to drop her eyes to her plate and off of him. "You sound tired." Change the subject, of course, truthfully, he did sound tired. She picked up her plate, took it to the kitchen, came back and sat down. She'd not eaten much but suddenly it just didn't seem right.