paradisalogs | IT'S A BABY-BONANZA!

[Tim on the other hand, is properly dressed for the pool. He has a pair of red swim shorts on and a tank top. Moves over to join the two of them, sighing to himself. Why do these things keep happening?]

I'm sorry things got so heated earlier.

[The apology is nice, but it doesn't exactly soothe her. She sits on the bench on the side of the pool, where she can keep a hold on Jack as he plays in the water between her feet. She keeps her eyes on him rather than Tim as she talks.]

You don't get to throw Lucrezia in my face like that. Ever. She was a big part of my life here, and even if she's totally disregarded me and went crazy and tried to kill me, that doesn't mean you get to bring her up like that. She was my best friend, at one time. You don't get to use her as an example. That doesn't make a point, that just hurts my feelings and I really, really don't appreciate that.

[She feels her throat tighten at the end, but she's not going to cry anymore. She's too stubborn.

She doesn't even know what to say about the Ezio matter. They never get anywhere with that.]

[Sits in the water, also keeping his eyes on Jack while he listens to her. He wishes Cass and Steph could see things from his perspective. Getting into arguments and making it about them isn't working, he needs to try and get to the heart of the matter.]

It's different for you than it is for me. [His voice softens as he speaks to her and he looks at his reflection in the water.]

I can't make compromises, because if I do, there's no going back for me. If I start to say "it's okay in this instance...", if I start making allowances, then I don't know where I'll stop. Before coming here, I came so close to killing Captain Boomerang. I thought I'd gotten past the rage, but I only fooled myself. I'd only suppressed it. Even now, it's still there. I still think about killing him.

[Clenches his jaws as some of that very anger surges through him.] I crossed the line once and barely came back from it. If I cross it again, there's no coming back from it.

I'm not asking you to cross any lines, Tim. I never would, and I wouldn't let you. I'm not asking you to be friends with Ezio. You tolerate him, and I know that takes a lot for you. But you don't trust me, or my judgement. You don't think I'm capable of keeping a baby safe.

That says a lot, Tim.

You're not listening, Steph.

[Shakes his head, continuing to stare down at his reflection in the wonder. Except this time he sees his father's body instead of his reflection. The ripples in the water remind him of the ripples in the puddle of blood by his father's body.]

I haven't always been honest with myself. Whenever I hear Cass and you justify Ezio's behavior, I always told myself I don't agree with it because of what happened with Jason. What he did when I gave him a chance, and what happened with my father. But it's more than that.

If the two of you, the people I love the most are okay with killing with a purpose, then what's to stop me from killing Harkness if he ever comes here? If you trust Ezio with Jack, then I'm sure you'll forgive me. Ezio and Jason's perspectives aren't that hard to buy into.

No, you're not listening. I've never, ever said I was okay with killing with a purpose. That's what you think, though. Ezio understands what my stance is on that, and he's never pressured me to "join his side" or anything.

And I'm pretty sure if Cass were in this room right now, she'd punch you for saying such a thing.

[Splashes the water, scattering the image from the water.]

Never mind. [ He's done. He's done trying to get them to understand. He's doing arguing about this day in and out. He'll deal with this in his own way and keep whatever is on his mind to himself. It's better this way.]

[Way to startle the baby, Tim. Jack, completely oblivious to the heavy conversation, is jolted by that splash from Tim and begins to cry.

W O N D E R F U L]

Shh, shh, it's okay...

[Except it's not okay. This argument went nowhere, just as expected.]

Ah, Jack. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. [Searches the water, snatching up a toy duck that's floating up to the side.]

Everything is okay, see? Mr.Quacker's going to make sure everything is okay. [Holds it up to the baby.]

It's alright. [She distractedly pets Jack's head while watching Tim. His moods are scary, sometimes.]

[Tim's not looking at her, he's focusing on the duck and faking a smile for Jack's sake. He's fighting off the urge to leave for awhile, and unlike Steph, if he does he doesn't want anyone coming after him.]

[She has a feeling he's itching to leave. It's what he does.

Is this salvageable? Who knows. Steph slides off the bench to kneel in the water, jeans be damned.]

Look, Jack. See? He was just playing.

[She wraps an arm around Jack before sending a small splash Tim's way. Angry silence between them isn't any better than a shouting match, so she'll... try, she guesses, to be open, because she has to be the one to do it.]

Just playing, that's all.

[Closes his eyes over as a migraine begins to come on. The past two weeks have been filled with so much tension and drama. So many difficult conversations and having to put himself out there. Everything is catching up to him and he's left feeling emotionally exhausted.

If he leaves now, he's not sure he'll come back. There's a part of him that just wants to be done. If the two of them are only friends, then it doesn't matter what they say or do to each other.

The splash gets him to open his eyes and he finally looks at Steph.]

Yeah, we're just playing around.

[Jack's wailing ceases as he clutches the duck, and Steph frowns. Yeah, she's pretty sure she doesn't want to know what he's thinking about.]

I wish it wasn't like this.

Me too. [Lets Jack have the duck.]

All I seem to do these past couple of weeks is upset you, hurt you, and frustrate myself.

It's been a tough month. [Understatement of the year.]

It has been. [Quietly.] Do you think the rest of the month would be easier for you without me in it?

--what? [Looks at him like he's speaking a foreign language.]

We'eve both had stressful months, yours has been even more stressful than mine. I'm just wondering if you want to take a break for awhile?

[Whoa, there's that nauseated feeling again. She puts both her hands down in the water to stop the room from spinning. Was this--a break up?]

... do you want to take a break?

[Does he? Before the answer would have been a resounding yes. But the thought of going through with it makes him sick and his migraine feels like someone is taking a jackhammer to his head.]

No, I don't. I just don't want to argue about this over and over again. We need to work this subject out once and for all. Preferably when we're both not so stressed.

[That's a relief to hear. As much as she's upset and hurt and ready to blame it on Tim, she's not so sure a break up--or break--is something she can handle right now. Plus, she sort of loves him a lot and all that.]

I don't, either. And you're right. We do need to just sit down and talk about this, but not now.

[She presses her lips together.]

I'm just going to say this now, though. I'm not giving up any of my friends. I'm not losing anyone else.

[Kara, Lucrezia... and all the others. Ezio wasn't getting added to that list until he left the castle.]

[Wishes they could be back at the hotel, filled with love and trust, instead of all of this frustration. His mind wanders back to the night they returned from the ship, and how she wanted nothing more than a hug from him. Moves over to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.]

I don't want to lose you, Steph. Especially not to something like this. I know we can make it work.

[The fact that neither one of them pulled away from each other, especially him, speaks volumes for where they are at.]

[Hugs are always good. She is surprised, though, when he initiates it--he's the one that tends to withdraw when they argue like this. Today's been especially rough, with him talking about his father more than he has in his entire stay in Paradisa.]

We'll figure something out.

[... hopefully. She hugs him back, chin on his shoulder. Hugging it out is a step in the right direction, but she wonders how many arguments like this they can handle. He was already offering a "break" and that was freakin' scary.]

[It was scary. Tim played out several different outcomes in his mind. There was a distinct chance if they took a break, they wouldn't get back together. When he realized that was a possibility, the answer was obvious to him.

Hugs her a little tighter, wanting to convey he means it when he says he wants to work on it. Slowly pulls away from her, once Jack crawls over to the two of them.]

Hey, buddy. Want to go splash around in the pool some more with your mom and I?

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