2007-05-16: Serious Plans

Starring:

Lachlan_icon.gif Cass_icon.gif

Summary:

Cass talks to Lachlan as she promised Elena she would and learns things about Lachlan she'd rather not know.

May 16th, 2007:

Serious Plans


Lachlan's Apartment

Sounds of running water can be heard from the apartment of Lachlan Deatley this evening because he is showering. And while he is showering, he is singing. Hell, there's nobody else in the apartment, right? Right. "We were halfway there when the rain came down of a day aye-ay-aye-ay~ and she asked me up to her flat downtown of a fine soft day aye-ay-aye-ay~" In true Lachlan fashion, he isn't being quiet about his serenading of the showerhead.

Well, Lachlan was right right up until the part where Cass unlocked the door and let herself into Lachlan's apartment. It doesn't take very long for her to triangulate the Scot's position. Water running, loud singing, showering. While on a more cheeky day, she'd probably go and surprise him, this is a day for a serious conversation. And shower antics do not hold well with those. So, she starts straightening up the living room. Why not.

"An' I ask ye, friend, wha's a fella ta do? 'Cause 'er hair was black an' 'er eyes were blue~" Squeaksqueak, off goes the shower, and Lachlan steps out, grabs his towel, and opens the door to start heading for the bedroom. Nevermind that he's wet and stark naked — he thinks he's alone in the apartment. Since the towel is in the process of drying his hair, he also doesn't seem to notice that he's /not/ alone in the apartment as he enters the living room. "So I took 'er hand and I gave 'er a tw— Jesus!" Oh, now he notices. The Scotsman jumps a bit, then instinctively yanks the towel down to cover his more masculine features. When he realizes it's Cass, he relaxes a little, his breath escaping in an audible /whoosh/. "Fuck. Jesus, baby." He wraps the towel around his waist, his new tattoo characteristically reddened and a little raised around the edges.

Who else would have snuck into Lachlan's apartment to see him naked? Hm. Perhaps that's a question better left unanswered. Cass is busy clearing away whatever she can find that seems to be out of place and neatly stacking things. It's how she's keeping herself occupied for what is sure to be an uncomfortable conversation. "Sorry," she quickly finishes what she was doing before straightening to face Lachlan. "Didn't mean to scare you." How to start. That's always the hardest part.

Lachlan wasn't scared. Lachlan was /surprised/. There is a /difference/. One of them is /manly/, and the other one isn't. Guess which one he was? The /manly/ one. That's /right/. Because Lachlan is /manly/. He shakes his head a little, smiling a bit in good humor. "Nah, ye dinna scare me." But that smile quickly fades away, because hey, she's had time to tidy up the living room. That means she's been here a while. If she was here a while, why didn't she come join him in the shower? And why does she sound all serious and … and … /not happy/? The Scotsman frowns. "Wha's up?"

There are two ways to go about this. The roundabout way and the direct route. Cass decides to go somewhere in between. "Elle's dad is the head of the Company." That should at least let Lachlan /know/ the important information that he should know right now and perhaps make the necessary adjustments in his plan before they even get that far. Even when Lachlan gives her a smile, it doesn't break her mask of neutrality. Of course, he may ask why she's bringing it up, but she'll cross that bridge when she comes to it.

There are two things Cass could have ever said to put a scowl on Lachlan's face so fast: "Elle's dad is the head of the Company" and "I killed Bonnie". Luckily she said the first one, not the second, because the first one is something he couldn't give a damn about if he was handed one and told what to do with it. It does, however, put to mind something else — something that Cass /shouldn't/ know, and yet he now suspects that she /does/. "Yeah, so wha'?" he grunts tersely as he turns and heads for the bedroom. The Scotsman is very much not amused.

Maybe Lachlan doesn't care, but Cass certainly does. When he scowls at her, she just stares back. Once again, her face is neutral. The way that he's acting is making it seem like Elena /was/ correct. That maybe they /were/ being serious about their plan. But, denial and hope are pretty powerful and she's going to give Lachlan the benefit of the doubt. "Funny story I heard about two people wanting to kill the daughter of the boss of a very dangerous organization." Now's when the neutrality drops. She almost looks afraid of the answer. "Just a tall tale, right?"

Annnnnd there it is. Goddamn Jack. Why would he blab? Why? The towel is tossed aside in favor of boxers, which are slipped into with ample force before Lachlan reappears in the doorway of the bedroom. His expression is not at all happy. "Yeah," he states bluntly. "Just a tall tale." And it is, really. He and Jack both had doubts of doing it. Any plans the Scotsman /did/ have of sticking with that path are definitely gone now that Cass has been put on the scent. He breathes a sigh and rolls his head on his neck, willing himself to be calm. Cass isn't the one he should be angry with. "Look, Jack an' I were just flappin' our faces, a'righ'? We got pissed an' blew it off."

There are mixed signals coming from Lachlan and Cass watches him carefully. Normally she can tell when he's lying. Or hiding something. If he's telling the truth, why is he so upset about it? But, then, did she really expect him to come clean with a plot to kill Elle? Then again, it makes sense. That's something that she could see him and Jack doing - getting drunk making grandiose disturbing plans. Hopefully ones that wouldn't be followed through. Even after all they've been through, she just /can't/ imagine him being a killer. She let's out a deep sigh of relief. "I'm so sorry. I just…Elena came to the store so upset about everything. Saying how she'd run into Jack and how she heard some crazy plan to go kill Elle. I didn't want to believe it, but I promised I'd talk to you about it."

Unfortunately, Lachlan /is/ a killer — but he would argue that the few times he's ever killed in his life were quite justified. Elle's death would have been one of those justifiable homicides, had he and Jack gone through with it. Elena's name being mentioned does not help matters in the least. Now the Scotsman is mad at /two/ people. His lips purse tightly and he glances about the apartment as though seeking out some words, or something to keep himself calm. "Mebbe we were thinkin' 'bout it an' mebbe we planned it," he sighs finally, crossing his arms over his chest and slumping against the doorframe, "but we're no' gonna do it, so dunna worry 'bout it, a'righ'? S'like I said, we got pissed an' blew it off." Sure he's upset. He's upset because Cass found out and got worried. Needlessly.

Though she doesn't know it, Cass would be very relieved that she stopped this act of 'justifiable homicide'. Without a doorframe to slump into, she'll just let her shoulders drop from the tensed, ready for an argument position. Hearing they were planning it isn't something that she wants to hear, either, though. "Of course I'd worry about it, Lach. Not only is murder…well../murder/, even if you went through with it her father would hunt you down. This is a man who apparently tested his own daughter to see how much voltage she could put out as a kid. And who he had wiped so she wouldn't leave the Company. What do you think he'd do to the people who killed her?" She can't believe she's talking about the consequences. "Not to mention that it's /killing/ someone." Remember pacifist Cass? She's still in full swing.

"Yeah, an' she wasna gonna do any /diff'rent/ when she busted inta yer shop an' zapped the fuck out o' ever'one /there/!" The anger and annoyance that he's gained for Jack and Elena has just become misplaced. Poke an angry Scotsman and there's no telling where the explosion will wind up. "An' when she grabbed Elena an' cuffed 'er an' zapped the fuck out o' 'er, d'ye think she was figurin', 'Ah hell, better no' /kill 'er/, tha'd be /wrong/'? Mebbe the bastard /deserves/ ta have his daughter shot inna face if she's gonna be runnin' 'round tossin' lightnin' ever'where."

Normally, Cass is ready to fight back whenever Lachlan loses his temper. She's not the type to just let him yell at her without giving back what she's given. However, she's more surprised at this outbreak for some reason and she watches the explosion for a moment before her relieved expression melts into something more akin to horror. His anger and words just sort of clicked that snarling picture of Scottish rage into focus. He may be talking about protecting her, but he's also talking about people /deserving/ to die. "Oh my God. She was right. You were being serious."

Oh yes, Lachlan was very much being serious when he and Jack made plans to break into Elle's apartment and kill her in her sleep. Had these plans been made four months prior, he would have already gone through with them, too. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), things have changed. Lots of things. Cass' horror is enough to stop the Scottish rage dead in its tracks and replace it with a brand of fear all his own. Lachlan sighs, squeezes his eyes shut, and rubs a hand over his face. "Cass, I a'ready tol' ye tha' we blew it off," he states in a much calmer, quieter voice. "Mebbe we were serious then, but we're no' now. S'no' gonna happen."

"But, what, if Elena hadn't dug it out of Jack, you would have?" Cass' own voice is quiet and it's hard to keep the horrified tone out of it. "This isn't…you're not talking about self defense, you're talking about /premeditated murder/. And being /serious/ about it." These are two very very different things for her. One she can reconcile, the other she certainly cannot. While many things have changed for her lately, this is one view that has not. And probably won't any time soon. "Elle's a dangerous woman, but she's a /person/."

Jesus Christ. Lachlan pinches the bridge of his nose and grinds his fingers into the skin as though taken by a sudden headache. Right now, Elena and Jack are two of his least-favorite people. "A'ready tol' ye we got pissed an' /blew it off/," he reiterates with no small amount of exasperation. Jack had been talking about the straight-and-narrow somewhere in there. Lachlan remembers that, even if he can't quite remember everything else they talked about. Well, except the murder thing. As for Elle being a person? The Scotsman scoffs and turns back into the bedroom with a shake of his head. Elle isn't a person. She lost that status when she kidnapped Elena. He picks up his towel from where it lays near the bed and tosses it over the door handle of the closet.

This very different viewpoint has shaken Cass slightly. She knew that he said he had a bad past. That he was a bad /person/ in the past. But, this is the present. And talking about killing someone remains in the 'bad person' category. Unable to think of anything to say to his exasperated snarl, she remains quiet. In the time that Lachlan has used to go into the bedroom and fling his towel by the closet, the book store owner hasn't moved. She stays right where she's been standing throughout the whole fight, eyes downcast in thought. After all her talk to Peter about not trusting Elle for hurting people, here she is facing someone who she trusts very deeply talking about hurting people.

The difference being that Lachlan is not actually sociopathic and really /did/ consider how killing Elle would affect his relationship with Cass. And Elle isn't even Cass' /friend/, unlike Cass and Peter. After putting away his towel (in a manner of speaking), the Scotsman returns to the bed and sits on the edge of it with a sigh, where he remains for another beat of silence, staring at the door expectantly. When Cass doesn't show up, he sighs again and rubs at the back of his neck. Goddamn it. "'Re ye comin' ta bed?" he asks quietly. Please don't be mad?

"Bonnie's back at my place," Cass replies after another couple of beats. Her voice is quiet, but it should carry. At the moment, she has a lot of things to think over. It's not that she's mad at him. She's not. But now she realizes just how dangerous his talk was before and she's unsure of how that fits with the Lachlan that /she/ knows. Where do the two fit together or separate?

Sigh. Lachlan honestly doesn't understand how this is such a big deal. Sure he may have seriously been considering and planning murder, but the fact that he's not going to go through with it completely negates that fact. As far as he's concerned, it changed the plans into hypothetical conversation. Either completely missing the hint or refusing to acknowledge it, he rises to his feet and starts looking about for more clothes (because boxers are pants). "Lemme get dressed an' I'll come with ye."

It might be like that in Lachlan's mind, but for Cass, seriously talking about murder is /seriously/ talking about murder. Not only has it shown that it's something that wouldn't weigh at all on his conscience, it worries her about what he finds a murder-able offense. "No, it's okay. You're already undressed. I can get back myself." This time it's a not at all subtle way of saying she needs a night to herself. There's no way he can't not acknowledge it this time.

But … Cass promised she wouldn't spend a night alone anymore. She'll be surprised what he can and can't acknowledge. Already stepping into a pair of jeans and buttoning them, Lachlan grunts again. "Doesna take much ta get dressed again," he utters, the sentence punctuated by the fly being zipped. Time to find a shirt. Dig dig, rustle rustle.

Frowning, Cass gathers up her purse and is already making her way to the door. She's not going to give him the time to get ready. "Just…stay here, Lach. Give me a night." Even if she did promise that she wouldn't spend a night alone, it's one night. She'd rather have the time to herself to think over things while things are calming down. "I'll talk to you soon."

Oh, well. Lachlan can't /not/ acknowledge /that/. Or maybe he can if he doesn't say anything. So he doesn't. He just stops where he is and glares down at the shirt he holds in his hands. This is Elena's fault and Jack's fault, and maybe even the shirt's fault. Right now, it doesn't really matter.

He's not following and Cass can't hear him trying to rummage for more clothes. With a sigh, she realizes that she finally got through and goes for her exit. "I love you." Because she can't not say it. Just seeing what Elena's absence did to Peter - and they're only friends - she has to make sure that he knows that that hasn't changed. But, after that, she needs some time to adjust to things. She opens the door and then closes it softly behind her.

It's really hard to maintain a sense of anger in the face of those three words. They're quite powerful, and though they don't eliminate the rage completely, they do calm Lachlan considerably. His grip, which had tightened harshly on the shirt, loosens. A few beats after the door has closed, he wads up the fabric and throws it onto the floor, then huffs out a sigh and heads for the kitchen. He needs a drink.

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