Email to Bethany from Domino

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To: [skater chick]
From: [the witch's big sister]
Subject: our favorite witch



Very forward of me, I know, to be emailing you out of the blue like this. But see, Amanda gave me her passwords so I could reassure the school as to the fact that she was among the living, if a bit cranky, and I couldn't help but see your email. Feel free to thwack me next time you see me. I just couldn't not seize the opportunity to reassure you, too.

Amanda is really going to be okay. She's back in her own room, in her own bed, and pretty happy to be out of the medlab, I think. She managed to survive relatively unscathed, given what was going on, but she's going to be pretty sore for a while. Her voice is pretty much shit - long story - so a phone call might not be in the cards for a while - and her hands are all scraped up, so typing's a hassle. I'd offer to be her typist, but she's sound asleep at the moment, so... I'll remember to offer when she wakes up, though.

Don't fret too much. She'll be back on her feet soon, I promise.

Domino

Comments

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To: [not that kind of dom]
From: [skater chick]
Subject: Re: our favorite witch

Dom! Hey! I didn't know you were in town again. I think I can forgive you for seeing the e-mail, just this once. I didn't sound too pathetic, did I? Blugh.

I love the reassurance, I swear. Thank you for sneaking a peek at the mail and letting me know she's okay. Only way this could be better is if a hug came with it, but you're way over there, and this way, you can't see how insanely girly I am when I'm worried, so.. yeah.

Any idea when I can con my mom into a ride over so I can come visit her? I don't need conversation or to stay long or anything. Just need to see.

-Bethany

Subject: nah, not pathetic at all...

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Just scared. Which is fair, considering how bad it looked on the news. Amazing how a few minutes of footage can make an impression, huh? (This is me making an unhappy face at the screen, really.)

Since Amanda's back in her own room, I'd say anytime, really. I know she'd be happy to see you. Saturday wasn't all that much fun for her, and to be honest, she could probably use as many of her favorite people around her as possible.

And hell, since I'm going to be here for a while yet, I'd gladly take that hug. Between Amanda and Nate, I'm a bit of a girly wreck myself. Very pitiful.

Dom

Subject: You? A wreck?

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I'll be there tomorrow. I'll take a cab if mom's not available to drive me. Hugs will be had, and I swear I'll try my best not to cry on you. That would just be embarassing for all involved.

The footage.. it was mostly scary since I'm kind of looking at going to Columbia once I'm out of high school. They have a good journalism program. Mutants.. don't really freak me out anymore. I know more good ones than crazy blow-up-people-y ones, so it's kind of like any other news story about some schmuck with a gun or a pipebomb now. Still scary, but I'm not freaking out and flailing my arms and blaming it on their mutations, like some geniuses are, and --

And now I'm ranting, and it's making my hands shake again, and I should stop that now.

You swear she's okay? And you're okay? Okay is being had? Seriously?

-Bethany

Subject: I do have my girly moments...

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Anyway. Give me a call when you're heading out, and I'll make sure I meet you at the front door.

And yeah, the newsies and the usual suspects are really making hay of this, aren't they? So very, very glad sometimes that I don't actually live in this country... not that Europe doesn't have its quirks, but they're a little less with the insane-over-mutants thing.

And yeah, I swear she's okay. Actually, awfully cute at the moment, too. She spent half the afternoon dozing in my lap.

Dom

Subject: I won't tell anyone if you won't.

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I can do that. I still have the number.

I was telling Jamie that if the registration act comes up again and gets passed that I'll be looking at Canada in a very appreciative sort of way. Hey, I like trees - it couldn't be all that bad up there, could it? With the mooses and the hockey and the Kids in the Hall and whatnot?

That's too adorable for words. Can I have napped-on duty tomorrow? It'd make me feel better. (Jesus, I'm pathetic.)

-B.

Subject: hey, screw Canada...

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If you wind up dumping the good old USA, come to Europe! Berlin is fun. So is Amsterdam. Actually, so are Prague, Budapest, Stockholm, Moscow... the list goes on.

As for being napped on... I'm sure she could be convinced. She wasn't doing much else today. Don't be too startled when you see her, okay? She does look a little banged up, but I promise, it's nothing serious.

Dom

Subject: Screwing Canada would take a long time.

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And I would, believe me, it's just.. they're all so far away. It would be scary to leave. I mean, Canada would be leaving, but not leaving-leaving.. or it doesn't feel like it would be. You know what I mean, right?

I'd be amazed if she didn't look banged up. God. This is twice now that I've come to see her at the school to reassure myself that she isn't dead. Last time was whatever that Mexico shit was. She brought me a present back anyway. You know, I still haven't taken it off? It saved my ass when I was skating the other day. Some asshole in an SVU wasn't watching where he was going, jumped the curb.

-B.

Subject: I have a Canadian friend...

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I once mocked him by calling his home and native land 'America Junior', and he just about took my head off. Given that his mutation is super-speed, that's a little more scary than it sounds. But I do get what you mean about leaving... I don't have a place where I grew up, so I'm a bit more footloose than is usual, I think.

Huh. That gift wouldn't be a little silver medallion, would it? She gave one to me, and it saved my ass in Mongolia last weekend. Um... truck bomb, long story. Actually, she gave one to Nate, too, come to think of it... wonder if it was sleeping on the job on Saturday.

Dom

Subject: No mocking the speedsters. Gotcha.

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Yeah, mine's a bracelet. Sounds like she's giving them out by the sackfull.. and from the sounds of it, it's a damn good thing, too. Truck bomb? Christ, if I didn't know you were okay, what with the typing and all, I'd be fretting about you, too.

Wait. Nate's charm, sleeping on the job, on Saturday. He was there, too? I haven't met him, but Amanda goes on about him a lot, and.. gah. Guh. Is he okay?

-B.

Subject: charms and stuff...

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Yep. Truck bomb. I'll tell you the whole sordid story if you want, when I see you. In retrospect, it's kind of like something out of a Tom Clancy novel. Kooky fun.

And as for Nate... yeah, he was there too. He'll be okay, but if you haven't met him yet... well, you may want to wait a few weeks. He probably wouldn't make the best first impression at the moment.

Definitely remember to tell her about your bracelet helping you out, okay? That's the sort of thing that'd do her good to hear this week. Just between you and me, she's feeling a little down over the fact that she couldn't do much to stop a bunch of psychopathic brainwashed killers. I tell you, her and her impossible standards for herself...

Dom

Subject: *Kooky fun*?!

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I know all about making bad first impressions, so yeah, I'll wait to meet him 'til another, saner time. Geez.

I will. I will go on about it at great length, in great detail, and maybe even in that smokey voice she likes so much, if it'd make her feel better, even if it kind of hurts my throat a little if I do it for too long. Kathleen Turner, I am not.

Psychopathic brainwashed killers? And you're talking about this shit like it's normal? Dear God, Dom, do you have any idea how long ago I'd have had a nervous breakdown and just given up if I lived the life you people seem to?

I should ask dad if he can tell me how much the NYPD knows about what happened. If they're clueless, he'd probably love to talk to you about it so they know what the hell happened.

-Bethany

Subject: hmm...

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I'm rather liking the idea of you doing a Kathleen Turner impression. It would look good on you.

As for this being normal... think of it as a slightly different world that just happens to intersect with the one you live in, kiddo. I guess that makes me a traveller from a different world? Heh. I kind of like that.

And now I'll be honest and admit that I babbled a little more than I should have - I've had far too little sleep these last few days, in my own defense. I'll just ask you flat-out not to mention me to your father. I don't know how much Amanda's told you about me, but cops and me, not a good mix.

Dom

Subject: Guh.

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I'll do the voice for you tomorrrow. Promise.

You aren't a traveller from a different world, though. You're.. you. You're Domino, Amanda's surrogate big sister and (I like to think) a friend. Nothing otherworldly about it. It's just.. seven shades of bizarre and more than a little scary to know someone whose life sounds like the video games the PTA wants to ban, or something. It's hard to think of this stuff as being normal for anybody.

Bad Dom. I won't mention you, so long as you don't do anything where it'd fall under his jurisdiction. But if you screw up in dad's city and I find out about it, I don't care how much I like you or how good your puppy dog eyes are or how pissed Amanda'd be at me.. cop's daughter. So.. behave. Please? Begging you to be good when you're in town? Because I'd never be able to forgive myself if I had to do that to you.

-Bethany

Subject: promises

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It's maybe more like the fringes of this world, rather than a different world entirely. Out on the edge where little things like law and civilization don't mean quite as much as they do here. I've never known what it was like to live anywhere else - remind me to tell you about where I grew up sometime. Makes moving back to the center of the world a little rough at times.

And I promise, I've never done anything inappropriate in your dad's city. Not planning to, either. The only way you survive in my line of work is to know when to respect the line and when to cross it, and this is not the place for the latter.

If it'll put your mind at ease, there are people looking into what happened on Saturday, and I'm talking about people who are properly equipped to deal with the sort of bastards who could do something like that. And that's about as much I can tell you without giving you stuff that you really don't want to know...

Domino

Subject: I'll hold you to them.

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I'm getting that impression. Makes Brooklyn seem like a picnic, I'm guessing? If I were old enough, I'd say I owe you a drink for when we talk about that. Damn my luck.

I believe you. And I trust you.

It does help. So long as somebody who can do something, and is supposed to be doing it, is doing something.. then it's all good. If dad doesn't get called in to help, even better. I worry about him when he goes to work enough as it is.

-Bethany

Subject: never guess I'm Asian, would you?

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And yes, that was a hint. Although to hear Nate tell it, when he first 'adopted' me I spoke with a British accent. Ah, well. All part of the enigma that is me.

I imagine it's hard sitting and waiting. I never had to do that very much, just the first couple of years I lived with Nate and GW (I don't know if Amanda's ever mentioned GW to you?). Then I started going out and taking the insane risks with them, which was hard in an entirely different way...

And now I really am rambling. Think this is a sign I ought to try and get some sleep?

Dom

Subject: Always had a thing for asian girls.

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You are a dark and mysterious stranger from a far-away land, where laws have no meaning and civilization.. doesn't exist. Dun-dun-dunnnnn.

I don't think she's mentioned GW, no.. but yeah, sitting and waiting blows. It's a case of the helplesses, I guess - I know dad's capable, and I know I'm.. not, and definitely not cut out for that kind of work or much of anything beyond schoolyard fistfights. It never really gets easier. I take a little aikido, since dad got sick of me coming home from the skate park with more bruises than the other guy, but I could never do what he does. I don't want to. I just want to write and take pictures. Makes it easier and harder at the same time, if that makes sense at all?

Now we're both rambling. We should definitely sleep. There will be hugs and Kathleen Turner impressions and hopefully ice cream tomorrow. I'll call as soon as I'm on my way.

Thanks, Dom. I really do appreciate that you wrote. Lots.

Sweet dreams.

-B.