Revelations

[a_time_slip]

She'd fallen asleep on the couch that night, only after insisting to herself she would go to her hotel room after dinner.

This wasn't the first time Janie had done that, and by now it was accepted that she would spend a few days at Vito's, insisting she would leave right after dinner, or lunch, or breakfast.  She would then leave for a day or two and the process would repeat.  Somehow her disappearances coincided with Vito's shifts.

Tonight, however, she was off just a bit.  That morning she'd seen her boyfriend off to work, and stayed around his apartment that day.  The place was cleaned from top to bottom, her clothes packed neatly away, and takeout was stashed in the fridge for him.

When Vito returned to the apartment, Janie would be asleep on the couch, tossing and turning, in the middle of a nightmare.

Comments

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

Vito returned home to an unusually clean apartment and a restlessly sleeping Janie. He didn't want to wake her up, but suspected she'd wake up on her own very soon. He made himself a plate of dim sum and settled at the dinette, not close enough to loom over her, but close enough to respond when she awoke.

[a_time_slip]

Janie cursed in her dream, calling someone a string of words that would shock a room full of drunken sailors- then fell off of the couch as she tossed and turned.

The woman sat up, not entirely awake, and looked around in fear.

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

Vito choked on a sesame ball and stood up. "Janie? You okay?"

[a_time_slip]

She looked at him, not saying anything as she tried to scoot back to the couch. It took a few moments for her to recognize him and get out of the dream.

"What are you doing here?"

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"I live here," Vito said. "Are you okay? Looked like you were having a bad dream. And it sounded like you took lessons in swearing from a roomful of sailors."

[a_time_slip]

"Dream..." Janie took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. Vito's apartment, somewhere safe. "I... yes. Everything is fine now. I'm okay."

She wasn't, entirely.

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"You sire? Sesame ball?" he asked, pointing to his plate.

[a_time_slip]

"I need a moment to calm down." Janie admitted "No food, thank you."

Janie stared at Vito's plate. "Did I order what you like?"

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"Looks good, yeah. What were you dreaming about?"

[a_time_slip]

"Something that happened in the war." she said, after a moment "An attack. I'm sorry about the cursing."

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"It's okay, I've heard worse. You sure you're gonna be all right?"

[a_time_slip]

"I don't know." Janie admitted. "Finish eating and I'll go... this isn't my normal night here."

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"You don't have to go. I thought we were going to hang out tonight."

[a_time_slip]

"Come sit with me please, after you finish. We need to talk."

Janie sighed, and looked down at her hands.

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

Vito killed the lase sesame ball and settled beside Janie. "Okay, sure. What's going on?"

[a_time_slip]

"You've done a lot for me." Janie said, slowly. "And there's nothing I can do to make up for that. You're one of those rare and amazing people that I didn't think existed."

After a little hesitation, she hands over an envelope to Vito. "There's- well, back where I'm from, I'm still hiding from people there, and I really don't want you caught up in that."

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

Vito opened the envelope. "Well, of course you don't want to, and you don't have to ... "

He glanced inside the envelope, closed it again. "You don't have to," he said, more firmly, handing it back to her.

[a_time_slip]

Janie set the envelope on the coffee table. "I said I'd pay you back. Soon, I'll get an apartment. I picked one out but Lynn said it wasn't acceptable."

She was behaving quite stubbornly. "I don't have to, but I want to."

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but that's a lot more payback than is necessary," Vito said. I'm glad it's coming together for you, now, but this is excessive." He handed it to her again.

[a_time_slip]

She set the envelope on the table once more. "It won't be missed."

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"No, but you will," He again handed the envelope to her. "Why didn't Lynn like the first place you picked?"

[a_time_slip]

"How much to pay you back? I don't like to owe anyone. I refuse to!" She set it on the table.

"Lynn said it was too small and too far from Phoenix and Sam... She's really close to them."

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"Don't worry about it for now," Vito said. "Pay me back after you're established in a new place."

He handed the envelope to her yet again.

"Where was it? And where does she want to live? And where do you want to live?"

[a_time_slip]

"That check isn't going to stop me from getting an apartment. I have more money, alright?" The envelope went back on the table, and Janie folded her arms. "The apartment was in Harlem and she wants to live in Queens so she's close to the rest of her family. Me? I want to go home, to where I'm from and see my friends and all of the family that I've lost. But I can't do that, so I'm going to be mature and find somewhere here that my daughter likes. I'm going to pay back what I owe to everyone else, and I'm NOT going back to my old job. I'll continue at the shop."

[vito-the-mook.livejournal.com]

"I'm not taking the check," Vito said. "And I hope you're able to do what you want, eventually, but for now, it sounds like what you have in mind is a good thing."