Veronica & Piper's Apartment, Wednesday Evening

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Monday had come and gone without Parker ringing.

It was probably on purpose to force her to be the one to ring. But on the other hand, something might have happened to Parker, and if something had happened to Parker something might have happened to Bridge...

With a sigh, she picked up her phone and started dialling.

Comments

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker had actually been resting after the swordfight with Alanna, and trying to figure out if she should call Veronica and Piper to check on Cal....

*ring*

Ha.

"Hey. Nice to hear from you."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"You didn't call," Callisto said. "Figured something might have happened to you." She managed to scrape up enough tact not to mention that she was more concerned about that something happening to Bridge too if it had been the case.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"No, just had Teal Dear performing Monday night, and Anders-whapping last night. Sorry, I should've called to let you know." Parker smiled, and curled up on her bed. "So? How are things going?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"The same," Callisto replied. "Still dreaming the same dreams the nights that I sleep. You beat up Anders?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"No, mostly there was exasperated shrieking, a little arm-whapping, and a lot of 'oh my god how could you be this dumb?'" Parker frowned at the mention of dreams, but decided to follow up on it in a couple minutes. "A lot of things have been going on here. You want the latest?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto shrugged, not that Parker could see it. "Why not?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Bel was killed a week or so ago," Parker said carefully. "There was a whole thing with him being possessed, and hurting some of the people here on the Island-- including Dr. Wilson in L.A., a few weeks back. A group of people had to go to the Underworld and deal with him, and kill him while he was possessed." She paused. "Which leads into the Anders whappage."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Bel was possessed?" Callisto said. "Probably explains why he was so nice to me."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker rolled her eyes. "Okaaay. Well. Bel was stuck inside the body, just watching the action-- when Isabel and Bridge and Anders went to go deal with him along with eveyrone else, Isabel said he knew what was going on, and just... wanted it over with." She paused, mad that she'd gone down that road. "Anyway--"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"WHAT?" Oh, look, she was still occasionally capable of showing emotion.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"What, what?" Then Parker realized what had to have set her off. And grinned. "Yup. Bridge went to the Underworld. I didn't hear about it until after. He's fine. Physically."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Parker could probably hear the phone creaking as Callisto's grip tightened on it. "You used a qualifier."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Well, he was pretty upset. Blamed himself. You know how he is." She paused. "And he and Rory broke up. He's not having the best month."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Did she hurt him?" Callisto gritted out.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"No, I think it was pretty mutual. Bridge says it was both their idea, anyway, but who can tell for sure?" And yeah, that might not be fair to Rory, but if it gets Cal to *call* Bridge, who cares? He'll set her straight. "And I haven't even mentioned the space cannibals, have I?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

If tones of voice could kill... "Space cannibals?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"In my defense, I didn't know he was going along on that, or that there would be face-ripping cannibals until we were already on our way," Parker said, trying not to smile. "And no, he didn't get hurt on that one. Although I think we all needed to drink a lot after we saw a planet full of dead bodies, courtesy of a toxin the government there released into the atmosphere." She paused. "Should I go on?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"You didn't tie him up and leave him in the space ship?" Callisto asked, as if that would have been a perfectly reasonable course of action.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Contrary to popular belief? Bridge can actually handle a fistfight. He's got two more black belts than I do. I mean, I could've hit him on the head from behind, but hello, psychic as well." Parker raised her eyebrows, wondering if she was imagining Cal's teeth grinding together. "Plus, if it weren't for him supporting her, our resident telepath might have had a breakdown and not been able to protect us from being seen by the evil space cannibals. So hitting him on the head? Not such a great idea."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"I didn't suggest you hit him on the head." And yes, her tone did indicate a short, unpleasant future if Parker did.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I was making the point that there's no way I'd get to tie him up without knocking him out." Parker shook her head, still amused. "Because seriously? He's not into me in any way where I could talk him into anything else."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"It's not a game," Callisto warned. "Don't you dare play with him like that."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Cal? Get a grip." It's not like she hasn't wanted to say that for months. "Bridge is a great friend. And neither of us have any interest in each other. I'd never do that to him, anyway." She cocked her head. "You know, you could *call* him, and get all this direct from the source."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Parker," he vocie took on a pleading tone. "Everyone I've ever loved dies or betrays me. If either of those happened with Bridge..."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Bridge would never, ever betray you." Parker knows that down to her bones. "But he is what he is, Cal. He wants to be a cop. A lot. And while there are a lot of people looking out for him-- Z, Xander, me, Anders, and Rory still, I'd bet-- he's not a guy who's going to hide from trouble."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Well he should," Callisto said.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Why? Because it destroys your mental picture that he's just fine when you're not paying attention?" Parker demanded. "He tracked you down in L.A. while you were sick. You really think he's gonna stop trying to help other people?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"And they'll just use him and throw him away when they're done. Like he's garbage."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker had no idea where this was coming from, but it wasn't hard to deny it. "Xander won't do that, Z won't, Anders won't-- I don't know much about the SPD, but they've invested time and money in him; they're not going to just cut him loose. If you want to tell him different? Call him."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"I'm too scared to," slipped out before she could stop it.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Cal," Parker's voice softened against her will. "Afraid of what?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"I told you."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker waited a minute, then carefully said, "If you're trying to avoid the pain of losing him-- is it really going to be less, because you didn't talk to him? Is that going to make it easier if he does get hurt? I mean, this is just the stuff I know he's done in the last month.Is it worth that, to have the last time you talked to him be when you were sick and leaving L.A.?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"No," Callisto said. "But then I didn't want the last time I talked to Angel being him hanging up on me while I all but begged for his help, and look what that got me, him turning his back and walking out because I wouldn't accept that what Logan did to me was something deserving of being rewarded, because I wasn't worthy of his help."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Do not bring him into this. If we can get through *one* conversation without his name in it, I will die happy. This is not about him, or you thinking you don't get what you deserve. This is about Bridge. Who has never turned his back on you. If you're scared, that's one thing. You've got no excuses if you tell me it's inevitable that you'll lose him to and you're just giving in to it." Parker was closer to losing her temper than she'd been at any time in the last three weeks.

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it's been made more than clear to me what people like me deserve." Nothing. "And I might know he's not planning to hurt me, but that doesn't mean I can make myself believe it, not anymore."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker sighed. God, what she's give to have a needleful of Lithium for Cal. She wasn't even making sense. "Screw what you 'believe'. Call. Him. The Callisto who became friends with him would want to know he was okay from his mouth, not mine. I know you can talk to me because you don't give a damn--" Parker's temper was starting to get the best of her again, "--but do me a favor, Cal, and don't make me give Bridge the news that you're too scared to call him."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

And that would hurt Bridge, which made it all to effective a threat. Callisto's shoulders slumped. "Fine."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker closed her eyes in relief. "Thank you." She took a couple minutes to calm down, then quietly said, "How was the rest of your week?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Nothing worth talking about."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry to hear that." She really was. As much as she was doing this for Cal, she was also doing it for the memories of what she'd thought had happened to her mother. "I'm not going to ask you to do anything else this time. Except call him by this weekend. Okay?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Okay."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." Parker rubbed her eyes. How long was this going to keep going? There had to be a solution, some way to help Callisto that would be more permanent than the phone calls..... "I'll talk to you after Bridge does. And -- please try to sleep."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, fine."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Good night, Cal." Parker's voice had gone quiet. "I'll talk to you later."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Night."