Misery (Yvonne)

[Eddie Shriver]

Eddie had a thousand things to do. He was pretty sure he still even smelled like pasta, though he changed his clothes coming from work.

He didn't particularly want another emotional conversation sitting at a bar. In fact, his run in with Troy might have kept him away from bars for a while, but he desperately needed his best friend right now. The girl who peeled him off the floor when he and Troy called it quits would understand better than anyone why he was so off his game tonight.

He knew she would be getting off work soon, and waited for her outside, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his cloak.

[Yvonne Marquette]

It had been a pretty good night for Yvonne. A really cute guy had spent a good portion of the night chatting with her at the bar and had even asked if he could owl her later. He seemed like an interesting, intelligent guy, and Merlin knew there weren't that many guys like that hanging out at Enchanted. Most of the guys who frequented the place were drunk most of the time and could barely string two sentences together or walk a straight line. Or maybe thats just how it seemed to her, since she was the one pouring their drinks.

Bootes had offered to close up the club for the night, and Lexi was waiting there with him, as usual. This was a fairly common occurrence, and Yvonne trusted them both, so she was glad to slip out a little early. Maybe that guy would have sent her an owl already...

But all thoughts of that went right out the proverbial window when she stepped outside and saw Eddie standing there, his head down and his hands in his pockets. She frowned and hurried over to him.

"Eddie," she said. "What's wrong? Everything OK?"

[Eddie Shriver]

Eddie looked up, hearing her voice, and straightened up. Merlin, was it that obvious that something was wrong? Yvonne knew him better than possibly anyone- and it might have been her curse.

"Yvonne, babe, I'm so sorry to..." he trailed off, unsure how to phrase what he was apologizing for. He hated that he had to come to her like this and possibly ruin her night. "Are you busy?"

He knew that whether or not she had plans, she was going to tell him she didn't. He tried never to abuse this, and Merlin knew he was a good friend to her, too. He was just feeling shaken and he didn't know where else to go.

So instead of beat around the bush, or pretend like nothing happened, he looked her square in the eye and said, "I saw Troy."

[Yvonne Marquette]

Yes, Yvonne probably knew Eddie all too well. If things were going well, he would have been looking up, watching for her, and he would have greeted her with a smile and a hug. But she knew even before he spoke that something was wrong. And when he started off with an apology, she knew it was really bad.

She walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. "No, of course I'm not busy," she said instantly. It was 3 am; what was she going to do but sleep? She could do that anytime.

She was almost bracing herself for what came next, when he looked her in the eye and told her he'd seen Troy.

"Oh, crap," she said bluntly. She had almost expected this; she knew better than anyone what Troy had done to her Eddie. And the way he was acting... well it could only have been him. But Merlin, she had hoped it wasn't true.

It was no secret that Yvonne did not like Troy. She had never liked him. She always thought he was a little "off," like a firecracker about to explode at any second. Oh, Troy could be charming and sweet and fun sometimes. But other times, he was frustrating and overdramatic and out of control. But most of all, he was unpredictable. She never knew what to expect from him and she found him to be an exhausting person who was not at all right for Eddie, who only deserved the best.

She had been there for him when Troy fell apart, even before they broke up. While Eddie was trying to put Troy back together, she was trying to keep Eddie from falling apart. It had been the biggest relief to her when Eddie finally decided he'd had enough, even though it meant weeks of being his shoulder to cry on. And Eddie was finally starting to move on with Nigel... so of course Troy had to show up again. Bastard.

"All right," she said. "Let's go to my apartment and I'll make you something to drink. We'll talk about it there."

She took his hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She couldn't promise that everything would be all right, but she would do whatever she could for him.

[Eddie Shriver]

Eddie sighed. He really hated that he was asking this of her, but they both knew, situations reversed, that he would open his home and his arms to her any time of day or night. She was his best friend, and he'd do anything for her. He knew, equally, that she would do anything for him, too. This was one of those times he needed to cash in on that.

"You're really far too pretty to be taking me home," he told her, though he didn't quite make the accompanying flash of a smile. "I really appreciate this, Yvonne. I thought I could shake it off, but I couldn't even concentrate at work."

[Yvonne Marquette]

There really wasn't even a hesitation in Yvonne's mind. Eddie needed her, and she would be there for him. That was all there was to it. It wasn't like he asked very often, really, and she knew perfectly well that if she needed him, he would be there for her without a doubt.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she teased, hoping to coax a smile out of him.

She looped her arm around his shoulder and started to walk with him. Her apartment wasn't too far away, but the sooner they could get inside, the better.

"It's OK, really. You don't need to apologize. We'll deal with this.... we did it before."

Of course, it would take another miracle for Yvonne not to find Troy and strangle him... she'd wanted to do it the last time, too. But she wasn't going to let Troy rip Eddie apart all over again.

[Eddie Shriver]

Eddie gave her a smile, only because he knew she was looking for one. He truly did not want her to be so worried about him, but he didn't quite know where to go from here. Even if Troy hadn't tried getting back together, he was still out of sorts.

"I told him once that I honestly believed two people were put in the same place for a reason," he said, thinking out loud more than anything as he wound an arm around her waist and they walked together. "I don't think he remembers. It was such a little comment... but what if I was right?"

He let the topic go until they got to her apartment, not ready to handle too many things at once. Instead, when they were just a block away from her place, he changed topics entirely. "I apologize if I still smell like pasta sauce. I haven't been home."

[Yvonne Marquette]

She didn't like how this was starting out. If he was even thinking about taking Troy back, Yvonne would not be pleased. Of course, she would support him, because she always did. But she would definitely not be able to stop herself from seeking out Troy and giving him a piece of her mind.

"Maybe you were right," Yvonne said. "But don't try too hard to read into things like that. They might not mean what you think they mean. Maybe you needed closure. Maybe you needed to see how he was doing in order to move on."

She hadn't been entirely sure about Nigel before, but now that it was possibly a choice between him and Troy, the choice was simple. She was going to support Nigel, talk him up, and push Eddie as gently but firmly as possible toward the rock star. It was better than the train wreck.

"And for Salazar's sake, stop apologizing. It so happens I like the smell of garlic and basil."

[Eddie Shriver]

Eddie almost, almost laughed at her comment. "Godric, you're perfect. You know I love that you can tell exactly what I've been cooking with."

Granted, he worked at an Italian restaurant, and her choices were limited, but still, it impressed his inner cook.

He walked with her in silence the rest of the way to her apartment, his mind spinning, and, he assumed, hers was, too. Maybe he could get by with a cup of tea and a sleep on her sofa, and spare them both the agony of the pending conversation. Right now, Eddie just needed not to be alone.

[Yvonne Marquette]

"My mother trained me well," she said with a wry grin, recognizing that Eddie needed this little distraction. Whatever Troy had put him through this time, Eddie would need a laugh and maybe a moment to forget.

She took out her key and unlocked the door to her apartment, stepping aside to let Eddie in first. "Have a seat. I can make you some coffee, or tea or something... whatever you want. And if you're hungry, I think I have some of my world-famous brownies."

[Eddie Shriver]

"Tea would wonderful, love," Eddie told her, standing in her living room with one hand on his hip, the other palm flat against his stomach. He didn't know if he could stomach even the tea, to be honest, but she was going to make have something, and it beat coffee. Yvonne was motherly like that, and on days when Eddie let himself admit he needed help, she was better than a knight in shining armor.

"And one of those brownies... Godric, those put anything else to shame."

Instead of following her into the kitchen like he normally would have, he sank into her sofa, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Todd dumped a lot of emotion in his lap, and he was trying to sort through it and figure out how he felt and what he needed to do. If anything.

When he heard the shuffle of her feet, he sat up straight again, eyes open and a soft, barely there smile touched his lips.

[Yvonne Marquette]

It broke her heart to see him like this. He was too good for this, and he deserved better. Yvonne found it ironic, and yet strangely disheartening, that dating men wasn’t any easier for other men than it was for women. But Troy was so different from Eddie. He was damaged and self-destructive and impossible to really understand. Yvonne had never liked him, not even when he was doing well, because he always seemed like a train wreck waiting to happen. Yvonne had seen enough of that type working in bars, and she knew they only led to trouble and heartache. She fervently hoped that Troy would crawl back under whatever rock he’d been hiding under these last few months, because Eddie had finally started healing. She had spent a lot of time comforting Eddie after his breakup with Troy and she did not want to see him go through that again.

In the kitchen, Yvonne quickly boiled some tea and prepared a small platter of brownies, along with some graham crackers, which might help settle his stomach if the brownies proved too heavy. She knew him well enough to know that he was probably all churned up inside, and it would take its toll on his system.

She came in a few minutes later carrying a platter with two teacups along with the brownies and crackers. She had already prepared the tea the way he liked it, so he could just start drinking it right away.

“So,” she said, sitting down. “Are you ready to talk about it? Do I have to go and kick his ass? Cause you know I will.”

[Eddie Shriver]

"Thanks, love," Eddie told her, eying the plate of brownies and crackers. He wouldn't apologize again, but he really hoped he wasn't ruining her night with all of this. He thought he was finally getting over Troy, leaving him in the past where it seemed like he wanted to stay. Until tonight.

He sighed, knowing that he needed to tell her what had happened, and how it had all gone down. He didn't know where to start, and he didn't entirely know how he felt about the whole mess, so it was hard to articulate. It was even harder when he was exhausted from it all.

Another sigh, and a nod, steeling himself as he pictured Troy behind the bar at Ambrosia. "He's working at Ambrosia now, as a bartender. Which just seems like such a bad idea. Why would someone with addictive tendencies put themselves next to alcohol for hours on end? Troy is not that good at resisting temptation. But Yvonne, he looks so good. Clean and sharp and really well put together, you know? So maybe he is getting better."

[Yvonne Marquette]

Yvonne sat down next to him, keeping her expression neutral as she just listened to Eddie. She didn't want to appear judgemental, but the truth was, she just didn't like Troy. Maybe she'd have a certain amount of jealousy and distrust for any guy that stole Eddie's heart, but she particularly disliked Troy because of what he did to Eddie. While Eddie had been struggling to keep Troy's head above water, Yvonne had been the one to help Eddie hold himself together. The three of them were like one big codependent mess, really.

As much as it had hurt Eddie to leave Troy, Yvonne had thought it was for the best. It had taken him a while to pull himself together, but he had, and now Troy was back to tear it all apart again. Well, Yvonne wasn't going to let it happen.

"Please just tell me you're not even considering taking him back," she said at last. "No matter how good he looks right now, remember what he put you through before. There's only so much a person can stand, and I think you've reached that limit. I know he's sick, but he spread his illness to you until you were almost as much of a mess as he was. Please don't do that to yourself again."

[Eddie Shriver]

It was incredibly hard to listen to her describe what he'd been through. Granted, her take on it was biased because she was his best friend. He imagined Harper, Troy's best friend, blamed Eddie for a lot of what happened.

And he tried. Merlin, had he tried to help Troy. But he had hit his limit, and he needed to let go before he was as much of a disaster as Troy was. It didn't mean he didn't care. It didn't he hadn't tried. Sometimes, you just can't save a person, and you have to walk away to save yourself. He was still trying to teach himself that.

He thought about her question, and the thousand and one ways he could answer it. He was seeing where things were going with Nigel. He couldn't quite deny that he didn't completely trust Troy. He missed Troy. He still, of course, loved Troy. In the end, he said simply, "He didn't ask for me back."

[Yvonne Marquette]

Yvonne frowned, knowing perfectly well that there was a lot more to the story that Eddie was leaving out. Still, it was at least a good thing that Troy hadn’t asked Eddie to come back, because Yvonne wasn’t entirely sure that Eddie would have said no if he had.

She got it. Really, she did. Maybe she didn’t quite understand how a man could fall so hard for another man, but she did understand all too well what it was like to fall for someone who just wasn’t good for you. It happened all the time… smart women fell for bad boys, good guys fell for promiscuous women, responsible men fell for troubled guys, and tough, no-nonsense women fell for their gay best friends who would never be able to love them same way.

So while she could stand back and say that Troy was bad news and Eddie should steer clear of him, she knew that, in the end, it was up to Eddie to decide what he wanted to do and who he wanted to be with. She couldn’t tell Eddie not to love Troy any more than she could tell herself not to love Eddie. All she could do was support him and be there for him and silently ache inside from the pain of unrequited love.

“I’m glad to hear that, at least. Maybe he really is getting better,” Yvonne said. “But tell me the truth… if he had asked you back, what would you have said?”

[Eddie Shriver]

"What does it matter?" was Eddie's instant and unconsidered response. "He didn't ask, I didn't have to say anything," he added so that it gave him time to think. He was having a hard time processing all of this. Mostly, it was hard to stomach just how deeply affected he was by having seen Troy look that good... better, maybe, than he ever had.

He was always going to love Troy. There was nothing he could do about that, much like his best friend's situation that he was hopelessly obtuse about. But there were other things that came into play this time.

There was the fact that Troy was getting his life together, finally, and it had not included an owl to Eddie. If he were be honest with himself, that might have been what bothered him the most in all of this. Yes, he gave Eddie some addict's reason why, but the bitter part of him felt like he wasn't something Troy wanted with the rest of the good he was bringing back into his life.

There was the very real possibility that this was just a phase- an upswing that would be followed by another spiral, and his heart ached at the idea of that for his once lover.

Then, there was Nigel.

Nigel, who was the first person since Troy that Eddie actually wanted to give a real chance to. The first since Troy that he could see himself loving, maybe. Nigel, who was a lot more put together than Eddie would have thought. And sharp, and considerate, and funny. and so far, really understanding. So of course Troy had to come back into his life now.

"I don't know," he finally answered, not entirely honestly. "But the point is, he didn't ask."

[Yvonne Marquette]

Yvonne was quiet for a moment, which was somewhat unusual for her. Normally she never held back her thoughts, especially where Troy was concerned. His self-destructive ways had nearly destroyed Eddie as well, and Yvonne simply couldn't allow that to happen. But this situation was a bit different than in the past. Troy was doing better, which was a good thing. Even if she didn't like him, she was glad that he was getting better. And although she could sense that Eddie wasn't particularly glad that Troy hadn't asked him to come back, Yvonne most certainly was. She knew Eddie well enough to read between the lines and see that the fact that he seemed hurt and disappointed that Troy hadn't tried to get him back now that he was doing better was an answer in and of itself to the question he couldn't seem to verbalize an answer to.

In some ways, it was hard to Yvonne to relate to this. After all, she had never been in love--at least not with someone who loved her back. It was all very easy for her to sit back and tell Eddie that he was better off without Troy, and even that perhaps Troy was better off without him, but she had not felt the pull of such an intense, mutual love. She had only her own unrequited crush to compare it to, and she knew perfectly well that if anyone ever dared to tell her that she was better off without Eddie, she would disembowel them (if only she remembered the curse). Because Eddie wasn't just the man she loved but couldn't have, he was also, first and foremost, her best friend, and that was infinitely more important. She could live without love if she needed to, but she could never live without her best friend.

"Look, it was always going to hurt to see him again, no matter how it happened," she said. "If he wasn't doing better, you'd have blamed yourself, and you might have tried to help him and ended up sucked back into that mess. But he is doing better, and that's a good thing. And maybe he didn't ask you back because he knows he's still not ready and needs to stand on his own for a while. It's a good thing, and maybe, after you have a good sleep, a good cry, and a few bites of that brownie, you'll be able to move on from it this time. Like, with the crazy rock star? How's that going, by the way?"

[Eddie Shriver]

Sure, it was always going to hurt to see Troy. Eddie could agree with that. He never stopped loving the man, after all. Not really. But he also learned, the hard way, with Yvonne picking him up off the floor, that you could love someone with everything you had and still not be right for them. He'd come to accept that ages ago, but it was a lot easier to hold onto that belief when he didn't have to see Troy.

As Yvonne spoke, Eddie pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, leaning his head back. He didn't want to hear anything she was saying, though he knew they were all wise words. He didn't know what he wanted to hear, really. Hearing that Troy didn't know what he was missing, or even, I'm sure he'll come crawling back... none of it would have made Eddie feel any better. He just wanted everything to be the way it was.

"Nigel," he mumbled, eyes still closed. It was an important distinction, because with Eddie, he was never the crazy rock star. With Eddie, he was just Nigel. Which really, Eddie needed in his life, because as they had all already seen with Troy, the rockstar wild lifestyle didn't really suit him. (Though Troy's kind of wild wasn't just because he was a musician. He was never in an internationally famous band, so there was that). "And it's fine." He didn't want to talk about it. Not after just seeing Troy. Nigel was... safe.

"I told Troy I was seeing someone."

[Yvonne Marquette]

"Nigel," Yvonne repeated. It wasn't entirely fair to mark him as the "crazy rock star," she realized, and she would have to try to learn to like him, especially now that Troy was back in the picture. While it was probably true that Yvonne would never really like any guy Eddie dated, she would have to find a way to support Nigel, since he would certainly be better for Eddie than Nigel.

She had not liked Troy pretty much from the start. He had been good-looking and charismatic, but there was always something in his energy that had troubled her right away. She would later realize that he was in a "manic" phase when she first met him, and that was where the energy came from, but the damage had been done.

"Well, good. Just keep giving Nigel a chance, OK? Troy didn't even say he wanted you back... maybe he's moved on, too. And with any luck, you won't even see him again for a while. It'll be easier if you don't have to see him..."