Third Floor Common Room - Sunday Morning

[likethegun]

After dealing with monsters and ghosts the night before, Sam had almost forgotten about his promise to Dean to help him with brunch in the morning. They'd made a run into town for more eggs, and some bacon, and Dean was busy fixing the real food while Sam made toast. It was a much safer operation that way, really.

[OOC: Open to anyone who wants free food!]

Comments

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"If it's so big, they can find someone else who wants to do it," he said.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Maybe the pick the person who needs to do it, whether they want to be there or not," Dawn said, taking this a little personally now.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"Why them?" He cocked his head, honestly confused and a little indignant at the idea.

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I don't know why them," Dawn hissed at Alec, "maybe they were the last ones out of the big cosmic pool. Maybe they were being saved from something infinitely worse! Did you ever think of that? That maybe there's something worse out there than losing everyone you love?"

And maybe she was that something worse.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

He recoiled a little at her reaction, then frowned. "Maybe that person should figure out their own priorities. Harsh decisions I get, believe me."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Yeah? What harsh decisions have you had to make?" Dawn asked, totally belligerent by now. "Until you've been there, don't judge other people."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

Alec smirked somewhat coldly, lowering his voice a little more. "Whether to kill a man or knock him out, when I might get punished later for making the wrong decision? Or maybe leaving a teammate to die because there was nothing else I could do? Or trying to warn someone I--" He barely paused, managing to use a word different than the one he'd initially thought to. "--I cared about that they were going to die and being put under mental-rehab for even trying?"

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn understood about half of what he said, but she still didn't back down. "Then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Sometimes you can't make the choice you want to, no matter how much it hurts you personally, because everybody will die if you make it."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"There's always a choice," he said, uncharacteristically grim. "And sometimes it's shitty either way you go. But even then, it's your decision, even just to abide by the decisions others make for you."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

And Dawn wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but she found herself agreeing with Alec. "But what happens when it's not your decision? When something happens to you because it has to happen? Because it's been prophesized?"

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

Alec frowned. "If something happens, it happens. You make the decisions you can."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"And what if you're there because you're the only one who can make those decisions at that time and live with them afterwards?" Dawn asked. She'd been trying to figure this out for herself for two years now and wasn't any closer to an answer.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

Alec thought that over before replying. "You're still there because of your own decisions," he said slowly. "Like I said, sometimes any choice you make is a shitty one, but you still have to make them." He looked down at his empty plate without really seeing it. "You have to live with them, but your choices, and how you deal with the repurcussions, are what make you who you are."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

And, hey, look, Dawn found the person inside the sex bomb. "So how do you live and deal with what you've done?" Because she knew there was no way those things he'd said to her had been hypothetical.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

He looked up, smiling suddenly. "Me? I deal and move on."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh. And that works for you?" She tried to sound impressed.

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

"Works as well as anything," he said. "Dwelling on it gets you nowhere.."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn couldn't really argue with that. "Your eggs are cold."

[x5-alec.livejournal.com]

He glanced down at his plate again and snorted. "Too bad; they were pretty tasty." Alec dropped his utensils on the plate and picked it up. "Been nice chatting with you, Dawn."

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if it's been nice," she said honestly, "but it has been informative."