(Untitled)

[moraldyslexic]

It wasn't something Lennox did every day, it wasn't even something he did every week, but now and then he wandered away from the Hamlet and went to see Stephen at his hut. More often than not he ran into his friend on the beach or in the clinic or somewhere in the Compound, but sometimes when he didn't see him for a couple of days, Lennox would go

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[chris_cutter]

With the disappearance of the snow came the reappearance of work, something Chris was actually oddly grateful for. He'd spent the morning on the team, building a place not too far off from the Hamlet. But, it hadn't been quite like normal with Lennox not there, even though Chris knew Lennox was planning to spend the day catching up with Stephen and so lunch couldn't come too soon.

Making a short pit stop at the Hamlet before heading up to the Compound, Chris was surprised to find Lennox there. However, his immediate smile faded to concern when he saw the look on Lennox's face.

"Hey," he said, approaching more slowly as his hand brushed over Lennox's shoulder and looked down at the strange cat-like creature in Lennox's lap. "Who's this?"

[moraldyslexic]

Startled, Lennox looked up when he felt someone's hand and he was surprised to see Chris. Then he remembered that he was supposed to meet him up at the Compound for lunch, but that thought had completely fled his mind almost hours earlier and he shook his head, looking apologetic.

"I forgot about lunch, man, I..." But he didn't know what else to say. "This is Lucy," he managed finally. The genet had perked up at the sight and sound of Chris, her ears twitching back and forward again as she looked at him.

"She used to belong to Stephen. I named her," he continued, staring down at Hal as he spoke, still stroking the dog's ears. "I found her when I went to see him."

[chris_cutter]

Used to.

Chris didn't like the sound of that and his concerned frown deepened before he shifted to take a seat on the log beside Lennox. Hal whined cautiously then and turned her head, obviously wanting to greet Chris, but not willing to leave Lennox's side. Reaching his hand out, Chris pet Hal's back and moved closer, his eyes still on Lennox.

"Stephen give her to you or something?" Chris asked, a part of him hoping that was the case even as a sharp pang of jealousy threatened to rear up at it. It was better than the other reason, though, the one Chris could tell was real just by looking at Lennox, seeing the pained expression in his eyes.

[moraldyslexic]

"No," Lennox answered simply, watching as Lucy's ears twitched again and then she cautiously stepped out of Lennox's lap and into Chris's, sniffing him curiously. Stephen had told Lennox that when they were small, genet's developed bonds easily and so he hoped she'd like Chris.

"I went to his hut, but no one was there except Lucy," he explained, frowning a little as he looked down at his lap. "He's gone, Chris." He hated saying that and he hated that he'd said it so many times in his almost two years on the island.

[m_pinocchio]

The snow's gone, and while part of him misses it it's good to have familiar surroundings back, and so he's taken a day to himself, to wander and not do much of anything and just reacquaint himself with where he's lived for the past year.

Eventually he finds himself in the Hamlet and when he sees Lennox he starts over with a greeting almost out--and then stops. Something about the set of Lennox's shoulders seems wrong, deflated, and so he simply takes a seat beside him and waits, to see what he'll be told or just to be here if Lennox doesn't feel like talking.

[moraldyslexic]

Lennox was talking to Lucy quietly when he felt someone approach and sit down beside him, but it took him a moment to look up and he offered a faint, pained smile to Mike.

"Hey," he said quietly as Lucy perked up at the sight of a newcomer, her nose twitching as she studied him. She seemed ready to bolt and Lennox remembered Stephen saying that they were easily startled, so he left her alone for the moment, rubbing Hal's ears instead.

"Shouldn't you be working?" he asked, but the joke fell flat. He didn't even have the energy for it.

[m_pinocchio]

He shrugs, eying the little animal with faint interest and even fainter distrust; she doesn't seem relaxed but as long as she doesn't launch herself at his face they'll probably be okay.

"I'm taking a day," he says. He pauses, chewing his bottom lip.

"You gonna tell me what's up?" Because he's even more sure now that something is.

[moraldyslexic]

For a moment Lennox thought that maybe if he didn't say it, it would make it not true. As long as he didn't say the words, then Stephen might still come out of the jungle after having gone on a long hike or something, but he knew better. He knew the feeling of having someone disappear.

"She used to belong to Stephen," he explained, nodding down at Lucy who was still looking at Mike. Her ears twitched forward again and then she seemed to get over him and looked out across the Hamlet. "I found her at his hut."

[callofkaren]

"You have a raccoon thing," Karen pointed out needlessly as she sat down next to Lennox, and gave Hal a pat in greeting. She'd only really stopped by to say hi while she was basking in the return of the warm weather and taking walks around the island. After finding Lennox before she even got to his hut, though, Karen was pretty sure there was at something on his mind, and nothing good.

[moraldyslexic]

"She's a genet," Lennox answered, just as needlessly, because he knew that wasn't really the point of the conversation. But he felt like he needed to say it, especially since he'd never actually said it to Stephen, just repeatedly called her a 'cat-thing' in order to bug his friend.

"She used to belong to Stephen Maturin. I named her Lucy for him," he added a moment later, giving Karen a faint smile as Lucy perked up and looked at her, ears twitching.

[callofkaren]

Karen shifted a little closer to Lennox, reaching one hand out toward Lucy in curiosity. She hadn't actually seen that kind of animal before, and she thought she recognized the name of her owner. Well, former owner, if Lennox's mood and word choice was any indicator.

She looked up at him, and quietly asked, "used to?"

[moraldyslexic]

Lucy looked at Karen's fingers hesitantly, sniffing the air in front of them before she nosed at them gently, curiously. He'd never seen her bite before, except for Stephen, and he wondered if his friend had managed to train her out of it.

"Yeah, used to," he agreed with a twisted smile. "I went looking for him today and couldn't find him." And that usually only meant one thing, especially coupled with the uncomfortable feeling in his gut.

[single_digit]

Emmy was trying to climb a tree. At least, that's what Eddie thought she was trying to do; to the outside observer, it looked like she was hugging the tree. And really, who was Eddie to say she wasn't?

She was easily distracted when she saw Lennox, though, and went barrelling off towards him, leaving her father in her wake.

[moraldyslexic]

Even as his worst, Emmy could make Lennox smile and even as Lucy started in his lap, little claws digging into his thigh, he grinned at her when she came running in his direction.

"Careful, kiddo. Don't scare the cat-thing," he said gently, reaching out his hand to catch her shoulder when she came to a halt in front of him. Hal wagged her tail as Lucy looked at Emmy carefully, seeming to recognize her. Lifting his gaze, Lennox smiled at Eddie a bit, although he hadn't quite caught up yet.

[single_digit]

Emmy might not have been sensitive to Lennox's mood yet, but Eddie was, and he hung back a little as Emmy reached out a tentative hand for the animal. It seemed like Eddie was a lot more scared it was going to bite than Emmy was.

[moraldyslexic]

"She won't bite her," Lennox said to Eddie as he looked over at his friend, but he put a steading hand on Lucy's back anyway, just to make sure she wasn't tense or ready to pounce. "She used to bite Stephen all the time, but I think he got her to stop that."

Looking down at Emmy, Lennox smiled and said, "You remember her, Emmy? She belonged to Stephen. He gave you the turtle."

[ooh_lily]

Lily had been doing some paperwork, and she came out of her little clinic with ink on her hands and her hair twisted back from her face, and she saw something strange in him from a distance, because she knew him that well.

"Lennox?"

When she spoke, both animals, Hal and whatever that was in Lennox's lap, looked up at her.

[moraldyslexic]

"Hey, Lily," Lennox said softly, trying not to scare Lucy. Hal was more than accustomed to people already, especially Lily, and she reluctantly left Lennox's side to greet her. Lucy, however, stayed in his lap, tense and alert. "Were you working?"

[ooh_lily]

Lily dropped down into a crouch, forty year old bones protesting under the drape of her skirt, to scratch Hal behind both ears.

"Just a few notes. I've got a birth coming up."

[moraldyslexic]

"Yeah?" Lennox asked, trying to think of who was still pregnant. Either it wasn't someone he knew or he just wasn't thinking hard enough, because he came up blank. "Who's having a baby?"

Maybe the babies wouldn't disappear. God, he hoped they wouldn't.