Voicemail

[momslilassassin]

Hey, you've reached Ben. I'm probably at the gym or Stark's or eating ice cream--shh, I don't want to hear about it, Ender and Karla--but I'll get back to you when I turn the comm back on if you leave a message!

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"He's still limping around," Ben said with a slightly evil giggle. "Dad smacked the poodoo out of his knee."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Must've been some smack," John remarked. "Though I heard someone else did some smacking." And maaaaybe he sounded a little proud right then.

[momslilassassin]

Ben was quiet for a second. "She mentioned that?"

Yeah, Ben, that was going to come up.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"One of the few things she did mention," he realized. "Must've left an impression." On his face!

[momslilassassin]

"He'll deserve it eventually," Ben said darkly, "and he was a pain when he was younger, too."

Oh, the cynicism of those whose heroes have let them down.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Hey, sometimes we all need a nice hit to remind us where our head should be," John told him. "And sometimes it feels good to hit someone, even if they're not quite the right someone."

[momslilassassin]

"Yeah, Dad gave me an earful about that," Ben said, "but it felt good anyway."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad it felt good," John told him. "I kinda wish I'd gotten to see it."

[momslilassassin]

"It just all muddled, you know?" Ben admitted. "I hate him and love him and miss him and want to punch him all at the same time."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

While technically that made very little sense, John was all too familiar with screwed up feelings that made very little sense. "I hear you. And you don't really have the option of figuring it out, right?"

[momslilassassin]

"Not unless I want to go back through all of my memories of last year," Ben said with a slight shudder.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I don't think I'd recommend that one," John agreed. "I feel bad we haven't talked much since I left." Mainly because it'd been nearly two years, so obviously John sucked at this keeping in touch thing.

[momslilassassin]

Ben sighed. "Yeah, I figured that was kind of inevitable." Because Ben wasn't good with optimism. "You go with Jaina."

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"What's Jaina have to do with me and you talking?" John asked.

[momslilassassin]

There was an awkward silence on Ben's side of the line. "You tell her things I tell you," he finally blurted.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

Oh crap, Jaina. "Not everything!" John told him. "But you know I cannot lie to you people as much as I might try."

John frowned at his phone. "Regardless of all that, I'm sorry."

[momslilassassin]

"And I'm sorry that what I told you made you leave town," Ben mumbled.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"What?" John paused. "Nononono! I had stuff I had to do. That was not because of you." Well, not entirely. "Besides, I got to see Gavin in jail."

[momslilassassin]

"Gavin went to jail?!"

In Ben's galaxy, Gavin was a father of a billion. seriously five and a highly respectable admiral. "Really?"

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"Okay, so I was there with him, but it was completely trumped up based on his unfortunate taste in women," John explained. Maybe Gavin was trying to have that billion yet!

[momslilassassin]

"...I've never once thought about Gavin's taste in women," Ben said.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"It's not exactly a fun thing to think about," John said, knowing from experience.

[momslilassassin]

"I think he used to date a Bothan," Ben said in scandalized tones.

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

"He's a special guy," John said, completely speciest, yes. "But at least they wear clothes." Heaven help the staring when aliens went au natural.

[momslilassassin]

Ben snickered. "Yeah, there's no way Gavin could handle dating a Wookiee."