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Post by Everett Quinn on Dec 11, 2015 3:26:54 GMT
Everett Quinn weaved his way through the crowd at the Labor Day celebration, not quite wanting to stop to talk to anyone for any length of time. He'd spent a good amount of time this past summer avoiding everyone he cared about. He had been surprised at how difficult it was. As a child, much of his time was spent without anyone else even close to his age and he had grown accustom to that in many ways. Being Eliot Quinn's son didn't leave a lot of opportunities available for him to make friends. Still, he'd managed to make a few over the years and now that he'd cut them out he was surprised how difficult it was to go back to a lonelier existence, and it had only grown worse after he'd finally been able to get his mother out of their apartment and to Arizona - miles and miles away from his father.
Spotting Melanie Benson near the bar, he made his way towards her, leaning in towards her ear. "I have a feeling tonight isn't going to be that fun," he hinted to her. After all, Eliot had just returned from a prolonged business trip and was sure to notice his wife's absence soon enough. As much as Everett hated the man, he knew he wasn't stupid. It wouldn't take him very long to connect the dots. He looked up, realizing that Brody Finn was by Melanie's side. Smoothing a hand through his hair he nodded at him in greeting. "Finn," he muttered before turning to Melanie. "Are you still able to help?"
Melanie looked up at Everett, nodding at the younger man. "I told you I would, didn't I?" she replied blandly, taking a long sip of her drink.
Nodding, Everett glanced around, he spotted Ellie Tyler standing near her parents and frowned, grabbing the bartenders attention and ordering himself a drink. While he didn't make drinking at these things a habit, the looming idea that his father was due to show up and make his presence known at any time had him craving a bit of alcohol. He glanced at Brody, "I think maybe I should apologize in advance for wrecking your night," he said, offering no additional explanation.
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Post by Brody Finn on Dec 11, 2015 22:27:29 GMT
Brody nodded his own greeting to Everett Quinn, looking down at his girlfriend for some sort of indication as to what was happening. Though, he wasn't sure what was more strange, the knowledge that it sounded like some sort of drama was about to erupt, drama that he had nothing to do with, or the fact that the woman to his side was his girlfriend. It felt strange to place that label on Melanie after everything else that had happened not only between them but also with everything else that had been going on. Even more, it was strange to consider her to be his girlfriend when he knew that there was already an expiration limit on their time together. Melanie was the sort of person that needed someone who would be able to give her their undivided attention, and going to Cornell in a matter of days didn't necessarily give him a lot of time for her. Plus, a long-distance relationship wasn't something that either of them seemed to have any particular interest in at the moment. So they had both agreed that at the end of the summer, it was over. Tonight fundamentally was their swan song - at least where their relationship was concerned. Ever since they had left the Fourth of July party together, Melanie had been showing that she was trying to turn over a new leaf, something that made it much easier for him to settle into a comfortable friendship with her.
Still, dating or not, she gave no indication of what was happening and so Brody stayed silent and placed his hand comfortingly on the small of her back. Turning to Everett, he shook his head, "There's no need to apologize."
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Post by Melanie Benson on Dec 11, 2015 22:43:34 GMT
Melanie shot a wary look at Everett before turning to Brody, her hand finding his. She smiled up at him, shaking her head. "Everett here has been lording a favor over my head for about three years now and it seems it's finally come time to collect," she explained blandly, taking another sip of her drink, she leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to Brody's lips. While Melanie knew that when Brody went away to school in a matter of days, she also knew that it would be the best thing for them. Over the course of the summer their relationship had been a comfortable one. She'd never really been in a relationship before and she thought that this had been something like a trial run to see if it was even something she was interested in for herself. She still wasn't sure and had a feeling that when he did go away she very well might fall into old habits. But having known Brody for so long, she secretly thought that perhaps the best thing about all of it was she'd regained a friend in a way she hadn't had in some years. She would never admit to that, though.
Glancing around the party, she noted Ellie Tyler but not her twin sister and made a mental note to say something to her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. Squeezing his hand gently, her eyes fell onto a man just entering the party and it seemed as though he was coming straight for him. "So much for date night," she quipped. It was fine, though. She always figured she wasn't much of a date to begin with, though not for lack of her genuine effort this time around with Brody.
Everett took a long sip of his drink, his eyes following Melanie's gaze to find Eliot walking straight for him. He turned his back on the man, refusing to show any sign of respect. It was only when he felt a firm grip on his shoulder that he placed his drink down.
"You think you're clever, don't you?" Eliot asked, keeping his voice almost dangerously low. "You know that she's going to have to come home eventually and when she does, everything will go right back to normal."
"She's going to serve you with divorce papers soon enough and stay far away from you, Dad," Everett spat out the last word as though it were a curse. "If you want to see her again, you have to go through me." When his father's grip only tightened on his shoulder, Everett continued to stare him down.
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Post by Brody Finn on Dec 11, 2015 22:59:42 GMT
Part of him was curious to know what Melanie had done to owe Everett a favor, but judging by the tension that seemed to be growing in the room, he opted to refrain from saying anything to her to press the matter further. Instead, he squeezed her hand softly and gave her a small smile. He had to admit, there was a large part of him that was going to miss being with Melanie like this. It not only felt comfortable at the moment, it was natural. Years of friendship seemed to culminate in the best sort of relationship, and for the first time in the last couple of months, he was reminded that it had been like this with someone else before. With Morgan, it had been both very much the same as it was with Melanie, but very different, too. Morgan had been like giving in to temptation after several years of trying to ignore it, and instead of feeling satisfied now, he was starting to feel as though he just missed what they had had. And if anything, his relationship with Melanie hadn't shown him that he could happily move on, it showed him that he missed being in a relationship with the petite redhead. But, he reminded himself, even though her relationship with Remi had ended, she had never really shown any intentions of trying to get back into his own life. At least not directly to him - she had, however, spoken to his mother. Brushing the thoughts away before they could spiral down a very dangerous path, he stepped closer to Melanie has Eliot Quinn made his way near them.
"What exactly are you supposed to do?" he asked softly in her ear.
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Post by Melanie Benson on Dec 11, 2015 23:32:15 GMT
Melanie sighed, shaking her head with a shrug of her shoulder. "Apparently, if Jamie's little friend Kensi or Ellie Tyler try to get involved, I'm supposed to keep them out of it. Don't ask me how I'm going to achieve that because I don't know yet. So, I mean, if I have to club them over the head, your last act as my boyfriend might be helping me drag them out of here," she informed him teasingly.
Kensi Cavanaugh stood nearby. She'd been spending the majority of the evening in a dress that itched and the Converse sneakers that her mother hated so much, joking around with Jamie Benson. She'd taken a special kind of liking to him after prom and, especially once Everett had pushed her away and she found herself without one of her oldest friends, she'd taken to spending a lot of her time with Jamie and with Ellie. However, Everett was still on her radar and when she watched him seemingly arguing with his father. "Maybe I should go over there," she said, her brow furrowing in concern.
Eliot glared down at Everett. "You think I'm not willing to go through you to get to her, son? Because I assure you I am. What is she going to do without me? If it weren't for me, you two would still both be living in a gutter somewhere without a penny to your name."
"And we'd be better off," Everett sneered, shrugging Eliot's hand off of his shoulder. "Don't act like you're so benevolent. The only reason you married her was to keep from damaging your precious reputation. So calm down and stop making a scene, Eliot. And remember, I'm not ten anymore, you don't scare me."
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Post by Brody Finn on Dec 12, 2015 0:06:58 GMT
Brody smiled and nodded, wondering when exactly she had really changed and started becoming a better person. It would have been one thing if she would have just been nicer to him because they had started dating, but it was another thing entirely for her to do something like this for Everett. Even if he did apparently have something over her. He looked into the crowd to see if he could spot either of the aforementioned girls, though he supposed that a small part of him was hoping that he would find out whether or not Morgan was standing at her sister's side.
Jamie followed Kensi's attention as it was drawn to a conversation that Everett appeared to have with his father. He couldn't say that he knew all of the details of that relationship, and there were some pieces missing that might explain why Kensi seemed to be suddenly concerned for her friend, but he also wasn't sure if it was the sort of thing that she should have been involved with. His new and ever-growing relationship with Kensi, if he could even call it that, had reached a point where he was a little concerned himself about what would happen if she tried to intervene in any way. Placing a hand on her arm, he tried to draw her attention back to him just for a moment. "Do you think that you should? I can go with you, if you'd like."
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Post by Everett Quinn on Dec 12, 2015 1:31:28 GMT
Kensi glanced at Jamie, smiling at his offer to accompany her. She leaned in, pressing her mouth against his. "You're the best," she nodded. "I just want to make sure he's okay. He might not want to be my friend anymore but - I don't know, I just want to make sure. Plus, your sister is there." And while Kensi had the distinct impression that Jamie's older sister didn't like her very much - and knew for a fact the feeling was mutual, she figured it served as a good excuse to check on Everett.
Eliot glowered at Everett. "Your mother was nothing but a cocktail waitress and a whore. I'm the best thing that ever happened to her, and when I get her back, you will regret all of this," he hissed. "And I hope she blames you for every moment, just like I have."
Everett was pretty certain that was the straw that broke the camel's back and if they were going to have a scene, might as well add some fireworks. His hand pulled back and his fist landed pretty evenly on his father's jaw. "You're never going to see her again!" he all but shouted. "And I have been waiting for over ten years to do that do you, Dad. For every moment that you put us both through hell."
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Post by James Benson on Dec 12, 2015 2:20:56 GMT
At her kiss, Jamie smiled brightly at Kensi, nodding at the mention that she did want to go over there and make sure that everything was okay. He looked over at the mention of his sister and saw that she was still with Brody Finn, for whatever it was worth. He hadn't decided how he felt about Melanie dating their childhood friend, but he did have to admit that it was nice seeing Melanie in what he would consider to be a normal relationship. She had seemed different lately, and he did know that was a good thing so he supposed that was the important part. Besides, it wasn't that he didn't like Brody, it was just that he wasn't sure if he liked him dating his sister. His plan to accompany Kensi over to his sister and Everett was abruptly paused, however, when he caught sight of a punch being thrown. "Maybe," he said to her, "Now isn't the best time?"
Ellie heard the commotion almost as quickly as she spotted it. She had been trying very hard to avoid looking over in the direction that she had originally spotted Everett in, instead focusing on the conversation she was having with her parents, but she had caved and glanced over just in time to see him hit his father. She froze, a soft gasp escaping her lips. She was immediately overwhelmed with the urge to go to him and make sure that everything was okay, but her pride kept her from making any moves as she remembered how forcefully he had pushed her away. And with her father to her side, the man who had banned her from seeing him anymore, she wasn't sure that she would be able to excuse herself cleanly from the situation.
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Post by Melanie Benson on Dec 12, 2015 2:31:55 GMT
The moment a punch was thrown, Melanie's eyes scanned the crowd for Jamie. Much as she suspected, she found him standing with Kensi - the young odd girl that he seemed interested in - much to Melanie's own dismay. She also noticed Kensi was watching the entire ordeal with concern. Frowning, she locked eyes with her brother and held her hand up at him. "Stay!" she said, not sure that he could even hear her as people seemed to gasp and murmur about the spectacle Everett had now created. However, she remained particularly unfazed, leaning over the bar and asking for a cup of ice and a cloth napkin.
Everett stepped back towards the bar, turning his back once again on Eliot. He glanced at the cup of ice and napkin ruefully, before nodding at Melanie and as she calmly wrapped some ice cubes up for his fist.
"You son of a bitch." Eliot all-but growled from behind them. The older Quinn took in the sight of Melanie Benson tending to his son's fist, lifting his eyebrows.
"It's a bit ironic when he says that about his own son, isn't it?" Melanie asked dully as a few security personnel members made their way over. "Everything's okay boys, but I think Mr. Quinn Senior was just about ready to be shown out." Everett stared at her and she shook her head. "My father's name is on the building, Ev. Buy a clue."
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Post by James Benson on Dec 12, 2015 2:49:15 GMT
Heeding Melanie's advice to remain where they were, Jamie opted to grab Kensi's hand and keep her close to him. For whatever reason, Melanie must have thought that there was still the potential for something to happen. He didn't actually release her hand, or the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, until he watched the security officers lead Eliot Quinn away. Turning to Kensi, he frowned slightly to see the look of concern still on her face. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he tried to comfort her. He wasn't sure what the details were in what happened to cause Everett to shut her out, but part of him thought that it must have been the fear of her involvement in situations like this. One of the many things that interested him so much about her was that she wasn't afraid to say or do what she thought was right, and her loyalty to her friends was something that he admired about her. But his own attachment to her caused him to worry that she had the potential of getting her feeling hurt again by rushing over there to make sure that everything was okay. Particularly when Melanie had clearly wanted them to stay away. Though, he argued with himself, perhaps now that the eldest Quinn was gone, he had nothing to be afraid of. "If you really want to check on everything though, we can still go over there?"
Ellie's watched the exchange closely, trying to judge the circumstances that were surrounding the entire spectacle. She never would have thought that Everett would have been the type of person to throw a punch, regardless of how much the other person might have deserved it. And while her first reaction had been one of concern, she also found herself suddenly remembering what she had felt for him at prom. Deciding that she didn't care what her parents had to say about it, she excused herself from them without waiting for their permission. Hesitating briefly as she made up her mind to cross in his direction, she quickly wondered whether or not it would be better for her to just find her friends and distract herself that way, but she couldn't help but feel that if she ended up going to Kensi she would end up back on her original path anyway. Instead, she took a deep breath and set her course for the bar. Not daring to get too close to him in case he decided to lash out at her again, she cleared her throat to get his attention. "Hey," but she added quickly, "I just - I wanted to make sure that everything was okay. That you were okay."
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Post by Everett Quinn on Dec 12, 2015 3:23:18 GMT
Everett looked up as he took the ice from Melanie and held it to his knuckles. His eyes falling on Ellie. He nodded and looked down. "Yeah, I'm..." he let out a dry chuckle. "I mean, I've been a lot better. But things could be worse." He realized, immediately upon seeing her, just how much he'd missed her and how glad he was that she hadn't been too close just a few moments ago as he'd lost his cool. "Are you okay?' he asked, then winced. "I mean, have you been okay?"
Kensi nodded at Jamie, appreciating the way that he seemed so concerned about her. She watched Ellie approach Everett before tugging gently on Jamie's hand and walking with him in that direction, hoping to check on Everett. She came to a halt though, when Melanie Benson stood up in their way and seemed to look down at Kensi before turning her attention to her brother. "You didn't need to tell us to stay, I've been around fights before," Kensi said stubbornly.
"I didn't do that for you, I did that for him," Melanie replied flatly, turning her attention towards Jamie, ruffling his hair. "Aside from the times Daddy gets riled up and forgets he's not twenty six anymore, Benson's don't get into physical fights. You run the risk of getting hit in the face, and ours are just too perfect." She looked at him and, even though he'd been no where near the altercation, tried to verify that he was fine, then smiled. "Come over for lunch next weekend and tell me all about school."
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Post by Ellie Tyler on Dec 12, 2015 3:42:55 GMT
Nodding in agreement, Ellie had wanted to tell him all of the ways that she hadn't been okay. She hadn't been okay that one of her best friends had completely cut her out of his life for reasons that no one had ever really bothered to explain to her. She wasn't okay that that same friend had put her in her place at prom when she had gone out on a limb to show him that she had liked him. She wasn't okay that she was fighting with her sister in the worst fight that they had ever had considering the fact that she could barely remember the last time they had had a real conversation. But seeing the ice resting on his hand, she wondered if his fear of a fight like this had been the reason why he had pushed her away. It angered her a little to think that he didn't think that she could have handled it but she appreciated that he had tried to keep her out of it. And Kensi. She glanced over at her friend and Jamie Benson speaking with Melanie and smiled at them softly before turning back to Everett to answer his question. "I've been..." she sighed. Her gut instinct was to tell him that she had been better or that she was just fine, but in comparison with everything that he had just gone through, she thought that it seemed immature to stoop that low. "I've been okay. Spending a lot of time with Kensi and Jamie lately," she nodded.
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Post by James Benson on Dec 12, 2015 3:47:50 GMT
Jamie tried to shake his sister off as she reached out and ruffled his hair, but he supposed that when it came down to it that Melanie was always going to take on the protective older sister role and there really wasn't anything that he could do about it. Not that he was sure that he even wanted to do anything about it - as much as she tried his patience and drove him crazy, he really loved her and how she cared for him too. "Okay," he nodded his agreement to her lunch plans. "But Mel, what was all of that about? And why were you involved with it?" He had to admit that his curiosity was getting the best of him in terms of his sister's new change in behavior, and while he was sure the Brody Finn was helping to bring out a new, slightly nicer side to her, he wasn't sure if that was all there was to it.
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Post by Everett Quinn on Dec 12, 2015 3:57:35 GMT
Everett nodded, looking down and avoiding eye contact with Ellie for a moment. He debated telling her to go away again. He knew that this wasn't the last issue he'd run into with Eliot despite knowing this one would likely be the worst. He thought about apologizing to her and trying to explain why he'd done what he'd done. But then he thought maybe if she really was doing okay, maybe it was for the best to leave her be. He pulled the ice away to examine his hand before applying it again. "I'm glad you're doing okay then," he finally said slowly. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around. "I should probably try to make an exit, I suddenly have this weird feeling that people in this room are talking about me," he said with a dry chuckle. "Can't imagine why."
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Post by Melanie Benson on Dec 12, 2015 4:15:38 GMT
Melanie glanced over her shoulder at Brody, smiling softly at him and making sure he was okay given the very quick and sudden drama that had unfolded. Then she turned her attention back to Jamie. "I've owed Everett a favor for a while. He knew that he was going to be going through some things with his father - who's a certified asshole according to every social circle I've ever been a part of - and he wanted me to keep your friend Rainbow Brite and Apathy Barbie," she gestured between Kensi and then Ellie, "away from the fight," she shrugged her shoulders. "Now my debt is paid and I am in the clear," she nodded.
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