[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

"It's alright," Hayley replied, accepting the fact that Isaac would always have a form of strong attachment to the late Sarah. Another moment of silence came about before she turned to Isaac, saying with a calm voice, "Isaac, I'll be frank with you. I can never take Sarah's place in your heart, no matter how hard I try. She and I are two different people, two different lovers, if you want to put it that way. I can never be Sarah and I will never be. I will love you as myself with what I know and what I can do, so... I hope you're not expecting the same from me as you do from her."

[Daxam]

Isaac smiles gently and turns to Hayley. Reaching up, he caresses her cheek and says, "Hayley, I'll never, ever, ask you to be like Sarah. In case you've forgotten, I fell in love with you before I got those memories back. In other words, I love you for you." Touching his forehead to hers, he adds, "I know you're nothing like her and I accept that. The last thing I'd ever want you to do is change who you are. Honestly, you might not be able to fill the hole she left in my heart...but you have a place in my heart, one just as important as she did." As if to prove he truly loved Hayley because of who she was, he brings her into a gentle loving kiss, pouring everything he feels for her into the contact.

[Vocalia]

If she had any sort of doubt about how Isaac saw her, all of that doubt was now dispelled with his loving kiss, as if he was trying to assure her that she was her own person to him. Hayley wanted to let him know that she wanted nothing more than to return his love, which was why she quickly reciprocated his kiss, gently pushing him against the railings before breaking away to catch her breath. "That's just cheesy, Isaac," she said with a bemused smile, "but, you know what? I don't mind at all."

Up from the roof, even Alexis didn't miss the spectacle of romance in the balcony, but she couldn't understand what they were doing and why. She had more trouble trying to make sense of their motives than trying to make sense of their action. As a creature who had only just learned about sadness, she began to feel the same emotion, this time stirring inside her, from not being able to understand what they did.

[Daxam]

Isaac laughs and clasps his hands behind Hayley's back. "Glad you like it," he says, once more touching his forehead to hers. "It really is how I feel." Leaning in, he brings her into another kiss, until he hears someone clear their throat. Reluctantly, he breaks away from Hayley and looks up to find Sean standing in the doorway, an amused grin on his face. "Am I interrupting something?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. Isaac chuckles and says, "Yeah, now go spend time with Eryn, alright?" Sean shakes his head, chuckling, and says as he walks away, "I remember a time when your face would get so red and you'd stutter whenever I found you and Sarah like this. I swear, Hayley's rubbing off on you."

[Vocalia]

"Hey, not my fault!" Hayley replied to Sean as he finally left them alone. Chuckling softly, she turned to Isaac and asked, "Really? And here I thought I was the awkward one. I used to do that back in the early days. Looking back, I just realize how stupid I've been at that time. I guess I've just never been in a relationship to know much and I was slightly nervous about taking the plunge, but at the very least, that turned out to be a good decision on my part."

[Daxam]

"What're you doing, calling yourself stupid?" Isaac asks with a chuckle. "I happen to remember thinking you were pretty adorable whenever you got flustered." Smiling, he touches his forehead to Hayley's and whispers, "I love you, Hayley. So much."

Sean was still chuckling when he rejoined Eryn in the living room on the couch. Sitting down, he wraps his arm around her shoulders and says, "I just caught Isaac and Hayley making out on the balcony. Seems like they're doing pretty well, given what happened."

[Vocalia]

"Love you too, metal head," Hayley replied, somewhat timidly, She didn't know what the future had in store for them after shattering their life so suddenly, but she was determined to pick up the pieces and move on, if not for the sake of her surviving friends and allies. Mulling over what happened would do her no good, so she willed herself to stay strong, both for her own sake and for others. For now, she seemed content to be with Isaac, gazing at the moon and stars above.

"I'm glad to hear that, Sean," Eryn replied with a soft giggle. "It's nice to know that they both still remain strong after what happened. I'm sure Hayley and Isaac would look after one another to begin with, so I'm sure we don't have anything to worry about."

[Daxam]

Isaac smiles at Hayley and kisses the top of her head before turning his eyes skyward. Part of him still grieves for Sarah, but, with Hayley by his side, he just can't bring himself to shed anymore tears for her. I'm sorry, Sarah, he thinks. I hope you don't think badly of me for that...Even though I have Hayley, I still love you, too... After a moment of silence, Vincent says, I wouldn't worry. From what we remembered of her, I doubt she'd be anything but happy for you. Isaac sighs and replies, I hope you're right, Vincent.

"No, we don't," Sean says, smiling. "We'll all be fine, even Nigel. As long as we have those we love by our sides." Sighing, he lays down, resting his head on Eryn's lap. Looking up at her, he smiles and says, "I hope you don't mind me borrowing your lap. After everything that's happened, even I'm exhausted."

[Vocalia]

"I honestly don't mind, as long as you're comfortable with it," Eryn replied, leaning back against the sofa to give Sean ample space on her lap. If she could do anything to help ease his sadness, even if all she could do was offering her lap to him, she would gladly do it. "It's been a long day for everyone, even myself. I wouldn't blame you in the slightest for being exhausted. I'm admittedly surprised that you like resting on my lap, given that I'm so thin and all."

[Daxam]

Sean smiles and closes his eyes, settling into Eryn's lap. "You're still comfortable," he quietly says, a soft smile on his face. Reaching up, he laces his fingers with hers and gently kisses her knuckles before closing his eyes. As he begins to fall asleep, he whispers, "I love you, Eryn."

[Vocalia]

Eryn smiled and watched as Sean drifted to sleep, his head seemingly glued to her lap. She said nothing until she heard his soft snore, signalling that she wouldn't be leaving the sofa for the night. "I love you too, Sean," she whispered and held back a yawn. "Mmm... Well, the sofa is nice and comfy," she murmured and leaned back, falling asleep within minutes of her closing her eyes.

[Daxam]

Almost an hour later, Isaac, who was watching the stars with Hayley, turns to his girlfriend and says, "Let's head back in. We should try to get as much sleep as we can, even though we took a nap earlier." Yeah, I wanna see what Sean's doing to Eryn, anyway. Isaac mentally rolls his eyes and turns to the door, looking back at his girlfriend as he asks, "Coming?"

[Vocalia]

"One sec," Hayley replied to Isaac, then looked around and spoke up. "Lex, come back in. Time for your "me time" with Vincent." Hearing her "operator" call her, Alexis slithered down the wall from the roof and then sunk back into Hayley's shadow. Once all was said and done, Hayley walked back into the room and saw Sean and Eryn asleep. "Hmm... I'm tempted to be artistic with this guys, probably with a permanent marker..." she mused as she looked at a sleeping Sean.

[Daxam]

Isaac follows Hayley into the living room and sees the sleeping couple. Chuckling, he says, "No, don't do that. At least give me time to get far, far away before Sean wakes up." His arm around Hayley's waist, he leads her away from the living room and into their room, shutting the door softly behind them. "You wanna use the bathroom first?" he asks, stretching his arms above his head.

[Vocalia]

"Nah, you can go on ahead. I won't take long anyway," Hayley replied and waved her hand, gesturing for Isaac to go on before her. After he left, Hayley sat on the bed they shared, deep in thought about all that had happened. "Lex... What conclusion can you draw from all the shit that has happened today?" she asked. Surprisingly, Alexis took a brief silent moment before replying, "I cannot make a concrete conclusion to the events that have transpired in the last 24 hours. However, I have managed to update my database with what I could conclusively consider evidence of sadness and grief. I have experienced this emotion for myself and I can say with reasonable confidence that I am now aware of its symptoms and causes." Smiling softly, Hayley considered Alexis' discovery a step in a humane direction. "I see..."

[Daxam]

A few minutes after Isaac disappears into the bathroom, he reappears, dressed in his pajamas. "That feels better," he says, walking back over to the bed. Sitting down next to Hayley, he kisses the side of her head and lays back on the bed, saying, "Alright, you're turn. I'll try not to pass out before you get out."

[Vocalia]

"If you do decide to pass out, don't hog the blanket or I'll rip your face off," Hayley replied and then went into the bathroom to clean up and get ready for bed. True to her words, it took her less than 5 minutes to clean up and dress up in her black pajamas. Walking out of the bathroom, she smiled as she threw herself onto the bed next to Isaac. "Ahh... That felt good," she said and stretched her arms.

[Daxam]

"Yes, ma'am," Isaac says with a chuckle as Hayley walks into the bathroom. While waiting for her, he and Vincent had a short chat about anything and everything. When she returned and laid down next to him, Isaac turns to her and says, "Tell me about it. Nothing beats lying down on a nice, soft bed after a day like we had."

[Vocalia]

"It's been such a long day... I'm just glad it's all over," Hayley mustered with a soft sigh before turning to Isaac with a kind smile. "Let's get some shut-eye, shall we? I'm pretty sure I can feel Alexis at the back of my mind, just itching to spring out into the open. I'm sure Vincent's busy jacking off in anticipation," she said, not even bothering with her crude language, not when the man she was talking to was used to it for more than a year since they first met.

[Daxam]

...Maybe I am... Vincent grumbles, making Isaac chuckle. "Sounds good," he says, scooting closer to Hayley as he wraps his arm around her waist. Touching his forehead to hers, he smiles gently as he gazes into her eyes. "Good night, Hayley," he whispers. "I love you."