Interlude: Knock Knock
Jul. 16th, 2011 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unbreakableben[[This entry's song: Times Like These]]
The next day Ben is still feeling down but fighting to remember that it won't last forever when there's a knock on his door. Startled, he stares at it for a good minute before getting up to answer it. No one ever visits in any other capacity than official and they never knock for that. Okay, Johnny visits too, but he just comes right in and never knocks.
"Hello?" he says half in question when he opens the door. It's the MP he had hurt. Her arm is in a cast and it takes Ben a minute to realize she's got a slight smile on her face.
"You going to just stand there or are you going to invite me in?"
"Um...sure..." he says completely off guard. "Why?"
She holds up a six pack of beer and says, "Peace offering."
"What? I'm the one who should be apologizing. I never would have done that had I known you were..." he starts to say 'a woman' but catches himself.
She gets his meaning anyway. "Oh if I was a man you'd have done it on purpose? You think a woman can't take a broken arm?"
"No that's not what I meant. I just don't hurt women."
"Then you're an idiot. If you were a normal person I could take you down twelve different ways from where I'm standing, seven of them possible with a cast."
Ben just gapes, completely tongue tied.
"But that's not why I'm here. Your friends have been chewing Ross' ear off for how he treated you and have roped Dr. Storm to fighting for your release. I thought I'd come and see how you were doing and to offer my apology. I should've handled things better."
"What? I broke your arm! How is that your fault?"
"Touching you when you are not aware is like sticking your arm in an engine block when the motor is running. Dangerous and your own damn fault if you get bit. So I apologize Mr. Grimm and I expect your house arrest to be lifted within the hour."
"I...accept? But can you call me Ben? Unless you want me calling you Ms. Ventura?" Ben says reading her name off her uniform.
She smiles in return. "Fair enough. I'm Sharon. Ben, it's a pleasure to meet you. Can I ask...were you going to jump that day?"
Ben swallows as the whole situation makes a lot more sense suddenly. "No," he says a bit gruffly. "Even if I was gonna, there'd be no point. I'd likely have landed on someone, killed them and been no worse for wear."
She studies him for a bit before opening two of the beers and handing him one. "I know it's not my business, but would you jump now?"
"I...don't know," he admits and takes a sip of the beer. "Sam Adams, nice."
She takes a couple of sips as she ponders his answer for a minute or two. "Can we sit?"
"Sure," Ben says and steps back into his room. "Sorry about the seating."
"Okay we've got tons of big brains and an insane budget. We can take people to another dimension but we can't come up with better furniture for you than concrete? That's not right."
"It works okay. It reminds me of those blow up chairs."
She laughs a good minute before getting serious again. "Can I tell you a story? About why I joined the military? There was this song that was kinda big when I was in high school by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones called The Impression That I Get, you remember it?"
"Yeah, that was a pretty cool song. Lots of horns and stuff."
"That's it. Remember how it talked about being brave and how you never know if you're going to be brave until you need to be? That's why I went into the military, I wanted to be tested. To find out if I was brave or not. I don't know that I've really been tested but I know you have been and I think you still are. I'm a little envious really."
"What, why?" Ben asks taken aback.
"Simple. If you can survive this, you will know nothing can break you. Nothing. Most people don't get that."
"I...wow I never thought of it like that. Thank you."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Only thing I can, my best. Hey can you do me a favor?" he says digging behind one of the cushions that are making a pathetic attempt at making the couch look normal.
"Possibly, what is it?"
"Can you give this back to Dave? I think he...dropped it," he says holding out the grenade. He doesn't think he's going to need it anymore and wants to make sure it's not around if he changes his mind.
"Uh...sure thing. I won't even ask."
The next day Ben is still feeling down but fighting to remember that it won't last forever when there's a knock on his door. Startled, he stares at it for a good minute before getting up to answer it. No one ever visits in any other capacity than official and they never knock for that. Okay, Johnny visits too, but he just comes right in and never knocks.
"Hello?" he says half in question when he opens the door. It's the MP he had hurt. Her arm is in a cast and it takes Ben a minute to realize she's got a slight smile on her face.
"You going to just stand there or are you going to invite me in?"
"Um...sure..." he says completely off guard. "Why?"
She holds up a six pack of beer and says, "Peace offering."
"What? I'm the one who should be apologizing. I never would have done that had I known you were..." he starts to say 'a woman' but catches himself.
She gets his meaning anyway. "Oh if I was a man you'd have done it on purpose? You think a woman can't take a broken arm?"
"No that's not what I meant. I just don't hurt women."
"Then you're an idiot. If you were a normal person I could take you down twelve different ways from where I'm standing, seven of them possible with a cast."
Ben just gapes, completely tongue tied.
"But that's not why I'm here. Your friends have been chewing Ross' ear off for how he treated you and have roped Dr. Storm to fighting for your release. I thought I'd come and see how you were doing and to offer my apology. I should've handled things better."
"What? I broke your arm! How is that your fault?"
"Touching you when you are not aware is like sticking your arm in an engine block when the motor is running. Dangerous and your own damn fault if you get bit. So I apologize Mr. Grimm and I expect your house arrest to be lifted within the hour."
"I...accept? But can you call me Ben? Unless you want me calling you Ms. Ventura?" Ben says reading her name off her uniform.
She smiles in return. "Fair enough. I'm Sharon. Ben, it's a pleasure to meet you. Can I ask...were you going to jump that day?"
Ben swallows as the whole situation makes a lot more sense suddenly. "No," he says a bit gruffly. "Even if I was gonna, there'd be no point. I'd likely have landed on someone, killed them and been no worse for wear."
She studies him for a bit before opening two of the beers and handing him one. "I know it's not my business, but would you jump now?"
"I...don't know," he admits and takes a sip of the beer. "Sam Adams, nice."
She takes a couple of sips as she ponders his answer for a minute or two. "Can we sit?"
"Sure," Ben says and steps back into his room. "Sorry about the seating."
"Okay we've got tons of big brains and an insane budget. We can take people to another dimension but we can't come up with better furniture for you than concrete? That's not right."
"It works okay. It reminds me of those blow up chairs."
She laughs a good minute before getting serious again. "Can I tell you a story? About why I joined the military? There was this song that was kinda big when I was in high school by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones called The Impression That I Get, you remember it?"
"Yeah, that was a pretty cool song. Lots of horns and stuff."
"That's it. Remember how it talked about being brave and how you never know if you're going to be brave until you need to be? That's why I went into the military, I wanted to be tested. To find out if I was brave or not. I don't know that I've really been tested but I know you have been and I think you still are. I'm a little envious really."
"What, why?" Ben asks taken aback.
"Simple. If you can survive this, you will know nothing can break you. Nothing. Most people don't get that."
"I...wow I never thought of it like that. Thank you."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Only thing I can, my best. Hey can you do me a favor?" he says digging behind one of the cushions that are making a pathetic attempt at making the couch look normal.
"Possibly, what is it?"
"Can you give this back to Dave? I think he...dropped it," he says holding out the grenade. He doesn't think he's going to need it anymore and wants to make sure it's not around if he changes his mind.
"Uh...sure thing. I won't even ask."
