[OOM: Olau]

[mnt_raph]

It wasn't long after Raph ran into AlannaAlan that he made his excuses and made a bee-line for Tortall.
Timelines were in danger.
People he loved were in danger.
Abigail was in danger.

His heart felt as though it was going to burst through his chest as he headed for the front door, his Security badge firmly in hand.

What if...
What if Alan was proof that the door had reset?
What if time had gone backwards?
What if it was like everything he'd lived there just ceased to exist?
All of it, rewritten in some great cosmic do-over?

He opens the door to a familiar scene, and for a split second Raph allows himself to hope.
The Tortoise. The same as always, as it's been for at least three generations now.
Raph walks around the tavern, rather than go straight through the front door, to the place where Abigail'd be hanging up the day's washing to dry in the noon sun.

There, holding a basket of clothes pins is a little girl no older than six, with her blonde hair in one long braid down her back.

"...oh no."

Comments

[mnt_raph]

"All four of us were. Egghead did the math wrong and we showed up in our own living room before we'd ever left. We don't take too kindly on bein' snuck up on."

Heh, Abigail's seen him in the morning. She probably knows this more than anyone.

[becareful_boyo]

Indeed.

This is the part of their journey where Abigail has to pause to bend over and fight the great big whoops of laughter escaping out her throat.

At his expense, of course.

[mnt_raph]

Raph stops, turns, and just watches her.

"Just lemme know when you're done, okay?"

[becareful_boyo]

Abigail snorts out another laugh, eyes streaming, face red from excessive mirth.

She starts walking again at last, patting his arm with a fond, amused sigh that gives way to another snicker.

"Come along, then."

[mnt_raph]

There's much grumbling under his breath as he allows himself to be coaxed into continuing their journey.

"it's all fun an' games until you walk headfirst into a paradox..."

[becareful_boyo]

"Shhhh."

Abigail puts out a hand to stop him, wrapping it around his forearm once he's close enough.

"Do you hear hoof beats?"

From the forest, on their left.

[mnt_raph]

Raph stops and listens, his head cocking to one side to better hear what she's talking about.

"I do now. Good catch."

They're not coming fast, but there is someone approaching. Raph's first instinct is to move Abigail behind him, just to be safe.

[becareful_boyo]

"Comes of years spent eavesdroppin' in a crowded room," she crows.

Steady, quick, growing less muffled, the regular beats of a large horse come closer. She squints, hand shading her eyes, and almost grins when she recognizes the Lioness.

"Our quarry comes to us, then!"

[the_lioness]

Alanna draws back on Darkmoon's reins, trotting around Abigail and Raph to slow him down. She's grimy from her detour off the road but not harried, not out of breath from hurry or scowling particularly hard.

Not an emergency, then.

"You've been hunting me?" she asks them, eyebrow raised.

[mnt_raph]

Raph visibly relaxes when Alanna comes into view, and it's clear there's no grand emergency.

"A bit. Your timin's impeccable, as always."
He casts his glance back towards the forest.

"You alone? We gotta talk."
Because those words are NEVER synonymous with impending doom.

[the_lioness]

"The children forgot a few of their things," she says, matter-of-fact, and pats the saddle bag behind her as Darkmoon stomps and finally settles down with a snort. "They needed them, and I needed a last ride."

They didn't need them that badly.

Hardly at all, in fact.

Alanna scowls at Raph.

"What's wrong?"

[mnt_raph]

"You ain't been back to Milliways, recently. Right? Like...the doors don't work for you?"

[the_lioness]

Alanna's eyes narrow.

"That is correct."

Beat.

A little too calmly: "Why?"

[mnt_raph]

"An' uh...you don't have any memories of bein' a student of a giant rat from back when you were a kid....do you?"

It can't hurt to ask...right?

[the_lioness]

"No." Her face screws up in a you're crazy expression. "Why are you asking that? You know when I met Splinter."

A sneaking suspicion is starting to take hold and Alanna doesn't like it. Not one bit.

[mnt_raph]

"I'm askin' because...because...well, Alan kinda ran into us by the Lake earlier."

[the_lioness]

"Alan."

If Alanna was not already on a horse, she'd have to sit down right now.

Her father, she thinks. Surely. But not if Raph asked about her memories.

Goddess.

"You mean me," she says with resigned certainty.

[mnt_raph]

"A version o' you, yeah," he replies, nodding. "But as a kid...and not from this here."

"I thought maybe, like...there was time travel involved, but everythin' here would be different. An' it ain't."

He turns back to look at Abigail.

"'Least not that I can tell."

[becareful_boyo]

Abigail nods, folding her hands together.

"Aye. Near as I can tell, it's all the same."

Beat.

"Boy-o and I are still married and everythin'."

[the_lioness]

The curses Alanna lets out now are colorful and don't really make her feel any better.

Ignoring Abigail, "What happened? Did anyone SAY anything to him? Her. Me?"

[mnt_raph]

Raph's expression is priceless for the time it takes for him to realize Abigail is fucking with him. "now ain't the time," he hisses at her, before turning back to Alanna.

"Splinter invited her...him...you to train with us."

IT WAS NOT RAPH'S IDEA.

[the_lioness]

"But did anyone SAY anything about knowing Alan is Alanna? They can't, Raph. They can't."

Alanna slides off Darkmoon and stalks over to Raph, grabbing his shirt in an effort to express just how serious this is.

"EVERYTHING would be different!"

[mnt_raph]

Raph starts backing up the second Alanna slides off the horse. It doesn't matter that Raph is quite a bit larger than she is in all directions, when The Lioness has that look in her eyes...you prepare for the worst.

His hands go up in surrender.

"We ain't said nothin'. I swear. We know how this whole time travel thing works."

[the_lioness]

He does.

They do.

Alanna takes a deep, shuddering breath and nods, but doesn't release him just yet.

"Not everyone will be so conscientious," she warns. "Has... Alan been there more than once?"

Could it be her? Did she forget?

[mnt_raph]

"Not that I've seen, but...that don't mean much."
Yeah, he could probably have left that last bit off.

"I swear to you, soon as I could I bolted an' came here. Thought Abs, you, Adam, an' the kids were..."

So of course this is the sentence that he doesn't finish.