Post by charlirozzi on Nov 19, 2024 7:57:46 GMT -8
Despite her telling Liam he knew where to find her, she didn’t expect him to actually come to The Division mansion. So she had sent him the address of the same cafe she frequented on days she was at the compound. As they were meeting in public, she had the soft white cotton cover that she wore under her mask on, covering 2/3 of her face. Liam of course knew who she was, but she was hopeful he had at the very least kept the information to himself.
Dressed in her gym gear, all in black with a cropped hoodie thrown over the top, her long blonde hair braided off her face and under the mask. As she sat waiting for him, she was people watching. Sipping the piss-poor attempt at tea she had ordered. It was one of her favorite things to do. It allowed her mind to be fairly quiet.
She wasn’t entirely sure why Liam wanted to catch up, she hadn’t made much of an effort with anyone she was close to before she left, when it came to getting back in contact. Julian had been her first and most important call, anyone after that wasn’t high on her priority list. Not because she didn’t care, but because she truly believed in what they were doing and her focus was on building the careers these kids wanted, from the ground up.
Liam spotted her before she noticed him, which wasn’t surprising, since she had that rare gift of blending into a crowd despite her striking presence. Even with the mask covering most of her face, the way she carried herself gave her away. She had always been deliberate in her movements, quiet but purposeful, even when she didn’t realize it.
He adjusted his ballcap as he crossed the street, his Southie Syndicate hoodie slung over his shoulder. His approach was casual, almost too casual for someone coming into neutral territory, especially when it came to someone like her. But Liam wasn’t the type to tiptoe or hedge around things, and he figured she’d appreciate that consistency at least.
”Thought you’d be drinking coffee,” he said as he slid into the seat across from her, gesturing toward the tea with a small smile. ”Not sure what’s worse… this place’s tea or how surprised you look that I actually showed up.”
He leaned back in his chair, letting the moment settle between them, his posture relaxed but his gaze focused. He didn’t miss much. The tension in her shoulders, the slight edge in her otherwise calm demeanor. Liam had known her long enough to recognize when she was holding something back, but he wasn’t here to press, at least not yet.
”Thanks for meeting me, by the way,” he added, his tone genuinely appreciative but not overly formal. He looked around briefly before turning his attention back to her. ”You’re hard to track down these days, but I get it. You’ve been busy. The kids you’re training? They’re lucky to have you. Division’s got itself a hell of a mentor.”
He paused, letting her take the lead if she wanted to. Liam wasn’t the type to rush into the heart of a conversation unless it needed to go there. He figured she’d decide when and how this would unfold. That was part of the reason he’d come—to let her set the pace, but also to remind her that there were still people out here who saw her beyond the mask, beyond the mission.
Her expression remained mostly unreadable, the mask sided with it but after years of her emotions being her downfall, she had learned to keep a mask even beneath the one she now wore. Liam looked almost the same, his eyes more tired, his face a little older, but in her eyes he was still the same kid she knew.
That was part of her problem really, for all the chaos and darkness she brought about with her presence, she still saw her kids as just that, kids. Liam, Ozzie, Paz. They were a part of her history and a part of what made her the person she was. Not that she would let any such weaknesses show today.
”Their coffee is worse than their tea somehow.” Her tone was light, conversational and she even toyed with a small smile on her lips. ”I always have time for you Liam, I know I was gone for a little while..” to her a few years was just that, in the grand scheme it was a blink in time. ”But I never meant to abandon any one, things just changed. They had to.”
She revealed just enough without too much, there was more here for her than just Julian, but he was priority, between The Division and the twins, they were building something a family that was bigger than just the academy. ”A mentor… maybe, I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Though mentors usually offer comfort, somewhere to turn. I’m not really sure the kids would agree I’ve offered them that.”
Liam studied her as she spoke, the familiar cadence of her voice tugging at memories of years past. Despite the mask, despite the walls she’d built around herself, there was something unshakably familiar about her presence. It was comforting in a way, even if she wouldn’t want to admit it. Her words, measured and careful as always, didn’t entirely mask the weight beneath them. Liam leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table, his eyes meeting hers directly.
”Things had to change,” *he echoed softly, his tone understanding but firm, a balance he hoped would land. ”That doesn’t mean you abandoned anyone, even if it might feel like it. I mean, yeah, you disappeared for a while, but it wasn’t like you owed anyone an explanation, you know? Not me, not Paz, not anyone. You did what you had to do, right?”
He let that hang for a moment before leaning back in his chair, his hands resting lightly on the edge of the table.
”And maybe you don’t think of yourself as a mentor in the comforting, nurturing sense,” he continued, a small grin tugging at his lips. ”But that’s not why people look up to you. You’ve always been the kind of person who pushes others to be better. Stronger. You don’t coddle, and yeah, maybe that’s not for everyone, but the ones who stick around? The ones who can handle it? They’re better for it. Hell, I know I am.”
He tilted his head slightly, a flicker of amusement crossing his expression.
”Even if you did terrify me more times than I care to admit back in the day.”
Liam’s grin softened as he studied her again, the weight of her words lingering between them.
”Whatever you’re building with them—with him—I get it. You’ve got a good thing going, and I’m not here to mess with that. But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve always been more than just the chaos you think you bring. And if they don’t know it yet, they will.”
He paused, his gaze softening even further as he added,
”I guess what I’m trying to say is… even if you don’t see yourself as someone to turn to, you always were for me.”
The weight of his own words sat heavy on her chest for a moment. He understood more than she gave him credit for, not because she doubted him or thought he didn’t see. But because she never expected anyone to pay as much attention as she did.
When things has begun to fall apart and she had been honest with Julian, his forced rejection to protect a man he still considered a close friend, she had slipped. Leaving was what kept her safe, it allowed her space from the world to get things right and coming back now wasn’t accidental. She had the itch. Even if she didn’t want to admit it.
”I’m a little disappointed, Liam.” Truth. Her tone was as soft and measured as always, her eyes locked on him and analysing his movements as she spoke. He was someone she had a lot of hope for, she had seen his potential long before he did. He was destined to be more than just the name he carried. ”To see you back under your fathers thumb, playing by his rules and dipping your toe into some form of rebellion? The girl, the faction… there was so much more than this out there for you.”
She was never one to mince words or soften the blow of things, she wasn’t judging Bella directly. Only that he had again picked someone his father would hate, all the while seeking his approval at the same time. That wasn’t quite the greatness she had hoped for.
”And no, this isn’t about her.” She didn’t like the girl, that was true. She didn’t know her either, that was also true. But it felt like he was tied to the academy because of her and deep down, she wanted more for him.
”What we’re building, it is important and preparing these kids for the reality of wrestling? It’s something most people don’t bother to do - something I tried to do for you, all of you.”
Liam listened quietly, her words hitting with the kind of precision she was known for. He didn’t flinch under her gaze, but he also didn’t rush to defend himself. He’d always valued her honesty, even when it stung, and this wasn’t the first time she’d pushed him to confront uncomfortable truths.
”I get why you’re disappointed,” he started, his tone calm and steady, his eyes meeting hers with the same intensity she offered him. ”I’m not blind to what this looks like, you know? Running back to my dad, playing by his rules. But it’s not that simple.”
He leaned forward, his hands resting lightly on the table as he continued, his voice low but firm.
”The kids I’m training? They’re why I’m there. They need someone to show them the right way to do this, someone to keep them out of trouble before they end up burned out or worse. My dad… he’s got his name, his reputation, and yeah, there’s a lot of weight that comes with that. But he’s also unpredictable, and let’s be real, he doesn’t always think about the long-term.”
Liam’s lips quirked into a small, wry smile, though there was no humor in it.
”When he flames out—and he will flame out—I’ll be there to pick up the pieces. Not for him, but for them. Because someone has to be. Someone has to show these kids that there’s more to wrestling than just chaos and power plays.”
He leaned back slightly, his gaze softening as he addressed the unspoken weight in her words.
”As for Bella… yeah, she’s part of Legion, and yeah, my dad hates her. But she’s not why I’m doing this. She’s not pulling me in any direction I don’t already want to go. I know you don’t like her, and that’s fine, but I don’t see her the way you do. She’s not just rebellion for rebellion’s sad, at least she’s not to me.”
Liam took a breath, his voice dropping slightly as he added,
”What you’re building? It is important. And I know how much you’ve put into it, how much you’re giving these kids. I wouldn’t be here without what you taught me, and you know that. But this… this is my way of doing the same thing. It’s messy, and yeah, it’s tied up in a lot of baggage, but that’s part of it. It’s part of figuring out how to be better.”
His gaze sharpened slightly, a flicker of resolve cutting through his tone.
”You always said wrestling is about more than just what happens in the ring. I’m trying to be more than just the name I carry, even if it doesn’t look that way right now.”
She understood, he was trying to build something that protected the kids he was training, he wanted to be more than just someone who ran them through the wringer and then left them to fail alone… Liam still had a lot of faith in the world, he reminder her of herself so often. Who she was when she first started on the path that led her here.
But unlike her, he had people who had shown him he didn’t have to succeed or fail alone and if she had been some part of him knowing it, seeing there’s more to offer in the industry than your win loss record, then she was glad for it. And whilst she was disappointed he had leaned back into his fathers grasp, she was also incredibly proud of who he was becoming.
”I get it.” She locked her eyes with his, there was a little touch of concern there now. She wasn’t trying so hard to hide from him this time, she wanted to be sure she was rewatching him when she spoke. Her tone was as calm and measured as always, but she let just the smallest amount of warmth seep in. ”But I worry that by the time that happens, you’ll be in too deep. You’re right he is unpredictable and he’s dangerous, Liam. Your father reminds me so much of my own, represents so much of what I am trying to rid the industry of… I don’t want you to wait for his downfall only to be left with nothing to rebuild.”
If he wanted to be the one who led these kids the right way, he needed to take action, not necessarily in that very moment, but before things went too far and it was all too late.
She wanted more than that for him, if he wanted to build a legacy of his own kind. Give the kids he was training something to really believe in, he would need to do it on his own path and not in the footsteps of someone whom he was already so much better than.
”Don’t rush. But don’t wait too long either.”
Liam nodded as she spoke, her words sinking deep. He could feel the weight of her concern, and though she let it show only in brief glimpses, it meant something. She didn’t give her warmth lightly, and knowing it was there, even just a flicker, grounded him in the moment.
”I know what he is,” he said after a beat, his voice steady, his hands clasping together on the table. ”I’ve known it for a long time. And trust me, I’m not under any illusions about what he’s capable of or what it might cost me if I stick around too long.”
His gaze lifted to meet hers again, his own concern mirrored in her eyes. He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on the table as he softened his tone.
”I’m not doing this because I think he’ll change, or because I want to be anything like him. I’m doing it because if I’m there, I can stop it from getting worse. For them, for the kids who don’t know any better yet.”
Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to find the right words.
”You’re right though, he’s dangerous. And I know I’m playing a risky game, trying to walk this line without getting pulled under. But if I just step away now, if I leave these kids in his hands without trying to guide them first… what’s the point? Someone has to be there to show them there’s another way before he chews them up and spits them out.”
He paused, letting the weight of what she said about building his own path settle in his mind. Her faith in him, even unspoken, was clear, and that meant more to him than he could say.
”I don’t want to wait too long. I know I can’t. But if I’m going to step out of his shadow, I need to do it in a way that leaves something better behind. Not just for the kids I’m training now, but for anyone who comes after them. I don’t want to just walk away—I want to take this whole damn thing and make it into something worth believing in.”
Liam offered her a small, tired smile, his voice softening even further.
”I know you worry. And I know you’re probably right about more than I want to admit. But I promise you that I’m not going to let him drag me down. When the time comes, I’ll take the lead. And I’ll make sure there’s something left to rebuild.”
He held her gaze, the determination in his eyes unwavering.
”Thanks for reminding me what I’m capable of, even if I don’t always see it.”
”I do worry, because I care. And my god I’d dent saying it if I was pressed outside of this conversation and you know it, but I love you guys Liam. My first kids, the first trainees I ever had, even though you weren’t really beginners like these kids… you were my students and it means a lot to me, to see you do so much with what I had a chance to teach you.”
She leaned across the table and squeezed his hand just once before she sat back, looking around to make sure that no one was watching them. Her eyes darted around the area, not completely unaware that they were close enough to the compound that a stray student or two might see something.
”Watch out for Charli and the Laroux kid, they’re more trouble than your dad realises, someone like that, that filled with anger?
They don’t want to build anything, they just want to see it burn.” She knew well enough.
She had been that angry kid who wanted to punish everyone for the mistakes people in her life had made - she had done things that in retrospect she regretted, but the girl she was when she did them? Wouldn’t be able to stop herself and she saw all of that in the pair.
”Just be careful ok? Promise me.”
Liam’s chest tightened at her words, the unguarded warmth in her tone hitting him harder than he expected. She wasn’t the type to offer affection easily, so hearing it now meant everything. He smiled softly, a flicker of gratitude and respect in his tired eyes as she squeezed his hand.
”I know you do,” *he said quietly, his voice steady but tinged with emotion. ”And it means a lot—more than I can really say. You were there when none of us really knew what the hell we were doing, even if we didn’t admit it. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without what you taught us.”
When she leaned back, he caught the way her gaze darted around, her protective instincts still sharp even now. He didn’t comment on it, but it reminded him of why he trusted her so deeply—why her words always carried weight for him.
As she brought up Charli and Kian, his expression grew more serious. He nodded slowly, absorbing her warning, the weight of her experience clear in her tone. He’d seen glimpses of what she was talking about—the fire, the recklessness—but hearing it from her gave it sharper clarity.
”I’ll keep an eye on them,” *he promised, his tone thoughtful. ”You’re right. There’s a lot of anger there, and I don’t think either of them really knows what to do with it. It’s… unpredictable. Dangerous. But I’ll make sure they don’t drag the others down with them—or themselves, for that matter.”
Liam met her gaze again, his determination evident.
”I’ll be careful,” *he said firmly, the sincerity in his voice unmistakable. ”I promise. I’ve got too much to lose not to be.”
He hesitated for a moment, then added, his tone softening just slightly,
”And… thanks. For caring. For still looking out for us, even now. We’re better for it, whether you see it or not.”
She nodded quietly. Any doubt she had about her ability to guide these kids had been silenced by this meeting. As hard as she was, as much as she demanded and expected of them; it all came from a place of care. They didn’t know it yet, but once you were one of hers, you always are. Liam understood that.
”I see it, flickers of it any way.” Her tone was soft but measured, her eyes fixing back on him before she looked to the cup in front of her and made a face of very obvious disgust, deciding against drinking any more of it. ”We both need to get back, I don’t want anyone asking any questions. Just remember that I’m always here, I won’t always tell you what you want to hear but it’ll always be what you need to.”
She stood up slowly, adjusting her mask and looking back down at him with a small smile. A wave of affection washing over her before she steeled herself, removing any trace of the softness she carried for him from her stance. After another quick visual sweep to ensure nobody saw them before she placed one hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Then turned and walked in the opposite direction of the compound.
Dressed in her gym gear, all in black with a cropped hoodie thrown over the top, her long blonde hair braided off her face and under the mask. As she sat waiting for him, she was people watching. Sipping the piss-poor attempt at tea she had ordered. It was one of her favorite things to do. It allowed her mind to be fairly quiet.
She wasn’t entirely sure why Liam wanted to catch up, she hadn’t made much of an effort with anyone she was close to before she left, when it came to getting back in contact. Julian had been her first and most important call, anyone after that wasn’t high on her priority list. Not because she didn’t care, but because she truly believed in what they were doing and her focus was on building the careers these kids wanted, from the ground up.
Liam spotted her before she noticed him, which wasn’t surprising, since she had that rare gift of blending into a crowd despite her striking presence. Even with the mask covering most of her face, the way she carried herself gave her away. She had always been deliberate in her movements, quiet but purposeful, even when she didn’t realize it.
He adjusted his ballcap as he crossed the street, his Southie Syndicate hoodie slung over his shoulder. His approach was casual, almost too casual for someone coming into neutral territory, especially when it came to someone like her. But Liam wasn’t the type to tiptoe or hedge around things, and he figured she’d appreciate that consistency at least.
”Thought you’d be drinking coffee,” he said as he slid into the seat across from her, gesturing toward the tea with a small smile. ”Not sure what’s worse… this place’s tea or how surprised you look that I actually showed up.”
He leaned back in his chair, letting the moment settle between them, his posture relaxed but his gaze focused. He didn’t miss much. The tension in her shoulders, the slight edge in her otherwise calm demeanor. Liam had known her long enough to recognize when she was holding something back, but he wasn’t here to press, at least not yet.
”Thanks for meeting me, by the way,” he added, his tone genuinely appreciative but not overly formal. He looked around briefly before turning his attention back to her. ”You’re hard to track down these days, but I get it. You’ve been busy. The kids you’re training? They’re lucky to have you. Division’s got itself a hell of a mentor.”
He paused, letting her take the lead if she wanted to. Liam wasn’t the type to rush into the heart of a conversation unless it needed to go there. He figured she’d decide when and how this would unfold. That was part of the reason he’d come—to let her set the pace, but also to remind her that there were still people out here who saw her beyond the mask, beyond the mission.
Her expression remained mostly unreadable, the mask sided with it but after years of her emotions being her downfall, she had learned to keep a mask even beneath the one she now wore. Liam looked almost the same, his eyes more tired, his face a little older, but in her eyes he was still the same kid she knew.
That was part of her problem really, for all the chaos and darkness she brought about with her presence, she still saw her kids as just that, kids. Liam, Ozzie, Paz. They were a part of her history and a part of what made her the person she was. Not that she would let any such weaknesses show today.
”Their coffee is worse than their tea somehow.” Her tone was light, conversational and she even toyed with a small smile on her lips. ”I always have time for you Liam, I know I was gone for a little while..” to her a few years was just that, in the grand scheme it was a blink in time. ”But I never meant to abandon any one, things just changed. They had to.”
She revealed just enough without too much, there was more here for her than just Julian, but he was priority, between The Division and the twins, they were building something a family that was bigger than just the academy. ”A mentor… maybe, I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Though mentors usually offer comfort, somewhere to turn. I’m not really sure the kids would agree I’ve offered them that.”
Liam studied her as she spoke, the familiar cadence of her voice tugging at memories of years past. Despite the mask, despite the walls she’d built around herself, there was something unshakably familiar about her presence. It was comforting in a way, even if she wouldn’t want to admit it. Her words, measured and careful as always, didn’t entirely mask the weight beneath them. Liam leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table, his eyes meeting hers directly.
”Things had to change,” *he echoed softly, his tone understanding but firm, a balance he hoped would land. ”That doesn’t mean you abandoned anyone, even if it might feel like it. I mean, yeah, you disappeared for a while, but it wasn’t like you owed anyone an explanation, you know? Not me, not Paz, not anyone. You did what you had to do, right?”
He let that hang for a moment before leaning back in his chair, his hands resting lightly on the edge of the table.
”And maybe you don’t think of yourself as a mentor in the comforting, nurturing sense,” he continued, a small grin tugging at his lips. ”But that’s not why people look up to you. You’ve always been the kind of person who pushes others to be better. Stronger. You don’t coddle, and yeah, maybe that’s not for everyone, but the ones who stick around? The ones who can handle it? They’re better for it. Hell, I know I am.”
He tilted his head slightly, a flicker of amusement crossing his expression.
”Even if you did terrify me more times than I care to admit back in the day.”
Liam’s grin softened as he studied her again, the weight of her words lingering between them.
”Whatever you’re building with them—with him—I get it. You’ve got a good thing going, and I’m not here to mess with that. But don’t sell yourself short. You’ve always been more than just the chaos you think you bring. And if they don’t know it yet, they will.”
He paused, his gaze softening even further as he added,
”I guess what I’m trying to say is… even if you don’t see yourself as someone to turn to, you always were for me.”
The weight of his own words sat heavy on her chest for a moment. He understood more than she gave him credit for, not because she doubted him or thought he didn’t see. But because she never expected anyone to pay as much attention as she did.
When things has begun to fall apart and she had been honest with Julian, his forced rejection to protect a man he still considered a close friend, she had slipped. Leaving was what kept her safe, it allowed her space from the world to get things right and coming back now wasn’t accidental. She had the itch. Even if she didn’t want to admit it.
”I’m a little disappointed, Liam.” Truth. Her tone was as soft and measured as always, her eyes locked on him and analysing his movements as she spoke. He was someone she had a lot of hope for, she had seen his potential long before he did. He was destined to be more than just the name he carried. ”To see you back under your fathers thumb, playing by his rules and dipping your toe into some form of rebellion? The girl, the faction… there was so much more than this out there for you.”
She was never one to mince words or soften the blow of things, she wasn’t judging Bella directly. Only that he had again picked someone his father would hate, all the while seeking his approval at the same time. That wasn’t quite the greatness she had hoped for.
”And no, this isn’t about her.” She didn’t like the girl, that was true. She didn’t know her either, that was also true. But it felt like he was tied to the academy because of her and deep down, she wanted more for him.
”What we’re building, it is important and preparing these kids for the reality of wrestling? It’s something most people don’t bother to do - something I tried to do for you, all of you.”
Liam listened quietly, her words hitting with the kind of precision she was known for. He didn’t flinch under her gaze, but he also didn’t rush to defend himself. He’d always valued her honesty, even when it stung, and this wasn’t the first time she’d pushed him to confront uncomfortable truths.
”I get why you’re disappointed,” he started, his tone calm and steady, his eyes meeting hers with the same intensity she offered him. ”I’m not blind to what this looks like, you know? Running back to my dad, playing by his rules. But it’s not that simple.”
He leaned forward, his hands resting lightly on the table as he continued, his voice low but firm.
”The kids I’m training? They’re why I’m there. They need someone to show them the right way to do this, someone to keep them out of trouble before they end up burned out or worse. My dad… he’s got his name, his reputation, and yeah, there’s a lot of weight that comes with that. But he’s also unpredictable, and let’s be real, he doesn’t always think about the long-term.”
Liam’s lips quirked into a small, wry smile, though there was no humor in it.
”When he flames out—and he will flame out—I’ll be there to pick up the pieces. Not for him, but for them. Because someone has to be. Someone has to show these kids that there’s more to wrestling than just chaos and power plays.”
He leaned back slightly, his gaze softening as he addressed the unspoken weight in her words.
”As for Bella… yeah, she’s part of Legion, and yeah, my dad hates her. But she’s not why I’m doing this. She’s not pulling me in any direction I don’t already want to go. I know you don’t like her, and that’s fine, but I don’t see her the way you do. She’s not just rebellion for rebellion’s sad, at least she’s not to me.”
Liam took a breath, his voice dropping slightly as he added,
”What you’re building? It is important. And I know how much you’ve put into it, how much you’re giving these kids. I wouldn’t be here without what you taught me, and you know that. But this… this is my way of doing the same thing. It’s messy, and yeah, it’s tied up in a lot of baggage, but that’s part of it. It’s part of figuring out how to be better.”
His gaze sharpened slightly, a flicker of resolve cutting through his tone.
”You always said wrestling is about more than just what happens in the ring. I’m trying to be more than just the name I carry, even if it doesn’t look that way right now.”
She understood, he was trying to build something that protected the kids he was training, he wanted to be more than just someone who ran them through the wringer and then left them to fail alone… Liam still had a lot of faith in the world, he reminder her of herself so often. Who she was when she first started on the path that led her here.
But unlike her, he had people who had shown him he didn’t have to succeed or fail alone and if she had been some part of him knowing it, seeing there’s more to offer in the industry than your win loss record, then she was glad for it. And whilst she was disappointed he had leaned back into his fathers grasp, she was also incredibly proud of who he was becoming.
”I get it.” She locked her eyes with his, there was a little touch of concern there now. She wasn’t trying so hard to hide from him this time, she wanted to be sure she was rewatching him when she spoke. Her tone was as calm and measured as always, but she let just the smallest amount of warmth seep in. ”But I worry that by the time that happens, you’ll be in too deep. You’re right he is unpredictable and he’s dangerous, Liam. Your father reminds me so much of my own, represents so much of what I am trying to rid the industry of… I don’t want you to wait for his downfall only to be left with nothing to rebuild.”
If he wanted to be the one who led these kids the right way, he needed to take action, not necessarily in that very moment, but before things went too far and it was all too late.
She wanted more than that for him, if he wanted to build a legacy of his own kind. Give the kids he was training something to really believe in, he would need to do it on his own path and not in the footsteps of someone whom he was already so much better than.
”Don’t rush. But don’t wait too long either.”
Liam nodded as she spoke, her words sinking deep. He could feel the weight of her concern, and though she let it show only in brief glimpses, it meant something. She didn’t give her warmth lightly, and knowing it was there, even just a flicker, grounded him in the moment.
”I know what he is,” he said after a beat, his voice steady, his hands clasping together on the table. ”I’ve known it for a long time. And trust me, I’m not under any illusions about what he’s capable of or what it might cost me if I stick around too long.”
His gaze lifted to meet hers again, his own concern mirrored in her eyes. He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on the table as he softened his tone.
”I’m not doing this because I think he’ll change, or because I want to be anything like him. I’m doing it because if I’m there, I can stop it from getting worse. For them, for the kids who don’t know any better yet.”
Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to find the right words.
”You’re right though, he’s dangerous. And I know I’m playing a risky game, trying to walk this line without getting pulled under. But if I just step away now, if I leave these kids in his hands without trying to guide them first… what’s the point? Someone has to be there to show them there’s another way before he chews them up and spits them out.”
He paused, letting the weight of what she said about building his own path settle in his mind. Her faith in him, even unspoken, was clear, and that meant more to him than he could say.
”I don’t want to wait too long. I know I can’t. But if I’m going to step out of his shadow, I need to do it in a way that leaves something better behind. Not just for the kids I’m training now, but for anyone who comes after them. I don’t want to just walk away—I want to take this whole damn thing and make it into something worth believing in.”
Liam offered her a small, tired smile, his voice softening even further.
”I know you worry. And I know you’re probably right about more than I want to admit. But I promise you that I’m not going to let him drag me down. When the time comes, I’ll take the lead. And I’ll make sure there’s something left to rebuild.”
He held her gaze, the determination in his eyes unwavering.
”Thanks for reminding me what I’m capable of, even if I don’t always see it.”
”I do worry, because I care. And my god I’d dent saying it if I was pressed outside of this conversation and you know it, but I love you guys Liam. My first kids, the first trainees I ever had, even though you weren’t really beginners like these kids… you were my students and it means a lot to me, to see you do so much with what I had a chance to teach you.”
She leaned across the table and squeezed his hand just once before she sat back, looking around to make sure that no one was watching them. Her eyes darted around the area, not completely unaware that they were close enough to the compound that a stray student or two might see something.
”Watch out for Charli and the Laroux kid, they’re more trouble than your dad realises, someone like that, that filled with anger?
They don’t want to build anything, they just want to see it burn.” She knew well enough.
She had been that angry kid who wanted to punish everyone for the mistakes people in her life had made - she had done things that in retrospect she regretted, but the girl she was when she did them? Wouldn’t be able to stop herself and she saw all of that in the pair.
”Just be careful ok? Promise me.”
Liam’s chest tightened at her words, the unguarded warmth in her tone hitting him harder than he expected. She wasn’t the type to offer affection easily, so hearing it now meant everything. He smiled softly, a flicker of gratitude and respect in his tired eyes as she squeezed his hand.
”I know you do,” *he said quietly, his voice steady but tinged with emotion. ”And it means a lot—more than I can really say. You were there when none of us really knew what the hell we were doing, even if we didn’t admit it. I wouldn’t be half the person I am today without what you taught us.”
When she leaned back, he caught the way her gaze darted around, her protective instincts still sharp even now. He didn’t comment on it, but it reminded him of why he trusted her so deeply—why her words always carried weight for him.
As she brought up Charli and Kian, his expression grew more serious. He nodded slowly, absorbing her warning, the weight of her experience clear in her tone. He’d seen glimpses of what she was talking about—the fire, the recklessness—but hearing it from her gave it sharper clarity.
”I’ll keep an eye on them,” *he promised, his tone thoughtful. ”You’re right. There’s a lot of anger there, and I don’t think either of them really knows what to do with it. It’s… unpredictable. Dangerous. But I’ll make sure they don’t drag the others down with them—or themselves, for that matter.”
Liam met her gaze again, his determination evident.
”I’ll be careful,” *he said firmly, the sincerity in his voice unmistakable. ”I promise. I’ve got too much to lose not to be.”
He hesitated for a moment, then added, his tone softening just slightly,
”And… thanks. For caring. For still looking out for us, even now. We’re better for it, whether you see it or not.”
She nodded quietly. Any doubt she had about her ability to guide these kids had been silenced by this meeting. As hard as she was, as much as she demanded and expected of them; it all came from a place of care. They didn’t know it yet, but once you were one of hers, you always are. Liam understood that.
”I see it, flickers of it any way.” Her tone was soft but measured, her eyes fixing back on him before she looked to the cup in front of her and made a face of very obvious disgust, deciding against drinking any more of it. ”We both need to get back, I don’t want anyone asking any questions. Just remember that I’m always here, I won’t always tell you what you want to hear but it’ll always be what you need to.”
She stood up slowly, adjusting her mask and looking back down at him with a small smile. A wave of affection washing over her before she steeled herself, removing any trace of the softness she carried for him from her stance. After another quick visual sweep to ensure nobody saw them before she placed one hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Then turned and walked in the opposite direction of the compound.