ramblin' man

"is it? it's just my small town life" she smiled, not thinking much of the information she had divulged. "it is, everyone i adore is right here in this town with me. i do enjoy it here. the town has it's ups and downs and we've all been worried about the poisonings but with the person now behind bars, i hope we can all breathe a sigh of relief and put the worst behind us" ellie fredricksen, ever the optimist. "oh really? i hope your ex wife is okay. would i know her?"

"forgive me, i'm very much on the outside looking in here. yes, all the unpleasantness aside... i've heard nothing but wonderful things about redwood hollow. it sounds like anyone could make a home here, if they wanted to." gabe nodded at her conclusion. after all, he didn't have the evidence to back up any contradictions to her analysis. he hoped he would, before anyone else could fall victim to these mysterious circumstances. "yes, me too. she's very formidable, i don't think anything could truly win against her. oh, probably..." although, she seemed very nice and lorelai wasn't exactly a fan of making friends. "lorelai hart?"

she hadn't even considered the holidays until she had mentioned them to gabe, and now the sudden realisation of it all had hit her like a brick. "you don't even know how much i'd love that" she laughed, trying to shake off the sadness in her bones. "just do me a favour and don't actually go mad on this one, no case is worth your sanity." hearing the juice was pulp free did make the option a little more appealing. mary thanked the nurse who finished up the donation and smoothed the plaster down on her arm. "gabe, i'm always hungry" she laughed, poking the straw into her juice. "do you want to go grab some food?"

"well, you never know what might be coming your way," he winked. gabe's expression soften at her words though, kind as ever. they weren't without their merit, of course. it wouldn't be the first time gabe had lost months of his life to a case. "i promise to do my best, miss mary. you won't have to worry about digging me out from a pile of red string any day soon." he nodded to the nurse too, satisfied mary was okay. at least, plaster-wise. "i would love to grab some food."

"yeah, especially when it happens to good people." victor had a lot of time for ray and jane. evangeline's had cost them their relationship in the long run but it looked like a large portion of town were going through their fair share of relationship casualties. "i hope so too" he sighed "good to meet you gabe, i'm victor" he introduced himself and shook the others hand "victor lumiere. you been in town long?"

gabe nodded in agreement. "we have to hold onto memories like this, don't you think? good to meet you too, victor," he smiled as they shook hands. "no, i just rolled in a few days ago. i'm a private investigator and i have a penchant for the unexplained. the weirder the better. this town checked a few boxes, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view."

"i'm starting to think that i'm the lucky one" there wasn't any reason to why she would put up any protest to running into gabe. "this town has that quality about it. there's always something to keep you on your toes. personally, i like the community and the slower pace in life instead of the big city. there are always interesting characters around town to chat to"

gabe tried and failed to fight off a smile when she said that. he'd be lying if he said running into babette again wasn't a welcome surprise. "well, i've never shied away from being kept on my toes. it sounds like you've made quite the home for yourself, here. i think i might be beginning to see the appeal of it all myself."

"Yes. Uneventful," she replied, averting her gaze out toward the sleepy little town. In the grand scheme of things, the things that happened here were merely drops in an ocean. For now, at least.

This story wasn't over, Gabe felt that more now than ever. If Mirage was here, then nothing good could be brewing. Why would she stay here, though? He had never known her to be stuck anywhere. "Is that what you're looking for now? Somewhere to settle down and sit on the porch?"

charlotte smiled and nodded along "it's been wonderful to see someone's dream come true. it makes me happy to know someone achieved what they wanted" if charlotte could grant wishes, she would be dishing them out like oprah giving away prizes to her audience. "you're out of your cocoon now and you can socialise to your hearts content"

"that is a truly wonderful sentiment, miss la bouff. i'm sure it won't be the last celebration we see in this town, then. oh... i don't know about that, i might have to crawl back into it after this evening. i don't have your sparkle," he added kindly. charlotte was more than happy to talk about her life and this town.

"people are so desperate for it to be over, and they're happy to be told that the person they arrested did it and there's no other questions asked. seems strange that there was no leads for so long and suddenly someone is arrested to be charged. your ex wife must be someone important for them to be targeted."

"my thinking exactly. in my experience, it's just when you're told to let down your guard, that you should be most on alert. i can accept that it's over once everything has been explained. no plot holes, no alternatives. ah, yes, i think so. then again, i'm sure she's had no problem making enemies of her own but... i don't believe in coincidence."

eilonwy reached out and took the card, reading over the fancy font and nodding along "pleased to meet you. oh no need for formalities, please call me eilonwy" she smiled. "how are you finding town?"

"eilonwy it is," he nodded. "feel free to call me gabe, but i'm happy to answer to most things. oh, it's taking some getting used to. friendly, though. very friendly. have you lived here long?"

if anyone was going to crack the case, it would be gabe. "always and anytime. have you discussed your suspicions with the police department at all?" she asked curiously. surely they'd be willing to hear out gabe's theory "riding off into the sunset does sound blissfully peaceful, doesn't it?" one could only dream that they'd have such peace in town again "that's good to hear. it is a change from the city attitude, but it's nice to see people show up for one another here. have you made any new friends that you don't have on a suspect board?"

"that is my next step. i don't want to come to them just yet, not without a little more to offer. it's always hit or miss, you know? some people will feel like i'm stepping on their toes no matter what my intentions are. that it does, darling," he smiled. gabe doubted it would be so simple but he certainly could hope. he wanted to know everything about this town, though, to turn every stone. "yes, it has been a shock to the system." gabe chuckled at her question. every person he'd met, he'd shaken their hand and given them a card. and yes, many he had noted down as potential suspects. they were cleared later, of course. "i've met a few people, yes. i don't know if you'd call them 'friends', mind you. there's... also a woman."

the room felt calmer when she focused on him, a feeling that felt rare these days in her life. she considered that it was the reason that she was uncharacteristically vulnerable about feeling apprehensive about being alone at the event. "i'll join you in hoping that spirits will be higher. what makes you so confident about that?" she asked, genuinely curious at his optimism "there was." she nodded, unsure for a moment if she wanted to divulge "his name is victor. we're not together anymore. this is the first event we've been at that we've not attended together"

"i think i've seen so much of the worst in people, and spent so long in dark and abandoned places... that i just know it has to get better, that there's something else on the other side. no matter what, you're just one more step away from the light. i'm a practical optimist that way," he added with a small smile. gabe watched as she decided how to answer him, his expression softening as she did. ah. heartache. now there was something he could relate to quite well. "i imagine that's not been easy for you, babette. the firsts are always challenging," he said softly, gently spinning her around. "i hope it's been okay, so far. a little fun, even."

she jumped at the sound of his voice and could've burst into tears when she saw him in person; feeling like that abandoned kid she did years ago when her mother left her on the family farm, watching the car pull away. bowie didn't wait to answer, she rushed to hug him tightly, hiding her face in his jacket while her eyes stung at the tears threatening to spill over

"wh- alright," he breathed, wrapping an arm around her instinctively as she hugged him tightly. "you're alright, baby girl. i've got you." he tried to steel himself, knowing that when she pulled back with tears in her eyes, it would hit him hard. lorelai's relationship with bowie had always been complicated. it was his greatest regret that he hadn't been there more, especially since the divorce.

"fuck" she muttered to herself as she stormed out of hart law firms building. the reunion was never going to be a predictable affair but maybe some part of her hoped it would go better than it did "fuck!" she repeated, forcing her feet to take her as far away from the building as possible. this was stupid. it was stupid to feel rattled over a parent who didn't want to be in your life, right?

"a man with a plan, i like that" she chuckled along with him. her hand briefly tightened around his as he led her through the room, aware of the onlookers that came with it. victor was here somewhere, and while she wasn't concerned about what he thought, the reminder did come to mind. "i'm feeling much better now. i was apprehensive coming here alone, a brief falter in confidence, but as they say fake it until you make it."

gabe looked over her eyes as a thought seemed to come to her mind. 'coming here alone' stood out and the idea that her confidence wavered was hard to believe. he offered a kind smile, slowly swaying in the middle of the room with her. "i'm glad to hear it. i'd like to hope that spirits will be higher now, the future is looking very bright i think. you'll have nothing to worry about." he paused a moment, thinking it would be better to be safe than sorry... "is there someone you usually attend with?"

"i can't help but feel like you're right. it feels too quick to be over. it feels like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop" gabe's inception theory wasn't a bad one. belle was a woman of logic and facts and she was inclined to agree with him. "i don't think you're losing your touch. i think you're onto something. i only hope that no one else gets injured, the people in this town have suffered enough." she sighed "i'm doing well, thank you. helping where i can in between teaching. how have you been other than driving yourself mad it seems"

"awful, isn't it?" compelling, too. perhaps a little exciting, but gabe knew when and where to express such things. he felt in his bones that the chase was far from over. "thank you, sweetheart, i appreciate your unwavering faith in me and my gut. i hope just the same. in fact, i'd like nothing more than for us to ride off into a gentle sunset and leave behind all this treachery. you are an angel, you know that?" gabe chuckled at her comment, knowing the truth of it very well. "well, thank you. i think i've settled in alright although, i admit, the small town friendliness is something to get used to."

"i'm sure it is" she answered, that unwavering confidence of an armbruster on full display. a private investigator was one for watching. anyone with a braincell knew that a private investigator sniffing around meant that things were more serious than what had been let on to the public, even if said investigator says they came to town for other reasons. "your ex wife one of the unlucky few. coma case but there was poison found in her system, right? there's not much story other than people falling ill. i do find it interesting who is falling ill. the town sheriff, a golden boy who comes from a family with more money and power than god, an affluent cafe owner who is a town staple to name a few...there's a pattern there, it's big names with big influence."

"correct," he nodded, listening intently as miss armbruster carried on her analysis. lorelai had been hellbent on not having her business aired around town, even when her life was on the line. gabe would try his best to honour that, but finding out what the hell had happened was more important. wasn't it? "i think you're quite right about that. i fear it's no coincidence that even when buried in a crowd of casualties, it's the important few that emerge. my ex wife among them, yes. as always, it boils down to the hardest question of them all... 'why?'. although, truth be told, i'd settle for leaving that for after the crook is caught."