insert clever title here

"Your phone..." Her brows pinched together, expression crinkling in confusion as she looked over the water only to see a tiny speckle of black feet below the surface. How it happened, she didn't even want to know. "Great. Well, then it's probably important we talk before you sink to your untimely death trying to retrieve that thing," Emmy started, standing up from the edge of the pool only to move closer to Tyler, sitting on the lounge chair next to the one the woman was on. Her elbows pressed against her bare legs and her hands clasped together, wondering if maybe she could get away with going the entire pregnancy and a child's lifetime just never mentioning anything to the other. Would Ty even notice? Inevitably, she chose to spit the words out, though, and held her breath for a response. "Ver and I are having a baby."

Ty's hands were gripped around the chair, one on either side of her legs as she braced herself for Emmy's news. There were a million things it could have been, but what ultimately came out of Emmy's mouth wasn't at all what Ty would have expected. Her eyes blinked a few times after Emmy spoke, brain trying to make sense of the words. A baby. There was only one thing it could mean, but Tyler was instead trying to find any other possible explanation for what a baby was. "What?" was all she ultimately was able to respond with, her brain short-circuiting with no other reasonable explanation. Emmy's marriage to Ver had been bad enough, changing things in a way that Tyler still felt she was trying to navigate. A baby was a different thing entirely, a thing that would only change things more than they already were. "Did she go fuck around and get pregnant? What the fuck?"

location: ty's home, in her cool rich person backyard probably.

The internal conflict drove her mad for almost a year; to tell Ty they decided to try for a baby or to wait until the process was irreversible to tell her. Emmy wasn't going to lie and claim that the other couldn't have convinced her to get cold feet about the entire thing — she never envisioned herself as a mom, never in a million years thought she'd be the one peeing on a stick and waiting, impatiently, for a positive to show up, and yet, she found herself doing exactly that... but it wasn't a stretch to say she was anxious about it and when she was anxious, her first response was usually to run. In the end, she decided to wait to tell her best friend until the news was actually official, played the side effects from the fertility injections off as long work hours and summer exhaustion, and her wife didn't take much convincing. Things between her and Ty were still touch and go and Emmy assumed they always would be.

The waiting game she was playing was over that morning, when three tests laid on the bathroom counter, all positive. It took everything in her not to put it off for another day, insist that they needed to confirm once more with the doctor. Even though she liked to think she was better now, that running wasn't her go-to response, sometimes the urge was still there, fighting and bubbling to the surface. Ty was her best friend, though, and she wanted the woman to be a part of this big life moment and so she dragged herself out of the house, sun beating down on her as she let herself into Tyler's home and wandered into the backyard where she knew the other would likely be by the pool. "Remind me why we haven't childproofed the doors so you won't drown when you're unsupervised?" She immediately teased upon seeing her best friend, a grin curving on her lips. For a moment, everything was good. Slipping off her sandals, she took a seat on the edge of the pool and dropped her feet into the cool water. "Can we talk for a second? I, um, have something I need to tell you, but you have to promise you won't actually try to drown yourself when I do."

She was chuckling under her breath watching it when she heard the back door of her house open. Head turning lazily, Ty let the dogs do all the work of getting up to greet Emmy while she stayed stretched out on the lounger. "Fuck you, I know how to swim," she huffed back with a dramatic flop back into her pillow. The banter sobered up quickly when Emmy came to sit by the pool, a seriousness falling between them. Ty hated talks like this and a part of her was quite ready to just push Emmy into the water to avoid it. Whatever the talk was about, Emmy clearly expected her not to be thrilled by it. "Kind of busy working right now. My phone fell in the pool. So, I probably have to get it. Might drown on the way there." The previous object of her ire for the day had now become her best friend, the phone taking over importance now that it was her excuse to get out of whatever this talk was.

Clearing her throat, Sage nodded, "Tea would be nice. There are some bags by the coffee pot, I can get the kettle?" She didn't wait for an answer and instead popped up from her spot leaning against the counter, going to move around Yasemin to grab the kettle from it's spot. One second her foot was catching on the runner in front of the counter and the next second she was reaching out to catch herself, palm landing firmly to grip the granite counter top on one side of the brunette. "Shit, I'm..." She breathed out, a whisper of an embarrassed laugh fell from her lips. "I don't know why we still have that old thing."

Moving through the kitchen seamlessly, it felt like this was something they did all the time. Yasemin grabbing the tea bags and honey, Sage grabbing the kettle to brew the tea. She had just grabbed the tea bag and turned to move back towards Sage when she heard the shifting of the runner and the thud of Sage's hand against the counter top right next to her. Immediately, her free hand moved to help steady the woman, palm settling right at Sage's waist. "Mmmhm. You sure that wasn't on purpose?" she teased, her voice still dropped down low, a whisper just in case Asher happened to awaken. "I'll pick up some double-sided rug tape when I'm out tomorrow, though. Simple fix."

Then, Yasemin stepped closer, no longer lingering by the doorway, but reaching around her for a glass from the cabinet, and the only thing her calming deep breath did was fill her senses with a scent that was so undeniably Yas. She internally choked on words that hadn't left her lips yet, struggling to form a coherent thought let alone a full sentence in response. "It's okay, I... you're allowed to be here." Her head nodded lamely, telling herself that saying things like I want you here and Will you stay forever maybe? weren't appropriate things to say at all when she hadn't seen the other for a year and all of the tension and emotions and very raw feelings they felt for each other were nothing more than their deepest secret. Shaking her head in answer to the other's question, she set her glass of water on the counter. "Not a wink." Maybe it was because her body subconsciously knew Yasemin was just down the hall? "Thank you... for the gifts, by the way."

"It's - yeah, it's just a long time is all. I don't want to impose," she replied back lamely, her shoulders lifting just an inch. It was a lot to ask to stay with someone for any length of time in general, let alone when there was history like she and Sage had. Yet, even with it all, Yas couldn't help but want every second of time she could capture in the other woman's presence. Settling with her back against the counter, Yas took a slow sip from her water glass, not thirsty at all, just looking for anything to keep her mind from drifting to the one thing she was trying to avoid. "Oh, of course, you're welcome. It wasn't anything much, just reminded me of you is all. And obviously I wanted to support all of the local craftspeople, so...yea." As if that fact took away at all from the fact that she'd been thinking of Sage often enough to pick up a whole variety of gifts over the year she was gone. "Would you like me to make you some herbal tea to help you sleep? I'm sure I can find something in the cabinets that would work."

A few weeks was... a lot more than a sleepover. Avoiding the woman standing in front of her at that moment would be nearly impossible, as shown by the fact that they couldn't even go the first twenty-four hours while living together without running into each other, a moment which had the amazing combination of fumbling and flushing and the gaze that never left a certain brunette's except for the slight flicker toward the hem of Yasemin's shirt that she toyed with. "Oh... she didn't... yeah, she must have forgotten to mention it." It wasn't surprising that Asher forgot to mention it, but the thought of it did catch her off guard. "Do you, uh, want something to drink? Water? Milk?"

Lingering by the entrance to the kitchen, Yas leaned over against the wall a bit, a humorless laugh leaving her lips. "Of course she did. I should have - I probably should have checked with you to see if it was okay," she mused, even if she was glad that she hadn't checked. It was stupid and she knew it. Just being there at all was pushing things, but the steps she took over towards the refrigerator were toeing the line even more. "Yeah, I was going to grab water, but it's alright, I've got it." The last thing she wanted was to add any workload to Sage's plate while she was there as a houseguest. Shifting close by Sage, Yas reached up to grab a glass from the cabinet to fill. "Couldn't sleep?"

location: franklin residence, kitchen, somewhere around 2am.

I always thought you had a thing for doctors. One doctor in particular, as it turned out. The very same doctor who had been on her mind as Asher tried to set her up with everyone in the hospital, time after time spent on blind dates that the older blonde knew wouldn't go anywhere because of that one doctor. It'd been so much easier to pretend like the situation didn't exist when Yasemin was gone; out of sight, right? She, at least, had been willing to entertain a few of her sister's choices, fulfilling her needs when nights were particularly lonely, but now that Yas was back in town? Sage wasn't sure how she was going to avoid the younger Franklin's attempt at cupid now. Her feet padded across the living room floor until they reached the cool tile of the kitchen, lit up only by the recessed lighting beneath the cabinets. Maggie had been down for hours at that point, completely worn out by the day's festivities, but for some reason, she found herself unable to will her own body to sleep. It was probably the alcohol she consumed during the barbeque — more than she'd like to admit to considering it was a children's birthday party — and Sage was so intent on believing that, that she was convinced a glass of water might settle the warmth in her stomach and she'd finally be able to sleep. As soon as Yasemin stepped foot into the same kitchen, she knew the glass of water in her hand would be moot. Swallowing, she nodded in greeting from her the spot where she leaned against the counter. "Ash talk you into a sleepover tonight?"

Not wanting to keep shifting around sleepless and potentially disturb Asher's sleep, Yas slipped out of the bed, closing the door gently behind her as she made her way to the kitchen. As distracted as her mind had been, she hadn't realized until she stepped foot in the kitchen that she wasn't the only one awake. Head lifting, a slight surprise in her eyes, Yas gave a soft nod in response. "Ah - something like that. I've still got the renters at my place for a few more weeks, so...she offered to let me stay here for a bit," Yas answered, fingers messing with the hem of her shirt as she spoke. "I assumed she would have told you, but I guess it slipped her mind."

A slight shrug of her shoulders followed and before she could say anything else, Maggie had abandoned the bag of gifts, the bag laying empty and the gifts scattered beside it where she'd discarded them for the next one. With a smile, she scooped up the tinier blonde and settled the toddler on her hip, directing her attention toward Yas. "And what do we say to Yas for the very nice gifts she brought us?" Sage questioned pointedly, waiting until Maggie gave a happy thank you before she pressed a kiss to the little girl's cheek and praised her manners. "You said there were gifts inside for me? You didn't have to... but I'm sure Mags here will enjoy helping me check those out later, right kiddo?" An enthusiastic nod from the toddler in response before Sage spoke again, "I should probably get back out there... I think s'mores were involved in a conversation I overheard... you definitely better not miss that."

The look in her eyes simmered down, softening as Maggie was lifted up into Sage's arms to give her a thank you. "You are very welcome, princess," she chuckled back, a brighter smile taking over as she reached over to boop Maggie's nose. "But, yeah, it's not anything crazy, just...you know. Some things that reminded me of you is all." Her shoulders lifted casually as if it were no big deal and that it hadn't meant anything at all that Sage had been on her mind time and time again overseas. Biting at her lip again, Yasemin nodded, taking a step back away from Maggie and Sage, banking on the fact that some physical distance would make it easier to turn and walk across the yard when all she really wanted was to stay right there next to the two of them. "Of course, yeah. It would be a crime to miss out on s'mores. I probably better go find Asher anyway, see if I can help her out with anything before I get too many of these deep." Her hand lifted up her drink to wiggle a bit, confident that the can wouldn't be her last of the night if she had to be watching Sage from across the yard the rest of the evening.

Instead of suggesting they do exactly that, Sage lifted the bottle of beer to her lips and took a few long sips of it. Maybe if she were lucky, the alcohol would make her forget all about that familiar hallway that led to the equally as familiar bedroom. They had to leave that in the past, for Asher's sake. Neither of them could afford to lose the woman they had in common. "Oh, uh, you know, pretty much the same old. Not out here saving lives or anything." Not like she used to, at least. "The bar's been doing good, it's tourist season so that's been keeping me pretty busy. I'm lucky to keep my head on most days, let alone find time for anything else. Asher keeps trying to set me up on dates with her coworkers, but she, uh, hasn't really been suggesting the right ones."

Swirling her can of alcohol around in her hand, Yas let it ground her back to reality as best as she could, hoping that a few more sips would somehow keep her distracted from the fact that Sage was right there in front of her. It was a moment she'd spent more than her fair share of time thinking about. The dreams of coming back and having a reunion pulled right out of a romance movie had played out time and again in her head, all thoughts she was working to keep away. Luckily, perhaps, all of the images flashing in her head came to a crashing halt as Sage mentioned Asher trying to set her up. Her smile faltered a bit, not sure what Sage meant by it not being the right ones. Was that her way of saying there was someone new in her life, someone else that she was waiting for?

"That's...good. I'm glad the bar's been busy for you," she managed to say after a long stretch of keeping her can to her lips as a buffer to let her thoughts gather again. Even with the extra moment, she didn't know how to respond to it. Her head was swirling with all the possibilities of what Sage meant by her words, most of them leaving a crushing sense of disappointment that she probably should have anticipated. Yas knew that she'd been gone a long time, a full year in which Sage could have met any number of people in her life. "I'm...yeah. Asher's always been notoriously terrible at setting people up, so um. Yeah. Not too much of a surprise there."

Before she could even open her mouth to lamely defend herself, Maggie had come barreling in, and successfully saved her for just a moment longer. The growing toddler was quick to leave her spot wrapped around Sage's legs for Yasemin's arms, making it clear that she remembered exactly who the woman was. Apparently someone had been sneaking into her aunt Asher's facetimes over the last year.

When the actual gift came out, Sage couldn't help but immediately shake her head. "I was just kidding, you really didn't have to..." but it was too late to tell the other that a gift felt like too much when Maggie was already nose deep in trying to figure out what the contents of the gift were with utter disregard to the actual bag itself. "I don't think the wrinkled bag really bothers her," the older blonde chuckled, her attention turning from Maggie, who was on the ground taking out each piece of the gift, to Yasemin, her voice soft and only slightly tinted with the few more sips of beer she'd taken. "I'm glad you could be here."

"Oh, yeah, no problem. You go ahead and tell her she didn't need the gifts," she snorted back, getting in closer to Sage and lowering her voice as Maggie had already moved away to start digging through the bag. There was no chance Yas would have come back without gifts for Maggie, Asher, and perhaps for Sage as well. After a year away on the other side of the globe, she'd wanted nothing more than to share her experiences with the people she cared the most about. Her gaze lingered over on Maggie, a smile lifting her lips as she watched the girl sort through all the various things that were tucked into the bag.

Quieting herself at Sage's last words, she took the distraction of a few long sips from her can while she could. "Me too. I ah, I wasn't sure I'd make it, so it's...good that it worked out." In reality, she'd spent entirely too long researching on a terrible wi-fi connection all of the best routes to get back home to make sure she was there in time for the party. Even if being back early brought its own set of inconveniences with her house still being occupied and work pushing her start date sooner, it was worth every bit of annoyance to be back for this. "So, catch me up on you. What's new in your world?"

It was so painfully obvious the other had picked up on the fact that Sage was keeping track of, at the very least, the day the woman was supposed to get back into town. It wasn't like she'd kept a tally on the calendar or anything... that would be questionable. She just did her best at being a good sister and part of that was listening to said sister talk about said best friend and when she'd be returning — and what's it to anyone if she maybe checked in with Asher a few times about how the other was doing? That was completely ordinary, right?

"Well, Ash wouldn't shut up about it, so." Deflecting was her only move and even then she felt like she barely made it out of crawling into the ground and letting it swallow her whole. Had she waited a moment, though, the distraction would have come on its own, as the little princess Yas spoke of must have sensed being talked about and rammed her entire now three-year-old big kid body into Sage's legs, causing her to almost fumble the bottle in her hand in the process. The older blonde couldn't help but laugh, her fingers rustling curls that had grown longer and just a little bit straighter since the other woman left a year ago. "Speak of the devil... I mean, little birthday princess," Sage corrected herself with a silly scrunch of her face in Maggie's direction.

The toddler couldn't resist pressing her hands to her hips and pouting at the word little, declaring very quickly to Yasemin that she was big now because she was three years old and not two anymore. "You're right, Mags, only monsters don't show up for big kid princess' birthday parties, right?" Maggie nodded in agreement. "The question is, what kind of gift did the not-monster bring back with her for the princess?"

"Of course she hasn't," Yas nodded back, a teasing smile barely concealed as she tried to hold it back. Sage very well may have been telling the truth and Asher could have been the only reason she'd kept tabs on Yasemin's arrival date, but Yas preferred to assume otherwise. Though she'd been hoping to move on herself in the year away, there wasn't a world in which she wanted to confront the possibility that Sage could have done the same. "It's cute that you listened to her talk about me all the time, though." She couldn't resist pointing it out again, wanting more than anything to see the flush of red in Sage's cheeks.

The teasing smile shifted immediately when a familiar whirlwind of blonde curls came flying into the vicinity. Though the girl was only three and maybe wouldn't have picked up on any vibes, Yas simultaneously didn't want to risk it and also wanted to give the young girl all the attention in the world. As much as her heart had ached from missing Sage, the separation from Maggie had left just as much of an impact on her. Maggie, at least, she'd been able to pop on video calls with from time to time with Asher. "So big! Look at you, Mags," she chirped out, reaching down to offer a hug if she wanted one. A year had been a long time and even with the occasional video call, Yas didn't know where she ranked anymore in the kid's life. For all she knew, she was a total stranger now in Maggie's life.

The question brought another wide smile from Yas, who quickly shifted to pull her bag from her back to her chest with her free hand. There wasn't much in it, her possessions kept light while traveling to make it easy, but the bag had been fully packed with gifts for the Franklin women that she'd picked up over the course of the year. "Only the best kind of gifts, obviously," she assured them both as she pulled out a rather larger gift bag filled with gifts for Maggie. "Bag is a little crumpled from the flight, but, hey. Happy birthday, Mags." Most of what she'd brought back were hand crafted toys, clothes, and a few locally made candies that would all fit in with Maggie's now very big, very mature three years of age.

Her ears burned bright, but she was finally able to breath again.

"I, uh, haven't even had a sip yet," Sage joked as she held up the open bottle, still full of golden liquid, as though it were proof that she hadn't had anything to drink that night. Being in the presence of the other woman made her fill intoxicated enough, the thought of adding alcohol to it only served to stoke the flames that flickered in her veins. "If you can believe it." A soft chuckle and a raise of her brow was all she offered as she glanced Yasemin's way, watching as the other searched for the drink she wanted. "You're back early," She couldn't help but comment, exposing the fact that she'd been secretly keeping track of just when her sister's best friend was due back in town, back home. "But I guess a few days compared to a year away feels like nothing in the grand scheme of things, hm?"

"I guess that'll make it easy for me to catch up," she hummed back, finally settling on a can of Surfside, her preferred canned drink on the occasions she wasn't drinking wine. Staying knelt down where she was, she managed to keep the flash of a smile on her face hidden down in the cooler while she slowly took the time to pop the top. You're back early. A simple observation, but one that meant Sage had been paying enough attention to realize it. The smile was still there when she got back to her feet, turning back to face Sage.

There was a brief pause as she brought the can to her lips to take a sip, head nodding softly. "Am I? I wasn't keeping track," she commented back with another sly smile, her shoulders lifting softly. A year was a long time. A very long time. Yet, somehow, standing there in Sage and Asher's backyard it could almost feel like no time at all had passed. "But, you know, when Asher says our favorite little princess is having a party, what kind of monster would I be if I didn't show up for it? Work has been itching to get me back anyway, so. It was just...timing worked out. "

location: franklin residence, maggie's third birthday.

Three years was a big deal — at least, that's what she had told Maggie from the moment she woke up that morning, the tiny blonde toddler that was growing not-so-tiny-anymore each day already bouncing with impatience at the idea of people and presents and possibly even s'mores. The joy of having a summer birthday, Sage couldn't help but chuckle. Everything had been prepped the week before thanks to Asher's help, and all that was left was to welcome the guest that seeped into the backyard during the hour of the party's start time. Kids of friends and friends of those kids and kids of those friends of kids weaved in and out of the adults in the backyard, sticky with sugary popsicles they'd already inhaled as they waited for the cake to usher in the real party. One nearly toppled the older blonde over as she snatched Maggie up who was trailing behind some of the older ones, the now three-year-old screeching giggles that echoed throughout the suburban backyard as Sage grinned and popped the toddler on her hip, starting a speech about how many popsicles were too many popsicles before dinner. Then, the sound of the backdoor slid open, Asher's excited greeting loud and muffling the sound of her heart thudding against her chest as she caught sight of the person that joined the party. Maggie wriggled to be let down and, distracted, Sage set her to the ground, barely even noting when the tiny blonde ran off with her pack of friends once more. It'd been a year, yet there she was. Yasemin. It was only when dark hues met her light ones that her gaze dropped to something she deemed way more interesting than the newcomer, focusing on steadying her breathing before anyone nearby bothered to pick up on just how thrown she was. Why was Yasemin there? Since when was she in town? And most importantly, was she thinking of the kiss they'd shared at that same barbeque just a year before in a hallway that had seen so many more of their fumbled kisses in the past? The thought had her cheeks reddening and on her way to find something to distract herself with, she grabbed a beer from the cooler and popped the top. At least she'd have something to blame the flush in her cheeks on, right? Wrong. The flush only deepened when she almost tripped, full force, into the one person she was intent on avoiding at the moment and she hadn't even taken more than a sip from the bottle. "Shoot, sorry, I..." Sage fumbled for words in the other's presence, finally settling on a soft, "hey."

Though her initial timeline had her arriving back to the U.S. another week out, the pull of coming back for Maggie's birthday party had her on an earlier flight home. Yas had tried and mostly succeeded to not think too much about Sage and Maggie in her time away, but the closer she had gotten to her contract ending, the harder it had been to ignore that constant pull Sage seemed to have over her. When Asher had mentioned the birthday party in their last call, it had felt like too perfect a time to pass up a surprise arrival. As much as she would swear the surprise was for Asher, it would be a lie to say that the previous year's birthday party and everything with Sage hadn't been on her mind the entire flight home.

Her travel bag still slung over her shoulder, Yas had hailed a cab straight to the party, the timing working out as if she'd been fated to make it home that afternoon. The universe seemed to be even more in her favor when she was allowed the relief of running into Asher first, providing at least a short moment to gather herself before she bumped back into Sage. It was a lot to process, being back after so long, but she wouldn't have wanted it to happen any other way. Being thrown right into the fire of all the most important people to her being in one spot, a spot that held a lot of memories, was all she could have asked for. It wasn't long before her eyes locked on with Sage's, a magnetism there that even after a year away hadn't faded in the least. As Asher was pulled away naturally from their own reunion, Yasemin bit down at her lower lip before making her way across the lawn to the coolers.

A hand lifted to help steady Sage as she tripped right in her direction, lips curling into a bemused smirk as she waited for Sage to right herself. "I didn't know three year old birthday parties got so wild," she teased gently, head tilting down slightly as a chuckle bubbled in her chest. "Might want to slow down on the beer." Advice that Yasemin wasn't planning on taking herself, as she shifted towards the cooler to distract herself by digging through for a drink that she could busy herself with.

A snort fell from her nose, finding it hilarious the other would even consider such a thing. "Please, I'm not my dad, I don't need applause and a parade." The elder Landvik had been a man who demanded respect in every room he entered, wanted everyone to acknowledge the work he'd done, to know the sacrifice he'd apparently made. Skipper could've cared less about it. The trauma she chose to knowingly sign up for didn't outrank anyone else's. "Oh yeah. You're such a shining example, I'm almost blinded by it," the blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes. "There are all these resources for post-trauma therapy, everyone has their recommendation. What everyone fails to tell you is it's all shit. Nothing ever takes the memories away from you."

The comment about her dad felt like something important to tuck away for future reference. Not that AJ had any intention of ever running into Skipper again, but the comment felt weighty. Much like her own personal traumas, it was clear that Skipper had her own. "Too bad. I throw a killer parade," she droned back again, shoulders lifting just barely as she said it. The use of the word trauma brought a wrinkle to Alejandra's nose, hating the fact that her experiences could be classified as such. There was something about the word that felt too serious, too much to take on when all she wanted to do was ignore that anything was even happening to her. A mirthless laugh left her lips as Skipper suggested nothing would take it away anyway. "Well, that's fucking cheerful, isn't it? You really know how to give a girl a pep talk. Truly, it's inspiring."

Not doing anything wrong was subjective in that moment, when she knew she was doing more than just making conversation. She was pushing, because she was curious, because part of her wanted to know that she wasn't the only one suffering. It was selfish, but she'd already admitted to that part. "Look, maybe I did lose a few braincells in the process of serving your damn country, but I also so a lot of really shitty things happen to some pretty good people while doing that," Skipper started, not bothering to match the volume level of the other. It wasn't her fight to fight. "Guess its a selling point that the horses don't give a shit." She paused for a moment, before asking, "Does it really work? Horse emotional therapy to deal with your trauma and all that crap?"

"Is this where I'm supposed to thank you for your service?" she asked with a sarcastic eye roll. In any other circumstance with any other person, she probably would have, but with how wound up she was with Skipper, the sarcasm was dripping from her words. Her neck craned back towards where the runaway horse was now face down in a tuft of grass having a good old time eating, a small smile ticking up at one side of her lips for just a moment. "They don't give a single fuck," she agreed. It was why she didn't mind being out there all day with them. The work was hard, but she was no stranger to hard work. The horses, at least, didn't ask her stupid questions like Skipper did. "I mean, am I not a shining example of how well horse therapy works?" she asked, the words delivered in a complete deadpan. Donovan's family all seemed pretty convinced there was something to it, even as AJ had her doubts. It was ultimately why she was there in Colorado instead of back home wasting space on her parents couch.

She knew suffering when she saw it.

The scars were a surprise though and the blonde tried her best to cover up the raise of her eyebrows in response. It was insanely easy to injure yourself into a limp; a previously broken foot, a blown out knee, a simple step outside of your door could do that much. But the burns... those were hard to come by. She couldn't help but assume that they were the reason the woman was here, on a horse ranch, and not doing whatever she used to do with cars. Her grip tightened around the brim of her ranger hat and she inhaled through her nose, exhaling as she tried not to let the other's words get to her. She was right, after all. Skipper didn't know her son and she certainly didn't know the woman standing in from of her. "So it's not my business," the blonde started with a shrug. "But whatever it is, it looks like it sucked enough to leave you chasing after horses instead. That's all I'm saying." She bit her tongue, though the flush on her forehead showed the temper she was trying to hold back. She knew the other had a lot of influence on her son's family and one slip up might be enough for them to cut ties completely. "It was the car thing, wasn't it?"

None of this was Skipper's business. The woman wasn't a part of her life and never would be. Whatever connective tissue they had through Donovan and his brother and August weren't enough to give Skipper any right to be asking the questions she was asking. Nostrils flaring out with anger, AJ could feel her fists curling up, a not so small part of her ready to throw a punch. If Skipper was a few steps closer, she might have. "That's all you fucking need to say. Run your fucking mouth one more time, go on." Her voice had grown louder, shouting just to shout at this point. What had happened certainly had sucked and had dragged her away from the life she'd loved to the cesspool that was the ranch. Though she was warming to the horses in some capacity, it wasn't the same. But, none of that was Skipper's concern. None of that was anything AJ was ready to vocalize, especially to what essentially amounted to a stranger.

"Seriously? What the fuck is wrong with you?" The fact that Skipper was so boldly asking questions that were as personal and painful as she was had AJ now fully turned back around to face her, a bewildered look in her eyes. "Clearly you had all of the social skills knocked out of your dumbass brain if you think it's okay to just march around asking people you don't know about their shit." By that point, she'd taken a few steps forward, the fire now fully lit in her. The anger had taken over, pulling her out of her sadness, out of the embarrassment, making her feel almost normal for a change.