Extra Help - Trace

[EÓIN MCLOUGHLIN]

Lou really hoped that Julian wouldn’t be mad once he’d had a chance to think about this after they were all safe. He didn’t want to have pissed off the man he loved by running toward danger instead of away from it and hoped Julian could and would understand his reasons for being there helping instead of sitting somewhere doing nothing when people needed help. No he wasn’t a firefighter, policeman, or anything that would require him to be out there helping but the people who were required were going to be swamped with things to do right now and there were only so many of them so anyone else willing to help out should. He was one of those people. Looking at Julian now he knew he would understand that when he thought about it, knew he would see that he’d only wanted to help out and do something useful. Julian would be okay with it eventually he just had to be patient until he was able to see the good in it not just the “oh my god you put yourself in danger why?!” aspect.

The look he got when he realized his mistake in not calling or telling Julian he was okay was deserved and he got that but he couldn’t change the past no matter if he wished to or not right now. ”That’s fine…seriously I meant to call but I just got moving and then got busy and I’m sorry. You can harass me all you want.” he said seriously not going to complain at all if Julian actually did that. He wouldn’t blame him since that sounded like something he’d actually do if it were the other way around too. He would reassure Julian that he was just fine when they both got home and were able to just relax a bit.

Truly unable to stop the little grin that slipped across his lips at hearing Julian say he’d take the rear he figured he wouldn’t be the Lou Julian loved if that wasn’t still a funny statement in his mind and let it go without comment. He nodded to him instead and reached out to squeeze Julian’s hand real quick just for that 100% sure he was there and he was okay factor before taking the lead in showing the way for everyone to get back to the door. He called out to Trace on the two way giving him the number of people and an update on the whole situation as he walked so they’d know what was headed their way when they reached the door. Seeing that everyone else had already gotten out from the group he’d found when he first came into the building he was glad for that and waited for Trace to say what they should be doing now so they could all get out safely.

MEL/JULIAN/TRACE :: DONE

[julian]

Julian knew his boyfriend all too well. Now that he reflected on it, he wasn't even sure why he'd bothered to tell him to get somewhere safe. Lou had a damned good heart. He was always there when people needed him most of all. It was one of the things that Julian loved about him, but he also knew that it was one of the things that had the potential to drive Julian most insane about him. He'd always be the type to step up to plate and volunteer to get the job done when the going got tough. Always. And because of that, Julian knew that there'd always be a spark of worry in his mind over the man he loved. Always.

Julian offered him a small smile when Lou said that he could harass him all he wanted for not having called. "I'll hold you to that. But for the time being, I think we have a few bigger fish to fry." He commented. What a mess there was around the pair of them and he damned well knew it. There was going to be a lot of clean up in the aftermath of this hurricane and they'd get there eventually. For the time being, they had to deal with the present though and it looked as if Lou had a plan.

Julian had to give a laugh at the expression on Lou's face when he said he'd take the rear. "I'll take that rear later. Stop being a pervert and focus." He commented with a small smirk still in place on his lips. Lord, he loved that man. Julian tended to try and keep the fact that he was gay under wraps for the simple fact that it was no one's business but his own. It was his own personal life, after all, but in the moment, with the amount of relief he currently felt at having Lou there, he just didn't give a damn. When Lou reached out and squeezed his hand, Julian paused long enough to tug Lou a little closer and plant a kiss on his lips right there in front of everyone. "I love you. Be safe." He said, even though he knew that he'd be right behind Lou.

[trace]

Trace was glad for each of the updates that he got from Lou along the way. He was glad that the younger man was keeping such a clear head in all of this and they had the door cleared away enough that they'd be able to get people in and out safely. They had it braced pretty damned well, but it would be a matter of keeping everyone calm and collected and not having them rush the door the moment that they got there to get the hell out or chances were it'd bring it all right down around their heads.

They'd managed to get the first few people through the door safely, but the brunt of them all were coming now. Trace ducked his head just inside the door to take count of who they had inside and nodded to Lou when he saw them. "I need you to send the Mayor through immediately after any injured people. They need him over at the convention center at the moment. Then we're going to need to get everyone else out, one at a time. They need to keep calm because if they rush the door we're going to have a serious problem on our hands." He said point blank. "Your Jeep's already being put to use in getting the first group of people over to the convention center. We have my pick up on standby for another group and when the Jeep gets back we'll take another bunch over." He announced.

Trace stood back a moment. "All right. Nice and slow... Are there any injured in there that need assistance in getting out? I'll come in and help them."

[EÓIN MCLOUGHLIN]

Lou couldn’t ever make the promise to Julian that he wouldn’t step into the path of danger instead of walking away from it. That wasn’t something he could do because he’d break that promise if it meant doing the right thing and helping people who needed it. He knew he’d probably worry Julian more than just this once in the time they’d be together but he also hoped Julian would see why he did it and love him for being that type of guy. Hearing Julian say he’d hold him to the harassing thing but that they had bigger fish to fry he nodded. ”That we do.” he agreed and let himself focus after that…well focus for the most part since Julian was making comments that were just a little distracting involving his rear.

It was good to hear Julian laugh when he saw the grin on his own face and he nodded to the warming and what he was going to consider a promise he would make Julian keep. ”Got it…Focused and not perverted, right.” he said still grinning a little but it was okay because they were all going to make it out just fine and then he’d get to make his boyfriend live up to the words he’d just said. He let himself be tugged closer and didn’t care at all that Julian had just kissed him in front of everyone there because he loved his boyfriend and still needed to do some rooftop shouting about that fact now that he thought about it.”Love you too and I promise I will be if you will be.” he said with a smile before leading the way.

When they got to the door Lou saw Trace ducking his head through and moved close enough to hear him nodding to what he was being told. Glancing back at the people they’d brought and cataloguing the injuries he’d been told about he turned back to Trace glad his jeep was coming in handy but more glad they had another vehicle as well. ”There are four with injuries that need to come through first, two head one wrist and a woman who says it’s a sprained ankle. The only other stuff is small scrapes and cuts and bruises but otherwise good to go. I’ll send the four through now then the mayor then we’ll get the rest out after that. One of the head injuries says she’s fine just a cut and head wounds bleed a lot but the other was feeling queezy and a little dizzy so I’ll send him first. You probably want to help him through just in case the others seem to be good at moving without assistance.” he explained before moving back toward the group to explain what they would be doing and get the four plus the mayor. Supporting the dizzy guy to the door first so they could help him through he fully focused again now to get everyone out of the building and on their way to safety.

MEL/JULIAN/TRACE :: DONE

[julian]

Julian had to smile at Lou's promise to be careful so long as he did the same. Julian would gladly do that. He knew Lou worried about him just as much as he worried about Lou. They made up quite the pair, in the end, but neither man ever felt as if they were uncared for in the grand scheme of things. Julian always knew that Lou was looking out for his best interests and Julian made a damned good point of making sure that Lou understood the same about him. He was pretty sure he'd done a good job at showing Lou that he wasn't like the last man he had dated. What was more, was the fact that Julian knew that Lou got more and more comfortable in their relationship as the days passed.

"All right, Lou. Thanks buddy. I'm coming through now to help that head injury through the door." He commented before he carefully slid in through the door. Trace made quick work of slinging the arm of the guy over his shoulder and slowly guiding him through the door so that he didn't wind up bumping anything along the way. Within a matter of moments, they were out the door and the guy was with medics who were trying to determine just how severe his injuries were. And then Trace was on stand by at the other side of the door, waiting for the rest of the injured to come through. They all looked as if they could wait for them all to get to the convention center. The one with the nasty head wound was going to be transported by the ambulance, that left room for the rest of the injured, as well as the mayor in the SUV.

As the mayor headed for the door, he paused a moment and clasped Lou on the shoulder, offering him a smile. "Good work today, Son. And you make sure you take care of my nephew now. Lord knows he's done a good enough job of looking after me." And with that, the mayor disappeared out the door as well. Soon, the group of people dwindled down to the point that it was just him and Lou and, with a quick kiss, Julian slipped through the door as well, waiting for Lou on the other side. As he was waiting, he happened to glance over to his left at a portion of the roof that had knocked out the mayor's office and was shocked as hell at what he found. There, hanging from a piece of wood was his suit jacket. With a grin, Julian snagged it and threw it over his shoulders. Everything was right in place where it should have been.

Finally, Lou's jeep pulled back up and he looked at his boyfriend. "Looks like that's our ride and we're the only two left." He commented. "Shall we?"

[EÓIN MCLOUGHLIN]

Lou smiled back at Julian knowing he would keep safe and that meant they’d both be safe now. Well he had to think they would have been safe before but even more so now since it was a matter of “person one is safe if person two is safe” or something like that. It wasn’t time to get off on one of his mental insane trying to figure out what the heck I mean rambles. What mattered was he knew Julian would be safe and that was all that mattered because they’d all get out of this building and he’d be able to wrap his arms around his boyfriend and relax again like he hadn’t been able to do since he’d gotten that voicemail. He could admit to having a hard time accepting that Julian wanted him for real when they first got together, not used to getting the good guy who didn’t want to use/hurt him. Julian was that good guy though…he was an amazing man and Lou counted his blessings every day for having him in his life.

Pulling away from the thoughts that had him wanting to just wrap his arms around Julian he refocused and nodded to Trace passing off the guy who was dizzy to him when he came through to help him out then sending the others through one at a time waiting till they’d cleared the door before letting the next through so there wasn’t any sort of jam where if something went wrong someone would get hurt. When it was the mayor’s turn he looked at the man when a hand fell on his shoulder and smiled to him and what he’d said. ”Thank you sir. I promise to take good care of him.” he said watching the man get through the door safely before calling up the next person. He was glad to have made a good impression on Julian’s uncle, he hadn’t said anything to his boyfriend but he’d been worried about it and getting that little reassurance in being told to take care of Julian instead of being asked to disappear felt really good. When it was just the two of them he smiled at Julian and kissed back before sending him through the door looking around just a moment to make sure everyone gathered had gotten out before moving out through the door himself when it was clear too.

Looking around once he was out he saw Julian seemed to be putting on the jacket he hadn’t seen him wearing inside and had to wonder where exactly it had come from. He didn’t ask though and saw his Jeep pulling up smiling at having it back now that they were out and looking over at Julian again smiling at his word. ”That is our ride…your car gets to stay here since the roads are all watery and mine doesn’t mind a little wet.” he said with a chuckle and nodded. ”We shall…do you need to go to the convention center to help your uncle or do you want to go home now?” he asked not sure what Julian needed to do as he took the keys and said thanks to the guy who’d been driving his jeep getting a thanks in return and glad he and his vehicle could help today.

MEL/JULIAN/TRACE :: DONE

[julian]

Julian couldn't help the sense of relief he felt at the fact that his uncle seemed to approve of Lou. He'd made a damned good impression and he knew it. Lou was one hell of a unique man. He stepped up to plate when he needed to and yet, at the same time, Julian knew that he needed him as well. They had a great thing going for them and he wasn't about to downplay that in the least. He wished they had more time to themselves, but he knew that this wasn't the place or the time. He also wished that his uncle hadn't had to meet him under quite these circumstances. He would have much preferred their first meeting to have been at their place at the Thanksgiving table. But then, the more that he thought about it, the more thankful he was that his uncle had had the chance to see this side of Lou first and foremost.

Julian nodded at what Lou said about the fact that his car couldn't handle the water. He wasn't about to complain about that in the least or argue the point that he was right. Julian's car was expensive, yeah, but at the end of the day, he just wanted to get to the convention center in one piece. It was amazing how quickly something like this could put things into perspective for someone. Julian didn't give a shit about the material objects in his home or right there on his person. He didn't care about his car. Nothing. All he cared about was the fact that he, his uncle and his boyfriend were all okay at the moment and nothing had shaken them too badly.

He sighed when Lou asked him where he needed to go at this point. "The house isn't boarded up at all. We're not in a high risk area but... I think it might be a good call for us to head to the convention center for now and wait it out. I'm sure my uncle could probably use me too, eventually. But I'm taking some time to just relax a little bit when we get there." He murmured. Julian climbed into the passenger seat of the truck and closed his eyes, letting Lou take care of navigating the pair of them to the convention center. He was both exhausted and nervous in the moment, but he wasn't going to let his boyfriend know about the nervousness that had set in. Once the Jeep was parked and the pair of them were out, Julian made his way to the front door of the convention center with Lou. "There's just one thing..." He said as he came to a stop in the lobby at the convention center. There were still people milling around at the moment, but less than there would have been in the middle of the convention center...

Julian reached into his pocket and smiled a little. "I was waiting for the right day... the right time... the right moment but... I've realized after having been through all of that that any time is the right one, so long as you say yes..." He commented. And then, just like that, he popped a little black velvet box out of his pocket and got down on one knee in front of him. "I love you, Lou. Through hurricanes and crazy friends and insane family members. Through the past, present and future. I love you. So please... Please say you'll stay with me for the rest of our lives."

[EÓIN MCLOUGHLIN]

Lou knew that meeting Julian’s uncle today and like this wasn’t probably his boyfriend’s idea of the perfect place or time. They couldn’t change it though and he thought maybe this had been a better way because he was making a good impression rather than tripping over air when walking around the house at thanksgiving or something. First impressions seemed to be the ones that stuck with you when you thought about someone you’d met. They were a judging point of whether or not you would give the person a chance for real or just indulge the idea of giving one. Not everyone viewed it that way and generally he tried not to judge right away anyhow but a lot of people were like that where they went by what they could find out at first on whether they wanted to find out something later as well. It seemed he’d made a good impression this time and hopefully he wouldn’t go and ruin it the next time they saw each other somehow since he knew how important Julian’s uncle was to him.

He was glad Julian wasn’t one of those guys who got all worked up over things like his car being left behind for a night. He’d met those men and really he’d wanted to punch one or two with how they talked about their cars like they were the only thing on the planet that made them happy and they just couldn’t live without them. He was sure Julian’s car would be fine come morning and it was better not to screw anything up trying to drive it through the flooded streets right now. Climbing into the car he listened as Julian explained and nodded a little in agreement to that as he moved the car around and onto the road out of there toward the center. ”I made sure all the windows and doors and things were closed up tight and locked…that’s actually why I didn’t answer my phone when you called a window upstairs was open and knocked over a table so I went up then decided to check them all.” he explained and glanced at Julian quickly before looking out at the road again careful with the way the weather was right now and how it affected his driving. ”I’m holding you to that you know…You need at least a little bit to relax before you get back to work after what all’s happened today plus being so busy every other day.” he said as he pulled the car to a stop in a parking spot and climbed out with Julian following him to get inside out of the rain and wind.

Stopping when Julian did and said there was “one thing” he wondered what that could be and nodded waiting for him to explain. Listening he felt a little bell go off in the back of his mind at Julian’s words but it didn’t connect fully till Julian was down on one knee with a velvet box in his hand. Eyes going a little wide at this surprise he hadn’t seen coming he realized he’d done the forgetting to breath thing again and sucked in a breath looking at Julian’s face not the box as a smile slipped across his lips. ”Julian…I…Of course I’ll stay with you for the rest of our lives…no matter what.” he said and lent down to press a kiss to his lips knowing the stunned happy tears in his eyes would show up close but not even really thinking about them. ”I love you so much.” he said softly against Julian’s lips not caring that there were in fact people around them who would probably be staring because he loved this man and would be spending the rest of forever with him.

MEL/JULIAN/TRACE :: DONE

[julian]

Julian had to smile to himself at what Lou said about holding him to the idea of relaxing for a little bit. Honestly, he needed it and he knew it. He was running on empty at the moment, the adrenaline rush that had kicked in the moment he'd realized what was going on in that office had worn off and now he was just completely exhausted. He needed a little bit of time to compose himself before he managed to pick up the pace again and head on down the path of doing what he knew he needed to do. If he didn't do it, no one would get the damned job done. But that was all something he forcefully pushed to the back of his mind. he had more important things going on right now. Like the moment that he knew was coming between both himself and his boyfriend.

Hopefully, in a few minutes, he'd be able to refer to him as his fiance.

The smile that lit up Lou`s features was all that he needed to see. He knew what the answer would be before Lou gave it and a sense of relief flooded through him. He didn`t think Lou would have said no to the idea of marrying him, but there was always that little voice in the back of your mind that wondered 'what if?'. Either way, that voice had been stomped to oblivion and now he was just settled in with an overwhelmingly happy feeling as Lou pressed his lips against his. "I love you too." He murmured. He was thankful, at the least, that there was some bit of happiness in this day. He knew damned well that he would never forget the day that he proposed to Lou. Ever. How could you when it was punctuated by a god damned hurricane?