there is always us, tag! danny-boy!

[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

Soon enough, Danny would be there, and there could be others with him. There really was no telling who all just might end up showing up at her door. The only person in all of hollow earth and the surface as well, that she'd never expect to see on her doorstep was her husband. Though she hadn't even seen him in years, she hadn't gotten divorced from him, simply because she still had no idea where he was. How could she send him the paper work for a divorce, when she had no idea where her son's father was. Danny wasn't his son, not any more. No, he was her son, her pride and joy, and one of the things that kept her going from day to day.

Moving quickly, she brushed her hands off on the apron tied up around her waist. She glanced in the oven, prying the door open just as she was hit with an invisible wall of heat and the best smells she'd experienced in a good 3 months. She hadn't made pasta in a terribly long time. Not only had she not made pasta, but she hadn't made it from scratch either. The baked dish was boiling, the tomato sauce bubbling as she beamed and grabbed an oven mit to pull it out to rest and cool some. The sauce would have to thicken up before she'd be able to plate it.

Moving away from the kitchen, lest she stand in there and try to perfect it any more, she went to clean herself up some and change clothes. She thought she'd heard the front door swing open. "Danny, is that you?" She left her room, and headed in the direction of the front door in order to see if Danny was in fact, there already.

[DANIEL BYRNES]

Chez was, surprisingly, not hungover or drunk. This was mostly because he was going over to see his mother. Not that he minded having a drink in front of her or being around her when he was drinking or hungover, he just didn't really want to today. Mostly because his arm was still aching after Nate had twisted it behind him. The lengths he would go to just to get in a chick's pants. It almost made him think about having a real relationship, if only partially to piss Nate off. Not that he didn't like the guy well enough, but he was rarely able to resist antagonizing people. They almost deserved it if they were going to lose their cool so easily. But, because of it, he was on painkillers and he wasn't stupid enough to mix that with alcohol. At least, not yet.

He cleared his thoughts as he let himself into his mother's place. He heard her call out and answered her. "Yeah. It's me." She was the only person that got to call him Danny. And it wasn't for lack of trying on anyone else's part. She was always the only one to call him that and for anyone else to call him it, just seemed wrong, like they were trying to take a bit of something that was just between him and his mother. He'd been much more defensive about it as a kid. And then one of his friends came up with 'Chez' as an alternate, for his middle name, 'Chester'. It stuck. Why would any kid want to call someone something as generic as 'Danny' when they could call them something unique like 'Chez'? So his mother was still the only person that called him that. No one else had even tried it in a while.

[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

She felt her heart lighten immediately when she heard her Danny come in. She had made her way ”I'll be right there!” She knew he'd expect her in the kitchen. That was one of her sanctuaries. One of the places where she could just give in and forget about everything else that was going on. She could forget about the cafe, about how she was lonely, how her life was far from the track that she had once been on. Her train had been derailed when her husband had left them. But she wasn't about to think about him. The very best thing she could have ever gotten from the man was walking in her house right at that moment. True, there were things that she wished had gone differently, but Danny had never been a regret of hers.

She knew all too well that she was getting older. Sometimes it even hurt to force herself out of bed, but she did it. She quickly made her way to the small foyer and wrapped her arms around Danny's shoulders. Her lips pressed to his cheek as she grinned wider. ”All alone? No girls for me to meet?” Her eyes twinkled as she taunted her son. She wanted to meet any of the girls that he might spend his time with. She had a growing itch to get some grandchildren to spoil, and he was her only child. Of course he'd get the full nagging experience. She wanted him to be happy with a girl, settled down and no longer in the military. That wasn't too much to ask.

[DANIEL BYRNES]

Chez tried not to flinch when his mother hugged him. His shoulder didn't hurt too horribly, but it was still sore, even through the meds he was on. But he didn't want her to worry about him and he knew that she would, if she thought he was getting himself into trouble. That and he wasn't too pleased with himself for causing someone that he worked with to get angry with him. He could be a real dick when he was drinking. Not usually with women, he usually loved women when he was drinking and he was usually a fun-loving kind of guy, but when guys tried to get in the way of his flirting, he could be a bit of a douche. Even when the guy was his friend and the girl was his sister.

Chez hugged her back, though. "No, no girls this time." Of course, he could have probably called a few, but he didn't really like the idea of bringing a girl over to meet his mother. She'd start bugging him about settling down and he was pretty sure he wasn't ready to do that. And if he did settle down, it would probably be more for his mother and less for him. "There was this one... but her family doesn't really like me too much at the moment." And by family, he meant her brother. But Ly was probably exactly the kind of girl that his mother would want him to settle down with. And that posed a few problems. He didn't want to give anyone false hope and he just... he didn't know if he could handle one person for the rest of his life and no one could compete with his mother for being able to take care of him and keep him well fed.

[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

Luckily for Danny, Rose had been too pleased to see him that she hadn't actually noticed the flinch, but deep down, she knew something was wrong. Call it a 'motherly intuition.' She didn't know precisely what it was, but there was something there that she didn't know what to think about. She pulled away slowly before glancing over him slowly. ”My handsome boy needs the perfect girl, and preferably her family should approve.” She narrowed her eyes at him. She knew for a certainty that he would treat any woman with respect. He'd been raised that way, and if she had failed, there would have been earlier signs, of that she could be certain. ”I'd still like to meet her, unless things have ended between you?” The thought made her frown a little. She wasn't getting any younger, and neither was he.

Rose grinned a bit as the smell of their dinner hit her again. ”Oh, I made pasta for us. Whatever's left over, you should take with you and feed some of your friends, it'll just go to waste here.” That had two meanings for Rose, one to keep the food from going to waste, and another to make sure that Danny had good food to eat, as opposed to whatever the military might feed soldiers like her son. The thought pained her in her heart each time she remembered that he was a soldier. She didn't want him up on the surface, or anywhere near the infected. But that was just her overbearing maternal side rearing it's head at her son endangering himself.

[DANIEL BYRNES]

Chez sighed. It was always about a girl, wasn't it? He should probably just ask Ly if she'd mind coming to meet her, one day. Even if it was partially just to show his mother that he was actually taking something in his life seriously. He knew she'd never say anything like that about him, but sometimes he thought it about himself, and he definitely didn't want his mother to think it. "I'll ask her if she wants to come 'round, yeah?" Hopefully that should make her happy for a little. Things with Ly had definitely not ended, but then, they hadn't really started, either.

Chez leaned against a wall, tempted to tell his mother that he could take care of himself, but he kind of liked it when she spoiled him. He grinned at her. "Thanks, Ma." Maybe that kid with the weird accent liked pasta. He'd have to check up on that. He was pretty sure he'd seen the kid around base a few times. Something to think about later, though.

[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

The nagging feeling was still there, and try as she might, she wouldn't be able to ignore it for much longer. Her smile brightened and she nodded quickly. ”Just give me a little warning beforehand, that way I can at least try to get the house looking nice and look presentable.” There were few things that Rose actually focused on heavily, her personal appearance, and her food's look and taste. She would not be seen wearing no makeup. Such an act was nearly barbaric to her. There were only a handful of times in which Danny had even seen her without makeup. She felt like it was a sort of armor, a way to protect herself from being weak or vulnerable. It was the easiest way in which she could keep herself from showing to Danny that she was still vulnerable from his father leaving them. ”Of course!” She couldn't help but grin and shake her head some before she made her way toward the kitchen. The pasta had settled some, and the sauce had thickened up, now she was able to plate it. ”Go set the table, will you, Danny?” It was evenings like this that made her week fly past. These were the moments that she missed the most.

[DANIEL BYRNES]

Now that there wasn't any pressure on his shoulder, Chez had essentially forgotten about it. And would probably continue to do so until he did something to cause him pain, again. "Ma, I know better than to just bring someone 'round without letting you know." He smiled. "You raised me better than that." He wasn't the sort to invite people over to places that weren't his. Usually. His place? Sure, he didn't care who came over. But he was much more careful when choosing people to introduce to his mother, although everyone who met her completely adored her. "Yeah, Ma... Doing it now." It didn't take long to set the table, since there were only two of them. Dinner time had always had that relative easiness to it for them. One of the perks of his dad ditching them; less dishes.

[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

She smiled, and busied herself with plating up their pasta. Her son was the pride and joy of her life. She had strived to make sure that he wanted for nothing, he had all that he needed, and that he was ever the gentleman to women. ”I don't know, you can be thick in your learning some things, Danny.” Of course she was kidding, she knew just how well she had raised him. Rose wasn't worried that he would take offense to what she had said to him. They had been their entire family for so long that he knew when she was sarcastic and when she was being blatantly honest. Finishing up the pasta, she spooned some string beans on the side. She'd worked hard on this meal, but she did so with every meal, even the ones just for herself. ”Thank you.” She sprinkled some shredded cheese on the top of the pasta before she grabbed each plate and went to the table. She glanced at the set table for a moment before she let out a short gasp. She turned on her feet quickly before she started to rummage through the fridge, pulling out a chilled bottle of white wine. ”Want a glass, or would you rather something else to drink?” She had plenty of options if he were so inclined to drink anything but wine.

[DANIEL BYRNES]

Chez smirked. "Only with the things that don't matter." He knew that his mother was just joking, so he was joking with her in return. He kind of loved that he had that relationship with his mother. A lot of people didn't feel like they could tell their parents anything. And while there were somethings that he might not tell his mother, he knew that she'd accept it if he decided to tell her. She was just awesome like that. He made a face at the wine. He loved anything with alcohol in it. Except for white wine. Red was fine, but the white was so much more bitter. He didn't think it complimented anything. Now, red wine was good. It was rich and heavy and made his whole body feel warm and fuzzy. It was like Christmas in his belly. "You got any red?" Better to ask and have to make do if she didn't, than not ask when she might have it.

[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

A short laugh erupted from her. She hadn't expected her son to say that, but she probably should have. Their relationship was always the best. There was only one thing that she found herself lacking. She missed having someone there who knew absolutely everything about her. She couldn't be that way with anyone since Danny's father had left them. ”But of course. I'd never expect anything else.” Her grin became broader at his reaction to the white wine she'd offered him. Of course she had plenty of other libations that he could attack if he so chose to. ”Who do you take me for, Danny? Do I ever not have red wine?” It was a rhetorical question. He knew that she had plenty, and he would hopefully know exactly where it was. He should remember. If he didn't, then there was definitely a need for him to come home and spend more time with her. She put the bottle of white wine up into the fridge before she relaxed into her seat.

[DANIEL BYRNES]

Lots of people knew almost everything about Chez. But he didn't think anyone knew as much about him as his mother. He didn't even know everything about himself. He was just a bit too complicated for that. What made him complicated? His simplicity. Things for him were very cut and dry. Barely anything upset him and barely anything made him serious. He'd always shrug things off with a joke and he usually seemed pretty happy. He was also the sort that mothers usually warned their daughters away from. That kind of boy that only wants one thing.

But in that simplicity, he was complex, because one wasn't just born that simple. They had to shrug off a lot of who they were, ignore practically everything that had shaped them into what they were, the bad things, at any rate, in order to be able to deal with themselves. Chez was horrible at coping. With anything. It was part of why he was much happier being simple than he was thinking everything through. He chuckled. "Once, but that was because I drank it all." He stood, finding the bottle easily enough and debating only a moment about whether or not he should use a glass. He voted for using it. After all, he was with his mother. Best manners, and all that kind of stuff were important.

[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

Placing the napkin on her lap, she smiled at her son. ”I'm so glad I keep several bottles now. Just in case you happen to stop by and see me.” She grinned before moving to start cutting up her food. She eyed the meals, it all looked so perfect. That was something that she had always prided herself on, her ability to cook. Even Danny's father had loved her cooking. Her smile faltered for a moment as those thoughts resurfaced. She didn't need that right now. No, Rose wanted to be happy and enjoy her meal with her son. No, the past was in the past and there was no way of changing it so she felt no inclination to dwell on things that she wouldn't be capable of changing. She reached for her glass and took a generous sip before grinning at Danny. "Come on now, hurry up with that wine so we can eat." She let out a short laugh and shook her head at him. There was plenty of wine for both of them, and she even had his former bed all made up in case he wanted to stay the night there. Of course she would insist on it, if he drank enough. What else were mothers for than to give life and protect that life with every ounce of their being?

[DANIEL BYRNES]

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere Chez grinned at his mother. "Aw, shucks, Ma. You spoil me too much." It was true, but he couldn't complain. Who didn't want to have everything they could possibly want? Who didn't like knowing they would always have delicious food and a drink waiting for them if they showed up? He knew he loved it. He rolled his eyes and poured a glass, drinking it quickly and pouring himself another. "You don't have to wait for me, you know. You made it, that means you get to make the rules." He took a seat, bringing the bottle with him. He tried not to get too terribly shitfaced around his mother, but getting a little buzz going would hardly be a problem, right? Tag: Bri with MAMA!Byrnes.Notes:here.

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[ROSALIND BYRNES]

when nothing is left

A laugh left her as she simply shrugged. It was her place to spoil him. He was her only child, and well he was her best friend. ”But you love it, so don't go acting like it bothers you any, Danny.” Another shrug of her shoulders as he stated her not needing to wait on him. It was true, but that didn't mean that she didn't want to wait. It was simply polite, had it been anyone else, she would have done the same. Swirling the wine in the glass, she took a long slow sip and set the glass back down. ”I know I don't have to.” She grabbed the utensils and started to cut into the food. She had been working on this meal for a majority of the afternoon and evening, knowing that Danny would be coming home had made her both anxious and giddy. She loved these nights. She missed him whenever he wasn't around. Then again she only ever spent time with him, or the other women of her book club. Or behind the counter working at her little cafe. Not that she minded at all. It made seeing Danny that much more special.