What A Piece Of Work Is Man (Siobhan) FIN

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

Siobhan had invited Gregory to dinner. And of course, he had said yes. How could he refuse? Siobhan was too sweet to say no to. Besides, it'd been ages since he'd had anything aside from his own cooking and restaurant/takeout food, it was high time he had someone else's home made food! And he was sure Siobhan was a wonderful cook. Well, he had no reason no to think so.

It had been nearly two weeks since their meeting in Syracuse, at Bob's funeral which had (somewhat disrespectfully) become much more of a joyous celebration than a sad one. Siobhan had called Greg a few days after they'd arrived home, and they had scheduled a night that worked for both of them. He'd been honestly looking forward to the night all throughout the week.

Reaching Siobhan's apartment, Gregory was wholly impressed by the size and area of Manhattan it was in; either the girl had really made it in the world, or she had married someone brilliant. He was sure Siobhan could hold her own and make it quite successfully on her own, but the chance of her marrying into money was a bit more likely, seeing as the place wasn't just big; it was elegant. Not really the type of person who'd lived among almost too-many siblings in a tiny little house all their life would buy to live alone in. Then again, Siobhan hadn't mentioned a husband, so maybe not.

Gregory had brought a loaf of red-white-and-blue bread he'd bought before coming, just to bring something as not to seem rude. The stuff was delicious, and he didn't even like blueberries much. He hoped Siobhan would enjoy it, and he wouldn't seem too cheap.

Climbing the stairs to Siobhan's door, Gregory knocked politely, before realizing Siobhan actually had a doorbell. Never having a doorbell at his house growing up (well, there was one, but it was an actual bell) and his one in San Francisco always being broken, Greg had never really gotten into the habit of not-knocking. Besides, he always thought ringing the bell seemed a bit impersonal for some reason.

Note: They actually only sell red white and blue bread at Wegmans, which I'm not sure are actually in the city. But it's amazing.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

The apartment was far too clean.

She hadn’t tried to make it that way, but it had happened, nonetheless. It had all started when she had invited Gregory over for dinner. She’d taken two weeks to remember him properly and get her courage up enough to ask him over after running into him at the funeral. It was silly, but he was the first family she’d physically seen in nine years and she was a bit nervous that she wouldn’t live up to whatever he thought or remembered of her.

So she’d cleaned. It had been little things at first, like putting away the books on the coffee table and wiping down the kitchen table. After that, she’d just kept going. She wasn’t sure the apartment had ever been that clean before, and she was certain her maid was going to be less than pleased if they had to sit and watch programs on the television together because there was nothing to clean to fill her time. But the place had to look good that night, and not Wednesday when the maid was scheduled.

And when the place was too clean, she’d cooked. Her mother’s recipe for hearty Irish stew was easy enough to make. It filled the house with a warm smell that threw her right back to the two bedroom house she’d grown up in back in Nova Scotia. It was the type of cooking she never got anymore, and she was sure Gregory probably didn’t either. It reminded her of home. How fitting when hosting family.

Even though she had been preparing for him to come all afternoon, Siobhan was still surprised when his knock echoed through the apartment. Gregory was right on time. She walked to the door, only sparing a moment to fix her hair in the mirror and make sure her makeup was alright. She hadn’t put a lot of effort into her looks, but she still looked presentable. She never believed in dressing up for family, but she didn’t believe in looking like a slob, either. Thankfully, she looked just right.

She opened the door with an honest smile, happy to see that he was actually there. More often than not, it would turn out to be a delivery man at her door, even when she was expecting company.

“Hi, Gregory,” she greeted, hugging him warmly. “You are right on time. Come on in.”

She pulled back and gestured him in, hoping everything was up to par. If it wasn’t, it was too late to fret about it now.


OOC: I am so sorry! It has been one long week of work with an extra day of overtime and my brain fried for a while, haha. I am working on more replies, so hopefully that makes up for it!

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

Siobhan opened the door with a cheerful smile, and would have been far too stony to be anything near likable not to reciprocate it. Siobhan had always been one of those people who when they smiled, you had to smile. She greeted him and gave him a warm hug, which Gregory had been more-expecting of than he had been the last time. "You're right on time. Come on in," Siobhan said, gesturing towards him inside.

He was met with the sight of an extremely clean house and the wonderful smell of home made stew. It was warm and homey feeling, and despite the cleanliness of the place, it didn't look like it was unnaturally un-lived in; it simply looked neat. Greg was flashed back to the days when his mother used to cook something like that. It wasn't nearly as seasoned or strong smelling as this, but it was healthy, and it was a meal. It was the same.

When Greg lived with his brother, he'd been designated cook after he'd stopped going to work for a while, because as Elliot so (un)kindly had put, If you're being to be fecking useless you might as well be a wife. Because the number of things Greg had learned to make with his limited resources as a child, their meals had consisted of things like stew, noodles, rice, sandwiches, and other carbohydrates. Elliot hadn't been so pleased, but the smells had been kind of like this; homemade and comforting to come home to.

"Thanks," Greg said, "This place is beautiful, you know. And dinner smells delicious."

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Greg came in and looked around. Siobhan held her breath for a long moment, waiting to see what he would have to say about her home. She didn’t know why she cared so much, but right then, his opinion meant everything to her.

"Thanks. This place is beautiful, you know. And dinner smells delicious."

She let out her breath, feeling relieved. He sounded genuine, so she had done something right. Smiling, she walked ahead of him into the living space, feeling accomplished.

“Thank you. We put a lot of work into making it look this way.”

They really had. When she’d first moved in with Jamie, she’d had a chair and a folding table to her name, along with clothing and a small box full of kitchenware. Jamie had furnished his home with what his interior decorator thought looked stylish. It was all cold metals and white leather that really put her off. She could tell Jamie didn’t even like it, but he was trying to impress her. So together they had furnished the apartment with warm leathers, polished woods, and comfortable throw pillows. It had taken a long time to get the place together in a way that they could both live with. Since Jamie had passed, she had taken and added from the space, but she hadn’t changed much.

“And dinner is Mum’s stew. I haven’t made anything from her cook book in years.”

She’d felt like everything she’d eaten as a child was too low brow for the people she was associating with, but Gregory had grown up like she had, so she had taken the opportunity and she was glad she had.

“Make yourself at home. Can I get you something to drink?”

And since she’d actually managed to get to the market, she had nearly anything he could possibly ask for. She was on top of things, for once, and it was a nice feeling. Now she could relax and enjoy her company.

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

“Thank you. We put a lot of work into making it look this way," Siobhan said as she led him through the house. She sounded proud and pleased with the way the house was, and Gregory didn't blame her. Things matched nicely, colors offset each other tastefully, that sort of thing. It looked extremely comfortable. “And dinner is Mum’s stew. I haven’t made anything from her cook book in years."

"Your mam was a good cook," Greg said with an amused smiled, remembering Patty. She'd been a smart girl, funny too; she'd never let him get his way just because he was a boy. He still couldn't believe he'd outlived both she and Chase. They had seemed like the kind of people who could live forever.

“Make yourself at home. Can I get you something to drink?” Siobhan asked as Greg sat on her couch.

"Er, water, if you don't mind," he answered, a little quietly. It wasn't that Gregory was shy, really, it was just that he got uncomfortable in other peoples' homes before he warmed up to the places. Any new place, really. He was afraid of breaking or messing up whatever order the person kept, or something. He wasn't quite sure why - he wasn't really that clumsy - but being in a new place just made him quite subconscious.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

"Your mam was a good cook.”

Greg was smiling softly, like he was remembering her mother. Siobhan wished she could do that. The only memories she had of her were how she used to hum all the time, and how she had long hair that used to fall into her eyes when she cooked or read or even moved. She was constantly pushing it back. Siobhan had her looks, except she’d gotten her daddy’s blonde hair and blue eyes, rarely having the same issue as her mother. She rarely thought of her mother, sadly. Her father didn’t like to speak of her, and her siblings had forgotten almost as much as she had. Maybe Gregory would tell her some stories.

“She really was,” Siobhan agreed, having cooked almost everything in her cook book at one point or another. “I’m just glad she wrote her recipes down.”

She watched as Gregory made himself comfortable on her couch, looking a little uncomfortable. She vaguely remembered him being that way when she was a child. It took him a little while to be comfortable in their house.

"Er, water, if you don't mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.” She offered him an encouraging smile before disappearing into the kitchen for what he asked.

She took a moment to pour herself a glass of juice, not as much a fan of water. Maybe she could coax Gregory into some tea after dinner. She enjoyed tea – something that her parents had brought with them from Ireland. She even had loose leaves around for when she ran into real tea enthusiasts.

When she returned it was with both glasses and a tray of baking in her hands. She carefully set it down on the coffee table, hoping Gregory would at least be comfortable enough to eat it.

“I think I surpass my mother in the baking area, though,” she offered, sitting down so she could sit and speak with him on the couch.

Her baking skill was probably because she had the money to buy baking supplies without stretching it between five children and a husband. She liked to think it was because she was just talented at putting things in the oven and waiting on them to finish cooking, but either way, her tarts were quoted as being ‘to die for’.

“I’m really glad you decided to come. I don’t have the opportunity to entertain very often, let alone for family.”

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

“I don’t mind at all," Siobhan said, sounding honest as she went to the kitchen. Greg sat on her couch while she was getting the drinks and wondered if it would be too forward to ask who the "they" Siobhan had referred to before was, when she was talking about decorating the house. He thought that of course a beautiful and sweet woman like Siobhan would have been married by now, wouldn't she? But he hadn't seen a sign or heard word about anyone else yet.

Siobhan came back a moment later with a glass of water for him and some juice for herself, and a plate of delicious smelling sweets. "Wow, thank you,"[/b] Gregory said, impressed.

“I think I surpass my mother in the baking area, though,” Siobhan said, sitting down herself.

"Well, I don't know, she made some really fantastic mud pies,"[/b] Gregory said thoughtfully, hoping the joke wasn't lost of Siobhan.

“I’m really glad you decided to come. I don’t have the opportunity to entertain very often, let alone for family," Siobhan said, and Gregory nodded.

"Well, of course I came, I wanted to see you again,"[/b] Gregory said with a smile. He had been looking forward to seeing Siobhan once more, and not at a funeral for once. But he knew exactly what she meant by the lack of their family living in NYC. Their entire family was quite traditional, and the only direct relative Greg knew of living nearby was a cousin or two. Not that weren't probably a hundred less-direct relatives living in the city, but he chose not to look for the extended family for sanity's sake.

He tentatively took one of the bakes and took a bite, and immediately said, "Well, I stand corrected. These are much better than those old pies were,"[/b] Greg smiled, and then asked her "So, ah... what's going on in your life, then? Married, or anything?[/b]

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan was glad when Gregory looked impressed with what she had brought out. It was really nothing special, but she felt pleased that he was happy.

"Well, I don't know, she made some really fantastic mud pies.”

Mud pies? Yeah, she really didn’t want to know...

"Well, of course I came, I wanted to see you again.”

Gregory was smiling when he said that and Siobhan couldn’t help but return it. It was honest and she was glad he actually wanted to be there. The truth was, she wanted to see him again, too. Family was something she was lacking and she was hoping that having him back in her life would be a good thing. Maybe that was why she was trying so hard to make everything perfect.

“I’m glad. I wanted to see you, too. Excluding the funeral, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone in our family since I moved to New York, and this is nice.”

She sipped her juice as he carefully picked up one of the treats on the tray and bit into it. Well now, here was the moment of truth.

"Well, I stand corrected. These are much better than those old pies were."

Siobhan smiled, refraining from reminding him that she’d told him so. That would be a bit much. She’d have to send him home with a tin of baking and look up what went into a mud pie if Gregory liked them so much.

"So, ah... what's going on in your life, then? Married, or anything?”

Oh, such a complicated question. Where to start and what to say was what she always struggled with.

“Well, my life is fairly boring,” she admitted, thinking it really was. “I have a night time radio show I host four nights a week, I run functions for The Shaw Foundation as the founder, and from time to time I model. Mostly, I have a lot of ‘Me Time’, which suits me just fine.”

It was true. Compared to how hard she’d had to work her entire life, this was like an extended lazy vacation. Not that she minded. She read a lot, slept the hours she liked, and when she wanted to do something, there was always time for it. It was a life style she had gotten used to.

“As for marriage, I’ve done that twice, but I’m currently unattached,” she paused to take a sip of her juice before setting it on the table. “The first time was to Nick Zimmer. I doubt you’d remember, but he was the blond boy I was dating when Dad died. We got married at nineteen and lasted about three years before we called it quits.”

That had mostly been due to drugs, alcohol, and Nick’s warped ideas about marriage meaning that he owned her. The cigarette burns should have been the last straw, but it had been the miscarriage that had finally put her over the edge, especially when Nick was happy it had turned out that way. She would never go back to another man like that.

“Then I met Jamie Shaw. He died in a car crash a year ago.”

And she still wasn’t over it completely. She missed him more some days than others, but time was making it easier. It wasn’t fair that the bad marriage had ended long after it should have, and the good one long before.

“But, like I said, my life is pretty boring. How about you? Are you still in police work? Married? Kids?”

She recalled he had been married when she was younger, and she wanted to say he had at least one kid, but things definitely change over time, and her memories from around her father’s death weren’t great. But now she had the chance to reconnect with him and that would have to be enough.

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

Siobhan just looked a tad pained, either out of annoyance or something else as she said, “Well, my life is fairly boring. I have a night time radio show I host four nights a week, I run functions for The Shaw Foundation as the founder, and from time to time I model. Mostly, I have a lot of ‘Me Time’, which suits me just fine.”

'She calls that boring? Greg thought to himself, bemused. Seemed pretty interesting to him. He mentally made note to run an internet search on her later; he wanted to know what the radio channel she hosted was, and what the Shaw Foundation was. He kept quiet while Siobhan continued, however.

“As for marriage, I’ve done that twice, but I’m currently unattached." Siobhan paused to take a drink, and Greg, not sure what else to do, simply nodded and hummed shortly. He wondered what had happened. Siobhan, though, needed no prompting as she provided him with the information he was wondering about on her own. “The first time was to Nick Zimmer. I doubt you’d remember, but he was the blond boy I was dating when Dad died." No, he didn't remember Nick. He didn't think so, anyone. Honestly, Greg barely rememb/ered most of his cousins, let alone boyfriends and girlfriends. "We got married at nineteen and lasted about three years before we called it quits.”

"Oh,"[/color] Greg commented, feeling like he was being too quiet or something.

“Then I met Jamie Shaw. He died in a car crash a year ago.” What? Oh, god, that was Siobhan's husband? Explained the huge house... Greg suddenly felt like a dick. A really ignorant, stupid dick who was completely unable to piece things together. He'd heard of Jamie Shaw's death, but he hadn't really connected it to Siobhan whatsoever until now. “But, like I said, my life is pretty boring. How about you? Are you still in police work? Married? Kids?”

Siobhan was obviously not too keen on staying on that topic, but Greg had to say something, so he just said, "I'm so sorry to hear that, Siobhan. Really."[/b] He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging but not pitying smile, and then let her have her out on that whole topic and said, "Er, as for me, well. If you call your life boring I must be the dullest person on the planet. Still with the police, still unmarried, still with one kid."[/b] He shrugged, feeling like a really uninteresting individual. Siobhan's life had obviously changed dramatically over the last few years. Greg, on the other hand, well. Either his life was stuck in a rut or that was just him. He never changed.

Back when Greg had last seen Siobhan at her dad's funeral, he had just gotten divorced, and Dolores had still been new in his life. He'd been a bit of a mess, and while he wasn't as manic as he supposed he had been then, Greg knew that basically nothing had happened since then. He was boring himself just thinking about it. "Er, she's twelve now, actually. You'd probably like her,"[/b] he added thoughtfully.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan hated telling people about her life. It wasn’t all bad, in fact she’d had some great times, but it always felt like she was looking for sympathy when she said it all like that with the ex-husband and Jamie’s death. And it did still ache to talk about Jamie, but it was getting easier. Even the looks people gave her, the pity, ate at her. Gregory looked like he was trying not to pity her and she appreciated it.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Siobhan. Really."

She merely nodded, sipping at her juice and hoping he’d carry on.

"Er, as for me, well. If you call your life boring I must be the dullest person on the planet. Still with the police, still unmarried, still with one kid. Er, she's twelve now, actually. You'd probably like her."

“Gregory, your life sounds far from dull. Police work is time consuming and really respectable. I don’t think there is a single service in the city we could without over the NYPD,” she reminded him, thinking that it was true.

As much as people complained about the police force, she was sure that if they suddenly disappeared one day, it would be utter chaos. Something like Sanitation would be in close second, then water, and so on. It was essential, modelling was much less so. And being unmarried wasn’t so bad. She imagined being married to a policeman wasn’t easy, especially with the hours he probably worked.

But where Gregory sounded like he was skimming over the facts about his job and marriage, his daughter was something else entirely. Siobhan couldn’t help but smile at the fondness in his voice when he spoke of her.

“I’m sure I would adore her,” Siobhan replied.

She loved children. She always wanted her own brood of blonde babies. Anywhere from one to twelve and she would be happy. She’d nearly had one once, but it wasn’t to be, and she just hadn’t had time with Jamie. She didn’t count herself out of the running yet, but she was sure that it would be a while before she was a mother. She envied Gregory. A daughter to love and cuddle growing up into a beautiful young woman one day...

“Twelve, though? She’s growing up on you!”

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

“Gregory, your life sounds far from dull. Police work is time consuming and really respectable. I don’t think there is a single service in the city we could without over the NYPD,” Siobhan said graciously.

"Well, thank you,"[/b] Greg said, somewhat skeptically. Police work was certainly time consuming, that was for sure, and could be respectable. But him personally, he wasn't entirely sure. He sometimes wondered if he should have just become a mathematician like he'd planned to when he was younger. Or a pilot. He'd always wanted to be a pilot. Still, he couldn't imagine himself as anything else, by now.


“I’m sure I would adore her. Twelve, though? She’s growing up on you!” Siobhan said.

Gregory smiled, though a tad regretfully. "She certainly is. But she lives back in SanFran with her mom."[/b] He paused, then added thoughtfully, "Actually, she looks a bit like you. She's blonde, at any rate,"[/b] he laughed. A lot of women in their family were blonde.

This past year - the first year he'd spent away from his daughter - had seen far too much alone time. He had a hard time imagining it, but sometime he wondered what would have happened if he'd stayed in California with Elliot. It might've been better that way. Anyway, he'd come to a new agreement with Lena - Dolores was now going to come and stay with him for a whole month in NYC during her winter break this year, instead of just the one-week a year visit in California they'd arranged. Perhaps the separation had been good for a while, but now he just plain missed them. Lena had also told him he could visit during school breaks too, with the same rules as before. But he didn't have to worry about coming over drunk anymore, he didn't think. The thought of Dolores coming to live with him again, even just for a month, made him excited for next year.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

"Well, thank you."

Gregory sounded skeptical. Siobhan wondered why he was a policeman if he didn’t believe in what he was doing. But she didn’t pry. Everyone had their reasons, and as long as he was satisfied with his career path, that was all that mattered.

They didn’t linger on it long, though. Gregory was definitely more interested in talking about his daughter. Siobhan couldn’t blame him. Children were special. When you had one, you definitely were entitled to talk about them.

"She certainly is. But she lives back in SanFran with her mom."

San Francisco was on the other side of the country. Gregory must have missed her terribly with so much distance between them. She couldn’t imagine being separated from a child like that, especially if she was still so young. But again, this wasn’t her life.

“Actually, she looks a bit like you. She's blonde, at any rate.”

Siobhan knew there were a lot of blondes on the O’Bannon side of the family. She and her younger siblings had inherited that from her father. Her mother, like Greg, had dark hair, but all the cousins on that side of the family seemed to have blond hair as well. It was a dominant trait, apparently, especially if Gregory’s daughter had turned out blonde, as well.

“Like me? You’re going to have to bring some pictures of her!”

She hoped that she didn’t look too much like her. Siobhan had been a chubby child, growing into an awkward teen, and finally evening out right around the time she was seventeen. The early teens had been a tough transition, and she didn’t wish that on any girl.

“You’ll have to tell me all about her, too. I don’t even know her name!”

If there was one thing she knew about people with kids, it was that they liked to talk about them, even if their kids didn’t live with them. Gregory’s daughter was family, so she wanted to hear all about her. Thomas was the only one with children – Siobhan had their pictures in the drawer – and whenever they talked she felt like she knew the girls, even though she’d never seen them. It make her long for children of her own, but she was honest when she told Gregory all her ‘me time’ suited her just fine, and children certainly ate up ‘me time’.

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

“Like me? You’re going to have to bring some pictures of her!” Siobhan exclaimed.

"Sure,"[/b] Greg said, smiling a little. While he could certainly talk about Dolores for ages, he rarely did. He didn't really want to be one of those disturbingly overly-proud parents who never let you go after they started talking about their kids. He didn't think he was like that, but showing Siobhan a picture would probably not be like that anyway, considering she was family.

“You’ll have to tell me all about her, too. I don’t even know her name!”

"Her name is Dolores,"[/b] Gregory said. It was an old fashioned name, he knew, and she was starting to hate it a little as she got older, but it was after Lena's mother, who had just died, and it had only been respectful to honor her with the name. "I, uh, actually have a picture of her on me, if you want to see,"[/b] Greg admitted. He'd been to the grocery before coming, to get the bread, and so he had his wallet in his pocket. It was one of those that had the clear plastic on the front, where you could put an ID or picture.

Greg a little sheepishly took the picture out and handed it to Siobhan. "She likes puzzles,"[/b] he commented. He was certainly proud that she was smart enough to do them -- he was awful at Sudoku.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

"Her name is Dolores. I, uh, actually have a picture of her on me, if you want to see.”

“Of course! I’d love to see her,” Siobhan assured him.

She loved pictures. In another life, she would have liked to have been the one behind the camera. However, she was rather terrible when it came to taking them, so there was a slight snag there. She had albums of them in the office.

"She likes puzzles.”

Siobhan took the picture so that she could look at Gregory’s daughter. She was beautiful. She had his features, and she was a stick of a thing, but she clearly was still growing into a woman. He could see why he thought they looked alike. The blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes certainly looked similar. Even the purse to their lips was right on.

“Oh, she’s beautiful. She’s going to grow up to be a real heart breaker. And smart, too.”

Sudoku confused her a lot. She’d admit it. Jamie had enjoyed it, tried to show her even, but she’d never gotten the hang of it. Books were more her speed. She could figure out mystery novels quickly.

“You must be so proud.”

If she had a daughter, she would have been proud to see her doing something like a puzzle, rather than paging through a magazine, after all. But Dolores looked like a well put together girl.

[GREGORY LESTRADE]

“Oh, she’s beautiful. She’s going to grow up to be a real heart breaker. And smart, too," Siobhan said, holding the picture delicately and smiling. Greg laughed a little, Siobhan's comments somewhat amusing to him. He certainly agreed to Siobhan's first and last statements, the middle one being what Gregory wasn't quite sure of. He really couldn't imagine Dolores with any sort of boyfriend. Which was... worrying. He'd have to ask her about that next time she called. That'd be nice and be awkward.

“You must be so proud,” Siobhan continued, and Greg, assuming Siobhan would have mentioned kids if she had any of her own by now, felt that he ought to stop talking about his kid because of it. And after all, he hadn't really... raised Dolores. It was a bit shameful really, how little involvement he'd had in the whole process. Sure, he and Lena were still on good terms and pretty much always had been, but Dolores had always been with her. Which was sensible, really, and he knew it, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"Er, thanks, yeah" was all he could really think to say, and smiled awkwardly.

"Anyway, uh," he said, taking the picture back from Siobhan, "What's this radio show you're on, then? I've never heard of it!"[/color] Gregory was one of the, if not the most, socially inept person within a ten mile radius. He never knew anything that he "should" know, really. He supposed he might should-know about this.