Title: HSU - Round and Round
Author: Emmy
Rating: HWGA (Here We Go Again)
Timeline: After Laure's Wanker ficlet that I don't know the title of
Notes: Self-indulgent, relationshippy crap here

"You know, this is very immature."

Emmy stopped mid-stride in her march down the hall, turning her head to find the Nurse leaning out of her doorway and placing more bandaids in the hall.

"What do you know about any of it?" Emmy said.

"Like anything goes on around here that I don't know about," Darry said.

"Then you'll know that I won't--"

"Be taken for granted, yeah, yeah," Darry said.

Emmy huffed and her put her hand on her hip while still trying to stand poised as her suitcase threatened to topple her altogether.

"Look," Darry said in that exasperated Nurse tone. "You two do this *all* the time. You get along great and then some big deal happens and you make our lives miserable until it settles down again."

"I--"

"You *both* make our lives miserable," Darry said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So?"

"So knock it off!"

"I will," Emmy said. "I'm leaving."

"Uh-huh," Darry snorted.

"I'm going to live with Jerome now."

"Emmy," Darry said, giving her a skeptical look.

"Well! Should I stand for being neglected? Should I tolerate being brushed off? Should I put up with a chicken fajita pita?"

"No, but--"

"No! That's right. I shouldn't. So I'm going to stay with Jerome. He listens to me, he takes me out, he buys me stuff, he pays attention to me, he's good for it, and he's still there when I wake up in the morning. And for breakfast, and for bathtime, and for--"

"Alright. Go. Sounds great. Have fun. Seize the day and the man. Enjoy. We'll do lunch," Darry said, waving as an arm dragged her back into the clinic.

"Yes," Emmy said. "I will."

~*~

"Do you think he needs a tetanus shot?"

"No, I think the sharks did more damage to him than Lasher did."

"I mean a tetanus shot for Lasher! As much as he's bitten Xani, my baby could contract something," Emmy said.

Dor kicked a shark's nose and turned toward the Diva. "Look, I'm about the only friend you've got around here, so--"

"Sorry, sorry," Emmy said.

"Well, not the *only* friend," Xani said with a smirk.

Dor shoved Xani back into the pool.

"See you tomorrow," Emmy said, leading Lasher away from the pool.

"Yeah," Dor said. "Have some torrid fun."

"You know it," Emmy said, swinging her hair back as she walked.

~*~

"So is the Diva still having her fit?" Tara asked as she unlodged herself from the Jag and Haken's lap.

"Oh, of course," Laure said, sliding smoothly out of the car. "Probably running off to her EA with great fanfare."

"Hmph," Qui-Gon answererd.

"Haken lost das Diva und das chicken coop! Haken shprang das Ellie frum das Vankah!"

"Yes, Hak," Ellie said, patting him on the arm as she pulled Indy out of the car. "Good boy."

~*~

The General grumbled as he watched Julia sashay out of the pub, off to meet her friend. Then he turned to Judy with a wary gaze. "Has anybody seen her?"

Judy shrugged. "Already gone for the night."

The General nodded, gulping down his ale.

~*~

"Sorry, baby," Emmy said, opening the door with one hand while dragged Lasher and her suitcase with the other. "I know this isn't your preferred choice. I know you'd rather be sleeping on his bed." Emmy hooked her foot around the door and jumped forward to pull it shut. She tossed her keys on the table and then sighed and looked around the room.

Lasher sat down and looked up at her.

"I know," Emmy said. "I called the Four Seasons this afternoon, but they wouldn't let you stay there. So Motel Six it is."

Lasher barked.

"Yeah. Let's order a pizza."

~*~

"Obi-Wan! Good morning," Dande said, smiling happily at the General as he stood in the doorway of her cottage. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Oh, no thank you, Dande," the General said. "Is Qui-Gon here?"

"No, I'm afraid he isn't," Dande said. "He went to Home Depot to buy some hooks to hang the Christmas lights around the house."

"Ah," the General said, nodding his head. "That's right, I suppose we have some decorating to do on campus."

"Yes," Dande said, giving the General a curious look. "But really, Obi-Wan, I have leftovers from Qui-Gon's breakfast. Are you sure you're not hungry?"

The General glanced over Dande's shoulder, the aroma of bacon making his stomach growl, the happy glow of chintz providing a warm welcome.

"Come on," Dande said with a smile. "Come inside. I just put on some water for tea."

The General smiled. "Alright. Thank you."

~*~

"Ok, listen," Kendra said to Ellie as they exited their suite. "You tell Emmy to meet you in the incinerator room at ten. I'll tell the General to meet me there at ten o'five."

"Ken, really," Ellie said. "Give it up."

"What? This is a good plan!"

"Why on Earth would the incinerator room be a meeting place?"

Kendra sighed, "Tell her you're tossing Logan into the incinerator. She'd probably run to help!"

"Hello, McFly," Ellie said. "She knows I'd never do that to Logan. She'd probably think Logan was trying to lure her there in order to toss her in."

"Geez, what is it with you and Dor?"

Ellie shook her head. "It'll pass, Kendra. It always does."

~*~

"She loves him, you know."

Dande's eyes grew wide, and she set her teacup down.

"No, Obi-Wan. You must--"

"No, Dande, it's alright," the General said. "I'm certainly big enough to acknowledge that."

Dande's mind began to race in several directions. She wasn't quite prepared for this out of the blue. "How..... How do you know?"

"It's obvious," he said. "I think she loves him more than she loves me," he added with an apologetic grin.

"Obi-Wan, no," Dande said definitively. "You--"

"It's silly of me to be jealous, I know that," he said. "But the way she talks to him, the way she looks at him."

Dande leaned forward in her chair, her eyes growing wider still. "What....what do you mean? How do you know these things?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" the General said, taking a sip of his tea.

Dande pouted slightly. How had she missed out on this scoop? Jerome wasn't even allowed on campus as far as she knew.

"But what bothers me the most is how he watches us," the General said.

"Watches you?" Dande asked, leaning forward. "What do you mean?"

"Well....I mean..... He watches us when.....well......when we're..." the General shifted his gaze nervously. "You know....together.....intimately."

Dande gasped really quite loudly. "He *watches* you?? You mean in the bedroom, he's there *watching* you??"

"Yes," the General said with a quick nod.

Dande began to fan herself with her napkin. "Obi-Wan, I had no idea."

"I thought that maybe when I bought him that house, that maybe he wouldn't need to be with us all the time--"

"You bought him a house??"

"Well yes," the General said. "I thought that by making a gesture like that, I could show my approval for him, rid some of the tension from the situation. And, of course, I thought he would have his own space. I thought he might like that."

Dande, realizing that her chin had dropped to the table, covered her mouth with the napkin.

"And she did try it. For me. But he just ended up barking half the night outside by himself."

Dande suddenly burst into spontaneous laughter. And then she stopped herself when she saw the General's expression. "Yes, so," Dande said, her breathing coming deeper again. "Lasher, the dog. Lasher has been watching you and that makes you uncomfortable."

"Well, it's not a big issue," the General said. "It's just.....odd."

"And you feel that she dotes on the dog, Lasher, more than she dotes on you," Dande said.

"It's silly," the General said. "I know that it's irrational."

"No, it's not silly at all," Dande said. "Pets provide a source of unconditional love and support for their owners. Many people feel uninhibited in expressing affection toward their animals because there is no judgement, no risk, if you will. You never have to worry whether or not your pet will reject you or love you back. With you and Emmy, there is a human relationship involved, with all the complexity that entails. She may be reserved with you, hold back from you, for whatever reason, and you with her. You see her affection for Lasher and it seems so simple and so easy. He makes her smile just by being there. He barks and she laughs. The expectations are so obvious and so attainable. But with you, sometimes it's.....complicated."

"Yes," the General said. "Something like that." He sat quiet for a moment and then shifted in his chair. "Well," he said, "I thank you for the wonderful breakfast. I'm afraid that I must be going now."

"Of course," Dande said. "Feel free to stop by anytime. My door is always open if you ever want to visit again. And I'll tell Qui-Gon you stopped by."

"Thank you, Dande," the General said. "Have a good day."

"You, too, Obi-Wan," Dande said, smiling as he departed while her mind churned.

~*~

"You know, if you want my advice--"

"I don't," Emmy shot back at Servo as she marched into her own office and slammed the door, despite the Bot's protest.

That would make it much more difficult for him to get all the good gossip.

Emmy removed Lasher's leash and the growing pup padded around the office until he found just the right spot to plunk down and go to sleep.

And then she checked her voice mail.

Only two angry parents today. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

The Diva grumbled when there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

"Hey there, Diva girl!"

"Aren't you hormonal or something?" Emmy asked as Dande walked in. "Why are you so happy?"

"Well, I'll tell you a secret," Dande said. "The Mastah has been gone *all* morning. That sometimes helps in my condition."

"Well, that'd be a good morning for me in any condition," Emmy said.

"But I did have nice breakfast with the General," Dande said.

"Don´t start," Emmy said.

"I'm not starting anything."

"Yes, you are."

"Emmy, he really misses you," Dande said.

"Did he say that?"

"Well...he....."

"Uh-huh."

"Emmmmyyyyy."

"Dannnnndeeeee."

"You're so freakin' stubborn, you know that?" Dande said. "Both of you are. He overbooks himself so he can pretend nothing is wrong and you run off to Jerome and play and let him buy you stuff so you can pretend that nothing is wrong."

Emmy looked at Dande, tapping her fingers together.

"You know I'm right," Dande said.

"Dande."

"What?"

"I'll tell you a secret."

"What?" The Wench scooted forward in her chair.

"But you can't tell anybody."

"I promise," Dande said. "You have the Wench seal of confessional."

"I'm not staying with Jerome."

"Oh goodie!" Dande exclaimed.

"I just....couldn't," Emmy said. "But I needed to get away. Just needed some space. So I've been at a motel."

"This is fabulous to hear, I mean-- Wait," Dande interrupted herself. "You stayed at a *motel*??"

"The Four Seasons wouldn't take Lasher," Emmy said.

"Well, I'm feeling *much* better now," Dande said with a big grin.

"Congratulations," Emmy grumbled.

"Now listen here, Diva," Dande said, standing up and grabbing Emmy's hand.

"What?"

"You're coming with me," Dande said.

"Where?"

"My office."

"Oooohh noooo," Emmy said, backing away from the Wench.

"Now!" Dande ordered. "And *don't* argue with a pregnant woman."

~*~

Emmy sat in the yellow chair. Arms crossed. Eyes examining the intricate wallpaper.

The General sat in the other yellow chair. Arms crossed. Eyes examining the intricate window screen.

"Now," Dande said, "we're going to discuss your issues."

Emmy squirmed in her chair and crossed her legs.

The General squirmed in his chair and stuck his chin out.

"Emmy, we'll start with you."

Emmy glared at Dande.

"Are you feeling minimized?"

Emmy looked back at the wallpaper.

"Well?" Dande said, giving her the Counselor Eye.

"Yes," Emmy said through gritted teeth.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

Emmy huffed and clenched her arms tighter.

Dande sighed and turned toward the General. "Obi-Wan, you--"

"Dande," the General said with a smile. "I really don't think this is necessary."

"Obi-Wan," Dande repeated in serious Counselor Voice. "Are you feeling perhaps that nothing you do is good enough?"

"Nooo," the General replied rather petulantly.

"I see," Dande said. "Well. Fortunately I have no other appointments today. So we will just sit her until one of you decides to talk."

"Dande," the General said, "I have many appointments today. I don't have time--"

"You see!" Emmy said, pointing at the General but looking at Dande. "No time. As always. 'Sorry, I'm running late.' 'Sorry, can we finish this later?' 'Sorry, I'm on a time crunch.'"

"Emmy," the General said.

"'Sorry, I'm really overbooked today.' 'Sorry, I'm really tired. Can't we about this some other time?'"

"Emmy, please."

"Let her finish, Obi-Wan."

"'Sorry, I have no interest in talking to you or listening to your feelings, I just wanna get laid and get this over with so I can go to sleep.'"

"I have NEVAH said such a thing to you!" the General responded.

"You didn't HAVE to say it!" Emmy shot back, finally turning toward him. "Your actions speak quite loudly!"

"Well, so do yours," he said.

"Mine?"

"Yes, yours."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps dragging that dog along wherever we go."

"What?" Emmy huffed. "Don't blame this on him!"

"Emmy, let him finish."

"Your disappointment in the things I don't do speaks much louder than your approval for the things that I do. No matter what I do or how well I try to do them, you never fail to remind me of what I missed doing," the General said.

"My disappointment in you?" Emmy said. "Every time I do something for you, you barely acknowledge it. I send you little notes that rarely get answered. I buy you little treats that I never know if you received until I ask you about them. And every other thing I say, you're sighing or making light of it. And you took me through the drive thru at Jack in the Box! How is that supposed to make me feel?"

The General sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"You see!" Emmy said again, pointing at the General and looking at Dande. "He *always* does that."

"I'm doing the best that I can," the General said.

"No, you're not," Emmy said. "You don't *listen* to me anymore. You laugh at me."

"I don't laugh at you," the General said.

"You do. And then you pat me on the head and go golfing."

The General paused for a moment. "I'm sorry about that. I just.... I need my own space, too."

"Then why don't you tell me that?" Emmy said. "Why rush me around like I'm a bother?"

"You are *not* a bother," he said. "You just.... You want so much."

"I--"

"And there's nothing wrong with that," he said. "You deserve that. You deserve everything that I can't give you, you deserve more time than I have."

"I just want you," Emmy said. "I want you *there* when you're with me, not constantly thinking about the next thing. I want you to stop when you're with me and just *be* with me."

"But that's not enough for you," he said.

"It *is*."

"That's not how you act," he said. "You act like you want me to anticipate your every whim and fulfill your every need. I can't do that."

"I don't expect you to. But you *used* to take more care, take more time. You used to understand me, you used to know when I just needed you to hold me. But something has changed. Now it's like you can't even understand I need it. It's like you expect me to be strong all the time because you don't have the time to deal with me when I need something more from you, something emotional....something safe."

"Then why don't you just say so?"

"Because I don't know what you want from me," Emmy said. "I don´t know who you want me to be. You treat me like you want me to be stronger, less dependent on you. I try to be what you want, but that keeps changing. You keep getting bored with me, or it's just not quite right. You hold me at arm's length when I'm not to your liking."

"I just want you to be you. Without all the fuss. You don't have to behave like a cornered animal, you can just be who you are."

"But that isn't always good enough for you," she said.

"Yes, it is."

"Your actions say something quite different. I let down my guard with you, and you laugh, you minimize me, like Dande said," she said. "The more I need you, the more unavailable you are."

The General sighed.

Emmy sighed. "Sometimes I feel like we need to start right over from the beginning."

"Maybe that's the answer," Dande said.

"Huh?" the General and Emmy said.

"Start over from the beginning. Think about what drew you to each other in the first place and what kinds of things you used to do. Discover each other again."

Emmy crossed her arms and gave Dande a dubious look.

The General crossed his arms and gave Dande a dubious look.

"It couldn't hurt!" Dande said.

Emmy sighed.

The General sighed.

Dande's phone rang.

Emmy looked at her watch. "I have a meeting," she said darting out of her chair.

"Wait!"

"Me, too," the General said, darting out of his chair.

"You two are so FREAKIN' DIFFICULT!" Dande yelled as they retreated swiftly in opposite directions down the hall.

~*~

"Well, Lash, what do you say? Pizza or Chinese?" Emmy asked as she shut down her computer and shuffled some papers on her desk.

Lasher barked.

"Neither sound good to me either," Emmy said. "But I've had enough of work for the day." She stood up and put on her jacket and picked up her purse as someone knocked on the door. Emmy walked over and opened it, her eyes widening at the sight of the General. She gave him a curious look as she saw that he was wearing his padawan clothes.

"Hello," he said, bowing his head slightly. "I couldn't help but notice that you seemed just as bored at this party as I am."

Emmy's face broke into a smile.

"I must admit," he said, "that I don't actually know anyone here, but I always heard that the food was good."

"Well," she said, delving into her memories, "you must be very disappointed then."

"No," he said, his eyebrow arching ever so slightly, "not at all." He extended his hand toward her. "I'm Obi-Wan."

"Emmy," she said with an amused grin, grasping his hand in turn.

"Well, Emmy," he said, still gently shaking hands, "can I interest you in lukewarm buffet selections?"

"No," she said, "but I know a nice little place across the street."

He smiled. "Shall we?"

"I'd like that," Emmy said.

And then Lasher barked.

Emmy looked over her shoulder. And then she walked back into her office.

"Emmy," the General said.

"Just a minute," she said, reaching for her phone and dialing the Library. "Dor? You wanna watch Lasher for a bit?"

The General smiled.

~*~

"See, I knew this would work out rather quickly," Dor said, petting Lasher and Rowan who were both flopped into her lap. "She can't be without him for very long."

"What's wrong with her, anyway?" Xani said, clenching his fists as his elf landed just short of the shark's mouth.

"You're such a romantic," Pelham drawled dryly.

"I kicked Dingle's ass! Yes, I did! Hey, I can be romantic when I want to be," Xani said all in one breath.

Dorotea and Pelham exchanged dubious looks.

"Yes, of course," Pelham said, settling behind Dorotea and brushing her hair.

~*~

"Thank you for dinner," Emmy said as she and the General walked up the stairs in the Administration Building.

"My pleasure," the General said. "Can I walk you to your door?"

"Of course," Emmy said as they wandered slowly down the hall. After a few moments of silence, Emmy said, "Jael is returning on Friday."

"Oh," he said, "that's great news. I've missed her."

"Me too. And Lasher and Space Dog need to get acquainted."

"That should be entertaining," the General chuckled.

"Yes, definitely."

"Well, here we are," he said, stopping in front of Emmy's room.

"Hmm," Emmy said, looking up and noticing the mistletoe on the ceiling.

The General glanced up. "Hmm," he replied.

The End