Sali motioned up the stairs as Sully carried her inside; her cheek resting needfully on his chest. "You can put me down on the stairs," she chuckled, "It's a rather narrow staircase, you know." 

Once upstairs, she led him down a short hallway... much shorter than he remembered, and into a side room that spanned half the width of the house, including the attic. She'd clearly remodelled, merging two of the larger guest rooms together. The ceiling revealed the bar beams of the attic but only added to the charm of the space... which was decked in plush, reclining armchairs that framed small round tables on either side. And in the center, a pit of beanbags, pillows and cozy quilts that resembled an adult-sized blanket fort. 

Flipping the lights on, she pointed to the wide screen that stretched the length and height of the opposite wall and the small projector mounted to the wall/ceiling behind them. "It's a bulky, loud monstrosity... but it works." 

A floor-to-ceiling shelf next to it housed stacks upon stacks of film canisters, and Sali wasted no time rummaging through it in search of 'just the thing'. After a few moments, she gasped loudly, "OH... I KNOW!... I think..." She turned to him with an expression of apprehensive unsurety. "I think I have something you would appreciate. But... you have to promise not to go rolling around in the yard again. Just... roll in the blankets if you need to. Yeah?" 

She held the unlabeled side of the canister out to him, waiting for him to agree before nodding happily. Climbing a small ladder built into the wall, she carefully loaded the film into the projector before scurrying down. "I have to go fetch the sound tin. You get comfy. I'll be right back. Don't touch anything. ... I wanna see your face when it comes on." 

As she rushed down the stairs, Sully could hear clanging and cursing as she rummaged through the shelves of soundbites downstairs before bounding back up the narrow staircase with a triumphant smile... one of the portable gramophones tucked under her arm. "I knew it was here somewhere!" With a bright smile, she laid the gramophone out on one of the bookshelves and carefully loaded it with whatever 'surprise' she'd managed to dig up. 

"Okay... no yelling. Just... get comfy," she shoved a handkerchief into his palm as she shooed him toward the chairs/pit. "I have to start them both at the same time so lemme know when you're ready." Her keen eyes watched carefully for his nod before flipping the switch on both machines and scurrying to his side. 

She'd seen all of these before, so her eyes remained glued to his face as the projector whirred to life... the first few frames stretching and warping a moment before the light focused and the picture cleared... a simple black and white home video jumping to life across the screen. 

" "Okay. Are you ready?" " He heard Harvey's voice crackle over the gramophone as the camera shook. 

" "Yeah, Uncle Quinn. Just set it down and hit... oh... it's going. Sal, it's going." " A soft, girlish voice called from offscreen as Sali's face loomed into view... much younger than she was now. She fiddled with it for a moment before the frame stilled. And as she backed away, Sully nearly fainted. 

He recognized the study. The camera clearly sitting on the table where his coils now were. Across the room, Sali was readying her cello. And at the piano... his piano... a pale, dark-headed young girl say with characteristically long fingers at the ready. " "I'll follow you," " he heard Sali's voice from behind and beside him simultaneously. And with a silent, nodding count, the girl took off... fingers racing across the keys in a lilting run that drug a wavering... haunting... familiar melody from Sali's bow... his melody. 

Sali let him listen and watch in silence for a long moment... giggling softly as she heard her voice urge Evie softly, 

" "Take it! Take it and run!!" " and then giggled with pure melodic glee as the girl did just that, hammering the bridge with a moving mixture of pounding half-counts and Sully-esque runs. 

As the song came to a close, she heard his breath hitch... Evie's sad-excited eyes locking into the camera as she asked softly, " "Do you think he'd like it?" " 

" "I know he'd LOVE it." " he heard Sali's voice crackle as it whispered across his skin, " "He's proud of you. I know it. It's just perfect. It makes my heart still." " 

Smiling, the girl jumped up and tackle-hugged her... knocking them both and the camera to the ground with a clattering commotion that froze the frame... the sound of giggling laughter the last thing to crackle into silence as both machines whirred to a halt. Sali said nothing as she stood and paused the sputtering whirring. Waiting for him to acclimate. 

"I have more," she whispered softly. "We can watch as much as you want," she assure him, glancing over her shoulder as she waited. 

He sat in his chair, reaching out toward the screen, tears falling from his face.

"I... I wrote that. That... That was mine, and so perfect! Yes, yes please... More would be fantastic!"

He sniffled heavily as his breath caught in his throat, a hitch he was all too familiar with when Jackie had died... Until Matty had come along. At least when Matty left him, he knew he wouldn't be far behind her... Her remembered it all too well. Holding Evie after delivering her from her dying mother... Writing her name on paper in blood as he held on to what little life he had left. Smiling at Matty and cuddling down beside her as she struggled to breath, him as well. Holding her, kissing her head... Silently, he mouthed his last words to her. -It's okay, I'll be with you shortly...I love you...- She died as she nodded, and spoke her final words, "I love you both, forever... I'll see you...soon..." Sullivan, sad to watch her go, knew he would follow as he laid there and did his best to keep the baby wrapped and warm. His baby, that he'd just watched play his music.

Looking at Salena, he nodded with a smile, hands still outstretched to the screen, finally dropping them into his lap. "I fear we will need water as well... And perhaps dinner. I've not eaten, and I'm quite famished. Shall I go and get us some dinner before the next film?"

Sally nodded, "I want you to see this one, first. I fear you'll need the time after... and dinner will give you that." 

Loading another canister into the projector, she quietly slipped downstairs, returning with another record and a glass of water. 

"Here you go," she passed it to him quietly before turning back to the projector. "She writes her own, too. I know she'd want you to hear this one. But... just... know that it hurts." 

That was all she said as the lights flickered and another movie jerked to life... in the viewing room at Elysium. Sali looked as she did now, which meant this had to be recent. Evie was seated at the service piano, looking striking like a black and yet like her mother at the same time; Sali off to one side. As the music started, Sully was shocked to hear the angelic voice that slipped from Sali's lips as the first verse echoed off the high ceiling. 

"We didn't know... when WE wrote the words..." she whispered softly in his ear, trying... and failing... to prepare him for when Evelia took the second verse even stronger and more heartwrenching. 

She knew it would rip his heart out... and she hated it. But it had always been meant for them... Sully and Matty. So... in a way... it couldn't have been more perfect. Their voices melded the way he always thought hers and Matty's might. The intricate play of piano and cello flowing effortlessly the way it had with Jackie. Sali, at his side, whispered the words softly. 

When the reel finally whirred to a stop, she couldn't look at him. Her eyes, glued to the hands that had cradled his daughter... without even knowing. Coached her to play... with out even knowing. Helped write those words, played his pain to life, bought his house, brought him here... without. Even. Knowing. And now... she did this? Knowing what it would mean and what it would do? She was wretched. 

...wretched and hungry. 

With shaking shoulders she stood and moved toward the door, "Take all the time you need. I'll be in the kitchen. Call down if you need me."

Slipping silently down the stairs, she called behind her, "I'll come to check up if you're not down by the time dinner's ready."

Sullivan stood and reached for her, but she'd already left the room. Following quietly, he stepped down the stairs and reached for her in the kitchen. His arms wrapped around her from behind and held her close to him. Tears ran still, but his smile was true... It didn't ache, and she be able to tell from the way he sniffled in her ear, held her close, and chuckled softly as he cried.

"Thank you..." he whispered softly.

"That was my one regret, to never be able to raise her and hear her sing... If she wanted to of course. Thank you, for being the mothering older sister to my daughter without ever knowing her to be from the heart in your chest." He squeezed her softly. "That was beautiful, and the two of you sing, and play, wonderfully together. You sounded just like Mattea. Absolutely on par with her vocals. I wish you could have heard her... But, even so, if you listen to that recording, you do hear her."

He chuckled and kissed her head softly before releasing her...

"SO! I vote that we don't watch anymore tonight that are... Sad. I say, we enjoy this dinner, get cleaned up, watch some happier home films, get some sleep, and then tomorrow I can start working on your medications. I don't think I want to travel the world without you, Salena... I believe it would be dull, and boring."

He smiled. "Also, what's for dinner?"

Salena was so relieved to hear him happy, that her brain went all derpy for a moment. Twisting in his arms, she tiptoed up pecked him back without even thinking about it. Pausing to blink and shake her head at herself only after the action had become irrevocable. "Had I known, I would have done so all the more," she confessed with a warm smile, "Evie has an odd way of... endearing people." She smirked and wrinkled her nose, "I suppose that must run in the family." 

'fam-i-ly' it came out three separated syllables as the 'weirdness' of her situation started to settle in. She and Evie were friends. She was older, sure... and somewhat maternal-ish, okay... but still. She and Evie were friends. And Sully was... Is... 

Sally blinked into the air for a moment before shaking her head, "Nope! Nooooope. Nu-uh. We're just gonna file that in the 'never think about again' section and move on with 'HAPPY'! I've got a couple of birthdays, graduation... I think... first autopsy! That one's HILARIOUS. Pick your poison. Or we can just start with chronological order if you wanna... y'know... watch her grow up?" she paused, that cute little wrinkle sneaking back to her nose," ...yep... still odd. That's gonna take some time." 

Giggling, she turned toward the fridge, "I have chicken... lamb... eggplant... um... there might still be some smoked salmon floating around in here. I've got plenty of fresh herbs and veggies in the greenhouse. I can make pretty much anything you want. OR... if you'd rather... we can go out." She smiled at him playfully, "I had a good week. So I can afford it. Considering... y'know..." she gestured at... well, ALL of him, snickering softly. Not that ANYONE really had a steady bank account at the moment, but a DEAD GUY had to have it even worse. 

"Most of the 'old'... no offense... restaurants are still in business. And we have a few fresh ones that've popped up in the last five years or so. You got a craving for anything in particular?"

"I say we make food, and I'd be happy to watch her grow, so I feel as if I somewhat know her once we find them." He smiled. "So what are we throwing in the 'nope file' or whatever you called it?" Sullivan chuckled as he began to prepare some of the lamb for her to roast. "I say we make lamb, and some fresh veggies in a salad. Oh, or saute them." Nodding, he chuckled before pausing.

"So does it worry you, the way Evie may feel if we become close?"

He didn't turn to look at her, but he could feel the heat radiating from her body from where he stood. It was obvious that in the few hours they'd spent with one another, that she already had strong feelings for him... He wasn't certain he could deny that he, himself, mirrored those feelings.

"I'm not, if it makes you feel any better..."

Smirking, he turned, "We need potatoes, and carrots, and seasoning for the lamb. Then, we put it on for a few hours. It will be delicious. We eat fresh salads now, go and watch some of the movies, and then when the lamb is done we can eat it... Then get cleaned up and go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day, and I feel I should try and get some sleep. Otherwise, I fear the way this body will react to fatigue. I feel as if I've slept a lifetime, but I know how quickly exhaustion can set in..." He smirked again, turning to her and waggling his brows.

Salena flushed and chuckled lightly, "That WAS the 'nope file'."  Shaking her head, she sighed softly, "It does, a little. But the whole situation is fucked... so there's LOTS to worry me. More than anything it's just... odd. You know? You being... you... and all. I hadn't really thought about it until now... or rather... I hadn't really thought of it THAT WAY." 

Shaking her head again, she smiled softly, "No matter. It's a bit too late now, I'm afraid." Blushing, her eyes traced the tile floor to avoid his expression as she shuffled toward the back door. "Seasonings, Saute, Salad. Anything you like especially? ... aside from the potatoes and carrots?" She glanced over her shoulder and then shook her head with a giggle, "What am I thinking... you haven't eaten in..." She sighed again, "nope folder.... definitely nope folder. I'll just... bring whatever's ready," she chuckled and disappeared into the yard. 

Through the kitchen window, Sully would see the lights in the greenhouse click on, illuminating a lush green jungle that EASILY rivalled his Matty's. Silently, he watched her through the sweating windows as she animatedly talked to the plants... dumping handfuls of greens and veggies into her skirt like a basket. Glancing up, she caught him watching, and blushed bashfully, winking before sticking her tongue out. She was in over her head... and telling her green-friends ALL about it. 

Locking the greenhouse door securely, she flipped the outside switch and picked her way back to the house. "Forgive me. I forgot a basket," she blushed as she hoisted her skirt up onto the counter... sorting things out as she went: a head of lettuce, several potatoes, three large carrots, basil, mint, oregano, marjoram, sage, and chives... as well as cherry tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, beets, broccoli, some brussel sprouts, a fistful of blossoms and a small pile of blueberries. 

Passing him the carrots and potatoes, she handed him a knife, "These should go in with the roast. I'll handle the salad."  With practiced ease she chopped everything together, topping the salad with a sprinkling of blueberries and topped it off with a splash of violets, pansy, and dandelion leaves... sweet and bitter to round out the flavour pallet. "We can go oil and salt, OR there's a fresh raspberry vinaigrette in the fridge. It would pair well with the lamb, if you're into that sort of thing." Smiling, she made two plates and filled a pitcher with fresh water... adding a sprig of lavender from the window box for full effect. Smiling, she carefully balanced everything as she headed for the stairs, "You finish up the lamb. I'll get everything set up upstairs." 

Picking her way up the narrow staircase, she settled into the pallet pit with a smile, setting up a nice little cozy spot for them to enjoy the rest of the evening. Fishing out all the reels she could find of Evie, she laid them out in chronological order. As she slipped the first one into the projector, she called down the stairs, "I don't have sound reels for all of them anymore. I hope that's okay..." 

She was suer it would be fine... better than fine, even. But something in her WANTED to hear his reassurance. 

She didn't have as many as she would have liked, but there were milestones in the mix that made up for it. Despite the technology being so new, Sali had managed to record Evie's first steps, her first recital, her first autopsy, and her graduation... with a smattering of other random day-to-day scenes in between. And she absolutely MELTED watching Sully watch them. Who knew her hobby would come in so handy? It made her excited to see the future... for the first time... well, ever. 

And that realization nearly terrified her. 

She was adorkable, talking to her plants and then catching him watch her. The tongue was too much and he feigned peril at her through the window before smiling and refocusing on the lamb while she finished her green gossip. Taking the carrots and potatoes once she made it back inside, he began chopping and skinning as needed, washing, and then throwing them in a large pot with the lamb. As she took the salads and water up to the cinema room, Sllivan dumped spices over the lamb.

"No sound is fine, I don't mind at all!" he called out.

Adding just a pinch of water to the pot, he covered it then threw it in the oven. A few hours and they would have roast lamb for dinner. Sullivan, finally finished with preparing the main course, made his way upstairs to join her for salads and a show while they waited.

Sali wrinkled her nose he crested the stairs. "Okay. No sad. You promised," she teased him as she hit the switch on the projector. Nearly running, she slid into the pallet pit just in time for the camera to focus in on a chunky-thighed toddler wobbly holding herself up as she reached for the camera. The frames were a bit shakey... and blurry... but something was better than nothing. 

From behind the camera, Sully could hear the voice of a VERY young Sali, coaxing the child along. 

" "You want the camera? Come get the camera! YE-ah!! Come get the.... holy shit! .... HARVEY!" " 

Sally's voice broke over as Evie lunged at the camera. One hand reaching out instinctively... but pausing and hovering as she gave the child room to learn. 

" "Look at you! You're trying to wal... nope, you ARE walking! HARVEY!!!! Harvey, you're missing it!" "

Evie, unphased by the yelling continued to chase the camera a few more steps before she fell INTO the camera... which Sali happily surrendered to the wayside to catch and cradle the little lamb. 

Next was random video of a birthday... a shakey montage of candles and cake as Sali tried to manage a three-year-old and a camera at the same time. No sound, but plenty of laughter based on the expressions. 

Then a whole reel of 'chopsticks' and 'heart and soul'... with Evie in a ridiculously lacey frock of a dress and large bow... with a glare to KILL as she was paraded on stage to play. "She HATED that dress. I kid you not... we burned it in the dumpster as soon as she got home. Harvey was PISSED," Sally cackled, clearly in support of the decision. 

A couple of bicycle reels, leading up to THE bicycle reel. Some had sound, some didn't. 

The autopsy was silent... but the expression of wonder, realization, and disgusted horror were nearly priceless, both of them giggling a bit as the camera shook and aimed to the floor for a moment... Sali clearly getting as much of a kick out of it then as she did now. 

The annoying 'get that camera out of my face' preparing for a dance reel. "Oof she was so angsty. Still angsty just... less 'I'm gonna bit your face', I guess. And yes That was, in fact, a problem for a while." 

An epilepsy-inducing few frames of Evie finally achieving a working tesla... followed by a few frames of her triumphantly shocking a dead frog into muscle spasms. "Definitely gets that from you," Sali joked. 

And finally, a silent-frame reel of Evie in a cap and gown... beaming as she waved at the camera. 

As the final reel whirred to a close, Sali glanced up at him, "I'm sorry. That's all I have. All the good ones, anyway." 

Sliding one last tin across the floor, she smiled sheepishly. "I want to save this one for later... for both of you to watch together. It's... happy-sad? And... I think it'll help smoothe things over when she hits that 'what the fuck' stage of processing... all this." 

Looking down, Sully would notice a titled scrawled in sharpie over masking tape: 'Dear Mom and Dad, or, What I Would Say If I Could...'

"She recorded a few of these. When she was really feeling it, it helped. Some of them were angry or sad. She burned most of them afterwards. But she let me keep this one... just this one. And we're going to save it for a rainy day, I think. ...if that's okay?"

Sullivan clapped with glee at her walking, jumping up and screaming at the screen. "SHE'S WALKING! SHE'S FUCKING WALKING! HARVEY! HOW COULD YOU MISS IT! OHHHHH! WHERE WERE YOU!?" He cackled happily, before correcting his behavior and sitting back into the pit awaiting the next reel.

He made a bit of a sad face as he thought of all the birthdays he'd missed because, well, he'd selfishly decided to die... He could have been there. Probably should have. It would have made her life that much easier... Or would it? Regardless, he smiled as she smashed her face into the cake, stifling a chuckle and wiping his face.

"That was precious... I wish I could have been there. I wish I would have been there... I could have, I wish I would have," he corrected himself as he breathed deep and prepared for the next one, stealing a few bites of his salad and a sip of the water as she prepared.

"Oh, oh wow, that's a really good salad, Sali," he commented, stuffing his cheeks full and looking up at the screen as it flickered to life. Bicycle riding. It made him smile even more as he watched her learn, hissed as she fell, and clapped as she succeeded, only to "OOOF" as she rode into the tree in the yard.

Then came the no training wheels bike... That was fun. He applauded his daughter's impeccable balance as she rode around the yard and along the sidewalk.

Autopsies... Those were fun. Sully was up at the screen, inspecting, yelling, correcting, laughing, and shaking his head along with what he could imagine Harvey saying... He had her play it back a few times, making new commentary for Harvey and Evie... He couldn't help but laugh until he hurt, returning to his seat for the next. More salad and water as Salena loaded the reels.

Tesla-coils: Now those were some of his favorites! He excitedly hopped up and down, and subsequently tugged at his hair as he watched Evie play with his coils, then build her own... Wrong... Over and over. Until, finally, with an unsatisfied begrudging look, she flipped the breaker and her's worked. Her face was priceless, and the startle of the sound actually made her kill the power to it. He could practically hear Sali laughing with the shaking film, and could hear Evie's, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" as the rushed to flip the switch again...

Then the frog... Sullivan fell out of his chair, gasping for air in laughter and wheezed out as he fought to catch his breath, "I DID THAAAAATTTT!"

Finally, he calmed, and was able to sit back and watch his daughter graduate. He was impressed, she had graduated with honors. Smiling, he looked down at the last reel, listening to Sali speak.

"So, we should watch it -with- Evelia, on a rainy day you think?" All of a sudden slightly sad, he looked at Sali, "Why do you think she burned them? Because she 'knew' she'd never get to tell us?"

Sali beamed as she shared each moment with him, positively in love with his reactions. There was so much LIFE in him. It was no wonder he couldn't stay gone. In one single day, he'd managed to bring more light and joy into her life than she'd felt altogether in her life. And as she watched him watch, she silently wondered if he knew what a light he was... if he knew hos badly the world needed him. Maybe THAT was why he was back... but it was a thought she kept to herself. 

Her smile faded when he asked about the last reel, though. Shaking her head, she cooed, "No, love." She reached out and caressed his cheek, "Sometimes humans need to just say stuff. And we don't always MEAN it, but we need to get it off our chests and out of our heads. I think the ones she burned were all those things... all the festering shit that she needed to lance and drain, but didn't ACTUALLY want to commit to your memory. That's all." 

Pushing the reel toward him she continued, "This one... this one she meant. That's why it stayed. But... this is all going to be a LOT for her... especially for her. After the shiney wears off... when you really have to learn how to be father and daughter... and the reality doesn't live up to the idealized fantasy... when it gets messy and confusing and painful and... maybe even disappointing... well, I think you're BOTH gonna need to hear it and remember it. So... yeah. I think we save it. Until you REALLY need it." 

The soft 'ding' of a timer echoed up the stairs from the kitchen, and Salli smiled as she glanced toward the stairs, "Just in time," she chirped with unexpected warmth, "You still hungry?"

"Fucking FAMISHED! The salad was delicious, but... I need some meat." He chuckled.

"Apparently it's been a while since I've had any!"

He rolled his eyes at his own terrible joke, and then stood and followed her into the kitchen. She was already handling the hot pot with pads and setting it on the metal rack on the counter. Pulling the top off, the smell of herbs and spices, not to mention hearty potatoes and carrots, filled the immediate vicinity and Sullivan's mouth salivated.

"Oh dear Me, that smells divine as..." He frowned, "Well that has a sour meaning now... I'm fairly certain I was in heaven..." He laughed a bit. "How, who the FUCK knows. I don't deserve it for sure!" He cackled and lowered his face into the pot for a better sniff.

"Mmmmm mm mm, where are your, nevermind!" he exclaimed as he turned around and she was setting out plates and utensils for them.

"Read my mind much do you darling?" He smiled, then began plating food for the both of them. Heavy helpings of lamb and vegetables smothering both plates.

"This, is going to be, great."

Taking the first bite, he practically melted and pointed, "Ohhhhh, you have to eat that. It tastes sooooo gooooood. Hiram would be jealous!"

He smirked. "You'll learn that he's the food lover of our family. He could have a sprawling, dramatic opera written about a single bite of a flower with a taste so bitter none alive would eat it, and he would coax everyone to try it with his vividly amazing detail to everything about said flower that, no matter the outcome, you just had to know for yourself... Trust me, it's how I ate broccoli the first time."

He chuckled.

Salena chuckled, the sound of it making her nose wrinkle as she soaked in all that he had to share. "Seems like you speak just as vividly about your family," there was a melancholic edge to her words as she eyed him... a 'family man'... in so many ways. For a moment, she felt overwhelmingly unworthy of him. But... as she allowed the delicious aroma of the lamb to overpower her grim thoughts, the light quickly returned to her sweet smile. 

Taking the smallest little rabbit nibble, she veritably melted; immediately diving in with no restraint. "Sully..." she gulped softly through puffy cheeks, "This... this is PHENOMENAL." Pausing mid-scarf, she eyed him with a curious glint. "So let me get this straight," she teased, forcibly slowing her ravenous pace, "You're a literal genius, a musical prodigy, a medical maverick, a positively adoring father and charming family man, the ONLY reason I'm alive... twice over, a walking miracle, AND you can cook?" 

She shook her head playfully, "Are we sure I didn't actually die and go to heaven?" 

Chuckling, Sullivan shook his head.

"A father? Hardly..." he laughed again. "How could I be a father if I wasn't there? And I certainly wasn't much of a family man. For the most part I hardly wanted anything to -do- with my family. So much so that I did not want to live forever as we do."

Taking a bite, then swallowing, he shook his head. "Now, everything else? Certainly." Humble was not a word in that category, and at the precise moment, it probably showed...

"Genius, since I was born, prodigy, same, medical maverick? Well, they wouldn't let me through medical school because of the things I wrote and eluded to experimenting on... So, I did it all on my own." He smirked, "So, I most certainly had no license for them to remove from me when I was placed before a court of imbeciles who couldn't tell an artery from a vein and wouldn't know a real human heart if it was in their hand. No license for them to take, so it wasn't considered malpractice. Christian got me off with a few years of service, where I worked under a mortician because they didn't see it fit for me to operate on live patients..." He chuckled, albeit a bit unsettling in it's cadence.

"And that's where the rest is history I suppose." Slapping the table in a little beat, he stood tall and spun. "But a father? Maybe if I had been around. But, I most assuredly can cook, and you have not died. Not on my watch." He grinned goofy and winked at her.

Sali shook her head. She didn't mind his cockiness... growing up around surgeons it was rather run of the mill. At least he seemed to have the actual skill to back it up. 

"Most of our current 'guidelines' are bullshit anyway. If you can save or improve a life, then you have a moral obligation to do so... unless the means are morally ambiguous, and then you let them die... because morality?? Am I right?" The incredulous look that flared across her features mirrored his own, sparking a unique interest in him that he'd not recognized in anyone since Harvey. "Anyone who thinks you shouldn't have the right to practice should have to cut my heart out themselves. No anaesthesia," she grinned, seeming fully prepared to posit that scenario in his defence. Her fearlessness was ravishing. 

"As for your fatherliness, you shut your mouth, Sullivan Black. You haven't seen the way you light up looking at Evie. You haven't seen the light that flares behind your eyes when you talk about your wife. Inability of presence does not negate your innate character and predisposition. That girl is and would have been the center of your world. And it shows. So... you can think whatever you want. But coming from someone who grew up with a 'Father' whos only interest in his progeny is as an asset ... trust me when I say that you. Are. And will be. AMAZING." 

She set her knife and fork down with a serious glare, "And if you don't believe me, just watch. Pay attention to your vitals and emotional stress response... when I say that I'm fully confident that you would never DARE OR DREAM to marry Evie off to an associate for assurance or stature." She smirked as Sully's brow perked, and simply waited for his empirical nature to get the better of him.

It seemed she was a fast learner, and dreadfully keen... maybe she'd do okay in their little fucked up family after all.  

As his brow lifted, he leaned back from the table a bit, looking at his hands... The way they gripped the counter top, the way he could feel the veins in his neck tighten at even the thought of marrying the daughter he'd never really gotten the chance to know. An idea that shouldn't cause that much essential strain simply because he'd never gotten to grow attached... But here it was, the instinctual anger at the thought of marrying off his daughter to further his own end goals. It was her life, not his, therefore he had no right to give it away. He knew it was an old way... Even Hiram would have been around in that time... But just like he disagreed with it, he knew Hiram would too.

"I see..." he spoke quietly, a smirk gracing his lips as he finally looked up from his fingers grip. Calming himself, he took a breath and then took a bite of food.

"I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself for something as despicable as that."

Looking up at her, he inhaled slow, then exhaled. "So... Tell me about your father, since I feel there's a correlation there."

Salena blinked, nearly choking on her food, "Well, it's only fair I suppose." She chuckled awkwardly before pushing her plate away, "I don't know... I suppose he had to be a decent guy on some level... at some point. I mean... I killed his wife on the way out and he still kept me so...?" She shrugged lightly, Sully easily noting the disconnected way she spoke about her family. "But I never really got to see that part of him. Harvey was honestly more like a father figure than 'Dr. Vargas' ever managed. I always felt like more of an errand girl or an accessory than anything else... just another piece of his suit to make him look nice at those fancy university dinners or a runner for the 'packages' he moved around town. That's what I was doing the first time I died. And after that... well... it didn't get any better. I've  basically spent the rest of my life as a science experiment... a specimen to be studied or shown off... and when he got in too far over his head, then I was a bargaining chip to be bought and sold for his security." 

Sipping her water silently she thought for a long moment, shaking her head. "I never did understand WHY, though. You've either gotta be a special kind of lonely or a special kind of fucked up to ask for a WIFE as payment for extortion! It was kind of unfortunate, really. He was awfully pretty. A lot like you actually," she winked playfully, somehow managing to be unbearably adorable in the midst of her awkward, failed flirting, "I mean... had he not been a ROYAL dick, I might've gone through with it just out of pitty. But... At the point that you threaten to kill me if I say no..." A wicked smile played over her features, "You can't threaten the dead." 

"I've never seen a man look so simultaneously confused, intrigued, aroused and defeated all at the same time," she giggled softly, "It took me MONTHS to get that look out of my head. I think I actually DIED... again... before I stopped dreaming about it." She shook her head, smiling as she winked at Sully across the table. "There's just something about pretty blue eyes that makes me a sucker, I guess." 

Vargas? Had she really mentioned Vargas? Well that complicated things. Vargas was the one who had sold them cadavers to test... Though it would explain how any doctor knew he or Harvey would be the ones able to do something as taboo as actually "parts"-ing a human. Blue eyes... He didn't remember trying to extort Vargas though, and he highly doubted that Ely, or any of his brothers had... Not that it meant anything, but the comment of blue eyes and being a lot like him worried him immensely. Especially with her use of the word "sucker"... Not that she had initially intended anything by it, but all of her words mixed with that one particular one, made the hair on the back of his neck stand.

Suddenly, as a seriousness washed over his features, he looked at her.

"What was his name?"

Sali's expression darkened, noting the change in Sullivan's demeanour. Blinking, she shrank back a little bit. "Mi padre? Antonio. Antonio Vargas. If you mean the blue-eyed devil, I don't know his last name. He only introduced himself as Carlisle." 

Sheepishly reaching for her water, she avoided his hardened gaze, "I take it you must've had some dealings with my sperm donor? He tends to elicit that reaction," she gestured at his pinched expression. "I'm sorry if he was... nasty. ...or problematic. I know he always thought his reach extended farther than it really did. That's what got us in trouble in the first place. Left me to clean up his fucking mess." 

Sali shook her head, "Never inserted himself into my life again, though. ...which is both helpful and not. Ass hole could easily have pushed my application through for pre-med. But... alas... I was born with a vagina, so I'm useless as anything but a bride and breeder." She chuckled darkly. "ANYWAY! Why do you ask?"

Sullivan was quiet for a while, an unnervingly long while... Every ounce of his being wanted to take her and leave immediately. No one needed to be subject to a child by Carlisle, and damned if he was going to let the man murder another child's mother... Especially one that housed Matty's heart and Salena's strong spirit.

"Shit..." he finally whispered out.

More pale than normal, beads of sweat formed on Sullivan's forehead. His eyes seemed to scan the room and not at the same time... Like he was searching through a file that o one else could see. An imaginary chalk board with an equation on it that floated in a dimension elsewhere that only he could locate.

"That..." he croaked out, his voice suddenly hoarse. "Carlisle, blue eyes, really blue?"

He looked up, an awkward feeling coming over him as every hair on his arm stood, every nerve in his body tingled... His eyes as blue as she'd remember Carlisle's being.

"Unnaturally blue?" His body shook a bit, like he was cold... or like he was extremely anxious.

"Did Harvey ever mention my middle name was Carlisle?" He gulped hard, "or anything about Evie's grandfather? Or about the blood that runs through our veins?"