𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘

Graceland Too

James shrugs. "Isabell's a special kid."

"Something like that."

Sam helps James back onto the harbour and wordlessly directs him toward a panel, dumping the tools on top of it. They sit opposite each other.

"Isabell said she told you everything," Sam says. Not really a statement, but also not much of a question. James nods.

"Every fucked up moment of it."

"Yeah, she hasn't had it easy."

"No kidding." James chokes out a half-laugh, but it's hollow. Bitter. "And you know all of it as well, I'm guessing?"

"What, that she tried to kill herself?" Sam says bluntly. "It's come up once or twice."

Oh. We're gonna talk about that bit.

James is silent for a moment, trying to prepare himself to face this conversation. He swallows slowly. "She says Steve saved her." He manages. Sam seems closed off. Angry, even. He hammers the circuit board with a little more force than necessary.

"Him and Nat, yeah. Thought she'd die after they left her, but she's been doing better. 'Cause of you, obviously."

"I missed her," James says. He can't really think of anything else. The words just won't slot themselves together.

"She missed you too. I mean, she was gonna end it for you." Sam mutters.

Again, there isn't really a good sort of response for that. James just feels stupid; guilty and mean and lost, and he doesn't want to feel like that. Not when that was how he spent half of his miserable life.

He doesn't want Isabell to feel like that, either. Breaks him in half to know that she did.

Sam glances at him, something in his eyes softening a little. "Hey, don't beat yourself up about it," He says. "She's OK. I mean, come on, man. The fact that she survived after Steve and Nat? That's some serious resilience. Isabell's hard as nails."

"She shouldn't have to be," James replies. He blinks back hot, angry tears, because they aren't fitting for the sort of situation he's in. He's only ever cried in front of Isabell and Steve before, and that is the way he's going to keep it.

Sam shrugs a little. "But she is. She's tough and she's fine."

"Probably," James says, though he isn't entirely sure. To distract himself, he focuses on Sam, who is busy flicking switches and cursing when nothing happens. His brow furrows.

"What're you doing, anyway?"

"Fixing the water pump. What's it look like I'm doing?"

"Absolutely nothing." James grins. He wrestles a spanner out of the half-destroyed toolbox and mostly just uses it to smack Sam. "This thing isn't the problem; Sarah said yesterday. C'mon, why am I the only one listening to her?"

"I thought I told you not to flirt with my sister," Sam replies. There's a hint of something reproachful in his voice, nothing James can put his finger on, but it sends a cascade of sparks through his stomach.

Jealousy?

"I'm not flirting with your sister." He says softly. Sam doesn't look at him.

For a moment, there is a strange sort of silence. James almost wishes Isabell was there to break it, but knowing her, she'd probably say something incredibly out of pocket, kick him, and then wander off to go and climb a tree in the backyard.

Sometimes, he feels like she's an adult. Other times, she acts like a total five-year-old.

Fortunately, the silence does not last long enough for him to dwell on this too much, and he and Sam go back to bickering over the water pump. They keep at it for a good twenty minutes, because Sam is doing pointless things but James doesn't actually know what they're supposed to be doing, until their incessant arguing is interrupted by Sarah coming down the boardwalk.