A talk(Tag Cordelia)

[melindagordon]

Melinda and Jim walked in to a pizza place as they waited for Cordelia to come. They had to deal with something so their other meeting was cut short. However they all agreed to meet in the pizza place so that they could keep talking. It was a day after they met her and they liked her already. They were glad that they met her as she seemed funny to them as well as nice which they liked about her. They also liked the fact that she was sweet and nice. It was why they were fine with seeing her again.

Anyway as they waited for her they only ordered themselves something to drink. Since they wanted to wait for her before they ordered some pizza. They figured that it would be a lot better that way. Besides it was only nice that way and they were nice people after all. Anyhow, as they waited for her to come they just talked between themselves and had fun by themselves. After all that they could actually start with even without her. They were alright with their vacation and were glad that Jim wasn't called in. It gave them the chance to have a pretty long vacation. Which was a good thing. They were not complain. They were using the time they could spend together every chance they could and now wasn't any different Here and there they managed to make each other laugh as they waited for. Then again they made each other laugh a lot so it was no different.

[cordy]

OOC// Ugh, headache + writer's block = bad Meekseh(!) -headdesk-. Sorry if this post sucks =P..

It turned out that New York City...had a lot of pizza places. Luckily, Cordy had remembered to be specific the last time she'd spoken with her new friends. So when she strolled into the little restaurant on the corner, she was at least eighty-five percent certain that she was in the right place. Just to be safe, however, she glanced around in search of the family immediately after entering the shop. Scanning the lunchtime crowd, she soon managed to pick out Melinda and Sam's faces. The couple was seated a little few rows back from the door, and judging from their occasional giggling, they seemed quite content with each other's company. Cordelia grinned brightly as she scurried over to them, clumsily dodging past an irritated looking waiter as she did so.

"Well don't you two look cozy!" she remarked lightheartedly once she had reached the table, sitting down in the booth across from the married couple. The cheerful little smile the brunette sported was genuinely friendly. She had met Melinda and Sam yesterday, along with their young son Aiden. Although the circumstances had been less than normal, Cordelia already found herself enjoying their company. The couple's happiness was simply contagious, and they were among the first friends she had made since returning. In addition, it wasn't everyday that she met someone who's life was was unusual as hers was, so they had that going for them as well!

Having greeted her companions, she picked up a menu and skimmed through it. Hmm...pizza, pizza, and more pizza. Her head tilted to the side, an indecisive gesture as she pondered what to order. Cordy had always been rather...adventurous when it came to pizza toppings, and it looked like this place had a lot to offer. Well, while she decided, might as well do what she did best: talk.

She lowered her menu slightly and peered over at the couple across from her. "So! How are you two?" Cordelia inquired cheerfully. Though it hadn't been long since there last meeting, she knew very well that with all that went on in this city, twenty-four hours was plenty of time for...heck, something life-changing! And if she had to guess, she'd assume that Melinda and her family led pretty eventful lives, given what she'd been told yesterday. Cordelia couldn't imagine things ever getting boring when one interacted with ghosts on a regular basis. "Any more ghostly sightings?" the brunette directed this question at Melinda, a note of interest edging her voice.

Speaking of ghostly sightings, it wasn't just Melinda that had them if Cordy recalled correctly. But the third member of the little family, the one who shared his mother's ability, seemed to be missing in action. Wondering whether the kid was in school--having never learned his age, she wasn't sure if he was old enough--or whether he'd simply ran off somewhere, she couldn't help voicing another question. "What's Aiden up to, by the way?"

[melindagordon]

They smiled right away as they saw her. In fact they were very happy to see her. It was no joke. Aiden was with Delia who came to stay in the vacation with them a night before. It helped them because that way they could leave him with her and hang out with Cordelia too. Which was why they were there without their son. Anyway, then watched her sit and listened to her.

"Yeah we are, don't we? We just love each other very much" Melinda said as she and Jim looked at each other and smiled. Then they looked back at her. They looked at the menu next to them trying to decide what to order. It was great meeting a new good friend and they were not regretting meeting her as they saw no reason to. In fact they saw it as a good sign that that met her. As that gave them a new Ally which was definitely a big plus. The more alias the better or so they believe anyway.

They had problem to decide what to order and by the looks of things she did too. They were not to sure what to pick because most of the options if not all seemed rather good and interesting. Once in awhile they glanced at her as they wondered what was she going to order. They figured that if their orders were the same then maybe one of them could order for all with no worries and problems. Yet, it could be that they had different ideas of what to order. However, they still wondered what she wanted to order.

As Cordelia lowered her menu they did too and peered back at her as she peered at them. They listened to her speak. "Well we are fine, thank you. How are you doing?" Melinda said once more as Jim just looked between the two. "It's good to see by the way" Jim said as this time, Melinda agreed with him. True they only saw each other 24 hours ago but it didn't mean anything at all. They still could ask her that as things could change by that time. It was why they were not surprised when she asked them how were they. Jim and Melinda exchanged looks as they heard Cordelia the question that she asked. "Well, one but we helped her cross over. also she almost set a house on fire but in the end she didn't" Melinda replied. "It was scary" Jim added as Melinda looked at him. They exchanged looks they looked at Cordelia once more.

They were surprised that Cordelia didn't notice that Aiden wasn't with them. Yet, when she did noticed they were not surprised either even if they expected her to notice that sooner. "He was playing with a friend of ours. Who is staying with us in the hotel room not to far from here. Her name is Delia banks. And before you ask, yes she knows everything" Melinda replied. Jim just nodded to what she said because he agreed with her. "Delia is close friend. So close that we feel like she is family too" Jim said as Melinda nodded in agreement.

[cordy]

Sometimes this whole empath thing had its advantages. It wasn't so great when some lady next to you on the subway was having a panic attack, but around Melinda and Sam Cordelia found that she didn't mind it so much. As they had said, the two clearly loved each other quite a lot. She could feel it in the way they looked at each other, the tone of their voices when they spoke--it all radiated off them in a cloud of bliss that in turn made Cordy a bit giddy. It was just so sweet! Why couldn't more people find love like that?

Question of the century. she thought with a sardonic little smirk. Still, being around the couple was putting her in a good mood, and she practically beamed at the couple when they replied to her. Hmm...she'd have to regain control over her empathic abilities as well, it seemed. But for now, she wasn't complaining. "Good to see you too! And away from the gawking crowds of New York, no less." she chuckled in reference to their previous meeting. Yesterday, she'd been having a bit of trouble with said crowds and their cameras, but thanks to Melinda and her family the situation hadn't gotten too out of hand.

It was sort of funny, even with all the crazy shenanigans she'd gotten up to in L.A., Cordy had never seemed to attract much attention there. Especially when she actually wanted to--no one had given her a second glance when she'd been pursuing a career as an actress. But now that she was all 'freaky vision girl', of course the wonderful citizens of New York suddenly got a lot more observant! Ah well. Los Angeles was too jaded for its own good, anyway.

And talk about out of hand! It seemed Melinda's previous encounter with the ghost she mentioned had been just that. Cordy's eyes widened as the couple described the incident, which seemed to involve a ghost nearly burning a house down! Yikes! "And I thought Dennis could get a little cranky..." she remarked. A part of her was still entirely bemused by Melinda's ability, but there was an even bigger part of her that was undeniably curious. Naturally, Cordelia went with her curiosity. The brunette practically could have given lectures on vampires and demons and the like, but when it came to ghosts she really didn't know much...even having lived with one for four years. "So wait, do ghosts do that kind of thing very often? Sounds kinda...dangerous." And yet, Melinda had spoken of it with a quality of casualness that suggested she dealt with this sort of thing all the time.

Cordelia really did seem to be meeting the most interesting people of late. Hopefully, some of them would stick around...although she wasn't sure how smart it was to be making friends when she herself had no idea how much longer she'd be around for them. But since she was trying to teach herself to live in the moment and all (a difficult feat when you had visions of the future), she decided not to dwell on this for too long. And luckily it was easy to forget, what with all the happiness practically being projected at her at the moment. "Well, tell him I said hi!" Cordy replied, her grin widening as she was reminded of the energetic little kid. "Where are you guys from, anyway? Seeing as you're staying in a hotel room and all.." With this knowledge, she figured it was probably safe to assume that Melinda and her family weren't local. They certainly seemed to mellow to be from L.A.--or anywhere in California in general, for that matter.

[melindagordon]

They looked at Cordelia with a smile as they liked her as a friend. They didn't think that they would meet someone like her but they did. It felt rather good to have a new friend, even if they didn't know everything about her. Yet what they did know an bout her interested them a great deal. They were glad that she found herself able to trust them as they trusted her. As they saw how giddy she was they just smiled at her.

They were surprised by the look on her face, not that they were complaining or anything. It was just unexpected to say the least. Yet, it seemed nice to see her all excited and happy, just they wondered what made her feel that way so. However, when she spoke again they just shock that thought out of their heads. "You can say that again" Melinda said as Jim nodded in agreement. They watched her chuckle as they did too. The situation the day before almost got out of hand but thanks to them it didn't so.

They never thought that they would meet someone with crazy life as theirs but to their shock and surprise they did. It was new but interesting and rather good. Because that way they had someone else to talk to. Someone who understood no more nor less, that something was very are. Even so she didn't have powers like Melinda, it was still amazing anyway. They never knew that someone like Cordelia existed until they met her that day.

When they talked about the ghost they dealt with the night before they looked at her seriously. They figured that it must sound like situation almost went out of hand, then again it was true it almost did went out of hand. They were used to situations like that or at least Melinda was as she dealt with cases like that a lot. It did scared them all a lot but then again every case like that scared them. "What Dennis did? Didn't pick on you when you took a shower, did he? Hopefully not" Melinda said as Jim agreed. They looked at each other then back at her. "There are all kind of ghosts or to be exact spirits. Some are angry, others are playful as well as there are some that are confused, sad as well as some that are scared" She said as Jim looked between her and Cordelia. "For real" Melinda added. "My wife knows more about it then I do" Jim said as Melinda looked t him then at Cordelia and nodded in agreement. "Some do, others not so much. There are some that don't, it depends on the ghost you meet" Melinda explained. "Yeah most of them are extremely dangerous." Her was sounded casual and all because she dealt with cases like that a lot. It wasn't surprising if Cordelia noticed that.

Jim and Melinda kissed then looked again at Cordelia. "Are you married, by the way" Melinda asked as Jim sighed and looked at her confused then laughed again. "I think my wife wants to get you together with someone" Jim said as Melinda pretended to get hurt then both laughed. "I am curious because for one you are really sweet and nice and two, you are pretty inside and out. Which is a good thing" Melinda said to her with a smile as her husband agreed with her. "We will" Jim said. "He says Hi by the way but I think it's to late" Melinda said as her and Jim laughed a little at that. As they saw her smile they just smiled at her. "We are from Grandview, have you herd of this town?" Melinda said as Jim nodded as he too wondered if Cordelia heard of it or not.

[cordy]

In her lifetime Cordelia had worked with plenty of people who helped the living, she herself being one of them. But never before had she come across someone who helped the dead. Not someone who was the real deal, anyway, because those phony paid psychics so did not count. It was then that she realized: how did she know Melinda wasn't one of these fakes? There was no real way of being certain. And yet, something about the little family had made her believe them without question. They were just so...genuine. And overall, she wasn't getting that all too familiar 'crazy' vibe from them. Besides, duh, I'm an empath, Cordy reminded herself silently. I'd be able to tell if they were lying...right? Gazing at Melinda and Sam, she found that she couldn't really bring herself to doubt them. She had a good feeling about these people. She trusted them. And she was definitely in no position to be doubting the existence of someone's supernatural abilities.

Plus, it seemed that Melinda had plenty of stories to tell about said abilities. And who didn't want to learn all about the mysteries of the afterlife? Well...yeah, Cordy had been dead...for awhile there. But she'd handled her "unfinished business" in a very unusual sort of way, and hadn't had much time to delve into the mythology of the spiritual world around her. She slowly shook her head, awed by Melinda's description of the various sorts of ghosts. "And you help them all, even the ones who try to burn down building.." she acknowledged, somewhat impressed by the other woman's dedication to her job. Yeah, it was dangerous, but most of the things worth doing in life were. "You know what? Good for you! If most people were in your position, they wouldn't have half the guts you've got." Cordelia wasn't one to hand out praise freely, but she meant it when she did.

On a lighter note, you had her own encounters with the spirits of the other side. Namely her 'roommate', Dennis. Cordy actually laughed aloud upon hearing Melinda's worried inquiry. Oh, Dennis. To be honest, she really kind of missed the guy, irritating as he could be at times. "As for Dennis...naw, he was pretty harmless. For the most part." she replied, her voice tinged with affection for her old friend. The brunette's good-natured amusement only increased when a moment later, she was asked about her marital status...of all things! Though she had tried on several occasions, Cordy could not picture herself married. In fact she'd never even come close--the closest she got to a serious adult relationship was her brief betrothal to an otherworldly warrior, and her mostly-suppressed feelings for her vampiric best friend.

"Married? Me? That would be a...no. No, I'm not quite as lucky as you two...though I do appreciate the compliment." she joked lightly, smiling warmly at the couple across from her. It was nice, getting to sit back, relax, and actually have a normal conversation with someone. Well...almost normal, anyway. It was a luxury that Cordy hadn't enjoyed in a long time. Although they hadn't been waited on yet, the brunette was pretty content to just sit and chat for awhile. In a final response to their mention of their hometown, she added, "Grandview? Never been. I'm not exactly well-versed in east coast geography. Is it far from here?"

[melindagordon]

They smiled at each other as they talked then they smiled at Cordelia. Also they only met her the day before they already trusted her. They couldn't not to trust her as they saw no reason not to trust her. Even if they usually trusted to easily, well Melinda did but now it felt like it was a good idea because they doubted that with Cordelia they would ever be fooled at all. Cordelia seemed too much of an honest person then a lier that was for sure, which was a good thing. Melinda respected Cordelia already and so did Jim.

They looked at her and sighed as they kept smiling at her. They could tell that she was real and not a pretender, first because they saw her use her power and second because she didn't look fake. Besides he didn't seem like someone who used anybody that was for sure. They met some people who used others and they could tell she wasn't like them which was good. Melinda could tell that Cordelia was nothing like Gabriel and Tom, as well as different then the evil ghosts and such. "Yep, pretty much. Thanks to my grandmother who taught me how to use my gift" she looked at Jim then at Cordelia once more. "Yeah, that is for sure. One that I knew with the same gift tried to use ghosts and stuck them behind instead of getting them to crossed." Melinda was serious when she said that.

She and Jim looked at each other then at Cordelia. They were glad that Cordelia listened and didn't judge them. As they aw her laugh when the subject of Dennis came up again, they just looked at her confused. "Really? That's good. How did it feel like having a ghost roommate? Did anyone knew that he was your roommate or no one but you? He didn't had a crush on you or anything did he? Ghosts like that don't move on fast believe me. Never happened to me but saw situations like that too" She looked at Jim who looked at her then both looked at Cordelia. They both waited for her to reply to Melinda's question if she was married or not. It seemed interesting it was all, even if Jim thought it was weird hi wife asked that but he understood that she was trying to help. After all that was the way Melinda was.

"Aww, really? That's surprising. I was sure you had someone, You look like someone who does. How old are you? You look around 30 maybe 25 or 28 but not over 30 so that is for sure. " She smiled as she said that as she meant it. Jim thought so too, well that Cordelia looked around the ages Melinda said she looked like. As the conversation went about the place they are from Melinda replied right away. She wondered if Cordelia heard of the place as Jim did too. Yet when they heard her reply they sighed but were not surprised since not many heard of it. "Well it is pretty far from here yes. It sure is"

[cordy]

Ah. So this was some sort of hereditary thing. Or at least it would appear that way, seeing as Melinda had now mentioned that both her son and her grandmother shared her gift. Cordelia silently wondered how far back this ability went in the other woman's family line--and how those before Melinda had dealt with it. Had they all considered this ability a gift? Or had some of them considered it a curse? She imagined it had to be frustrating on some level, not having a choice in the matter. Because as often as Cordy griped about the freakishness of her half-demon abilities, she'd had a choice in the matter of receiving them. Not much of one, but a choice none the less.

Melinda, on the other hand, hadn't chosen to be able to see ghosts. She'd been born that way, and yet...she embraced her gift as if she wouldn't give it up for the world. It was actually kind of inspiring. And then came the sharp, inevitable reminder that not everyone in this world was as compassionate as the couple sitting before her. At the mention of another ghost whisperer, one who had apparently been working against Melinda, Cordy's smile lessened slightly. "Oh. So there are other...other people like you?" she mused aloud, unsure of exactly what to make of this bit of information. It seemed that the line between the living and the dead was significantly more blurred than she'd thought it was. "But not all of them use their gifts to help people, I'm guessing." she added, her eyes narrowing slightly. She'd almost forgotten how much people in this world disgusted her. all around, power was abused whether one had supernatural abilities or not. To emphasize her disapproval, the brunette muttered a quiet "Jerks." for good measure.

Why would anyone want to keep ghosts from crossing over, anyway? It seemed like a selfish, inhumane thing to do. Cordy couldn't help but shiver as she imagined the possible motivation behind these actions. It was just so...wrong. She didn't much at all like the idea of her loved ones lingering restlessly in some kind of afterlife limbo. At the very thought, she felt her heart sink. After all, it led to the question...had she kept Dennis earthbound? Had her presence in his former apartment and the friendship they'd forged prevented him from moving on? An unusually serious expression came over the brunette's face as she carefully considered this possibility. But somehow, she couldn't convince herself of any truth in the matter. Somehow, looking back, she knew. "Well, he was definitely around for awhile. See, Dennis...Dennis was murdered, and my friends and I kinda accidentally solved the crime when I moved into his--my apartment. So after that, he didn't really have any 'unfinished business' or whatever." Cordelia explained, surprised at how clearly this particular memory came rushing back to her. "And I'm not really sure why he stayed after that. Maybe he just wasn't ready to go. Or maybe...maybe he thought I needed him. And in a way, I kind of did. He was a good friend, for a dead guy." At this, a shadow of a smile began to return to her features, and her eyes seemed to brighten. "You know I never did find up what happened to him. I like to think he moved on...to wherever fine, upstanding goofballs like him move on to."

Her laugh was half-strangled, and Cordy rolled her eyes upon realizing what a complete sap she sounded like. Here she was, getting all emotional over her annoying, ghostly ex-roommate. She found that certain memories-- particularly the ones about the people in her 'old' life-- tended to invoke this kind of reaction. Sure, she could remember freakin' Dennis so clearly, and yet there were details about herself that she still struggled to recall. It was rather ironic, seeing as there had once been a time when Cordelia had been convinced that the world revolved around her. But when Melinda asked her age, she actually had to hesitate. How long had she been dead for, anyway? And did those years actually count? ...How old had she been before she'd died? It all seemed to run together in her mind, one long eternity that no longer made distinctions such as age.

Yet...twenties. That sounded right. Or vaguely in the right ballpark, at least. "Yeah. Close enough." Cordy finally answered, albeit a bit evasively. "I guess I've got time to find someone, providing that a zombie doesn't rip my head off first." The response was more to humor Melinda than anything, because in truth Cordelia wasn't exactly planning on finding 'someone' anytime soon. That wasn't why she was here, after all. And besides that, her friends, family, and her 'someone' had all disappeared long before now. Deciding to change tracks before this conversation became too dismal, the brunette stirred herself out of her melancholy musings. "And you two? How long have you been married?" she asked, looking from Melinda to Jim with newfound interest.

[melindagordon]

Melinda looked at her husband then t Cordelia. As she mentioned the fact that her grandmother had the gift too she meant it. Melinda had no idea how far it went exactly but she knew that it was pretty far so. She knew her grandmother had it and even her, her mother and her son but she guessed that maybe her grandmother mother had it too and so on and so forth but she wasn't sure so. Melinda knew a lot more about her family then most, that was true but even she had things she had no idea about.

Not all in her family considered the gift a curse and not all considered it a blessing but none of them had a choice in the matter that was for sure. She looked at her husband then back at Cordelia as the subject about Gabriel Lawrence came. It was hard to talk about it but it was something important just the same. "Yeah, a lot but not as much as there are ghosts so or regular humans but still. Some good Like my grandmother, me and my some, some evil like him and some who deny who they are. Like my mom." Melinda looked down then back at her. She listened and shock her head. "Nope, I am afraid not. Some do and some don't." She watched her and sighed. Then as soon she heard her say the next thing she nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I thought he was my half brother or step but he wasn't because the guy i thought was my dad never was but he killed my real father so." Melinda felt that she was about to cry but held herself.

She looked at Cordelia as she cleaned her face from the tears that formed in her eyes. Melinda wondered what Cordelia thought about as well as she hoped that at least Cordelia was alright. She herself doubted that she was alright but she hoped that Cordelia was so. Melinda did hoped that Cordelia didn't think that she was bad because Melinda doubted that, since the other woman didn't seem evil to her at all. "Oh, really? You solved it by chance? You just found out what happened with out trying? Is that what you are saying? So he actually had no unfinished business? Are you sure? Maybe you were his unfinished business. Have you thought of that?" Melinda looked at her as she wondered. "Most ghosts are like that. Thinking that you needed him means basically that you are his unfinished business in away. You needed him and he knew it so he stayed to keep you company and safe. You were his unfinished business. Protecting you and keeping you company was why he stayed" She looked down then back at her as she smiled at her just as her husband did too. "He most likely did move on since he isn't around you so he did. He crossed over to the light no doubt."

They watched her and sighed. They both liked Cordelia that was for sure. They wondered what was up with Cordelia because for a little while there she seemed completely out of it. They figured that she was either thinking about Dennis or about other things. In away Melinda could relate to Cordelia about living with a silly ghost and all. Since Jim was a ghost for a while and stayed around her before going in to Jim's body and becoming one with him. However, they wondered why it took Cordelia so long to remember her age. They figured it must be because she didn't usually counted and all. Not many did so if it was the case it was no surprise at all.

They waited for a reply as here and there they looked at each other and talked to each other. Then looked at Cordelia again as she spoke. "Alright then, that what i thought as you don't look older. You look rather young so" Melinda looked at Jim then back at her. "Yeah that is always true and hopefully we all will be safe. Not sure Zombies exist but I get what you mean. We get what you mean" Melinda smiled at her. They watched her and sighed as they heard her ask what she asked then exchanged looks. After that they looked back at her. "Ok that is complicated. I think you should know something. It should only stay between us but we are married for over nine years now, give or take. Jim was shot 4 years after we got married and died but his soul never left and when he saw his chance he got in to the body you see him in now. So Everyone thinks he is Sam Lucas but only we know it's my husband Jim Clancy. I told you because we trust you but don't tell anyone, please" She was begging because she wanted no trouble and because she really trusted her. Melinda felt like they could tell her, also she said all that in a whisper but still.

[cordy]

Cordelia didn't need to be an empath to tell that something in Melinda's mood had shifted. The other woman seemed to be holding back tears as she spoke of her past. Now beginning to become rather apprehensive, she leaned forward and opened her mouth to speak--to say something, anything to reassure Melinda that they didn't have to talk about this if she didn't want to--but suddenly, Cordy found herself at a loss for words. Helplessly, her gaze trailed over to Sam, gauging him for a reaction. Needless to say, he'd probably heard these things before, and...well, Cordelia wasn't all that great when it came to the whole comforting thing. In fact, most of the time she ended up making things worse.

She averted her gaze, fidgeting a bit with the strap of her purse. The change in mood was undeniably affecting her on an empathic level as well, and she sat rigid in her seat as if hoping to fight against this. Great job "changing the subject. she chastised herself sarcastically. Sam had yet to speak up, and of course Cordy was incapable of letting an awkward silence go unbroken. "I'm sorry, Melinda," the brunette uttered at last, at last returning her gaze to her newfound friend. "You've had it rough. I get that, really. Life just...sucks." Cordy slumped a little, feeling dismal. She used to be a lot better at reassuring people, too. Still, her sympathy was heart-felt if not well-worded.

Their conversation had certainly taken a turn for the dreary. Ghosts, old lives, some serious family drama...Cordy sighed, wryly reflecting that they all might as well have just holed up in a therapist's office. Not even Melinda's take on the Dennis situation managed to cheer the brunette up much, although she had to admit that the words were oddly comforting. Maybe Dennis had been there to take care of her. Looking back, a lot of people in her former life had done the same...although she hadn't realized it at the time. She supposed it was true that you never knew what you had until it was gone.

But before she could comment on this, she was halted by a strong, insistent sense of intuition. This particular feeling was neither a vision nor an empathic pick-up. No...this was a much more potent sense, one that Cordy had possessed since her days as a gossiping high school cheerleader. This...was the feeling that she was about to let in on an exclusive, highly confidential secret. Immediately alert, the brunette leaned forward, her expression guarded but plainly curious. As she listened to Melinda's hurried re-telling, Cordelia's eyes slowly grew wider, and her jaw dropped open with a slight click of her teeth.

Slowly, she sat back in her chair. Well this was...certainly different. To say the least. Sam...wasn't Sam? And yet he was, but...he...how were ghosts able to do that? Cordy furrowed her brow as she muddled out the concept, the truth of what she'd been told. And again, she realized how easily she'd believed it.

"Wow. You know...I really should be more surprised about this kind of thing." Cordy mused thoughtfully. There was no denying it now: she was so utterly, hopelessly far from normal that she wouldn't be able to see it with a telescope. With a soft snort, she shook her head. "Well, I, uh...it's nice to meet you for real this time, Jim." she settled on as a reply, offering the man across from her a tentative smile. Startled as she was, it wasn't lost on Cordy how much the two of them must trust her to confide in her such a carefully guarded secret.

"And don't worry. Your secret's safe with me"

[melindagordon]

Melinda didn't think that she would ever tell anyone about what she went through but she did, just that moment. Talking about it brought her tears because it hurt her a lot to talk about it and remembering it. Melinda watched her threw her tears and sighed as she tried to get rid of the tears. She noticed that Cordelia looked at Jim who looked between them and the next thing she knew she got hugged by him, so she of course hugged him back. Melinda was a bit surprise by him hugging her but she was grateful for it too. As she did needed a hug after all.

Then both Melinda and her husband looked over at Cordelia, as they wondered if she was alright. She then cleaned her face from her tears as she tried to act brave like nothing had happened. Melinda felt comfortable to talk to Cordelia about the whole thing even if it hurt her and upset her. "My life are just that complicated, ya know?! Lately it got better but the past is still painful" it was true it was painful, very painful and she wasn't going to hide it and she didn't. "Yeah I did and yeah life suck but then they get better, you just live with it" Melinda looked at Jim then back at Cordelia. Even so she had still tears in her face she smiled at her.

All in all it felt good to talk about that to someone then keep that in, because when it was bottled inside it was chocking her so to speak but not anymore because she spoke of it. Even if it did hurt Melinda a great deal she still felt good that she spoke of it even. It took the pressure in her down a bit which was better then nothing. Melinda sighed as she looked between the two of them.

When she told the biggest secrets of all to the other woman she felt another weight lift from her shoulders. Also it was still very hard for Melinda to talk about it but she somehow found the strange in herself to do that. She did feel that her husband looked at her as she even saw it and for a minute they just looked at each other then both looked at Cordelia once more. They both watched her reaction and sighed to that.

"It is shocking I know but it is true. See ghosts go threw people and objects right? They can also go into you. If they so choose and posses you. Now if you died and a spirit or ghost is near it can go in and if they control the way they enter and things like that then they can take over the body and make it their own! Jim did that for me" it was, at least the part about Jim doing that and that he did it for her. It was true that ghost could posses people so no doubt they could take over too. At least from what she saw and learned anyways. Melinda and Jim both looked at Coredelia and watched her reaction.

"Yeah I was too and also was Jim, at least I think he was anyway" she looked between the two as she thought she saw Jim nod in agreement but wasn't sure so. Melinda noticed that Jim looked at Cordelia and she noticed that the other woman spoke to him with a smile as she saw him smile back, that made her smile too.

"Thank you, that means a lot trust us" Melinda said as she noticed that her husband agreed, not that it surprised her or anything as she really did expect that.

[cordy]

The crackling sadness in the air slowly seemed to be dissipating, much to the empath's relief. She breathed a quiet sigh in response to Melinda's next words—"You just live with it". How very true that was. Life could stab you in the back and throw you in the gutter as often as it liked, but there was nothing you could do except to live with it. You had to go on. Cordelia had been so eager to get her life back, to walk the earth again, that she had almost forgotten the...lower points that came with living. The pain, the grief, the despair. When she thought about it, the world really wasn't all that wonderful. And yet, watching the couple across from her embrace, and the way Jim could make Melinda feel better just by being there with her, she reflected that some things made it all worth it.

She had wanted Melinda to elaborate on the details of Jim's repossession, but when the other woman finally did...Cordy's smile faded slightly, and for a moment the warmth in her hazel eyes flickered. It hadn't really hit her until now: ghosts could just take someone's body. Just walk up and...make it theirs. The brunette furrowed her brow slightly as she contemplated this, dropping her gaze to the table once more. That was all very nice for the ghost, but...what about the person they were taking over? Cordy knew how that felt all too well. To be used, violated, controlled. To watch your life play out before your eyes, knowing that you had no control because it wasn't your life anymore. It had been stolen from you.

These particular memories were definitely not ones she wanted to dwell on. Besides...there was no reason to compare the two incidents when she knew very well that Melinda hadn't meant anything by it. What Jim had done had been in entirely different circumstances. He hadn't possessed a live body, he'd possessed a dead one. Was it wrong? Well, who was she to judge...

She allowed her smile to return as the married couple thanked her, and responded with a brief nod. "Don't worry about it. I think you've been through enough without me yappin' your secrets all over the place." Cordy replied with a light chuckle. It was difficult to rid herself of the heavy tension that had laced itself into her posture since the mentioning of Jim's possession, but the brunette seemed disinclined to mention it. For now, at least.

It was then that their table was finally approached by a waitress, an occurrence that saved Cordelia from having to say any more on the matter. Finally! She hadn't realized how hungry she was. Small talk could do that to a girl, evidently. When the waitress asked to take their orders, she cast a quick glance across the table at her companions. She'd gotten so caught up in their little chat that she'd nearly forgotten to settle on an order! Eh, oh well. Time to break out her generic stuff-my-face-with-comfort-food fall back plan.

"I'll have a small pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and olives, please, and water to drink."

Okay, so that was kind of anti-climactic. But still! Clearly, Cordelia wasn't one to be picky about her toppings. As the waitress scribbled down the order, the brunette fell silent again and waited for Melinda and Jim to speak up.

[melindagordon]

Melinda was feeling better slowly because of the people with her as well as because she was trying to think better thoughts and stuff like that. When Melinda said the next sentence with the words "you just leave with it" she meant it no matter what. As hard as it was to accept at times because of the bad things that happened here and there, it was still a fact that people have to live with that as there wasn't any other way around. All anyone could do was accept what they got and just move on. However, having good people in your life that were there with you and helped you through everything made living worth it.

Melinda was glad that she could trust Cordellia and so was Jim. They both noticed that the other woman was true and kind or it seemed that way anyway. When she told Cordelia about the way Jim took over a guy's body after he died made her feel strange but nice because she could trust one more person and it also made her feel like she was reliving it and she wasn't sure was it good or bad. Since she was glad having Jim with her but she hated that he died. Melinda also didn't think it was the best idea even now, not that she was complaining but it was risky.

When she explained about ghosts possessing bodies and things like that she noticed Cordelia's reaction as she sighed. Melinda understood how she must have felt or at least she thought that she did anyway. She herself thought that it was scary and weird but considering it was done after death and it was her husband then it didn't seem as bad as it could have been, that was for sure.

Melinda knew herself how it was being possessed by a ghost, after all she was possessed by several ghosts, who were called the shadows. If not for her own son she would have died after destroying the world and everything else. However that and what her husband did was completely different. She did however hoped that Cordelia didn't got possessed herself.

When Cordelia promised not to tell their secret to anyone they gladly thanked her as it meant a lot to them. They watched as the other woman's smile return and they also watched her when she nod as they smiled at her. "That's true, we both had been through a lot. Hopefully you didn't go through as much as we did. I mean I was stuck under ground behind my store's wall until Jim and our friends saved me or another time when I was stuck there Jim saved me after he possessed Sam Lucas’s body and he got his head hit by a pipe by what he told me and it helped him remember me and himself and everything else. Before that he thought he was the guy in who's body he was in. And I was possessed once by evil spirits and what not" Melinda said as Jim nodded in agreement. "That is true, I was hit by a pipe as well as other things my wife just said" Jim said as both of them exchanged looks then they both looked back at Cordelia.

Just then waitress approached their table as both Melinda and Jim looked at her and smiled as then they looked back at the woman with them. They noticed Cordelia look at them and smiled as they let her order first while then started talking about what they were going to order among themselves. As Cordelia spoke then looked between her and the waitress.

"Two pizza's without nothing for me and my husband. With water" Melinda said as both her and Jim handed the Manu’s back to the waitress. She ordered in the same time as Cordelia looked at them waiting for an order. Jim nodded in agreement with Melinda's order. Then both looked at Cordelia as the waitress left to get their orders.

"So, what about you? You never exactly told us about you much. You can tell us anything, Cordelia. We will keep your secret too. We are going to keep what we saw a secret as well" Melinda said as Jim nodded in agreement with that.

[cordy]

With the waitress off to put their orders in, Cordelia returned her attention to the conversation at hand. Just when she was absolutely certain that this pair couldn't possibly top their previous crazy anecdotes, they went and threw in a few more 'fun facts'. This time, she gathered something about evil spirits and Melinda being trapped underground, and Jim getting hit with a pipe? ...Ow. Was Cordelia's immediate reaction, although she imagined "Ow" was a bit of an understatement. "..Sheesh. Good times." the brunette remarked sarcastically. It sounded like these "evil spirits" had given Melinda a run for her money. How did one deal with a problem like that? They were talking about ghosts. It wasn't like you could just file a restraining order and get on with your life.

"Uh, so about these evil spirits...how common are they? Sounds like you ran into quite a few of them in Grandview." Or at least, she assumed all of this had taken place in Grandview. The idea of evil ghosts out there roaming the streets unseen was less than appealing. But then, maybe it was just especially common in Melinda's hometown. Like...evil energy, or something. Cordy knew all about that, having grown up on a freakin' hellmouth!

Melinda had been fervently clear that not all ghosts were bad, however, and that was...comforting. Anyway, what Jim had done wasn't evil. Yes, the act itself was questionable, and yes it had struck a bit of a nerve where the empathic brunette was concerned. But after all he and Melinda had been through together, his motives had been undoubtedly pure. He'd done it out of love for his wife, not out of his own selfishness. And so...Cordelia supposed she could forgive him for that. After all, it was impossible to say what she herself would have done had she been forced into a similar situation. Would you have done it? Would you have taken another body to come back...if you were doing it for Angel? Cordy asked herself silently. True, she had risked everything to come back and help him one last time, as a ghost...but when that had occurred, she'd had no option of staying with him permanently. If she had? Well, maybe things would have been different. Maybe she would have even been willing to go to the lengths that Jim had.

It was something to think about, certainly...but it didn't matter now, anyway. There was no use moping over things that could have been. Not when you had the present to concentrate on. Except...focusing on the present wasn't the easiest of tasks when her companions were now asking about her story. It wasn't really something she was too keen on discussing. But seeing as Melinda had just confided in her so deeply, Cordy felt obliged to demonstrate a similar show of trust.

"...I...guess you could say I'm experienced with the supernatural, too." she began hesitantly. "A group of friends and I, we were kind of...investigators of the paranormal. You think ghosts are bad? Try vampires. They don't do 'friendly'." Her tone grew slightly spiteful...before she realized what she'd just said out loud, and quirked an eyebrow. Asking someone to believe in the afterlife was one thing...but vampires where a whole other level of crazy. She hadn't exactly meant to...mention that...quite so casually.

[jimclancy]

Jim watched them both as the waitress went off to get what they had asked for. He sighed thinking about all that they had been through and how he almost lost Melinda to the Shadows and that thought scared him more then anything else really. He heard what Cordilia had to say as he picked up an eyebrow not sure what to thinki about what she had just said as he spoke again "yes it was scary and well it';s hard to explain what they were really and it was Aiden that saved the day on that one" he then sighed as he wished he could have done something for her before it had been too late.

He heard what she had to say about vampires and didn't know what to think as ghosts were one thing but vampires? he knew of them only in stories and things but then again all that he had been through convinced him that anything was possible in this world "vampires? That's strange and interesting as well and I'm sure Melinds here agreed with me right Mel?" he was glad that Cordelia knew the truth about who he really was as it was yet another person to talk to and hear his real name from.

Jim sighed as he thought about how he was in Sam's body and wished that he had his own and that people called him jim again but he knew that this was his life now and he was getting used to it really. He had no idea if vampires and zombies were real but clearly their new friend did so he trusted her "Your life seems interesting as well then Cordelia and I don't know much on vampires and all but then again who knows really as the world is full of mysteries that we don't always get to see with our own eyes" he then smiled as he said this and held Melinda's hand happy to be there with a friend and his lovely wife "My lovely wife here is better in all the supernatural things then I am since I never really saw the ghosts she did"

Jim then thought about how it had been when he had died and how it had been like hell to see Melinda like that and when she couldn't see him for a while there it was hell. He was glad that he was allowed to be with her again in Sam's body and that was all that matterd to him really. He had however met his brother and father again before they moved on and he went in to Sam's body the way he had done. He then smiled to Cordelia and spoke again "ok then let's talk of more happy subjects,do you enjoy doing the things you do every day? I bet it gets dangerous even for you all as well" he then waited for the answer as he looked at Melinda wondering what she had to say about the entire subject of vampires and such things.