2008-01-04: The Worst Fight Ever


Cass_icon.gif Ramon_icon.gif Lachlan_icon.gif


Cass asks for Ramon's help. Lachlan doesn't want Ramon's help. Ramon applies his brand of diplomacy to the problem. Cass and Lachlan go splodey!

Date It Happened:

January 4

The Worst Fight Ever

Cass and Lachlan's Apartment

There are a lot of things that Cass has had to think over lately. And now Lachlan isn't the only one losing sleep and looking a little nervous. She's been debating trying to call her father to see what that Linderman meant about family matters, she's also been thinking about the offer that he made to her about working for Pinehearst. The card that he left only has the website on it, but she's been turning it over in her hand a few times and trying to find out all that she can from it. That plus the whole 'Lachlan's life might be in danger' thing is also weighing her down. And while she's still angry at him from keeping the whole incident from her, that doesn't mean she wants to see him killed. Hence why she's tried to think of who she would call for help in getting and keeping Lachlan out of the drug business - alive. And so, she called Ramon, being vague about details, only asking if they could talk about something they needed help with.

You know Ramon. He's not fussed about details, really. If his friends say 'Come,' he comes. He shows up at the door in black slacks, a pressed blue shirt, and a black tie. He's finally relaxed enough to quit wearing the major suits everywhere he goes in public, having adopted a certain amount of Nathan-watch to figure out how rich people act. On the tie there is a little parrot; the pirate theme just keeps taking off more and more, even though you'd be hard pressed to find anyone less piratey than Ramon Gomez. He raps his knuckles three times against the apartment door. He smells of the old fashioned boardroom—of cigars and brandy, though he partook of neither during the most recent meeting.

Bonnie rises up and barks from her place near the sofa: one sharp bark, then she pads over to the door and stares up at the handle expectantly. Someone is here ohboyohboy! Her tail swishes happily behind her. Lachlan himself is not yet home, but it's right around the time he said he'd be getting home, so it's probably any minute now.

Slipping the card into her pocket, Cass moves to open the door. She's not exactly the picture of housegreeting splendor - certainly not as dapper as pirate Ramon. Jeans, a t-shirt and her longer hair pulled back to stay out of her face. She just hasn't had the time to cut it and now she kind of likes it longer. Opening the door, she smiles at Ramon, gesturing him in. "Ramon, thanks for coming. I like the suit." And it suits him - no pun intended. Reaching forward, she moves to hug him in greeting. They're good enough friends that she feels no qualms about that and doesn't really take no more an answer, even with Ramon's awkwardness with it. "Back, Bonnie, don't get your fur all over Ramon's nice suit."

"Hey," Ramon says, hugging her back. But he's not fussed about the pooch. He puts his hand down so the dog can smell him. He is equally unfussed about the jeans and shirt look—that's how he used to dress 24/7 after all. And Cass saved his daughter's life, so honestly if she wanted to come to the door dressed in a garbage bag he'd not so much as blink.

Bonnie gives the hand a few cursory sniffs and then a few more licks before she obediently backs off. She remains shadowing on the outskirts of the conversation, watching attentively for any signs of petting. Or treats. She likes treats.

Closing the door behind Ramon, Cass smiles at him and moves him toward the couch. There's little that she can do with keeping dog fur off if he sits down. That stuff is everywhere in this apartment. And, well, she wouldn't think of herself as the savior of anyone's life. Just…helping. "Sit down, please. Can I get you anything to drink or eat? I…honestly don't know what we have right now," she gives a weak smile. "I'm sure Lachlan'll be home soon. We've both kind of had such weird schedules lately."

Ramon sits down on the couch without a care for the dog hair and goes ahead and scritches the dog's head. He peers intently at the lady and grunts. "Coffee if you wanna make it, otherwise no, I'm fine. You sound like you're upset about something." He peers at her with his good eye. "What's going on?"


Bonnie settles down right next to Ramon with a happy doggy grin, leaning into the scritches. She's so thrilled. It's like she's starved for attention or something.

Poor starved Bonnie. Cass smiles and then moves to the kitchen to put on some coffee for Ramon. If she's going to ask some favors of him, the least she can do is offer him coffee. There will be treats for Bonnie when she gets back. "A lot of things, to be honest," she sighs. "But, there's something in particular that I really asked you here for. It's…" there's an uncomfortable pause. "It's about Lachlan, really. And his past before he met me. It's come back to haunt us."

Ramon tilts up his chin and scratches at his stubble thoughtfully. "Pasts usually do," he allows. He relaxes into the couch, having a distinct feeling that this one is going to be a long one. "What's the situation?" He keeps on petting the dog. He doesn't believe for one moment this dog is attention starved, really, but he'll play along.

Wagwagwagwagwagwagwagwa— Bonnie suddenly perks up her ears and leaves the side of the AWESOMEGUYWHOGIESMEPETTINGS to go stand at the door, staring at it with imploring eyes. She remains there like a statue for a while before it opens and in steps Lachlan, dressed for the cold. He looks thinner, more ragged, even though his clothes are actually vastly improved thanks to Cass' wardrobe expertise. He offers a few tired, friendly words to Bonnie and removes his snow-dappled scarf before he catches sight of Ramon and pauses. Blinks once. "Hi," he greets uncertainly. What's all this, then?

THIS IS AN INTERVENTION. No, not really. This is just someone that may be able to help. Because Cass is involved in all this now, well, that means she's going to try and get Lachlan out of this as best she can. Alive. "Yeah, they do," she agrees. With the pot boiling, Cass moves to go sit on the couch again to properly talk to her friend. "Well…there's apparently someone…after him." And that's when Lachlan arrives, with perfect (or not-so-perfect depending on viewpoints) timing. "Hey Lach," she greets, not quite as affectionate as usual, but not coldly. "I've asked Ramon over to help us with our problem. Take your coat off, there's coffee boiling now."

"Hey," Ramon greets Lachlan, which is—about the same way he ever greeted Lachlan, except the times when he greeted Lachlan with a fist to the face. Thing is, he still owes Lachlan, and even kind of likes Lachlan. But they have never exactly achieved a Miller Time moment. Still, he can tell the guy's uncomfortable, and he can tell Cass is pissed, so he grunts what he hopes will be a helpful, "New season of 24 is on DVD."

And neither is Lachlan as affectionate toward Cass as he usually is, though he's not exactly giving her a cold shoulder either. In fact, he seems to slump like a dog that's broken a lamp and knows that someone is displeased by this fact. This is great, the tension he's been living with the past little while. It's from all sides: Cass is mad at him, and he's got people trying to kill him and Cass. Life's perfect. "Oh, uh. Yeah. Saw tha'," he mumbles to Ramon. Cass' explanation earns her a frown. He shucks his coat meekly, looking like he wants to argue, but wisely decides to keep his mouth shut and head for the kitchen instead. "'M gonna see 'bout the coffee."

It's not like Cass likes being angry at Lachlan. But, she doesn't know how to impress upon him the 'them' factor that is involved in what they do now. It's not just him any more. "It's probably not ready yet. Just put it on." That's just a warning. Plus, they're talking about things that involve him. A lot. It's not unhelpful, but it sort of breaks the ice. "I don't know what to do about it. We can't go to the police but…I don't know what else to do.I thought maybe you would have some ideas. They want Lachlan to go back into the illegal…things. And they've been threatening him."

Again Ramon scratches at the underside of his chin. Then he says, "Well, lets walk through it step by step. Who are we dealing with? How many people do you know of? The exact nature of the thing they want you to do, Lach, or things. The exact nature of the threats. Who they sent to deliver this message and when it was sent. Is there a deadline?"

Lachlan comes to a halt just outside the kitchen when Cass mentions the coffee not being done yet. But for good measure, he moves on into the kitchen anyway to check, because he said he would, and he looks like an idiot if he doesn't. Finding, of course, that the coffee is not done, he returns to the living room and stays hovering near the kitchen entrance. He obviously doesn't like that Cass has brought other people in on this, but he's not saying anything. He's never told anyone close to him what he used to do to supplement his income, so having told Cass and having to tell others about it is largely uncomfortable. "S'a drug lord. Used ta werk fer 'im." He's not naming names. Naming names gets people killed. "He's got lots o' guys an' I quit, but he wants me ta come back an' werk fer 'im again. Been threatenin' Cass. Sent some goon, dunno 'is name." All this spoken in a low mumble that is quite tense throughout.

Normally, Cass doesn't tell secrets that aren't hers. They're not hers to tell. However, when it's something this serious, this terrifying, well, she's going to get all the help that she can. She didn't name names, didn't tell him anything that he may not have known before, really. Of course this is uncomfortable. It's not like this is a great situation anyway. "And if we go to the police, they'll send someone to kill him either in jail or here. But if he goes back to work for him…" Cass doesn't want to deal with that, either. "I don't know what to do." But Ramon might. Which is why he's here. It's the only reason she'd break Lach's confidence.

"You know," Ramon tells Lachlan evenly, "You're not telling me anything shocking here. Considering I once came to you for a thing or two, you don't have any need to be embarrassed or pissed off that someone knows. I've stuck my fingers in the illegal pie and we both know it, so relax. Lets just get this solved. If I can help, I will help. I guess the question is, what would be the way you'd ideally see it handled?"

True, Lachlan did sell Ramon an unlicensed and untraceable firearm. His illegal underbelly isn't exactly obscured here. However, he never really sold the man drugs. It's the drugs part that he's iffy about. He rubs at the back of his neck with one hand and lets out a sigh. "'D just like 'em ta leave me an' mine alone. Was hopin' tha's wha' they'd do anyway — s'no' like I'm gonna squeal on 'em — but they're no' lettin' up."

"They're thugs. They're not about to take no for an answer." Cass frowns and just stands up from where she was sitting so that she can go and just pour whatever coffee has been made into mugs for Lachlan and Ramon. This isn't really a conversation she knows how to deal with at the moment. She can help cure diseases, talk about ethics, but she doesn't know how to deal with getting drug lords to stop threatening her fiancee.

Ramon projects confidence, whether or not he feels it. He sips at the coffee and says, "How long has it been since you left them? Do you think los bastardos knew where you were all this time, or do you think they only recently located you?" Picking apart the situation. Analyzing it. Drugs wouldn't be that big a shocker to a man who grew up and raised kids in the inner city Mexican areas of New York city. In point of fact, there's little that would be a big shocker to him.

Except purchasing womanly things. Lachlan's witnessed that one firsthand. Not that he does any better in that regard. The information Ramon is after is something that Lachlan hasn't told Cass. He was happy to give the impression that he'd left the business a while ago (which he'd wanted to do!) and was only just now sought out. So naturally, he tries to be purposefully vague: "Uh, while ago. Think they a'ready knew where I was." Ramon, of course, probably can tell that this isn't the full truth.

Awhile ago. Hm. Cass takes the boiling pot off the burner and pulls some mugs down off the shelf. Pouring enough for two, she takes them back into the living room to hand one to Ramon and the other to Lachlan. She's trying to cut back on her coffee intake, now that she doesn't need it in order to stay awake. She has nothing to add at the moment, so she just listens.

Ramon takes his coffee and looks at Lachlan steadily. He sips and keeps looking. He doesn't stop looking. That single eye doesn't even seem to blink. Sip. Stare. Sip. Stare. This is a tactic he learned as a Dad. Lets see if it works on Lachlan the Wonder Dog Boy there.

Lachlan takes his coffee, but doesn't sip from it. Because Ramon is staring at him. In that way that people stare when they disbelieve. And it's making him extremely fidgety. He takes a gulp from his mug, jerks at the heat from the coffee, swallows in spite of it, and then clears his throat roughly. "Wha'?" he grunts. It's a very defensive grunt. So is the glare he's shooting back at Ramon.

Looking between Ramon and Lachlan, Cass frowns. She doesn't have a drink with which to occupy her hands, so she just folds them in her lap. Though this isn't a tactic ploy on her part, she's just curious, she looks over at Lachlan and tilts her head a little. What's going on here? So, now the both of them are looking at Lachlan without saying anything.

Ramon puts his coffee aside. His face and voice are flat as he growls, "I'll tell you 'wha'. You've made a mistake. It's endangering you and the woman you proport to love. And you're not willing to man up and give out the information it might take to solve the problem. You obviously cannot handle it yourself or it would have been handled already. So grow some balls. Either you're going to step up to the plate and start tackling this problem, admitting that you made a mistake, or you're going to continue to shrug and shuffle your feet like a fucking boy of ten. If you choose that second option and give a damn for Cass at all, then pack up your shit, hit the street, and go get shot at on your own time, cutting her back out of it."

Oh boy. A lot of that cuts deep. Really deep. As they say: the truth hurts. In this case, it stings a lot — and instead of cowing Lachlan, it pisses him off. "Look," he snarls back, "I dunna need ye preachin' ta me like yer some goddamn saint, a'righ'? I know I made a bloody mistake, an' I'm tryin' ta fuckin' fix it. 'M no' the one tha' asked ye ta stick yer soddin' nose in, so piss off with the holier-than-thou bullshit." Perhaps there will be a time when these two get together and don't wind up screaming at each other. This is not that time.

This fight that is happening in front of her is slightly unnerving for Cass. It's partly her they're talking about here and a quick dose of reality really was what she was hoping for when inviting Ramon here. That, plus he's good at fixing problems. "You're right, you didn't. I did," cass gives Lachlan a hard stare, unimpressed by the burst of anger. "You're trying my hands, here, Lachlan. You tell me we can't go to the police, that you don't know how to fix it, well, I tried to talk to someone who may be able to fix it. So, if our lives are really in danger here, then stop yelling at someone who can fix them."

Ramon, however, is not going to yell. He comes smoothly to his feet. He reaches into his wallet and holds out an American Express card to Cass. He looks her in the eye. "Until this son of a bitch is ready to get his shit together," he says evenly, "Take your stuff and go to any hotel you want. Get yourself out of the line of fire. That's the only solution I can offer right now. Get one with good security and register under a false name. You, at least, will be safe. He can call my cell phone or handle it himself if he's ready to put on the big boy pants, or do whatever. He hasn't gotten it together in a month, dump his ass."

Cass' reprimand sends Lachlan back into Broody Grumbly Silence, but that changes almost instantly when Ramon hands out the card and the advice. The Scot clears the distance between himself and the couch in two strides and reaches out to slap the card away. "'R ye fuckin' daft?!" he snaps. "They're after her, a'righ'? Ye send 'er somewhere else without any bloody protection, they'll kill 'er!" At least here, he can keep an eye on her.

And now everyone is on their feet because Cass quickly follows after Lachlan when he attempts to smack Ramon's hand away. "Lachlan!" There's a tinge of anger there. "Stop it." And maybe they are after both of them, which is why this situation is terrifying. "I haven't been protected at all during the whole time I didn't know about this and I've been fine. If what this takes is me leaving to finally snap you out of this and listen to reason to get some help, then I will. I know some place I can go that no one will be able to find me." Unless they're Evolved, that is.

"And why," Ramon asks through gritted teeth, "Would they be after Cass if not for the fact that she's attached to your sorry Scottish ass?" Ramon's eye glitters with distaste and rising fury, but he keeps his voice to a low growl. "Explain that one to me. I guarantee you I can keep her safe. I can get her bodyguards. I can get her fucking Evolved bodyguards if it comes to that, so again. Step up to the motherfucking plate or the lady is packing."

"I a'ready tol' ye wha' the bloody hell's goin' on!" Lachlan bellows. "The hell d'ye want?!" But Cass' interjection is like a slap across the face. It completely stuns him into silence for several seconds in which his face drops into a disbelieving gape. And then? Then it hardens into a deep, dark scowl. "Fine," he snarls. "G'on, then! Leave! Get outta here! Ye wanna leave so bad, there's the bloody door!" With that, he turns and storms back to the kitchen. Forget the coffee. Scotch is in order.

It's not like Cass would leave forever. Just until Lachlan got his head on straight. The pouting the anger, it's all enough to make her clench her fists and shake her head. Dammit, that is not how Lachlan was supposed to take that. It's not an attack on him. Looking helplessly at Ramon, she looks over at the kitchen again. "I don't know what to do with him." Putting her face in her hands, she just stands there for a moment like that. This is just frustrating, terrifying and making her feel helpless. She can't make him take help, she can't make him do anything. She doesn't really want to leave, but she doesn't know how to make him see reason. So she stands there, trapped.

"That's because he's a fucktard," Ramon says. "I don't know what you told her but you haven't said shit about what's going on. You've sat there and you've lied is what you've done. I suppose, to spare the fact that Cass still loves you, I could pull the answer right out of your brain, but I'm just having a hard time lowering myself to mindrape today."

There's rattling and clanking in the kitchen, cupboards slamming shut. Lachlan's not listening much. At least it doesn't seem such, until he calls out, "Sure, yeah, I've tol' ye no' a bloody thing." Sarcasm. It's ugly. When he returns from the kitchen, he's got a glass of wonderful amber liquid that makes everything better. "Ye wanna hear it all, then? A'righ'. 'Ve been dealin' since I moved back ta New York. 'Ve been dealin' ever'thin' under the bloody sun, includin' crack, heroin, an' SOMA. An' no' just fer one guy either; fer two 'r three. An' I've done some bad shit when dealin'. An' I've been dealin' while I've been with Cass. 'Ve been dealin' up 'til last month b'cause I knew somethin' like this was gonna happen if I quit." He gestures violently with one hand. "So there ye go. Have a bloody party." And then he makes for his coat and scarf near the door, apparently finished with the conversation.

Angry? Cass can be angry and she's pretty mad right now. As well as hurt and upset and lied to and now embarrassed in front of Ramon. "I didn't say you didn't tell me anything," Cass retorts. To Ramon, she shakes her head angrily. "Don't." Not the namecalling or the mindraping of her fiancee, please. That's really what she'd like to do right now. Because she feels like a fool. "Fine." There's an angry snatch where she grabs her coat and cold weather gear and intercepts Lachlan from taking his. "The only thing I wanted from you was honesty. After everything that's all I asked of you. You quitting would have been enough for me. Explaining the situation so we could take care of it. All I wanted to do was help you out of it. Get us out of this. And if this is the way you're going to take every bad situation that comes upon us, I don't know what to do. Because lying to me, keeping me out of it and yelling at our friends who are trying to help us is not an acceptable solution. I'm going out with Ramon. We'll talk about this later when we've both calmed down a bit." Even if it feels like they've talked about it enough for a lifetime.

Ramon just scoops up his card and tucks it into his wallet, and shrugs his coat on. He has nothing more to say to LachlanCass said it all pretty welland in any event she asked him not to call him anymore names and that's going to be a bit hard. Lachlan is not the only one here with a temper. So he keeps his mouth shut.

"Yeah, well, have a bloody riot," snaps Lachlan in return, "b'cause when ye get back, I'm no' gonna be here." No doubt if this had happened when he was less stressed and had more sleep, he wouldn't be saying this sort of thing. But right now, his mind is made up. Shoving his arms into the sleeves of his coat and slamming the scarf down around the back of his neck, he reaches for the handle to yank open the door and storm out. "There's yer bloody solution."

"That's not a solution at all, Lachlan," Cass snaps at him. "That's just you running away." And if she was pissed off before, now she's even more so because she's hurt. Him effectively trying to end their relationship because he screwed up is not exactly a winning move in her eyes. And it's just going to prove what Ramon has been saying. "You're the one that's walking out."

You know what, it's at times like these Ramon wishes he smoked. Because that would be the most appropriate thing to do here. Just light up. He just watches the drama coolly instead.

That's right, he did it. Remove the squeaky wheel and things stop being noisy, right? Lachlan just glares, lips pursed, hand on the door handle — gripping the door handle with enough force to cause it to creak in protest. "'M obviously the prol'em," he growls. "So I'm fixin' it."

But then things stop working right in that case. This is really an embarrassing fight to be having in front of Ramon, but one they seem to be having anyway. And she's not really wanting to break up, so she just glares right back at him. "Leaving doesn't fix anything." She doesn't really say about him being the problem since, well, he was the one that got them into this. But that doesn't mean she wants him out of her life.

Ramon's arms are crossed. At last he says evenly, "It sounds to me like you two have a hell of a lot of things to figure out. I am only hindering at this point." She's not going to leave him, that much is obvious. "I want to help. You two let me know how I can do so. With names and locations and other sorts of practical things that help people help people." He takes the American Express card back out and lays it on the counter. "In the meantime, keep that. Go somewhere safer to have this argument, at the least."

What is this? Ramon isn't being rankling. Lachlan has no reason to get snarly at him. It's confusing. So the Scot simply stares at him, eyes the card suspiciously, then the Hispanic man, then Cass. And he quietly takes a step back away from the door — so that Ramon can leave. Yeah, that's it. Or something. He doesn't know anymore.

After all they've been through, it's hard for Cass to even imagine seriously leaving Lachlan. "You're telling me," Cass tells Ramon, softly. She reaches out a hand and places it on his shoulder for a brief moment, a gesture of gratitude for his offer of help and apology for having to witness that. "Thank you." She looks at the American Express card and then over at Lachlan. "Be safe, Ramon. I'll call you in the morning." With at least one sort of update. She's not sure what to say to Lachlan at this juncture at this very moment, either.

"Ain't nobody after me," Ramon says by way of reassurance. He hasn't had his car blown up in months! Or something. He nods once to Lachlan and puts his hands in his pockets as he ambles on out the door of the apartment. Down the hall and off to the parking lot.

After Ramon is gone, Lachlan just stands silently by, glaring at the door, then at the couch, then at the wall, then at the glass in his hand — anything but Cass. And after several silent moments, he quietly heads back toward the kitchen. As long as he's here, he might as well get the whole bottle.

As soon as the door is closed, Cass isn't exactly sure of what to do. It's not really like he was some sort of buffer to their fight. To a certain extent he was because she held back a bit in his presence, but she wasn't afraid to say what needed to be said - in her opinion. But, now, with the gloves off she's not exactly sure what to talk about. So she just reaches over and picks up the card that Ramon left and slips it into her pocket for now. Better than just leaving it out there for them both to stare at.

There's clattering around in the kitchen and Lachlan finally reappears with bottle in one hand and glass in the other. He casts a furtive glance at Cass, then averts his gaze to his glass until he seats himself on the couch and takes a big gulp. After quietly clearing his throat, he casts a few more glances toward Cass, but never too long. Finally, after fixing his eyes on her shoes, he utters, "'M sorry fer no' tellin' ye." It sounds sincere.

Because drinking really makes situations better. Though, to be honest, it may help this one. Cass gives him a measured look at that. "You should be." And while she's being high and mighty, she really does believe that. Though, she must recognize what it took him to gulp down some pride to say it. "If you really think leaving is the best way to fix this problem, then I don't know what to say to you."

"Yer the one tha' was leavin' first," retorts Lachlan, the earlier harshness creeping back in. Then he shuts up again, glares at his drink, and takes another hit from the glass. This is probably the worst state of mind he could have been in to get into an argument with Cass. The fact that things were already a bit icy between them only seems to contribute.

"I wasn't leaving you. I was going to just spend the night in a hotel or something. That's different then ending our entire relationship." Cass shakes her head and glares more at that bottle of scotch than anything else. This is not how she wanted this to go. "All I did was try to help you and you exploded at both me and Ramon. I don't know what to do with you, Lachlan. You're not letting me help you, I can't stand by and watch you get yourself killed…I don't know what to do."

"Yeah, well, dunna see how he was helpin' by bein' a self-righteous prick," Lachlan growls. "Dunna need a buncha lectures on wha' I'm doin' wrong." Nevermind that Ramon was right about him being a big fat liar. He's got pride. He's got too much pride, probably.

"He's not the only one," Cass narrows her eyes at the Scot at that. She's not about to give up on that and wants him to see some sort of reason. "And he was just trying to help. How's he supposed to do that if he doesn't know what he's up against. Ramon's protective of his friends, you know that. And he's got a temper. Not unlike someone else we know." Pointedly Lachlan, that is.

Lachlan's face darkens at that. He's mad at Ramon right now. He doesn't want to be compared to the one-eyed bastard. "'F he's like me, he'll just cock it all up anyway," he growls bitterly. "Next time ye think o' bringin' in someone else, mebbe ye'd better ask first." Also said bitterly.

"Why? So you could tell me, 'No, it's alright, I'm handling it myself?'" Cass gives Lachlan another scowl. "Ramon's a friend and not someone who's going to care about the illegal stuff. He's our friend." Neither of them have really been communicating all that well with each other lately.

"Sure, yeah. Doesna care 'bout the illegal stuff. Tha' makes it a'righ', then." Down goes the last of the scotch in the glass, and Lachlan immediately proceeds to refill it. "While we're at it, le's just tell the whole goddamn world tha' Lach's fucked up again, aye? S'a'righ', they expect it. Good ol' Lach canna treat 'is woman righ' b'cause he's a daft bastard. Dunno why the bloody hell she's with 'im." Issues.

Frustrated and unable to figure out a way to broach this subject, or even talk about it, Cass just moves forward to roughly take the bottle of scotch out of Lachlan's hand. She'll do it forcefully if she has to, but either it's coming with her or Lachlan is, too. "Goddammit, Lachlan, stop feeling sorry for yourself and what you've done and start helping me fix it. I deal with people threatening my life a lot more than I did a year ago and only this time is it because of anything you've done. I'm not pulling you out of a wallowing self-pity party that you've started digging for yourself right now. I'm with you because I love you and I thought that was enough."

Lachlan is a bit attached to that bottle, so when Cass starts yanking on it, he gets hauled up too. And he's not letting go, either. "The bloody hell d'ye want me ta do, then?" he snaps. "D'ye want me ta go crawlin' ta Ramon an' askin' fer help? Fine! 'F tha'll bloody make ye happy!" Yankjerk. "Gimme the bloody bottle!"

It's because Lachlan is getting attached to that bottle that Cass has decided to pull it out of his grasp. She's sick of him hiding inside of it. "I want you to stop fighting against me and start including me. If we're in this together, then stop shutting me out." Yanking it back the other way, she's not about to let go, even if she isn't as strong as her fiancee, she'll put up a good fight.

"A'righ', fine!" And Lachlan is still not letting go. But that last yank — since Cass has two hands on it, and Lachlan has just the one — is enough to almost completely dislodge his grip. It definitely causes him to stumble forward a bit, and so he releases the bottle and instead winds up grabbing hold of Cass' shoulder for support to keep himself from falling flat on his face.

"Good!" And because Cass' balance isn't really good when she's not distracted by yanking at scotch bottles and fighting with her fiancee, she stumbles backwards. Though she has won the battle for the bottle, she has ultimately lost the war of keeping upright as she goes tumbling backwards onto the floor, perhaps with Lachlan if his grip on her shoulder is tight enough.

WHUMPclatter. Glass, bottle, man, and woman go crashing to the floor. Luckily nothing breaks! And luckily Lachlan doesn't land on Cass, just over her. He manages to catch himself with hands and knees before any body parts can crush vital organs. After the initial shock wears off, annoyance follows — but it's not entirely directed at Cass. "'Re ye a'righ'?"

Crash. Down goes Cass and Lachlan and bottle. Lachlan manages to fall a little more gracefully than Cass does. She lands smack on her back on the floor, but luckily doesn't manage to smack her head off the floor or anything. Still gripping on tight to the bottle, she just lays there for a moment, annoyed at herself and at Lachlan for the fight that led to this. "Ow ow. No. I am not alright."

"Well ye should o' let go o' the bloody bottle," Lachlan snipes. He doesn't move to get up or help her to her feet, though. He got down here. He needs a little time to recover. Then he just stares at Cass, as though suddenly realizing how potentially awkward this is. Or not awkward. However one chooses to view it.

"And you should have told me that you were being threatened." Which is really what this whole fight comes down to. Cass can't really move or get up since Lachlan is effectively lying on top of her. The look that he gives her though makes her pause. "What?"

Well, Cass took away the bottle, but Lachlan has a couple other vices, too. And with stress and time being consumed by other things, one of those vices has been fairly neglected. All the adrenaline and closeness isn't helping matters. So Lachlan's only response is to move in quickly for a hungry, powerful kiss.

Lachlan does seem to have his full share of vices and Cass could probably see this coming. The kiss, while taken and reciprocated for a moment, she pulls back a moment and stares at Lachlan. "This fight isn't over, you know." Just because they're kissing and stuff doesn't mean the subject is closed. However, the bottle drops to the floor as Cass wraps her arms around Lachlan to kiss back. She's been missing intimacy, too.
