Chapter Text
There's an assassin on Gar's couch.
Well, technically it's a communal couch paid for by the combined efforts of his, Dick's, and Vic's asshole fathers' contributions to the NGO that funds reconstruction of the tower every time it gets blown up or some guy who was literally born yesterday lasers through the living room furniture. But Gar and Vic were the ones who picked it out, with intense detail to comfort, function, and style. And since Vic is somewhere between here and and Betelgeuse right now, that makes it Gar's couch.
Said assassin is curled up around one of the faux fur throw pillows, white hair spilling out from beneath M'gann's hand knit blanket, snoring like a steam engine.
Aaaaand there go his dreams of getting a jump on the T.V. for an all day Stargate marathon before any of those little assholes he calls friends and teammates could beat him to it.
He didn't account for this particular little asshole, who hasn't shown her face around the tower in at least a year. Last he heard she was somewhere in northern Cambodia, but it's not like she sends routine updates exactly.
He's got half a mind to turn right around and go straight back to bed. For once let this be someone, anyone, else's problem.
Instead, he settles for chucking one of his slides at her head. (They're made out of foam, okay?)
"Ow!" Rose groans into the couch. "Hell was that for?"
"How did you get in here?"
There's an arsenal laid out on the coffee table: swords and guns piling up like a stash of loot. Rose digs another knife out from in between her side and the couch cushion as she sits up and tosses it on the top before throwing Gar's shoe back at his chest.
Wow, it really is so sweet that she feels comfortable enough to disarm here, really heartwarming when you think about it. Or at least it would be, if she hadn't also broken into their tower.
Rose laces her hands together and stretches them above her head, twisting until she makes a horrible popping sound. "Your security is shit."
"No, it isn't." Once again, the combined efforts of asshole fathers made sure of that. The entire island is fortified up the wazoo. If anything bigger than a bald eagle so much as lands on the shore the alarm is supposed to trigger.
"It really is. You should be thanking me honestly, think of it like white hat hacking. And I don't even charge."
Rose bats her eyelashes with her good eye, she doesn't cover the left one anymore. She looks good. As in, not covered in bruises or blood and her hair looks like it's been washed in the past week.
Still, showing up unannounced is exactly her M.O. and it continues to be a huge pain in his ass ever single time.
"You can't just show up here like this- I mean what if someone had thought you were an intruder? They could have attacked you, and they'd be right to."
Rose huffs and shuts her eye solemnly. "I know, I was counting on it. No one ever showed though." She jumps over the back of the couch and makes a straight line for the fridge. "Honestly, you should be embarrassed."
Gar beats her too it and leans back against the fridge. "What are you doing here, Rose?"
"I was in the neighborhood."
"Cut the bullshit."
Rose snickers and pulls open the pantry door instead. "Ooh. So serious. Little Garfield's all grown up now?"
"I'm older than you." By like three years, he might add. Rose glares at him, eyeing him up and down with an unsubtle look of disgust.
"Are you? That's embarrassing."
"What-that- whatever." He's not going to let her evil bitch act get to him, particularly because he knows she's just doing it to piss him off. Gar hits the intercom above the light switch. "Everyone meet in the ops room, we're having an emergency security meeting."
His voice blares out through the tower and he can hear the collective groaning of annoyed teenagers.
"Cassie, your girlfriend's here."
"I just want to state for the record. She's not my girlfriend."
Yeah, sure, that seems like a reasonable first order of business. Cassie is standing up in front of the table with her arms crossed the way Dick does when he leads meetings. Only Dick has always had the good sense not to bring up the status of his situationships during official meetings.
"No one cares about your relationship drama Cass." Virgil flops his head over the back of his chair. Gar wouldn't say anyone is too happy about his unplanned Saturday morning meeting, but honestly that's not on him. He isn't the one who decided to break into their fucking tower in the middle of the night.
"For the record," Jaime tips back in his chair dangerously close to tipping the whole thing over. "We care. Your tragic love life is like prime entertainment around here."
Cassie whips her head around. "Oh fuck off Jai-"
"Guys. Now is really not the time for this." Dick's voice pours out of the wall speakers like the disembodied voice of God. Gar made the right call hooking his video up to the main monitor screen. Having Dick's face projected in high res. onto a 10 foot screen really brings the right kind of vibe to this meeting. It's almost better than having him actually here.
"Nightwing is right. This represents a serious security concern for us." Kory says from the actual head of the table.
Jackson snorts. "It's just Rose."
"Exactly, and if she could get in here, that means others could to." The giant Dick head says.
Rose is smart, sure. And she's a damn good fighter. But there are people out there who are just as smart and way more powerful than her who would do a lot more than just raid their fridge if they got in this place. So it is a big deal, actually.
"Look, I know security has been a bit lax with Cyborg on league business, but that means we all have to be extra vigilant." Lax is an understatement honestly. The truth is, between the whole fucking twelve of them (eleven with Dick off visiting bat dad) they've got about a five percent understanding of how anything in the tower works. Which is not, like, great.
"How did she get passed our security?" Emiko asks.
Gar sighs: this is the best part. "She won't tell us."
M'gann pipes up. "I could find out, if she is not will-"
A chorus of 'no's comes from Gar, Kory, Raven, and Dick and M'gann winces.
"Understood."
"I have a… friend who can look through the tower's security system and see if we can figure it out."
"Thank you Dick, and tell your friend, thank you, too." Kory says, whole thing sounding weirdly cordial and not just because she and Dick both have their serious meeting voices on. Gar knows exactly three things about Barbra Gordon: she's the only person who's ever beaten Vic at chess, she makes a mean cranberry sauce, and Dick and Kory get weird when they talk about her.
Conner coughs. "So, what are we going to do about this Rose person?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cassie spits out with a bit too much bark.
"She's not a titan. Just her being here is a security risk."
"Why is she even here?" Virgil asks. Gar can't blame him. Or Conner. Neither of them know Rose. Not like the rest of them do.
"Oh I can guess." Jackson whispers to Jaime who snickers.
Cassie's chair screeches against the floor. "Seriously, fuck both of you."
"Well, she can't stay in the tower obviously." Conner says.
Virgil nods. "Unless we're changing the rules about allowing girlfriends in the tower, in which case I'm calling-"
"I told you, she's not my-"
"Ex-girlfriend, whatever."
"Even more of a reason why she shouldn't stay here." Conner adds.
Cassie still hasn't sat down. "Look, I know you just got here like, yesterday, but Rose is a part of this team."
Gar doesn't know if he'd go that far. 'Teams' have never exactly been Rose's forte.
"She's a hired gun, Cass, you can't honestly-"
"Oh so we're bringing up rap sheets now? Because last I checked you were-"
"Titans!" Dick yells, because he's a professional. "This isn't productive. Look- Rose was a Titan."
"Yeah, for like five minutes." Jackson rolls his eyes. "I'm not saying- I like Rose, but we don't know where she's been, or who she's allied herself with. And honestly if I were the one who left and then showed up out of the blue, I don't know if I would trust me."
Gar has to hand to the kid, he's got a rough go of it: asshole dad who didn't even offer to pay for the couch.
But there is a difference between Jackson's asshole dad and Rose's:
Slade Wilson is dead.
"I do not sense any malice from her." Raven adds, which is probably an exaggeration. Gar can't imagine Rose not having any malice.
"I know she left the team, but the fact of the matter is, I trust her."
Easy for Dick to say from 2000 miles away. It's not like she can kill him in his sleep.
Not that… Gar doesn't really think Rose will hurt any of them. Not physically at least. Emotional damage is definitely on the table.
"But… trouble has a tendency to follow her, so we should all stay vigilant." That's Dick speak for watch out for stray revenge seeking mobsters.
"So that's it?" Conner cranes his head to yell at the screen even through the camera is in the middle of the table. "We're just going to let her lurk around the tower no questions asked?"
Emiko nods at Donna. "Yeah, seems like a reoccurring trend lately."
"Seriously." Says Jaime. "What is she even doing here?"
"Donna is a Titan." Dick says. Which is as true now as it was two years ago when she left.
"No, she was a Titan. She left us remember? And then she just shows back up one day and we're all going to what? Not talk about it." Emiko says. She doesn't sound salty about it at all.
"Maybe I shouldn't be in this meet-"
"Donna sit down." Kory grabs her by the arm.
"D's here helping us with a case." Gar says, which is technically true. There is a case and Donna has helped with it.
Jaime snorts. "What case? Keeping Kory's bed warm?"
"Hey!" Dick yells. "That was way out of line."
Gar snorts because, well, he's an asshole. "I mean, yeah, not cool guys."
"Donna Troy is one of the most powerful people on this planet. We should all be grateful for her help." Raven says, mild echo in her voice.
"Oooh careful Gar, sounds like 'D' might steal your girl too." Dammit, Gar thought Virgil was supposed to be the mature one.
"Jesus Christ. You are all fucking children." Emiko's head hits the desk.
A second giant head crashes onto the screen. "Dick, hey can you- oh shit are you on a call sorry!"
So much for a secure, Titans only meeting.
"Fucki- Okay. I think we're done here. Guys, try to get along while I'm gone. Please." Dick blinks into a black screen.
Well, that went swimmingly if Gar does say so himself.
Rose is still on the couch flipping through their T.V. channels. Though she's clearly moved on account of the wet hair and change of clothes which definitely don't belong to her.
"How'd your little meeting go? Did ya figure it out?"
Cassie stomps into the room. "You asshole."
"Awe, hello to you too, princess."
"You can't just- you take off in the middle of the night, you don't call, you don't text, for all we know you're fucking dead. And then you just show back up here with no warning, no explanation, this isn't a fucking Hilton."
"Sounds like you missed me."
"I didn't miss you, you selfish, irresponsible, reckless, asshole!"
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, your roots are showing." Cassie turns on her heel and stomps out of the rec room. It's a good thing the door is automated because she probably would have ripped it off its hinges by now otherwise.
"See? Way better than real housewives." Jaime whispers. "Nice to see you again Rose!"
Rose's head falls to the side. "Which one are you again?"
"I-um- Jaime. Reyes. Blue Beetle. We've met like- extensively."
"Huh. Think I'd remember that." Rose claps him on the shoulder, "Nice to meet you Jaime." And flits out of the room as Jaime stands there like he's been shot.
See? Walking psychic damage.
"Hey, Gar." Donna nods to the hall and Gar follows her to Kory's bedroom where Raven and Kory are both hunched over at the foot of Kory's bed speaking into Kory's phone.
"We're all here, Dick."
"Good. I didn't want to worry the others."
"Should they be worried?" Donna asks.
"No… well, maybe."
"Do you really think Rose might…"
"No. I've been keeping an eye on her." Which is Dick speak for he's been tracking her and not telling anyone about it. Old habits die hard but Gar can't say he's too upset that someone's been looking out for her. Even if it's in creepy batman style.
"She's been stable… for Rose."
"That's good, right?"
"It is. But I don't think we can ignore the timing. With two of us away from the city we're vulnerable. Not to mention half the Justice League is off world. And with how much… turmoil the Titans have been drumming up lately, we can't rule out that she could be reporting to an outside entity."
Donna frowns. "You think she could be working for Waller?"
"They've worked together in the past."
"We've worked with Waller before." Raven says.
"I know. Look, it's probably nothing. I meant what I said. I trust her. But we should all be careful."
Way to state the obvious, oh fearless leader. Gar pushes off the wall. "Awe come on, we're always careful, Dickie."
"I'm serious."
"So am I. We can handle Rose, trust me."
"Contrary to popular belief we don't just fall apart whenever you're not around." Donna says.
"I know, I-" Dick laughs through the phone. "I can't believe you're back and I missed it."
"Well, someone had to keep these knuckleheads in line."
"We will be fine, Dick. We've handled situations like this before." Kory says.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just be careful."
"We will be." Raven says
"And just, don't- I don't want Rose to think that we suspect anything. You all know how important our trust is to her."
Except they don't trust her. That's the point of this phone call isn't it?
"And. Do try and keep her and Cassie from killing each other, please."
"No promises there."
Gar doesn't have any more luck with the T.V. after that either. And look, sure, he's got a T.V. in his room. And the ops room is one giant T.V. basically. And there's a T.V. in the gym if he's really feeling desperate.
But it's the principle of the thing. (He has got to get his own fucking place.)
Instead those little brats (his cherished and esteemed teammates) have made a mess of the whole living room.
"What's all this?" Donna asks to piles of unopened bags of food piled up on the kitchen counter.
"We're having a homecoming party for Rose." Jackson reaches for the stack of mixing bowls on the top cupboard. Apparently he's over his skepticism.
Jaime flies in the open window balancing three 30 racks of Busch Light. Which, one: ew. And two:
"Where the hell did you get all that?" Last time Gar checked, Jaime was still a year away from legal drinking age.
"Costco bay-beee."
Okay, not really the answer Gar was looking for.
"You aren't 21."
"Yeah but Khaji Da's like 10 thousand so that averages out to definitely old enough to drink."
"That is not how that works."
"I bought it." M'gann says as she flies through the window holding a completely normal sized pack of marshmallows.
Gar doesn't know how he feels about that either and yeah, okay, he gets why Rose thinks he's a killjoy now.
"Whatever, you guys know the rules, no powers while drinking."
"Yeah, yeah we know!"
Steel slashes through aluminum and beer explodes into the air.
The party didn't start on the beach. The thing about the water in the bay is that it's frigid and disgusting. Not exactly the sort of thing you'd want to swim in or really even be close to. And the thing about the middle of March is that it's still cold as all hell. So they really have no business hanging out on the beach. 'Beach' is a generous word for it, also. It's more like a pile of rocks and dirt that the tide runs into.
But there was no way Gar was letting those brats get that shit beer all over the carpet.
The liquid hovers mid air as the can falls in two pieces to the ground and reforms into a floating ball.
"Dude. You guys are wasting beer." Jackson funnels the floating piss water directly into his mouth and Gar is definitely too old for this shit.
Emiko slaps a hand over her mouth. "Oh no, whatever are we going to do without your shitty beer."
"I like this one." Rose swipes another can and shakes it up. "Way more fun than Harper."
Rose would think that: the first time she and Roy met he was covered in baby puke. She launches the can into the air as Emiko dives with her bow and arrow to shoot it. The can bursts in the air and rains down over the beach.
"Hey!" Cassie shrieks and jumps from the splash zone. "Knock it off!"
Rose laughs as Emiko takes a deep bow. "Oh yeah, you're definitely my new favorite."
Gar stumbles over to the picnic blanket Donna, Raven and Kory are huddling and plops down in the middle of the blanket. "Evening ladies."
He leans his head back into Raven's lap and sticks his feet into Kory's. "May I just say, it's an honor to be in the presence of three immaculate goddesses such as yourselves."
Donna rolls her eyes and throws a cheeto at his face. "Shut up."
"Wait no I wasn't ready." He opens his mouth again. "Donna." Mouth open. "Donna." He points at his mouth. Donna huffs and chucks another piece at him, which hits him in the nose and he catches and shoves in his mouth.
Donna cocks her head. "Have you always been this annoying?"
"Yes." Raven says. Which is extremely rude of her. But she does run her hand through his hair instead of shoving him off her so he considers that a win.
"I provide a vital part of the ecosystem." Gar says and reaches for Donna's chip bowl. Donna tosses a piece to him and he does catch it this time. "See? Teamwork makes the dream work. baby."
"Uh huh."
"So…. whatcha ladies talking about?"
Donna looks at him with the deadest eyes he's ever seen. "Menstrual cups."
Gar sits up onto his elbows."Wait? Really?"
"No, not really- why are you excited about that? Raven what's wrong with him?"
"Hey! I am perfectly normal thank you very much."
"Sure you are, sweetie." Raven chides.
"Awe, I think you're normal, Gar." Kory says sweetly. See? Kory Anders, famously known for being a super duper normal human girl, also thinks he's totally normal.
"Okay but no, that actually gets me thinking, Kor do Tamaraneans menstruate?"
"Oh wow, that's a big word for him." Donna says, pointedly to Raven and not at him.
"Fuck you, I know words. You know I went to college right?"
"Didn't you drop out?"
"Yeah, sure- but that's because the world was ending, not my fault. But anyway, so you know how most other mammals don't get periods, it's just like humans and like… fruit bats. Which is super random, but like that makes me wonder if- I mean I know Martians don't- don't ask why I know that, anyway I know that Tamaraneans have a totally different life cycle than humans so- actually, how long is your gestational period? You do have internal gestation right? I mean I guess I just assumed because of the- you know, but I guess you could have a sort of platypus situation, or I dunno I guess it could just be for aesthetic purposes or like…camel humps? Anyway, Kory you don't lay eggs do you? I feel like that would have come up if you did."
Kory gapes at him. "Ah… no. I don't lay eggs."
"Oh okay, good. I mean not good, there's nothing wrong with laying eggs, it's perfectly normal for some creatures. I think all creation of life is beautiful ya know? Really it's the diversity that makes it so amazing, you know? Like all across the universe life finds a way, even if that way is just like straight up stabbing your girl in the stomach, you know that's how bed bugs do it."
"Is he drunk?" Donna asks, again, to Raven, not him.
"I don't think so." Raven pushes his hair out off of his forehead. "Are you drunk?"
Gar gasps at the mere suggestion that he might have indulged in that horrible excuse for beer. "No mami! Ni pedo tocoia esa mierda!"
"Don't you think that's a little dramatic?" Kory asks as she sips from her own can. "It's not that bad."
Kory thinks raw potatoes are 'not that bad' so that's not exactly a stamp of approval.
"No, I'm with green bean. That shit's vile." Donna pulls a flask from the pocket of her flannel and waggles it above Gar's face.
"Oh fuck, I love you." The liquor hits his tongue and burns like straight rubbing alcohol. He jolts up to keep from choking and barely resists spitting. "Oh- holy- what the fuck is that."
"Amazonian Ouzo." Ouzo his ass. Gar has had Ouzo before and it didn't taste like that. Donna tilts her head. "What? You don't like it?"
Gar supposes that underneath the heavy taste of motor oil their are notes of fennel and- and-
"No. It's um- good. Super ehm- great." He's not tearing up or anything. Gar holds the flask over his shoulder. "Wanna try?"
Raven snorts and pushes the flask away. "Oh no. I'm not that stupid."
Donna snatches the flask back. "Fine, more for me." She takes a swig like it's water, meanwhile Gar feels like steam is coming directly out of his ears and eyes.
"Shit!" Someone yells, and the fire pit sizzles out in a plume of steam. "Kory!"
Kory sighs and jumps to her feet. "Duty calls."
"Wait!" Virgil yells. "I got it!" A crackle of lightning shoots from his hand and restores the fire to a gaggle of applause.
Gar whistles from the blanket. "Way to go sparky!"
So much for no powers.
"Glad they're all having fun." He says as he nuzzles into Raven's stomach, he might be biased but she really does make the world's best pillow.
"Well, most of them." Raven nods up at the tower, where Conner is probably listening to every minute of this party.
"He'll get over it." Gar is sure Mr. I Can't Believe You'd All Go Screw Around On The Beach At A Time Like This will realize brooding alone in the tower doesn't get you anywhere sooner or later. The thing Gar's learned in his twenty seven years of non stop bullshit is that you can't wait for shit to get good before you can live you life. You just gotta keep living. "Think she'll stay this time?"
Whatever grudge they were holding has clearly melted away with the sunset and onslaught of alcohol: Rose and Cassie are bundled together on a makeshift throne of driftwood around Virgil's reignited fire as they all trade battle stories like trophies.
"Honestly?" Raven runs a nail along the side of his scalp and Gar tries his best to keep his feelings in check for her sake, but if he had a tail right now it would definitely be wagging.
"Yeah."
"No. Not this time."
Gar sighs. "Probably for the best. We're really pushing the limits of our septic system as it is."
Raven flinches. "Gross."
"What's gross is when our system fails and the tower starts leaking shit into the ocean. I really don't want to hear from Garth about that one."
After the novelty of hanging around in the midwinter seabreeze has finally lost it's fizzle, Gar finds Rose hitting the heavy bag in the gym just shy of midnight.
"So, have you told anyone why you're here yet?"
Rose huffs as her fist meets the bag. "Have you figured out how I got in yet?"
Gar slips his hands through a pair of pads and steps between Rose and the bag. "You could just tell me."
"No fun in that." Rose jabs and rolls under his right hand before coming in with a left hook. Jab, uppercut, kick, cross, two, three, two, five and so on and so forth. Rose is fast and not particularly concerned with pulling her punches so it takes all his speed and effort just to get the pads where they need to be in time for them to connect with her fist and feet. Rose gets two hands around his head as her knee connects with his unpadded stomach. Her foot lands behind his and before he knows it he's hitting the mat square on his back.
Ow.
Rose folds her arms across her chest and smirks down at him. "You suck at this."
What can he say? He's- look- he's got years of hand to hand combat training. He doesn't suck. But it is perhaps, not his forte. Humans are great and all, but they're not really the heaviest hitter when it comes to battle, so why would he bother? Which again, isn't to say that he sucks, he's trained under Tameranean warriors and Amazons and Dick Fucking Grayson. So he'd actually say, you know, objectively, he's a pretty good fighter. Rose just happens to be a freak in this department.
"Yeah, well, not all of us were trained by the world class mercenaries."
Rose falls down onto the matted floor and raises a middle finger to the ceiling. "Right. Thanks dad."
"R.I.P. D-stroke. That's rest in pain, by the way. Sorry. I know he was your dad and all-"
"No, fuck that guy. I'm glad he's dead."
Gar couldn't agree more. He's sure there are people out there willing to see the good in Slade Wilson, but Gar sure as hell isn't one of them. As far as he's concerned the world is better off. Which, maybe that makes him a shit superhero because isn't he supposed to believe that everyone deserves a second chance and has the ability to do good and all that crap? And yeah, sure, he believes that. In theory. But he's not losing any sleep over this one.
Gar doubts it's that simple for Rose. In his experience it doesn't matter how fucked up your parents are, it still sucks when they die. Even if only because you lose out on the opportunity to tell them how much of a shit parent they were.
"So…?" Gar figured he'd paid the toll with the bruise blooming on his ribs.
Rose sits up and hugs her knees. "So, there's no story. I was in California, needed a place to crash. This place is a hellova lot nicer than a Motel 6."
"Okay."
"Okay?" Rose squints at him.
"Yeah, sure. That makes sense. I mean you could've just told me you were chasing tail-"
"Chasing tail?"
"Yeah it means-"
"I know what it means. I just think your embarrassing."
Gar shrugs, he can't deny that. "So, what were you doing in California?"
"I…" She takes to picking at a scab on the back of her knuckle instead of answering.
"Hey, it's cool. You don't have to tell me. it's just, you know- Bangkok, Milan, Tokyo- Jump City is a little bit lackluster compared to where you've been hanging out."
"I've been looking for my mom."
"Ah. Thought we might be hiding her in one of the cupboards?"
"No, no- I uh- found her." Rose doesn't say that in the sort of way someone reveals a grand reunion with a long lost parent.
"Oh, that's - was she-"
"She didn't want to see me."
Gar exhales. "Oh, shit."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"That's fucking- yeah." Gar doesn't have a joke for that. Dead moms? Oh yeah he could do that all day, but this? Yeah, that's the sort of shit that just straight sucks.
"So I- after- I was going to go see my brother, but I guess I- I dunno guess I sorta pussied out." Her lips pull into a tight lipped smile as she shrugs.
"Oh, yeah, makes total sense. I mean your brother, Jericho? That brother? Scariest guy I know. Really knows how to bring the intimidation factor."
Rose leans back and kicks him in the stomach. "Shut up."
Ow.
Why do all the women in his life insist on hitting him for sport?
"Look, I know he's not… like that, but he's, ya know, got this whole normal life. He got out of all this you know?" Gar isn't sure anything is normal about Joey's life now, just because he's not flying around kicking bad guy butt as an after school hobby.
"Yeah, like we all haven't hung up the cape a few times. You know a few weeks ago Big D was completely committed to her little civ life, and now look at her."
"Exactly, the last thing I want is to drag him back into this world."
"Yeah, okay I get it. But trust me, I know Joey and he'd-"
"That's it though! You know him. You and Dick and- all of you, you were a team, for years. But we- I mean we're practically strangers. I'm just the result of our asshole father's need to get his dick wet. You know? What if seeing him just hurts us both?" Rose is on her feet now, pacing in a circle on the mat.
"Well, then it's a good thing Cy left your bio signature in the system."
"What?"
"I mean I've got to hand it to you, you were really milking that whole B&E thing, but I do sorta think that's cheating. Not really 'bypassing security' if someone gives you a key."
Dick had texted the team around mid afternoon with a screenshot of a text that just said: 'Ravager's bio-signature is still loaded into the system as an approved member. Tell your super friends they're fucking idiots.' So all that hullabaloo had been for nothing after all.
"I figured that was an accident." Gar doubts it. Vic always liked Rose.
"Maybe, you can ask him when he gets back. If you stay that is."
"We'll see. Now get up. I'm not done hitting you."
When Gar wakes up the next morning, he saunters into a blissfully empty rec room. Jokes on everyone else and their shitty beer.
There's a large scrap of cardboard ripped from last night’s pizza box pinned to the drywall in the kitchen with a paring knife.
Thanks for the party. xoxo Rose.
Well, so much for her sticking around this time. Gar flops down on the empty sofa an flicks on the T.V.