This weakness I feel I must finally show

[Benedict Beckett]

((ooc: I can't help putting some Mumford lyrics as the subject of this; it seemed apt since the previous Benedict and Evvy scene we did had the lyrics preceeding this line as its title. Ooo btw, Morgan's reply was adorable, I love him being all pleased with himself for being right about Benedict and then dancing around with Mrs Hutchingson!))

Having rushed out of his flat, down the stairs, ignoring Mrs Hutchingson's confused look as he passed her now-open doorway, and apparating off to Mungo's with his coat swishing wildly behind him in his haste, Benedict now stood at the welcome desk of Mungo's where an annoyingly chirpy Welcome Witch was not helping his anxious mood. Apparently she was determined to make him explain the ins-and-outs of who he was, why he dared to be in Mungo's at all, and in general make having to brave the hospital the most infuriating experience for Benedict. Yes, he took it all as being personally organised to annoy him only.

Barely supressing a curse he rolled his eyes, "I've just told you... Evangeline Montenegro, I'm looking for where she's been taken to. She was just brought in um I think I'm not sure, surely she must have been, she was in a car accident of some description, that's all I know and now I need to find her so if you could, oh I don't know, tax yourself to be just a little bit helpful, that would be marvellous," Benedict said, his tone laced with sarcasm, as he shook his head at her. He could see she didn't understand he was being sarcastic or indeed comprehend the insulting manner of his words; she just smiled cheerfully and told him which ward she was in to be checked out. "Oh thank you so much, really, you are astoundingly good at that job, you deserve a pay rise!" he called to her, a sarcastically sweet smile twitching at his mouth as he glanced back while rushing off to the lift and the appropriate floor.

At the main desk of that ward Benedict also had to engage the help of a Healer he actually recognised from when he himself had worked there; the Healer had been annoyingly slow at looking up patients even then and hadn't improved with time. "How did you say you're connected to the patient?" the Healer asked, his question surely designed to keep to confidentiality agreements, but merely came across as nosy. Annoyed by this stage - for his fidgety, anxious state manifested itself via severe irritation with all around him - Benedict rolled his eyes, "If you must know, I'm her boyfriend, so I'd rather appreciate it if you- oh you know what, I'll find her myself, it'll be quicker than asking you to," he snapped, turning on his heel and marching away from the desk and further into the ward, ignoring the shout of "hey!" from said Healer he'd left behind. Suddenly bumping into someone Benedict stepped aside, ready to continue his quest to rush off to find Evangeline, only to discover from his cursory look at who he had brushed past that it was the very person he was looking for. "Oh!" he gasped suddenly in surprise, eyes widening as he looked down at Evangeline, "Sorry, Morgan just told me, I didn't realise anything had... are you alright... are you hurt, what happened? Have they checked you, is anything wrong?" he asked, his words bursting out in one long spill as he scrutinised her appearance.

[Evangeline Montenegro]

Evangeline sighed as she left the Healer who had mended her bumps and scraps. She had a soft brace on her wrist for the sprain. It was healed but tender so to limit her use the Healer had wrapped it. Feeling a little underwhelmed and really not surprised that Benedict hadn’t come she continued down the corridor. She shouldn’t have expected him, and she didn’t, but she hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would care enough to come visit her.

Suddenly someone in quite a rush bumped into her. Steadying herself as they didn’t even apologise she thought, ‘This day is just getting better and better,’ sarcastically, very uncharacteristic of Eve. Turning her head sideways she was ready to tell them off for being a clod until she saw who it was. All the frustration and anger left her body as she breathed, “Benedict,” in utter surprise. She smiled slowly, a cute, almost shy smile and bit her bottom lip to hide how relieved and happy she felt in that moment as he babbled. “They released me didn’t they?” she responded teasingly with a cute smile, her elation filling the hallway as she wrapped her arms around him in a soft hug. “Thank you,” she whispered loosening her hold on him, she placed on hand on his chest as she remained close to him gazing up into his eyes. “I didn’t think you would come.”

((ooc: Aww I loved Benedict. Oh it's awake my soul, nevermind haha, how did I forget that? It's proper good for them ))

[Benedict Beckett]

((ooc: Aww thank you, haha, it's odd to write him all concerned so I had to put a bit in of him being his usual sarcastic, 'why am I surrounded by idiots?!' self! :P))

As Evangeline said his name, seeming surprised, Benedict barely noticed her smile and largely ignored her teasing, not in a malicious way but rather because he had other things on his mind- mainly preoccupations about the competence of the Mungo's Healers. "You're, for all intents and purposes, 'alright' then? Wait, no, let me see," Benedict ordered quietly but surely, barely leaving her time to answer or protest, as his hands held her gently on both upper arms as he scrutinised her for any signs of bruising or cuts. It seemed the brace on her wrist was the only visible damage but somehow that wasn't enough to quell the thoughts Benedict had racing around in his mind at the moment. He found it slightly unsettling to say the least.

Retracting his hands from atop her shoulders he was surprised as she suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a hug; he was more surprised by the fact that he hadn't stiffened at this sudden close contact as he usually did, without meaning to, and instead had reacted instinctively by wrapping his arms softly around her too and so reciprocating the gesture. "Uh, right, well you're welcome I suppose," Benedict replied, confused by why she was thanking him, but then as she released him yet remained close, he nodded curtly, adding honestly, "Yes well, I nearly didn't. And it seems I was rather 'late' too." Still not satisfied that she was not at all worse for wear he persisted in enquiring after her health. "So since they have healed your cuts and whatnot, you weren't badly hurt at all, I assume?" he asked, his words coming out swiftly and so rapidly that it barely gave her time to respond, even though he looked down at her expectantly (to be fair this lasted for all of two seconds) as though waited for an answer. Then his brow furrowed visibly, "You see, I was at one of those god-awful family dinners and I didn't find out about the accident until I arrived home and Morgan told me, but I didn't realise immediately what he meant... anyway that hardly matters, is there anything that I can do to-" he trailed off, quieting then as he looked equal parts intrigued and utterly baffled.

Staying still, he looked down at Eve for many, many silent moments (probably somewhat off-puttingly it had to be said) until suddenly he let out a gasp of air in a sort of eureka moment. "Oh! Oh that is... that is magnificent!" he exhaled, his voice low and indeed like the purr of the jaguar which he was so known for, while his eyes widened as though he'd made some kind of amazing discovery- which he had really because, for someone like him, it was certainly something worth shouting 'eureka!' about. Clasping his hands together in delight he informed her excitedly, "I am... 'worried', Eve, this is what 'worry' feels like! I feel anxious about another person, oh bloody hell this is simply marvellous... and awful, do not mistake me, but... I 'care', this is 'caring', genuinely caring. I'm not a completely self-absorbed prick all the time... oh this is a relief!" he said, finding himself laughing then before he'd even been able to stop himself. "Oh god, apologies, I don't mean to... you know be... like this and laughing about... oh it's just so... wonderful, you're alright, you're safe and... I'm here and caring, it's fantastic!" he said as his eyes glinted excitedly, as they did when he finally solved an equation that had been troubling him for weeks, and he suddenly threw his arms around her, quite uncharacteristically affectionate in manner, and pulled her to him then in a hug.

[Evangeline Montenegro]

“No,” she said softly with a sweet smile up at him, “You came at the perfect time,” Evangeline sighed leaning into him once more her hand remained on his chest. As he babbled Eve pressed her lips together trying not to giggle and gave him a teasing expression. “It’s okay. The important thing is that you came,” she smiled. Inside she was jumping for joy, but, at the moment she didn’t feel peppy enough to jump or do anything exciting for quite a while. “Home James!” she called raising her hand as if to direct him home, it was in fact the wrong direction but she never was very good with that sort of thing unless given a map.

For a moment, a long moment at that, he stayed silently staring at her. Her brow knitted together slightly, “It’s a phrase, I don’t actually think your name is James I didn’t hit my head that hard,” she joked before he exclaimed that something or other was marvelous. At first she thought typical Benedict thinking about his work at a time like this, but it wasn’t a malice sort of thought, more of her finding him cutely adorable in an odd sort of way. Why was she attracted to suck an odd duck? Perhaps it was his very touchable hair and the prr of his jaguar like voice. “Yes, that would be worrying,” she said her sentence slowly still not quite getting the point entirely. “Or a psychopath,” she joked with a shrug, “What? Generally they don’t care either,” she said faux-seriously but snorted with a little laugh and smiled cutely up at him. “But since you pointed out the self-absorbed prick thing I don’t think you get points for that,” she teased, acting as though she were serious as she prodded him in the chest with her good hand.

She laughed then as he laughed and then suddenly, “Oh,” she said surprised as he hugged her. When he finally let her go she said, “Now that was a feat of greatness, never mind the many books you’ve published proving that you are some kind of mathematical genius,” she said pointing her good finger at him. “You know, I never thought I used my hands so much when I spoke, except now I can’t gesture with this one, well, at least not very well,” she laughed at herself.

((ooc: sorry for taking forever, I really thought I had posted... apparently not, lol.))

[Benedict Beckett]

Benedict was shocked. It shouldn't be so but it just was, he was surprised (but mostly relieved) that he had worried so much about Eve's wellbeing. Looking back on it he realised he had always felt a little niggling feeling or sensation perhaps at the back of his mind whenever he wasn't quite sure where Evangeline was. Was that worry too... or paranoia? He'd clearly have to analyse himself more in the future or consult a psychiatrist to do so again... which would require opening up to someone else, a thing that he wasn't particularly fond of, funnily enough. In his odd befuddled and delighted state, his eyes remained seemingly distant from the present - for instead he was thinking and reassessing many things swiftly - but he still managed to retort dryly, "Oh well thank you very much for insinuating I may have had the unfeeling, calculating, manipulative traits of a psychopath." But then, looking down to meet her gaze he couldn't help but allow the corners of his mouth to curve upward into a smile in response to her light, and undeniably cute in manner, teasing of him.

Pulling her anxiously to him, he barely registered her surprise, instead just delighting in the fact that here he was bloody caring of all things and actually hugging someone without them initiating it or him being told to do so! For Benedict, realising he cared so much about the woman he was now embracing was truly a revelation akin to finally cracking a fiendish equation that had been troubling him for far too long. Releasing her then as he realised she'd probably appreciate some oxygen and personal space, he shook his head confusedly at her words, not quite sure what had come over him in that moment. "Was it? Yes... well... quite," he muttered distractedly but, unsurprisingly, he chuckled as he realised she'd said 'mathematical genius', "Oh well then, who needs agents and critics on your side when you will say such complimentary things to me!" he exclaimed, a joking glint in his eye then as he looked down at her, particularly her finger pointing directly at him. "Hmm... I noticed you do... you do it a lot more when you're trying to explain something but you cannot quite find the right word, and then you get equal parts agitated at not being able to remember and excitedly trying to illustrate the word somehow through mime," he commented, starting off perfectly solemnly in tone but then smiling amusedly at her. "Either that or you mainly use them to point accusingly at me. Still, you haven't yet used them to strangle me so it's perfectly fine for you to be so eloquent with body parts," Benedict said, his manner subtly teasing.

((ooc: Aww it's okay hehe. I was actually just planning to ask you whether you wanted to post Benedict and Evangeline at the New Years scene still or not?))

[Evangeline Montenegro]

“Don’t get too used to it, wouldn’t want your head getting too large for that scrawny neck of yours,” Evangeline teased with an adorable smile once more. It was then that she laughed, “You observe me far too often Mr Beckett,” she said of his explanation.

With an almost flirty smile she added, “Yes I don’t mind if I do, be eloquent with my body parts that is,” she smiled as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him gently. “Now take me home before I do decide to use my one good hand to strangle you,” she demanded but in a cute manner that wasn’t demanding at all really.

((ooc: Oh yes I would love to have them attend, they are so adorable together, such an unlikely couple, but so oddly perfect together, aww.))

[Benedict Beckett]

"Oh, believe me Eve, I will never get too used to it. And, once again with the compliments... 'scrawny neck' hmmm?" he said, raising his eyebrow critically as he looked down at her but even Benedict couldn't stay fake-irritated for too long when she smiled up at him like that. "Do I? Mm well, that's never been a problem for me. I see things, I observe things... understanding them properly is a completely different matter," he commented with a slight sigh at this. As he was so often reminded- he'd never fully understand people as a species and it annoyed him so much, that's why he took refuge in equations which could be cracked providing you put the hours in to work them out.

Looking down at her curiously, he noted her flirty expression and merely shook his head with a slight laugh. "In that case I am glad you are so eloquent," he murmured quietly as she stretched to kiss him. Breaking away from her lips, he snorted softly at her 'demand', or attempt at a demand at least. "Well, we wouldn't want that now, would we? I'm not certain I wish to meet my death by strangulation either," he commented in a deadpan manner before he smiled then, "Come on then you high-maintenance girlfriend," he joked, slipping his hand into hers and, before apparating, he needed to do something to satisfy the little childish voice in the back of his mind. Leading her down the corridor, he paused by the main desk of the ward just so he could say sarcastically to the ever-so-helpful Healer there, "Oh look, I managed to find her so thank you for all your help." Then, turning to Eve he shrugged, "I had to say it before we left, he has always irritated me," he said in explanation, "And now, home!" he enthused, turning and apparating both of them back home.