Twilight 8/10 : POTC
Title: Twilight: A Cinderella Story, Part XIII of X
Summery: For the rnotc_and_eitc Halloween Challenge. (Must read pre-reading fic! :) )
Pairing: Gillington
Genre: POTC
Rating: PG-13
Author: Rebecca (alienstars2004 / Blueberry Pancakes)
Warnings: Slash
Feedback: Yes, please.
Part VIII:
Theodore leaned back in his chair and tossed the quill aside, rubbing his shoulder. “You know,” He said, turning his head towards Andrew, “I don’t think I’d take a promotion if they gave it to me. I don’t know how James does this, day after day…”
Andrew chuckled and finished the page he was working on, setting the quill aside.
Theodore grinned at him, with his lopsided smile.
Andrew leaned forward, resting his chin on his closed fist.
“You’ve not seen hide nor hair of James since you sent him home that day, have you?”
Andrew shook his head.
“The last time I saw him was when I dropped off the sleeping aid from Mina.”
Andrew frowned. “I’m torn, Teddy… I want to go and see him, to make sure he’s all right, but…”
“But you don’t want to encroach.” Theodore smiled softly. “I know. I feel the same way.”
“You’ve talked with him, already, though.”
Theodore nodded. “I don’t think he’d be adverse to talking to you. He seems like he could really use both of us, right now.”
“I don’t want him to feel like we’re jumping on him at once.” Andrew’s frown didn’t relent.
“I was going to stop by, today. Take off a bit early. If you don’t mind, that is. I think I’ve finally gotten all that bloody paperwork done…”
“Go ahead, Teddy. You’ve talked with him more, already.”
“It’s not like he wouldn’t talk to you. He would, I know it.”
“You did say that you would come back, that you two would talk again, later, after you gave him the sleeping aid.”
“Yes…”
“Then go, Teddy. Tell me how he is, and I’ll go and talk with him, too, when the time is right for me to.”
* * *
Lane chirped.
“What is it?” James cracked his eyes open, peering down at the white fluff that had been sleeping on his chest.
Lane began to purr and laid his head back down.
James laughed once, “You and your strange senses, Lane…”
He started to settle back down when a knock came at the door.
Lane protested as he started to stand, but jumped down onto the floor. He waited until he knew James wasn’t going to sit down, and leapt agilely back onto the couch. He turned around three times before he settled in, tail flicking over his pink nose.
James rubbed his eyes before he opened the door. He smiled softly, “Theo…” He stepped back.
“Hello, James.” Theodore returned the smile. He followed James as he walked back into the living room.
Lane let out a surprised yowl as James scooped him up from his comfortable, warm place on the couch.
“Oh hush, it’s not like you didn’t know I wasn’t coming back.” James set the cat back down on his lap, stroking his large ears.
Theodore laughed quietly. “That doesn’t mean he has to like it… He was probably thoroughly enjoying the warmth you left behind.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I own him, or he owns me.” James sighed.
“I’ve come to the conclusion by watching both you and Lane, and And’ and Stasie, as well as my two girls, that you don’t own a cat, they indeed own you.”
Lane’s tail flicked.
James nodded slightly, continuing run his hand down the length of Lane’s back.
“How were things at the fort today?” He asked, idly.
“You do realize you’re on self-given leave, right?”
“It was just a question.”
“Do you mean how is the fort, or how are And’ and I?”
“That was my next question…”
“Well, I’m sure And’s tired of hearing me say it, but I don’t know how you put up with all that paperwork…”
James laughed quietly.
“But otherwise, normal. And’ is… And’.”
James cocked his head to the side. “Has he said anything?”
Theodore shook his head. “I can’t figure it out. It’s very subtle, whatever it is. It could just be another one of those times when he just wants time to himself.”
James nodded again, “Yes, well… I suppose if those moods stopped, we should be worried.”
“He wouldn’t be And’ without them.” Theodore shifted, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “He’s worried about you, that much I know.”
James turned his head.
“Don’t act surprised. You know him as well as I do. He’s not going to simply not notice that you’ve become this sad mope all of a sudden.” Theodore raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not a sad mope.”
“Yes, James, yes you are.”
James frowned.
Theodore laughed, “That only makes it worse. Though seeing you pout like a little boy is rather amusing. I do wish we had known each other as boys…”
“We did.”
“Very young, I mean. Before we were midshipmen, I mean. Don’t you think it would have been interesting if we’ve honestly grown up together?”
“I don’t know if we would still be friends.”
“We are quite different… Do you think we’d have parted ways long before, had we met earlier than we did?”
“My guess would be… well… maybe. Perhaps not.”
Theodore chuckled again.
James sighed heavily, chest rising and falling. He closed his eyes, laying a hand across his forehead.
“Do you feel trapped?”
James’s brow furrowed. He opened his eyes again and turned his head to look at him.
“You said you felt trapped, when you were considering proposing to Elizabeth.” Theodore continued, “That’s why you did it, in the end, wasn’t it? You didn’t think there were any other options…”
James drew in a breath. “I… I don’t know.” There had been no way out, then. There was no other place to turn. Only now, there was nothing pushing him in any direction, and yet there was once again nowhere for him to go, no path to choose.
It as Theodore’s turn to nod, “Do you know what you feel?” He asked, gently.
James swallowed. “Yes… and… no.”
“Do you know anything about him? Other than what his costume looked like?”
James shook his head. “Well… a little. We talked. He was born in England, too, but he’s lived here for a while.”
Theodore didn’t say it, but he knew that could many any number of the island’s inhabitants, if not all.
“He knew… when I was thinking.”
“Your posture does change. And you get a solemn look on your face. Not that he would have seen that, of course.”
“I felt rather silly, but he said he didn’t mind. He was actually glad that there was someone else, besides himself, who still thought, these days…”
Theodore’s brow furrowed for a split second, before he pulled his face to be impassive again. “He seems a lot like yourself.”
“If you’re asking if I merely saw someone who didn’t exist, I must say that you’re wrong…”
“I wasn’t quite there, yet.”
“I found…” James stopped himself.
“Found what?”
“Nothing… I just… I’d thought I’d found someone, special, then.”
Theodore chose not to call James on the lie. It was at least a half-truth, in any case.
“How’s Mina doing?”
“Don’t change the subject, James.”
“I can and I will.”
“She’s well.”
They talked for another long while, before they bid each other goodnight. Theodore told him to come to see him, if he ever needed to.
“You realize you don’t have to come back, Monday, if you still don’t feel well…”
“I know. I have to get out of the house. I’m not doing myself any favors, here, either.”
“So long as I don’t see you at the fort any sooner than Monday, then.”
“You won’t, Teddy.”
James watched as his friend disappeared into the darkness of the falling evening, as the stars began to emerge and twinkle over the dark waves of the sea.
Summery: For the rnotc_and_eitc Halloween Challenge. (Must read pre-reading fic! :) )
Pairing: Gillington
Genre: POTC
Rating: PG-13
Author: Rebecca (alienstars2004 / Blueberry Pancakes)
Warnings: Slash
Feedback: Yes, please.
Part VIII:
Theodore leaned back in his chair and tossed the quill aside, rubbing his shoulder. “You know,” He said, turning his head towards Andrew, “I don’t think I’d take a promotion if they gave it to me. I don’t know how James does this, day after day…”
Andrew chuckled and finished the page he was working on, setting the quill aside.
Theodore grinned at him, with his lopsided smile.
Andrew leaned forward, resting his chin on his closed fist.
“You’ve not seen hide nor hair of James since you sent him home that day, have you?”
Andrew shook his head.
“The last time I saw him was when I dropped off the sleeping aid from Mina.”
Andrew frowned. “I’m torn, Teddy… I want to go and see him, to make sure he’s all right, but…”
“But you don’t want to encroach.” Theodore smiled softly. “I know. I feel the same way.”
“You’ve talked with him, already, though.”
Theodore nodded. “I don’t think he’d be adverse to talking to you. He seems like he could really use both of us, right now.”
“I don’t want him to feel like we’re jumping on him at once.” Andrew’s frown didn’t relent.
“I was going to stop by, today. Take off a bit early. If you don’t mind, that is. I think I’ve finally gotten all that bloody paperwork done…”
“Go ahead, Teddy. You’ve talked with him more, already.”
“It’s not like he wouldn’t talk to you. He would, I know it.”
“You did say that you would come back, that you two would talk again, later, after you gave him the sleeping aid.”
“Yes…”
“Then go, Teddy. Tell me how he is, and I’ll go and talk with him, too, when the time is right for me to.”
* * *
Lane chirped.
“What is it?” James cracked his eyes open, peering down at the white fluff that had been sleeping on his chest.
Lane began to purr and laid his head back down.
James laughed once, “You and your strange senses, Lane…”
He started to settle back down when a knock came at the door.
Lane protested as he started to stand, but jumped down onto the floor. He waited until he knew James wasn’t going to sit down, and leapt agilely back onto the couch. He turned around three times before he settled in, tail flicking over his pink nose.
James rubbed his eyes before he opened the door. He smiled softly, “Theo…” He stepped back.
“Hello, James.” Theodore returned the smile. He followed James as he walked back into the living room.
Lane let out a surprised yowl as James scooped him up from his comfortable, warm place on the couch.
“Oh hush, it’s not like you didn’t know I wasn’t coming back.” James set the cat back down on his lap, stroking his large ears.
Theodore laughed quietly. “That doesn’t mean he has to like it… He was probably thoroughly enjoying the warmth you left behind.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I own him, or he owns me.” James sighed.
“I’ve come to the conclusion by watching both you and Lane, and And’ and Stasie, as well as my two girls, that you don’t own a cat, they indeed own you.”
Lane’s tail flicked.
James nodded slightly, continuing run his hand down the length of Lane’s back.
“How were things at the fort today?” He asked, idly.
“You do realize you’re on self-given leave, right?”
“It was just a question.”
“Do you mean how is the fort, or how are And’ and I?”
“That was my next question…”
“Well, I’m sure And’s tired of hearing me say it, but I don’t know how you put up with all that paperwork…”
James laughed quietly.
“But otherwise, normal. And’ is… And’.”
James cocked his head to the side. “Has he said anything?”
Theodore shook his head. “I can’t figure it out. It’s very subtle, whatever it is. It could just be another one of those times when he just wants time to himself.”
James nodded again, “Yes, well… I suppose if those moods stopped, we should be worried.”
“He wouldn’t be And’ without them.” Theodore shifted, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “He’s worried about you, that much I know.”
James turned his head.
“Don’t act surprised. You know him as well as I do. He’s not going to simply not notice that you’ve become this sad mope all of a sudden.” Theodore raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not a sad mope.”
“Yes, James, yes you are.”
James frowned.
Theodore laughed, “That only makes it worse. Though seeing you pout like a little boy is rather amusing. I do wish we had known each other as boys…”
“We did.”
“Very young, I mean. Before we were midshipmen, I mean. Don’t you think it would have been interesting if we’ve honestly grown up together?”
“I don’t know if we would still be friends.”
“We are quite different… Do you think we’d have parted ways long before, had we met earlier than we did?”
“My guess would be… well… maybe. Perhaps not.”
Theodore chuckled again.
James sighed heavily, chest rising and falling. He closed his eyes, laying a hand across his forehead.
“Do you feel trapped?”
James’s brow furrowed. He opened his eyes again and turned his head to look at him.
“You said you felt trapped, when you were considering proposing to Elizabeth.” Theodore continued, “That’s why you did it, in the end, wasn’t it? You didn’t think there were any other options…”
James drew in a breath. “I… I don’t know.” There had been no way out, then. There was no other place to turn. Only now, there was nothing pushing him in any direction, and yet there was once again nowhere for him to go, no path to choose.
It as Theodore’s turn to nod, “Do you know what you feel?” He asked, gently.
James swallowed. “Yes… and… no.”
“Do you know anything about him? Other than what his costume looked like?”
James shook his head. “Well… a little. We talked. He was born in England, too, but he’s lived here for a while.”
Theodore didn’t say it, but he knew that could many any number of the island’s inhabitants, if not all.
“He knew… when I was thinking.”
“Your posture does change. And you get a solemn look on your face. Not that he would have seen that, of course.”
“I felt rather silly, but he said he didn’t mind. He was actually glad that there was someone else, besides himself, who still thought, these days…”
Theodore’s brow furrowed for a split second, before he pulled his face to be impassive again. “He seems a lot like yourself.”
“If you’re asking if I merely saw someone who didn’t exist, I must say that you’re wrong…”
“I wasn’t quite there, yet.”
“I found…” James stopped himself.
“Found what?”
“Nothing… I just… I’d thought I’d found someone, special, then.”
Theodore chose not to call James on the lie. It was at least a half-truth, in any case.
“How’s Mina doing?”
“Don’t change the subject, James.”
“I can and I will.”
“She’s well.”
They talked for another long while, before they bid each other goodnight. Theodore told him to come to see him, if he ever needed to.
“You realize you don’t have to come back, Monday, if you still don’t feel well…”
“I know. I have to get out of the house. I’m not doing myself any favors, here, either.”
“So long as I don’t see you at the fort any sooner than Monday, then.”
“You won’t, Teddy.”
James watched as his friend disappeared into the darkness of the falling evening, as the stars began to emerge and twinkle over the dark waves of the sea.