Advent Challenge Day Three
Fandom: Captain Planet
Characters: Plunder/Blight
Title: Christmas Tradition
Rating: PG
Summary: Dr. Blight doesn't really care for Christmas traditions.
Word Count: 1323
A/N: Well day three, and this is my longest "ficlet" yet... But maybe that means I'm getting my writing groove back! :D
* * *
Dr. Blight still remembered the first time Looten Plunder had asked her if she would like to come to his family’s Christmas dinner. It was a simple affair, just his parents, his nephew Robin and himself. She had assumed then that his offer was merely out of politeness, as they had only been working together just over a year at that point. She had politely declined, or at least as politely as she was capable of.
However when he had made the same offer again the next year she had really let him have it. She very bluntly informed him that as a scientist she had no reason to celebrate the birth of a supposed “holy man” two thousand years ago to an unwed teenage mother who claimed to be a virgin. She told him that she would do exactly what she had been doing every Christmas since she had become an adult, which was to hole up in her lab and work on her research in an effort to further expand the frontiers of science.
She still remembered quite clearly the look of disappointment on his face at her refusal, yet the next year he had tried once again to invite her to spend Christmas with him. He had been enthusiastic and eager, seemingly undaunted by her previous reactions. Of course she had rejected him then, and every year since then. Turning down Plunder was ironically starting to become a Christmas tradition for her.
However, this year it was already well into December and he had yet to invite her to spend Christmas with him. Perhaps she had finally scared him off, which made her feel rather disappointed, though she was loathe to admit it. Even if she had no desire to celebrate a holiday that she did not believe in, the fact that he wanted to include her in his traditions made her feel good.
She tried to put the thought out of her mind and focus on her latest experiment. As she was aimlessly flipping through a chemistry journal, she was interrupted by the phone ringing. A quick glance at the caller ID showed that it was Plunder. “Oh, this is gonna be good,” she said to herself before answering the phone. “Hello,” she said sweetly into the receiver, twirling her finger around the phone cord as she spoke.
“Hello,” Plunder said cordially in return. “How are you?”
“I’m just fine. What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t suppose you have any plans for Christmas,” he said, trying to sound conversational.
She could sense the slight apprehension in his voice as he asked her that. She grinned wickedly, knowing that she had him. “What do you think?” she asked harshly, eager for a chance to let him have it yet again this year.
“I think you don’t,” he replied, “Which is exactly why I called you. I was hoping that you like to accompany me on a business trip next week, seeing as how you do not have prior plans.”
Blight was stunned. He had certainly managed to catch her off guard with that. “A business trip?” she sputtered, wondering exactly what it was that he was up to.
“Yes, I have some meetings in Dubai with a potential business partner. It would be nice to have someone to travel with me. Besides, it’s sunny and warm there, much more pleasant that the wintery mess here.”
“Dubai?” Blight asked incredulously, wondering what kind of business he had there, especially now.
“Yes, Dubai. In the United Arab Emirates,” Plunder replied.
“I know where Dubai is,” Blight said irritably. “But why are you going there now? Don’t you have some stupid Christmas thing you have to go to with your family?” She made no attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice as she asked him that, and she was certain he had to have noticed it.
Plunder chuckled softly. “It’s a Muslim country, Babs. They don’t shut down for Christmas the way we do here. So did you want to come along or not?”
“Ugh. Fine. Whatever,” Blight muttered, trying to sound as unenthusiastic as possible, though the prospects of warm weather did seem really appealing at the moment. Besides, it was not as if he were inviting her to some stupid Christmas party, so she might as well go along. He always treated her quite nicely when she joined him for these business trips.
“Excellent. I’ll send a limo for you tomorrow morning,” Plunder replied smoothly, and Blight could just imagine the smug smile on his face.
She rolled her eyes and slammed the receiver down on the phone, knowing that he had to be up to something.
* * *
Plunder, unsurprisingly, had booked the Royal Suite at the Hyatt Regency, one of the most expensive hotel rooms in Dubai. The bed was luxurious, and Blight found that she had no desire to get out of it in the morning, though she was not really a morning person to begin with. She stayed in bed for at least an hour after Plunder had woken up, but eventually the sounds of him moving around the room had awakened her.
She stumbled into the kitchen in her robe, her hair still a mess, to find Plunder making coffee.
“Do you have to wake up so early?” she muttered, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“I have some very important meetings to attend later. I needed time to prepare,” he answered simply. He was already fully dressed and quite awake.
“Hmph,” was all Blight managed to say in response, as she poured a generous amount of cream into her mug.
“Not a coffee drinker, huh?” Plunder said with an amused grin, taking a sip of his coffee, which was black.
She didn’t bother responding to the remark. He should know the answer to that by now. “So you have important meetings later? You really had to come on this trip then? Isn’t your mother going to be livid that you’re missing the holidays?” Blight asked, as she added even more sugar and cream to her coffee.
“Oh yeah…” Plunder muttered, raising his eyebrow a little as he watched her prepare her coffee. “I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it until next Christmas. But if this deal goes through, then money will more than make up for it.”
Blight took a cautious sip of her coffee, and decided that it was finally sweet enough to be tolerable.
She followed Plunder in the sitting area of the expensive hotel suite, taking a seat in a very comfortable leather chair as she drank her coffee.
“I’m so glad you decided to join me on this trip, Babs,” he said after a moment, smiling happily. “I got you something. Just a little present to say thank you.” He walked over to her and handed her a black velvet box tied with a shiny gold ribbon.
She took the present eagerly and ripped off the ribbon. Inside the box was a stunning diamond necklace with matching earrings that she was certain had cost a small fortune. “Thank you. This is very…” her voice trailed off as something dawned on her. Today was December 25. This was Christmas morning. “Looten!” she exclaimed, her expression quickly twisting into an angry scowl.
“Yes?” he asked, his voice even. He would have seemed innocent if she hadn’t noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes.
She glared at him. “This is a Christmas gift, isn’t it?”
“Oh is today Christmas? I hadn’t noticed…”
“Liar.” She sighed miserably and sank back into her chair. She couldn’t believe she had let him trick her.
“Come on, this isn’t so bad, is it? This could become a new tradition for us.”
“You sneaky bastard,” she muttered as she stared down at the brightly sparkling jewelry he had given her. Even if it was for Christmas, she wasn’t giving it back.
Plunder grinned triumphantly. “Merry Christmas, Babs.”
Characters: Plunder/Blight
Title: Christmas Tradition
Rating: PG
Summary: Dr. Blight doesn't really care for Christmas traditions.
Word Count: 1323
A/N: Well day three, and this is my longest "ficlet" yet... But maybe that means I'm getting my writing groove back! :D
* * *
Dr. Blight still remembered the first time Looten Plunder had asked her if she would like to come to his family’s Christmas dinner. It was a simple affair, just his parents, his nephew Robin and himself. She had assumed then that his offer was merely out of politeness, as they had only been working together just over a year at that point. She had politely declined, or at least as politely as she was capable of.
However when he had made the same offer again the next year she had really let him have it. She very bluntly informed him that as a scientist she had no reason to celebrate the birth of a supposed “holy man” two thousand years ago to an unwed teenage mother who claimed to be a virgin. She told him that she would do exactly what she had been doing every Christmas since she had become an adult, which was to hole up in her lab and work on her research in an effort to further expand the frontiers of science.
She still remembered quite clearly the look of disappointment on his face at her refusal, yet the next year he had tried once again to invite her to spend Christmas with him. He had been enthusiastic and eager, seemingly undaunted by her previous reactions. Of course she had rejected him then, and every year since then. Turning down Plunder was ironically starting to become a Christmas tradition for her.
However, this year it was already well into December and he had yet to invite her to spend Christmas with him. Perhaps she had finally scared him off, which made her feel rather disappointed, though she was loathe to admit it. Even if she had no desire to celebrate a holiday that she did not believe in, the fact that he wanted to include her in his traditions made her feel good.
She tried to put the thought out of her mind and focus on her latest experiment. As she was aimlessly flipping through a chemistry journal, she was interrupted by the phone ringing. A quick glance at the caller ID showed that it was Plunder. “Oh, this is gonna be good,” she said to herself before answering the phone. “Hello,” she said sweetly into the receiver, twirling her finger around the phone cord as she spoke.
“Hello,” Plunder said cordially in return. “How are you?”
“I’m just fine. What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t suppose you have any plans for Christmas,” he said, trying to sound conversational.
She could sense the slight apprehension in his voice as he asked her that. She grinned wickedly, knowing that she had him. “What do you think?” she asked harshly, eager for a chance to let him have it yet again this year.
“I think you don’t,” he replied, “Which is exactly why I called you. I was hoping that you like to accompany me on a business trip next week, seeing as how you do not have prior plans.”
Blight was stunned. He had certainly managed to catch her off guard with that. “A business trip?” she sputtered, wondering exactly what it was that he was up to.
“Yes, I have some meetings in Dubai with a potential business partner. It would be nice to have someone to travel with me. Besides, it’s sunny and warm there, much more pleasant that the wintery mess here.”
“Dubai?” Blight asked incredulously, wondering what kind of business he had there, especially now.
“Yes, Dubai. In the United Arab Emirates,” Plunder replied.
“I know where Dubai is,” Blight said irritably. “But why are you going there now? Don’t you have some stupid Christmas thing you have to go to with your family?” She made no attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice as she asked him that, and she was certain he had to have noticed it.
Plunder chuckled softly. “It’s a Muslim country, Babs. They don’t shut down for Christmas the way we do here. So did you want to come along or not?”
“Ugh. Fine. Whatever,” Blight muttered, trying to sound as unenthusiastic as possible, though the prospects of warm weather did seem really appealing at the moment. Besides, it was not as if he were inviting her to some stupid Christmas party, so she might as well go along. He always treated her quite nicely when she joined him for these business trips.
“Excellent. I’ll send a limo for you tomorrow morning,” Plunder replied smoothly, and Blight could just imagine the smug smile on his face.
She rolled her eyes and slammed the receiver down on the phone, knowing that he had to be up to something.
* * *
Plunder, unsurprisingly, had booked the Royal Suite at the Hyatt Regency, one of the most expensive hotel rooms in Dubai. The bed was luxurious, and Blight found that she had no desire to get out of it in the morning, though she was not really a morning person to begin with. She stayed in bed for at least an hour after Plunder had woken up, but eventually the sounds of him moving around the room had awakened her.
She stumbled into the kitchen in her robe, her hair still a mess, to find Plunder making coffee.
“Do you have to wake up so early?” she muttered, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“I have some very important meetings to attend later. I needed time to prepare,” he answered simply. He was already fully dressed and quite awake.
“Hmph,” was all Blight managed to say in response, as she poured a generous amount of cream into her mug.
“Not a coffee drinker, huh?” Plunder said with an amused grin, taking a sip of his coffee, which was black.
She didn’t bother responding to the remark. He should know the answer to that by now. “So you have important meetings later? You really had to come on this trip then? Isn’t your mother going to be livid that you’re missing the holidays?” Blight asked, as she added even more sugar and cream to her coffee.
“Oh yeah…” Plunder muttered, raising his eyebrow a little as he watched her prepare her coffee. “I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it until next Christmas. But if this deal goes through, then money will more than make up for it.”
Blight took a cautious sip of her coffee, and decided that it was finally sweet enough to be tolerable.
She followed Plunder in the sitting area of the expensive hotel suite, taking a seat in a very comfortable leather chair as she drank her coffee.
“I’m so glad you decided to join me on this trip, Babs,” he said after a moment, smiling happily. “I got you something. Just a little present to say thank you.” He walked over to her and handed her a black velvet box tied with a shiny gold ribbon.
She took the present eagerly and ripped off the ribbon. Inside the box was a stunning diamond necklace with matching earrings that she was certain had cost a small fortune. “Thank you. This is very…” her voice trailed off as something dawned on her. Today was December 25. This was Christmas morning. “Looten!” she exclaimed, her expression quickly twisting into an angry scowl.
“Yes?” he asked, his voice even. He would have seemed innocent if she hadn’t noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes.
She glared at him. “This is a Christmas gift, isn’t it?”
“Oh is today Christmas? I hadn’t noticed…”
“Liar.” She sighed miserably and sank back into her chair. She couldn’t believe she had let him trick her.
“Come on, this isn’t so bad, is it? This could become a new tradition for us.”
“You sneaky bastard,” she muttered as she stared down at the brightly sparkling jewelry he had given her. Even if it was for Christmas, she wasn’t giving it back.
Plunder grinned triumphantly. “Merry Christmas, Babs.”