Assumptions part 3
Title: Assumptions
Author: fredsmith518
Beta: none!
Rating:tame
Disclaimer: Nothing owned.
Summary: So, as you do, I was wandering through http://community.livejournal.com/oc_plotbunnies/profile looking for a post, which I found btw, and happened across this comment by dogsbody01 one thing lead to another and as I was doing serious cleaning yesterday, is what occurred to me… and then grew
Prompt Caleb says something really hurtful about Ryan, in front of both Kristen and him. Her response is to treat it as a joke, and Ryan wonders if he should start packing.
I set this in early, very early season 1, there’s a shock. Assume Caleb and Ryan have met earlier than canon might suggest.
Part 3
The first morning of Kirsten’s vacation had started just as she’d planned. As she’d predicted, it hadn’t been any effort to persuade Sandy to forego the surf. A few well placed touches had been all she’d needed to signal her intentions. Afterwards, she felt languid and loved and happier than she could remember in months. He’d been most supportive of her decision to put some distance between herself and her father.
After Sandy left, she’d pottered about the bedroom sorting out a few papers, considering the clothes hanging in her closets, deciding which items needed dry-cleaning and whether she needed to replace anything. She wondered if she should treat herself to some new shoes, which brought her to thinking of the ones she’d kicked off the previous evening. She would retrieve them when she went downstairs. She gathered up the remains of breakfast from around the room. Sandy had prepared it and brought it up, but had regretfully informed her that he’d had to leave the cleaning up. Kirsten hadn’t been concerned. She had the whole day after all, she told him. Breakfast in bed had been an unexpected treat of itself.
Kissing her thoroughly before he left, Sandy had made a suggestion, in between smooches, that she try to get a schedule out of the boys for the next few days, so they could enjoy some ‘together time’ with some privacy in case things got noisy. She already had a good idea of Seth’s schedule. She’d make a point of finding out when Ryan would be out of the house this morning. She shivered with anticipation. She felt like a giddy teenager arranging assignations with a boyfriend, rather an old married lady. Perhaps she should start sending Sandy coded text messages? She wasn’t answering phones on principle, just in case her father was calling.
Kirsten juggled the tray, and then carefully negotiated the door. Despite her best efforts, a number of crumbs fell as she juggled her way out. Clearly, there was cleaning in her future too. Kirsten quite enjoyed cleaning, given enough time and no other pressing concerns. It was satisfying to impose cleanliness and order on mess and disarray.
She cast a glance towards the front door and was surprised to see her shoes neatly together, just off to one side. She guessed Sandy must have taken the time to tidy up after her. That was so sweet of him. And the kitchen too was spotless. He mustn’t have been as late as he’d thought.
She, on the other hand was running later than she’d planned and barely had time to grab her purse before she had to dash out the door for her first treatment.
The morning at the spa was heaven. After her early morning with Sandy, Kirsten had thought all the pent up tension she’d been feeling had been released but she’d been wrong. The masseuse had stroked and kneaded and all manner of kinks had loosened up. It had been fun, hanging around with some of the Newpsies as well, listening to the gossip, catching up. Okay, she wouldn’t want to do that every day, but a change was as good as a rest. The best part was when Fiona, an old friend from her school days, whom Kirsten had not seen in ages, breezed in. Kirsten arranged for to go out for lunch with her and a few other friends the next day.
When she returned home, the kitchen was once again spotless. In fact the whole house was dust free and the washing was churning around in the machine. Having nothing left to do, Kirsten made herself a snack and plopped down in front of daytime T.V. As no one else was about, watching The Valley, without ridicule was just too good an opportunity to miss.
She caught Ryan between shifts and asked him to give her a list of his shifts. He looked a bit surprised and she wondered if perhaps she’d phrased her request badly.
“Ryan, can you give me a list of the times when you’re going to be home this week? I want to work out my schedule around yours.” Surely that couldn’t be misconstrued?
*********************
The following day started much the same way as the one that had preceded it, and then she was preparing to go out for the lunch with her friends. Lunch was a hoot. She had forgotten just how funny Fiona was. Kirsten herself didn’t contribute much to the conversation, but nevertheless, she was enjoying herself so much that she invited them all back home for coffee or maybe something stronger. They caught a cab home.
As luck would it, Ryan was cleaning the patio furniture as the group of slightly inebriated Newpsies rolled up.
“Mrs. Cohen,” Ryan acknowledged her deferentially.
“Kirsten, honey, which agency are you using for your hired help?” Fiona drawled as she eyed Ryan up, leaving few of her thoughts to the imagination. “I should give them a call. I’ll need a new pool boy. Can you give me your name, sweetie, so I know who to ask for?”
Kirsten was momentarily left speechless that anyone could make such an assumption about Ryan. How could anyone mistake him for an employee? Slowly a light bulb began to go on in her head. Her father had thought he was given menial tasks. Her friend just assumed he was ‘hired help’. Those must be the signals being given out. She felt nauseous. Before she could get her herself together enough to reply, and force out words past the lump in her throat, one of her ‘friends’ had spoken for her.
“Hey, Fiona, no. The pretty ‘hired help’ here is living in. Sandy and Kirsten adopted him. You don’t hire him out, do you, Kirsten?”
The group of women erupted in gales of laughter, as if Megan’s comment had been hilarious, which it most certainly hadn’t been. Kirsten was still absolutely mortified. Matters deteriorated further as another Newpsie chimed in with, “Yes, Kirsten, if one is going to take in an orphan, one owes it to oneself to choose an attractive one.” Then changing tone and dropping the mock English accent, she added, “ And this one is easy on the eye for sure.”
Ryan hadn’t reacted to being named ‘hired help’, but Kirsten saw a brief spasm cross his face at being called an orphan, a charity case.
“I should go, Mrs. Cohen. I have to get to work.” he said quietly and then fled, retrieving his bike from where it had been leaning against the pool house wall, he pedalled off furiously.
“Ryan is not an orphan. He has a family,” Kirsten finally managed to say, loudly, in the hopes that he would hear her.
In the midst of her confusion, another worrying thought struck her. Why was Ryan doing cleaning chores right up to the time he had to leave for work?
tbc
Author: fredsmith518
Beta: none!
Rating:tame
Disclaimer: Nothing owned.
Summary: So, as you do, I was wandering through http://community.livejournal.com/oc_plotbunnies/profile looking for a post, which I found btw, and happened across this comment by dogsbody01 one thing lead to another and as I was doing serious cleaning yesterday, is what occurred to me… and then grew
Prompt Caleb says something really hurtful about Ryan, in front of both Kristen and him. Her response is to treat it as a joke, and Ryan wonders if he should start packing.
I set this in early, very early season 1, there’s a shock. Assume Caleb and Ryan have met earlier than canon might suggest.
Part 3
The first morning of Kirsten’s vacation had started just as she’d planned. As she’d predicted, it hadn’t been any effort to persuade Sandy to forego the surf. A few well placed touches had been all she’d needed to signal her intentions. Afterwards, she felt languid and loved and happier than she could remember in months. He’d been most supportive of her decision to put some distance between herself and her father.
After Sandy left, she’d pottered about the bedroom sorting out a few papers, considering the clothes hanging in her closets, deciding which items needed dry-cleaning and whether she needed to replace anything. She wondered if she should treat herself to some new shoes, which brought her to thinking of the ones she’d kicked off the previous evening. She would retrieve them when she went downstairs. She gathered up the remains of breakfast from around the room. Sandy had prepared it and brought it up, but had regretfully informed her that he’d had to leave the cleaning up. Kirsten hadn’t been concerned. She had the whole day after all, she told him. Breakfast in bed had been an unexpected treat of itself.
Kissing her thoroughly before he left, Sandy had made a suggestion, in between smooches, that she try to get a schedule out of the boys for the next few days, so they could enjoy some ‘together time’ with some privacy in case things got noisy. She already had a good idea of Seth’s schedule. She’d make a point of finding out when Ryan would be out of the house this morning. She shivered with anticipation. She felt like a giddy teenager arranging assignations with a boyfriend, rather an old married lady. Perhaps she should start sending Sandy coded text messages? She wasn’t answering phones on principle, just in case her father was calling.
Kirsten juggled the tray, and then carefully negotiated the door. Despite her best efforts, a number of crumbs fell as she juggled her way out. Clearly, there was cleaning in her future too. Kirsten quite enjoyed cleaning, given enough time and no other pressing concerns. It was satisfying to impose cleanliness and order on mess and disarray.
She cast a glance towards the front door and was surprised to see her shoes neatly together, just off to one side. She guessed Sandy must have taken the time to tidy up after her. That was so sweet of him. And the kitchen too was spotless. He mustn’t have been as late as he’d thought.
She, on the other hand was running later than she’d planned and barely had time to grab her purse before she had to dash out the door for her first treatment.
The morning at the spa was heaven. After her early morning with Sandy, Kirsten had thought all the pent up tension she’d been feeling had been released but she’d been wrong. The masseuse had stroked and kneaded and all manner of kinks had loosened up. It had been fun, hanging around with some of the Newpsies as well, listening to the gossip, catching up. Okay, she wouldn’t want to do that every day, but a change was as good as a rest. The best part was when Fiona, an old friend from her school days, whom Kirsten had not seen in ages, breezed in. Kirsten arranged for to go out for lunch with her and a few other friends the next day.
When she returned home, the kitchen was once again spotless. In fact the whole house was dust free and the washing was churning around in the machine. Having nothing left to do, Kirsten made herself a snack and plopped down in front of daytime T.V. As no one else was about, watching The Valley, without ridicule was just too good an opportunity to miss.
She caught Ryan between shifts and asked him to give her a list of his shifts. He looked a bit surprised and she wondered if perhaps she’d phrased her request badly.
“Ryan, can you give me a list of the times when you’re going to be home this week? I want to work out my schedule around yours.” Surely that couldn’t be misconstrued?
*********************
The following day started much the same way as the one that had preceded it, and then she was preparing to go out for the lunch with her friends. Lunch was a hoot. She had forgotten just how funny Fiona was. Kirsten herself didn’t contribute much to the conversation, but nevertheless, she was enjoying herself so much that she invited them all back home for coffee or maybe something stronger. They caught a cab home.
As luck would it, Ryan was cleaning the patio furniture as the group of slightly inebriated Newpsies rolled up.
“Mrs. Cohen,” Ryan acknowledged her deferentially.
“Kirsten, honey, which agency are you using for your hired help?” Fiona drawled as she eyed Ryan up, leaving few of her thoughts to the imagination. “I should give them a call. I’ll need a new pool boy. Can you give me your name, sweetie, so I know who to ask for?”
Kirsten was momentarily left speechless that anyone could make such an assumption about Ryan. How could anyone mistake him for an employee? Slowly a light bulb began to go on in her head. Her father had thought he was given menial tasks. Her friend just assumed he was ‘hired help’. Those must be the signals being given out. She felt nauseous. Before she could get her herself together enough to reply, and force out words past the lump in her throat, one of her ‘friends’ had spoken for her.
“Hey, Fiona, no. The pretty ‘hired help’ here is living in. Sandy and Kirsten adopted him. You don’t hire him out, do you, Kirsten?”
The group of women erupted in gales of laughter, as if Megan’s comment had been hilarious, which it most certainly hadn’t been. Kirsten was still absolutely mortified. Matters deteriorated further as another Newpsie chimed in with, “Yes, Kirsten, if one is going to take in an orphan, one owes it to oneself to choose an attractive one.” Then changing tone and dropping the mock English accent, she added, “ And this one is easy on the eye for sure.”
Ryan hadn’t reacted to being named ‘hired help’, but Kirsten saw a brief spasm cross his face at being called an orphan, a charity case.
“I should go, Mrs. Cohen. I have to get to work.” he said quietly and then fled, retrieving his bike from where it had been leaning against the pool house wall, he pedalled off furiously.
“Ryan is not an orphan. He has a family,” Kirsten finally managed to say, loudly, in the hopes that he would hear her.
In the midst of her confusion, another worrying thought struck her. Why was Ryan doing cleaning chores right up to the time he had to leave for work?
tbc