(no subject)
Title: Lakeside
Rating: K+ (Suitable for ages 13 and above)
Disclaimers: The character Jenny Ross belongs to sans nom. Joseph Newbury is my own creation.
Original pen-date: 5 February 2011
Summary: Show the Colours AU; Jenny and Newbury meet again, post-war. Hampshire, 1818.
Author's Note: Written for a Kink meme on DreamWidth. Prompt - Jenny/Newbury. After the war. A lake, pond or a body of water.
This was a nice spot, he decided. A quiet trout pond on the edge of a copse of trees and only a short walk from the main house. Just far enough to allow for a semi-private afternoon 'away' but close enough that he could return quickly if summoned. The chances of that were small, but one never knew. Newbury crumbled another crust of bread and tossed it into the pond, and watched the ducks eagerly swarm toward the floating bits of bread. A quiet place where any other time, he might have felt more at ease.
If he concentrated on that flock of ducks crowding close to the sloping pond bank, it was almost possible to pretend he wasn't hopelessly nervous. It was hard to remember a time when Newbury didn't feel so clumsy and stupid when she was around. His awkwardness was painfully obvious, too. It had to be. Jenny would have to be stupid not to notice, and she was anything but stupid. She'd come through the war almost without a scratch, hadn't she?
Newbury stretched his legs out and sagged back onto the grass, using his elbows to prop himself up. If he kept his gaze on the sun-dappled water, he might be able to keep from embarrassing himself too badly. Maybe.
"Glad you came back," he said at last.
"It was time for a visit," Jenny replied. "Perhaps I might find a place here, too."
A place? Newbury's heart lifted. If that was so, he would do his best to help see it happen. He didn't much care for the idea of her going away again once the visit was over, with no telling when, or even if, she'd come back again. "I'm sure the Major'll take you on."
She smiled slightly. "Without a doubt."
Questions burned inside him. Things he wanted to ask, almost desperately, but didn't have the nerve. Not even levering himself forward again to crumble another piece of bread for the ducks helped. Newbury felt hopeless. He opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and hoped his unease wasn't too obvious.
"Don't toss all that bread away," she chided, her tone light. "What will we eat with the cheese, otherwise?"
Right. Newbury's face flushed hot and he set the piece of bread back onto the cloth spread on the ground. He was making a poor showing of himself, wasn't he? Pathetic. "Sorry," he mumbled. It was far from what he wanted to say but nothing else was ready to be put into speech. Why was this so hard?
"Have some tea, dear," Jenny told him after another awkward pause. She offered a battered tin mug to him and he took it automatically.
"Thanks." At least the tea was still warm. Newbury risked a sidelong glance at Jenny and thought, just maybe, it was better to simply sit in companionable silence. If nothing else, it would lessen the chances of him making a fool of himself. He smiled into the mug of tea. Besides. It was enough to have Jenny back again.
Rating: K+ (Suitable for ages 13 and above)
Disclaimers: The character Jenny Ross belongs to sans nom. Joseph Newbury is my own creation.
Original pen-date: 5 February 2011
Summary: Show the Colours AU; Jenny and Newbury meet again, post-war. Hampshire, 1818.
Author's Note: Written for a Kink meme on DreamWidth. Prompt - Jenny/Newbury. After the war. A lake, pond or a body of water.
This was a nice spot, he decided. A quiet trout pond on the edge of a copse of trees and only a short walk from the main house. Just far enough to allow for a semi-private afternoon 'away' but close enough that he could return quickly if summoned. The chances of that were small, but one never knew. Newbury crumbled another crust of bread and tossed it into the pond, and watched the ducks eagerly swarm toward the floating bits of bread. A quiet place where any other time, he might have felt more at ease.
If he concentrated on that flock of ducks crowding close to the sloping pond bank, it was almost possible to pretend he wasn't hopelessly nervous. It was hard to remember a time when Newbury didn't feel so clumsy and stupid when she was around. His awkwardness was painfully obvious, too. It had to be. Jenny would have to be stupid not to notice, and she was anything but stupid. She'd come through the war almost without a scratch, hadn't she?
Newbury stretched his legs out and sagged back onto the grass, using his elbows to prop himself up. If he kept his gaze on the sun-dappled water, he might be able to keep from embarrassing himself too badly. Maybe.
"Glad you came back," he said at last.
"It was time for a visit," Jenny replied. "Perhaps I might find a place here, too."
A place? Newbury's heart lifted. If that was so, he would do his best to help see it happen. He didn't much care for the idea of her going away again once the visit was over, with no telling when, or even if, she'd come back again. "I'm sure the Major'll take you on."
She smiled slightly. "Without a doubt."
Questions burned inside him. Things he wanted to ask, almost desperately, but didn't have the nerve. Not even levering himself forward again to crumble another piece of bread for the ducks helped. Newbury felt hopeless. He opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and hoped his unease wasn't too obvious.
"Don't toss all that bread away," she chided, her tone light. "What will we eat with the cheese, otherwise?"
Right. Newbury's face flushed hot and he set the piece of bread back onto the cloth spread on the ground. He was making a poor showing of himself, wasn't he? Pathetic. "Sorry," he mumbled. It was far from what he wanted to say but nothing else was ready to be put into speech. Why was this so hard?
"Have some tea, dear," Jenny told him after another awkward pause. She offered a battered tin mug to him and he took it automatically.
"Thanks." At least the tea was still warm. Newbury risked a sidelong glance at Jenny and thought, just maybe, it was better to simply sit in companionable silence. If nothing else, it would lessen the chances of him making a fool of himself. He smiled into the mug of tea. Besides. It was enough to have Jenny back again.