(MdM) That Untitled Mina Fic (4/5)
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Chapter Three
That Untitled Mina Fic
Chapter Four
It was late by the time I arrived home from Eva's, and I was so tired that I didn't notice Nancy's car parked in the grass beside the house-I would see it the next day and exasperatedly wonder if perhaps the entire point behind having a driveway was entirely too hard for some people to properly grasp-and so I was admittedly caught off guard when I tossed my bag onto the bed and the bed growled back at me. I quickly reached for the light switch, flicking it on in time to see my bag tumble to the ground and Nancy unearth herself from among the blankets, confused and angry.
'Why? I don't…. Judy, why?!' she muttered incoherently, glaring at me and then pulling a pillow over her face. 'Oww….'
'Aren't you supposed to be at Val's?' I asked, sitting on the bed beside her and pulling the pillow away, much to her displeasure.
'Yeah, had stuff to do here…. and Johnny was starting to get on my nerves with his complaining anyway, so I came back.' John, Val's husband, despises Nancy-probably because she insists on calling him "Johnny" despite him hating it-but Valerie pretends to be cheerfully unaware of any animosity between her husband and her best friend. It makes for awkward moments, to say the least, but I suspect that Nancy finds quite a bit of amusement in it all. She tends to be amused by most things, it seems, especially if it involves irritating someone she thinks deserves it.
'You threw that on my head,' she said, trying to look wounded and failing.
I laughed, only feeling vaguely guilty for my lack of sympathy. 'Serves you right. Maybe next time you'll warn me that you're going to be in my bed.'
'Wasn't expecting you home,' she mumbled, closing her eyes and then forcing them open again. 'Have fun with Eva?'
'How did you know I was with Eva?' I asked, having a feeling I already knew.
Nancy confirmed it when she answered, 'Jamie. He called me. Said he was worried about you.'
Frowning and shaking my head, I stood up and kicked off my shoes, taking off earrings and things while walking towards the bathroom.
'Why on earth would he be worried about me?'
Nancy appeared in the doorway dressed in nothing but bright blue underwear, her arms folded casually across her chest as if pretending at some hint of modesty, one eyebrow raised. 'I can't imagine,' she said sarcastically.
Ignoring her-well, most of her; some parts were easier to ignore than others-I turned back towards the mirror and set about getting ready for bed.
She stared expectantly at me for a moment, and then when it became apparent that I wasn't going to respond, she continued, 'He said this whole RPF thing was bothering you.'
'Wouldn't you find it hard to be around your godson if you'd just read a story where you and he had-'
'Not those stories,' she interrupted. Nancy has always been vehemently against hearing anything even remotely related to Jamie's fictional sex life. I haven't figured out yet if it's because of the sheer awkwardness of it all-we knew that boy when he wore diapers-or if it's due to the fact that his stories are more wild and kinky than hers and she's jealous. Though James at least keeps most of his… adventures… strictly fictional. I hope.
'The Mina ones.'
'I have no idea what you're talking about,' I answered, belying my actual feelings about the subject by glaring icily at her, hoping she'd take the hint. Nudging my way past her, I walked back into the bedroom, shedding clothing. I was very much not in the mood to have this conversation right this second.
'Liar,' Nancy stated flatly, and I rolled my eyes.
'Okay, so maybe they…'
'Freaked you out?' she supplied helpfully, fighting back a grin.
I hesitated, and then, knowing Nancy probably already knew what was going through my mind anyway, conceded, 'A bit. At first, anyway. I wasn't exactly expecting them to flood the submission queue by the dozen. And Eva had been pestering me for weeks to come visit, so it seemed as good of a time as any to get away for a bit. Besides, I half-wondered if Mina would die of embarrassment if we were to actually run into each other.'
'Um… about that,' Nancy said slowly, suddenly no longer grinning. 'I know who started it… the author who wrote the first story.'
I paused, wondering how on earth she would have come across that particular bit of knowledge. 'So do I,' I stated. 'It was Mina.'
Unnervingly, all the color drained out of her face. 'You knew?'
'Yes. Well, not at first, obviously, but there are benefits to owning the archive. Nothing can truly be done anonymously on the internet.' At her questioning look, I added, 'I had Case look into it for me.'
Nancy winced slightly. 'And this doesn't… bother you?'
'I'm more than a little curious, I'll admit, but no.' The truth was, I'd finally decided that while I could not possibly reconcile the idea of actively pursuing Mina with my overwhelming sense of guilt at the thought, if she were to take any further steps in that direction on her own, well… I wasn't entirely sure I would be turning her away. She'd obviously at least given the idea some thought, even if it was only in fiction form, and while I wasn't about to assume that she was actually interested in the RL version, if she ever were… well. But Nancy's guilty expression was beginning to make me nervous.
'Why?' I asked. She avoided my gaze.
'Nancy…' I said, a warning tone in my voice.
'I might have… mentioned to Mina that I knew she wrote it,' she said, adopting her best innocent expression.
I couldn't keep my eyes from widening in horror as I turned back to face her. 'Why on earth would you do that?'
'Now, Judy,' she said quickly, 'I was only trying to-'
'Make my life difficult?' I interrupted.
'Protect you,' she said, and then winced again at my furious look. 'You would have done the same thing if it were me,' she insisted. 'I was worried, and let's face it, Mina is hardly the most trustworthy person we know, and I wanted to make sure that she wasn't trying to-'
'No, Nancy, I have never and would never interfere in your life the way you insist on interfering in mine,' I pointed out angrily.
'I'm sorry,' she said, her voice almost a whine, grabbing my hand.
I glared daggers at her for a moment, unsure whether I wanted to scream at her-something I never do, but a scream felt warranted right at this moment-or just ignore her until she left. But what was done was done, and if nothing else, I had to figure out how much damage had been done. Doing my best to force myself to look and sound completely calm, which was something that I knew would unnerve her more than any show of anger could anyway, I asked, 'And what did Mina have to say about all of this?'
'She kicked me out of her dorm room,' Nancy answered, looking apologetically amused. 'I told her I wanted an explanation, and she was crying-'
'You made her cry?'
'Well, yes, but apparently she's got more backbone than I'd thought because she refused to say anything but 'get out' until I left.'
'You made her cry?' I asked again, anger seeping back into my expression.
'I'm sorry,' she repeated, not looking sorry at all, and flinched as I jerked my hand away from her grasp. 'Okay, okay, I'll talk to her.'
'No, just… let me handle it,' I said with a sigh, already trying to come up with a plan. 'I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Nancy.' I walked across the room, holding the door open for her.
'Are you kicking me out of your room too?' she asked with a small smile, looking down at her nearly bare body. 'C'mon, Judy, I'm almost naked here.'
'The last time you visited, I came home to find you dancing across the kitchen dressed in nothing but a pair of socks. I think you can handle the walk to the guest room topless,' I insisted, not letting myself think too hard on the memory or focus too much on her current state. Nancy has a way of destroying my will power, and if I thought about it too hard I'd have a difficult time making her go. 'I need to think, and I need to get some sleep, and I doubt either of those things will be accomplished if you stay.'
Looking vaguely hurt but also mildly relieved-after all, we hadn't had an actual fight… yet, anyway-she held my gaze for a moment before leaving the room.
Fighting the overwhelming urge to rip my hair out in frustration, I stripped off the rest of my clothes and collapsed back onto my bed, my mind reeling.
~
The Plan (which formulated in my head while in my office two days later, capital P and all) wasn't going to be easy, I decided-nothing ever was when it came to Mina because she had an extraordinarily strong tendency to do the exact opposite of what I expected her to do. Eva has always been a sort of open book, Valerie tends to wear her heart on her sleeve, and I know Nancy well enough after all these years to predict almost everything she does despite her penchant for spontaneity, but Mina sometimes just seems to go along with whatever idea pops into her head without any further thought on the subject, consequences be damned, and there was no telling what 'solution' she'd arrive to first on most things.
I'd tried instant messaging and emailing Mina, with only a quick email saying that she was busy with schoolwork and didn't have time to talk in return… even though I saw that she'd been online and even on Penn'd Passions recently. I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or worried that she was obviously avoiding me. Nancy, despite my protests, had tried to contact her as well, but hadn't received any response at all-not surprising, but frustrating nonetheless.
I'd begun debating whether or not it would be a horrible idea to just show up at her dorm-I decided it probably was, but at this point, no viable option was being brushed aside completely-when opportunity came in the form of one of my assistants.
'I don't know how you even read that thing anymore for all the writing,' I heard Moselle say.
'I usually have one copy to read and one to take notes in,' Seldom answered, and I almost tuned him out completely, realizing he was talking about his thesis and Jen's awful, albeit imaginative, novel. Luckily the conversation continued to hold my attention long enough to hear him continue, 'But I loaned the other copy to Mina, and I haven’t seen her in ages. I hope she plans on returning it-it's not that easy to find, you know. There was only one printing, and it's such an interesting-'
'I'm sure she'll return it,' Moselle reassured him quickly, cutting off another long monologue on the life and lies of Razzberry Martini, and I could hear her stand up, point out that they both had work to do, and hurry away.
The Plan came into being in that second. It wasn't the most well thought out plan, perhaps, but if nothing else it would get Mina within twenty feet of the library, and me, without having to ask Nancy to kidnap her.
I walked to the doorway of my office and called, 'Seldom, do you have any classes tomorrow?'
'No, Ms. Silverman.'
'Good. I need someone to stay after hours tonight and help me with reorganize some things.' Stepping closer to him and lowering my voice, I added conspiratorially, 'There is some paperwork I need to re-file that I'd rather not have out while there are other people around. I can trust you, though, I'm sure?'
'Of course, Ms. Silverman,' he answered quickly, no longer looking quite as reluctant to be stuck in the library on a Friday night.
'Good. Plan to be here until at least eleven,' I told him, feeling mildly guilty as his face fell, and I turned to go back into my office. Stopping just before I closed the door, I said, 'Perhaps you can email Mina and ask her to bring your book by the library. She can't possibly be busy all evening. Tell her you'll leave the staff entrance open for her.'
He shrugged, nodding his understanding, and began pulling his laptop out of his bag.
'Remember, Seldom, not a word to anyone about why you'll be here, not even Mina,' I said sternly despite the fact that he really had no idea why he'd be here anyway, and he nodded fervently.
I finally stepped completely into my office, closing the door behind me and shutting my eyes for a moment, trying to determine if there was any way this could backfire on me. A million ways, actually, I inwardly acknowledged, but I would find a way to make it work. It had to work.
~
Seldom had been steadily filing pages-all torn from books or photocopied, much to his bewilderment, but at least he knew better than to ask too many questions and had skimmed enough of them to know why he was being sworn to secrecy-while I worked on paperwork quietly from my seat by the window, every movement outside catching my eye. Finally, at nearly ten-thirty, I saw Mina leave her dormitory and start walking across the parking lot.
'Seldom, it's getting late and you look tired,' I said, and he frowned, undoubtedly thinking that he wasn't actually tired at all, and hadn't looked even remotely so. 'Why don't you go home for the night? If Mina stops by, I'll have her leave the book with me and give it to you tomorrow.'
He quickly began gathering his things, obviously not about to argue-it was still early for a Friday night, after all, and surely there was some party he wanted to be at, or something.
'Go out the front door,' I told him. 'The staff door locks behind you and I don't want Mina to get locked out. I'll never hear her knocking from up here.'
He nodded. 'Thanks, Ms. Silverman. Goodnight.'
'Seldom,' I called as he turned towards the stairs, my gaze only leaving the window for a moment. I had to time this perfectly. 'Not a word about-'
'Of course not,' he said quickly, obviously still confused as to why he was being trusted with the secret, not to mention why it was a secret to begin with, but again not asking questions. He was practically running in place, he seemed so anxious to get out the door. Clearly the evening hadn't held nearly as exciting a revelation as he'd hoped.
'Thank you. Good night, Seldom.'
'Night,' he said again, rushing down the stairs. I heard the library door open and shut loudly as the lock slid back into place, and then saw Mina disappear into the back entrance of the building just seconds before Seldom turned the corner and headed directly past where she'd just been walking. Amazed that had even worked, I leaned against the nearest bookshelf and waited patiently.
Chapter Five
Chapter Three
That Untitled Mina Fic
Chapter Four
It was late by the time I arrived home from Eva's, and I was so tired that I didn't notice Nancy's car parked in the grass beside the house-I would see it the next day and exasperatedly wonder if perhaps the entire point behind having a driveway was entirely too hard for some people to properly grasp-and so I was admittedly caught off guard when I tossed my bag onto the bed and the bed growled back at me. I quickly reached for the light switch, flicking it on in time to see my bag tumble to the ground and Nancy unearth herself from among the blankets, confused and angry.
'Why? I don't…. Judy, why?!' she muttered incoherently, glaring at me and then pulling a pillow over her face. 'Oww….'
'Aren't you supposed to be at Val's?' I asked, sitting on the bed beside her and pulling the pillow away, much to her displeasure.
'Yeah, had stuff to do here…. and Johnny was starting to get on my nerves with his complaining anyway, so I came back.' John, Val's husband, despises Nancy-probably because she insists on calling him "Johnny" despite him hating it-but Valerie pretends to be cheerfully unaware of any animosity between her husband and her best friend. It makes for awkward moments, to say the least, but I suspect that Nancy finds quite a bit of amusement in it all. She tends to be amused by most things, it seems, especially if it involves irritating someone she thinks deserves it.
'You threw that on my head,' she said, trying to look wounded and failing.
I laughed, only feeling vaguely guilty for my lack of sympathy. 'Serves you right. Maybe next time you'll warn me that you're going to be in my bed.'
'Wasn't expecting you home,' she mumbled, closing her eyes and then forcing them open again. 'Have fun with Eva?'
'How did you know I was with Eva?' I asked, having a feeling I already knew.
Nancy confirmed it when she answered, 'Jamie. He called me. Said he was worried about you.'
Frowning and shaking my head, I stood up and kicked off my shoes, taking off earrings and things while walking towards the bathroom.
'Why on earth would he be worried about me?'
Nancy appeared in the doorway dressed in nothing but bright blue underwear, her arms folded casually across her chest as if pretending at some hint of modesty, one eyebrow raised. 'I can't imagine,' she said sarcastically.
Ignoring her-well, most of her; some parts were easier to ignore than others-I turned back towards the mirror and set about getting ready for bed.
She stared expectantly at me for a moment, and then when it became apparent that I wasn't going to respond, she continued, 'He said this whole RPF thing was bothering you.'
'Wouldn't you find it hard to be around your godson if you'd just read a story where you and he had-'
'Not those stories,' she interrupted. Nancy has always been vehemently against hearing anything even remotely related to Jamie's fictional sex life. I haven't figured out yet if it's because of the sheer awkwardness of it all-we knew that boy when he wore diapers-or if it's due to the fact that his stories are more wild and kinky than hers and she's jealous. Though James at least keeps most of his… adventures… strictly fictional. I hope.
'The Mina ones.'
'I have no idea what you're talking about,' I answered, belying my actual feelings about the subject by glaring icily at her, hoping she'd take the hint. Nudging my way past her, I walked back into the bedroom, shedding clothing. I was very much not in the mood to have this conversation right this second.
'Liar,' Nancy stated flatly, and I rolled my eyes.
'Okay, so maybe they…'
'Freaked you out?' she supplied helpfully, fighting back a grin.
I hesitated, and then, knowing Nancy probably already knew what was going through my mind anyway, conceded, 'A bit. At first, anyway. I wasn't exactly expecting them to flood the submission queue by the dozen. And Eva had been pestering me for weeks to come visit, so it seemed as good of a time as any to get away for a bit. Besides, I half-wondered if Mina would die of embarrassment if we were to actually run into each other.'
'Um… about that,' Nancy said slowly, suddenly no longer grinning. 'I know who started it… the author who wrote the first story.'
I paused, wondering how on earth she would have come across that particular bit of knowledge. 'So do I,' I stated. 'It was Mina.'
Unnervingly, all the color drained out of her face. 'You knew?'
'Yes. Well, not at first, obviously, but there are benefits to owning the archive. Nothing can truly be done anonymously on the internet.' At her questioning look, I added, 'I had Case look into it for me.'
Nancy winced slightly. 'And this doesn't… bother you?'
'I'm more than a little curious, I'll admit, but no.' The truth was, I'd finally decided that while I could not possibly reconcile the idea of actively pursuing Mina with my overwhelming sense of guilt at the thought, if she were to take any further steps in that direction on her own, well… I wasn't entirely sure I would be turning her away. She'd obviously at least given the idea some thought, even if it was only in fiction form, and while I wasn't about to assume that she was actually interested in the RL version, if she ever were… well. But Nancy's guilty expression was beginning to make me nervous.
'Why?' I asked. She avoided my gaze.
'Nancy…' I said, a warning tone in my voice.
'I might have… mentioned to Mina that I knew she wrote it,' she said, adopting her best innocent expression.
I couldn't keep my eyes from widening in horror as I turned back to face her. 'Why on earth would you do that?'
'Now, Judy,' she said quickly, 'I was only trying to-'
'Make my life difficult?' I interrupted.
'Protect you,' she said, and then winced again at my furious look. 'You would have done the same thing if it were me,' she insisted. 'I was worried, and let's face it, Mina is hardly the most trustworthy person we know, and I wanted to make sure that she wasn't trying to-'
'No, Nancy, I have never and would never interfere in your life the way you insist on interfering in mine,' I pointed out angrily.
'I'm sorry,' she said, her voice almost a whine, grabbing my hand.
I glared daggers at her for a moment, unsure whether I wanted to scream at her-something I never do, but a scream felt warranted right at this moment-or just ignore her until she left. But what was done was done, and if nothing else, I had to figure out how much damage had been done. Doing my best to force myself to look and sound completely calm, which was something that I knew would unnerve her more than any show of anger could anyway, I asked, 'And what did Mina have to say about all of this?'
'She kicked me out of her dorm room,' Nancy answered, looking apologetically amused. 'I told her I wanted an explanation, and she was crying-'
'You made her cry?'
'Well, yes, but apparently she's got more backbone than I'd thought because she refused to say anything but 'get out' until I left.'
'You made her cry?' I asked again, anger seeping back into my expression.
'I'm sorry,' she repeated, not looking sorry at all, and flinched as I jerked my hand away from her grasp. 'Okay, okay, I'll talk to her.'
'No, just… let me handle it,' I said with a sigh, already trying to come up with a plan. 'I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Nancy.' I walked across the room, holding the door open for her.
'Are you kicking me out of your room too?' she asked with a small smile, looking down at her nearly bare body. 'C'mon, Judy, I'm almost naked here.'
'The last time you visited, I came home to find you dancing across the kitchen dressed in nothing but a pair of socks. I think you can handle the walk to the guest room topless,' I insisted, not letting myself think too hard on the memory or focus too much on her current state. Nancy has a way of destroying my will power, and if I thought about it too hard I'd have a difficult time making her go. 'I need to think, and I need to get some sleep, and I doubt either of those things will be accomplished if you stay.'
Looking vaguely hurt but also mildly relieved-after all, we hadn't had an actual fight… yet, anyway-she held my gaze for a moment before leaving the room.
Fighting the overwhelming urge to rip my hair out in frustration, I stripped off the rest of my clothes and collapsed back onto my bed, my mind reeling.
~
The Plan (which formulated in my head while in my office two days later, capital P and all) wasn't going to be easy, I decided-nothing ever was when it came to Mina because she had an extraordinarily strong tendency to do the exact opposite of what I expected her to do. Eva has always been a sort of open book, Valerie tends to wear her heart on her sleeve, and I know Nancy well enough after all these years to predict almost everything she does despite her penchant for spontaneity, but Mina sometimes just seems to go along with whatever idea pops into her head without any further thought on the subject, consequences be damned, and there was no telling what 'solution' she'd arrive to first on most things.
I'd tried instant messaging and emailing Mina, with only a quick email saying that she was busy with schoolwork and didn't have time to talk in return… even though I saw that she'd been online and even on Penn'd Passions recently. I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or worried that she was obviously avoiding me. Nancy, despite my protests, had tried to contact her as well, but hadn't received any response at all-not surprising, but frustrating nonetheless.
I'd begun debating whether or not it would be a horrible idea to just show up at her dorm-I decided it probably was, but at this point, no viable option was being brushed aside completely-when opportunity came in the form of one of my assistants.
'I don't know how you even read that thing anymore for all the writing,' I heard Moselle say.
'I usually have one copy to read and one to take notes in,' Seldom answered, and I almost tuned him out completely, realizing he was talking about his thesis and Jen's awful, albeit imaginative, novel. Luckily the conversation continued to hold my attention long enough to hear him continue, 'But I loaned the other copy to Mina, and I haven’t seen her in ages. I hope she plans on returning it-it's not that easy to find, you know. There was only one printing, and it's such an interesting-'
'I'm sure she'll return it,' Moselle reassured him quickly, cutting off another long monologue on the life and lies of Razzberry Martini, and I could hear her stand up, point out that they both had work to do, and hurry away.
The Plan came into being in that second. It wasn't the most well thought out plan, perhaps, but if nothing else it would get Mina within twenty feet of the library, and me, without having to ask Nancy to kidnap her.
I walked to the doorway of my office and called, 'Seldom, do you have any classes tomorrow?'
'No, Ms. Silverman.'
'Good. I need someone to stay after hours tonight and help me with reorganize some things.' Stepping closer to him and lowering my voice, I added conspiratorially, 'There is some paperwork I need to re-file that I'd rather not have out while there are other people around. I can trust you, though, I'm sure?'
'Of course, Ms. Silverman,' he answered quickly, no longer looking quite as reluctant to be stuck in the library on a Friday night.
'Good. Plan to be here until at least eleven,' I told him, feeling mildly guilty as his face fell, and I turned to go back into my office. Stopping just before I closed the door, I said, 'Perhaps you can email Mina and ask her to bring your book by the library. She can't possibly be busy all evening. Tell her you'll leave the staff entrance open for her.'
He shrugged, nodding his understanding, and began pulling his laptop out of his bag.
'Remember, Seldom, not a word to anyone about why you'll be here, not even Mina,' I said sternly despite the fact that he really had no idea why he'd be here anyway, and he nodded fervently.
I finally stepped completely into my office, closing the door behind me and shutting my eyes for a moment, trying to determine if there was any way this could backfire on me. A million ways, actually, I inwardly acknowledged, but I would find a way to make it work. It had to work.
~
Seldom had been steadily filing pages-all torn from books or photocopied, much to his bewilderment, but at least he knew better than to ask too many questions and had skimmed enough of them to know why he was being sworn to secrecy-while I worked on paperwork quietly from my seat by the window, every movement outside catching my eye. Finally, at nearly ten-thirty, I saw Mina leave her dormitory and start walking across the parking lot.
'Seldom, it's getting late and you look tired,' I said, and he frowned, undoubtedly thinking that he wasn't actually tired at all, and hadn't looked even remotely so. 'Why don't you go home for the night? If Mina stops by, I'll have her leave the book with me and give it to you tomorrow.'
He quickly began gathering his things, obviously not about to argue-it was still early for a Friday night, after all, and surely there was some party he wanted to be at, or something.
'Go out the front door,' I told him. 'The staff door locks behind you and I don't want Mina to get locked out. I'll never hear her knocking from up here.'
He nodded. 'Thanks, Ms. Silverman. Goodnight.'
'Seldom,' I called as he turned towards the stairs, my gaze only leaving the window for a moment. I had to time this perfectly. 'Not a word about-'
'Of course not,' he said quickly, obviously still confused as to why he was being trusted with the secret, not to mention why it was a secret to begin with, but again not asking questions. He was practically running in place, he seemed so anxious to get out the door. Clearly the evening hadn't held nearly as exciting a revelation as he'd hoped.
'Thank you. Good night, Seldom.'
'Night,' he said again, rushing down the stairs. I heard the library door open and shut loudly as the lock slid back into place, and then saw Mina disappear into the back entrance of the building just seconds before Seldom turned the corner and headed directly past where she'd just been walking. Amazed that had even worked, I leaned against the nearest bookshelf and waited patiently.
Chapter Five