An Outside View of Things, Part II (1/1)
Title: An Outside View of Things, Part II (1/1)
Rating: K
Characters: Ruby Quarles, Elias McCoy, Peter Carlisle, Rose Tyler
Disclaimer: Characters from Blackpool and Doctor Who are the property of BBC, are are used with the greatest of love and respect; no profit is intended from the writing or sharing of this story.
Summary: A view of some of the events from “And So Things Go” from the perspective of an outsider.
Notes: I, er, kind of lost track of days of the week this week-and so I’ve once more dipped into my stock of Ruby and Elias stories in order to ensure you have some reading today. I do apologize for the relative brevity of the tale, but hopefully you’ll still find it an enjoyable read (for reference, this mirrors Chapter 20 of And So Things Go)
Many thanks to both earlgreytea68 and* chicklet73 for their her beta of this, ages ago-but as I’ve tinkered quite a lot since they’ve she's seen it, any and all mistakes you see here are mine, and mine alone. Thank you, as well, to xebgoc and harpinred for their general encouragement when I originally threw this their way.
* - see EGT's comment below. I could swear she's seen it, but as she has the better memory, I'll take her word on the matter
An Outside View of Things, Part II
“How would you feel about dinner with Peter?” Elias inquired one evening in late November.
“I’d enjoy it, as well you know.” Ruby glanced up from the notes she’d been working on, noting that Elias seemed excited. “Eli...we’ve had dinner with him several times, now. Why’re you asking in this particular instance?”
“Rose Tyler is back in town; Peter wants us to meet her.”
“Rose Tyler.”
“Aye.” Elias was grinning in eager anticipation.
“What on earth would I wear?”
“Ruby. This is dinner with friends. You’ll wear something which makes you look ravishing, and you’ll be the envy of everyone in the restaurant, and you’ll be fine.”
“It’s Rose Tyler, Eli!” Ruby was usually more than up to any challenge-but the thought of meeting the darling of the papers filled her with an unexpected terror.
“Rue.” Elias moved to sit across from her. “I can tell Peter we can’t make it.”
“No, no.” she shook her head, clearing it. “I’ll be fine. Just have to remember that she’s human, too. And she’s got to be a saint, to have stayed with Peter for so long.”
“He’s not that bad, Ruby, admit it.”
She grinned, knowing that hinting that Peter was less-than-perfect would get Elias’s hackles up. She might still have a few reservations about the man, but Elias thought he was just about perfect-to the point that Elias had approached Cunningham about luring the taciturn DI down to London permanently.
“Oh, fine, he’s alright. You certainly like him, and that’s good enough for me.” She grinned at him, asking before looking down at her paperwork, “When’s dinner?”
“Sunday, at the Thistle.”
“The Thistle?” Her head whipped up, appalled. “I don’t have anything for supper there!”
“Downstairs, Rue. Just the four of us, nothing too fancy.” He stood, moving around to her side of the table. “You’ll be gorgeous. I have absolute faith in that fact,” he said softly, leaning down to kiss the curve of her neck.
Damn the man-he knew exactly how to appease her.
Still, she spent the days leading up to the dinner worrying about it in her spare time. She despaired over her wardrobe-it wasn’t shabby by anyone’s measure, but she worried that it wouldn’t be worthy of meeting one of the wealthiest women in the country-and found herself reading the gossip and society pages with an even sharper eye each afternoon.
Elias must have said something to Peter, as well, because she found Peter Carlisle seated across from her desk the Friday afternoon before their supper. He had a small smile playing across his lips, and his eyes were twinkling, and Ruby once again had the thought that he was a handsome devil.
He and Elias, if their partnership worked out, would be breaking hearts during investigations. She tried to stifle a smile at the thought, imagining witnesses wilting beneath their combined charm.
“May I help you, Inspector?” she asked, finally unable to keep from grinning.
Peter replied in a droll tone, “No, Inspector. But I thought perhaps I might be able to help you.”
She arched an eyebrow, curious as to what he was playing at. “And how’s that?”
He leaned forward, his arms resting on her desk; she unconsciously mirrored him, her lips still curved.
“I’ve heard a rumour-a scandalous falsehood, I’m sure-that you’re terrified of my paramour.”
She sat back, her cheeks flaming. “I’m going to kill him,” she muttered, looking anywhere but at Peter.
“No, Ruby, don’t kill him,” Peter said, laughing gently. “Well, if you do, don’t do it for that, and please wait until I’m gone.” Peter reached forward, placating. “He kept asking me questions about dinner-questions which made absolutely no sense to me, and were quite frankly driving me spare. I finally asked him what he was on about, and he kind of let it slip out. Now-Ruby, don’t kill him, remember?-he was busy working on something when I asked. My timing was purely accidental, I assure you.”
Ruby had settled down and returned her attention to Peter; he, still twinkling with good humour, looked absolutely unrepentant.
If he and Elias were partners, the Metropolitan Police Services-and Scotland Yard-truly would never know what hit it.
“You...you...”
“Clever bastard, I think, is the phrase you’re looking for,” he offered, still mischievous.
“Sneaky, conniving bastard, more like” she offered, only partially teasing.
“That’s also been used.” Peter’s expression grew serious. “Ruby, I do mean it in good counsel. Rose...she’s Rose.” He paused, then continued, “She’s not at all like you’ve read, I can promise you that. She’s as beautiful, of course, but she’s much more...grounded. Normal. I think-I fear, to be frank-that you’ll get on brilliantly; you’re really rather alike. And she’ll not bite.”
“Are you implying that I’ll bite?”
“The thought crossed my mind a time or two-especially when you weren’t best pleased with me.” He looked at her, so evenly that she had the idea that he was waiting her for deny it; to state explicitly that she actually liked him. He was such an odd mix, this Scotsman in front of her-smart and confident to the point of cockiness in the field, according to Elias, but almost boyishly insecure when he was out of the public’s eye. She once more wondered about the person that was Rose Tyler; wondered how the heiress handled the man in front of her.
She dodged his question. “Elias, I’m sure, has exaggerated for effect. But thank you for your concern.”
Peter held her gaze before nodding. “You’re welcome, Ruby.”
Ruby didn’t tell Elias of her conversation with Peter; she had a feeling Peter hadn’t mentioned it to Elias, and she was embarrassed by her persistent insecurities. But she bore Peter’s words in mind as she dressed for dinner, and as she and Elias rode the subte to Charing Cross. Not surprisingly, there were delays on the Northern line; fortunately, she and Elias had years of experience in planning around the delays, and they walked into the hotel only a few minutes late.
Ruby spotted Rose first, her breath catching briefly at the shock of seeing someone famous in person. The heiress was watching something-no, someone, an older couple-smiling and relaxed as she stood next to the familiar form of Peter Carlisle. But she felt the change in Peter-plain to see from Ruby’s perspective, even across the room-and turned, her line of sight following Peter's.
Ruby couldn’t help but smile, noting the eagerness in Peter, and the body language between him and Rose Tyler.
“There they are,” Elias said, eagerly, pulling her along to meet his friend and the Vitex heiress.
“We’ll get there in good time, I promise,” she replied, joking, trying to get him to slow down.
He glanced back, his cheeks going a soft pink as he realized he’d been so eager. She squeezed his hand, and increased her speed. “C’mon, then.”
They closed the distance in no time, and were greeted with a large grin from Peter, and a more reserved smile from the Vitex heiress. “Hello, you troublemaker!” Peter shook Elias’s hand in greeting.
“You didn’t think we’d be late, surely?” Elias responded, grinning in response.
“No, why would I think that?” Peter replied blithely. “Ruby,” he said, shifting his attention to her. He surprised her by leaning forward to kiss her cheeks.
“Peter.” Ruby had never seen Peter so ‘on’. He was exuding charm, although not in an obsequious way; she began to understand, just a bit, how he’d pulled Rose Tyler after all. She had the fleeting thought that if she’d not known him better, she might have suspected him of taking some sort of upper before meeting them.
“ Elias, Ruby-it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Rose. Rose, these are Elias and Ruby.” Peter beamed gently at Rose.
Rose shook Ruby’s hand, smiling; her handshake was firm but not too tight, and her small hand was warm-although not as soft as Ruby was expecting.
Rose’s gaze drifted over to Elias, her expression shifting briefly from recognition to confusion. Elias immediately noticed, asking as he shook her hand, “Have we met, Ms. Tyler?”
“I don’t believe so, unless you count the stories I’ve been hearing from Peter.” She released his hand. “And Rose, please. Ms. Tyler gives me the willies.”
“Shall we?” Peter asked, filling the role of gracious host. He gestured towards the stairs, encouraging Ruby and Elias to precede him.
Ruby really hadn’t known what to expect of dinner with Rose Tyler. But...whatever that expectation was, Rose Tyler wasn’t it. She was quiet-but in a way that reminded Ruby of Elias when he was taking everything in. She was clearly mad for Peter, giving him glances full of love, her hand always seeking his out on the table. And, when she joined the conversation, Ruby discovered that Rose was more than a match for not only Peter, but for Elias.
By the time dinner ended, with hugs and goodnights exchanged, Ruby reflected that Peter had been right-she and Rose could be fast friends indeed.
“Did you enjoy supper, love?” Elias asked as they rode the subte back towards their flat, the two of them seated together on the worn fabric of a bench seat.
“I did.” She leaned in, kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”
He smiled down at her, his arm slipping around her back to pull her closer. “You’re very welcome.”
~ fin ~
End note: The Support Stacie Auction is this weekend-and there are loads of DW/TW authors participating! Things kick off, bidding-wise, at 11:59 pm CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME tomorrow, April 3; and bidding ends at 9:00 pm CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME on Monday, April 6. Any and all money goes to, well, Support Stacie in her battle against cancer.
Er, I’m also participating in the Author chat-a-thon which will accompany this particular auction. I’ll be online from 6-6:30 pm EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (sense a theme here with those time zone statements?) this Saturday, to pretty much chat about whatever ficcy goodness you want to. And EGT will be online Sunday evening, to chat about her stories. Actually, click here to see the entire schedule.
Cheers!
Rating: K
Characters: Ruby Quarles, Elias McCoy, Peter Carlisle, Rose Tyler
Disclaimer: Characters from Blackpool and Doctor Who are the property of BBC, are are used with the greatest of love and respect; no profit is intended from the writing or sharing of this story.
Summary: A view of some of the events from “And So Things Go” from the perspective of an outsider.
Notes: I, er, kind of lost track of days of the week this week-and so I’ve once more dipped into my stock of Ruby and Elias stories in order to ensure you have some reading today. I do apologize for the relative brevity of the tale, but hopefully you’ll still find it an enjoyable read (for reference, this mirrors Chapter 20 of And So Things Go)
Many thanks to both earlgreytea68 and* chicklet73 for their her beta of this, ages ago-but as I’ve tinkered quite a lot since they’ve she's seen it, any and all mistakes you see here are mine, and mine alone. Thank you, as well, to xebgoc and harpinred for their general encouragement when I originally threw this their way.
* - see EGT's comment below. I could swear she's seen it, but as she has the better memory, I'll take her word on the matter
An Outside View of Things, Part II
“How would you feel about dinner with Peter?” Elias inquired one evening in late November.
“I’d enjoy it, as well you know.” Ruby glanced up from the notes she’d been working on, noting that Elias seemed excited. “Eli...we’ve had dinner with him several times, now. Why’re you asking in this particular instance?”
“Rose Tyler is back in town; Peter wants us to meet her.”
“Rose Tyler.”
“Aye.” Elias was grinning in eager anticipation.
“What on earth would I wear?”
“Ruby. This is dinner with friends. You’ll wear something which makes you look ravishing, and you’ll be the envy of everyone in the restaurant, and you’ll be fine.”
“It’s Rose Tyler, Eli!” Ruby was usually more than up to any challenge-but the thought of meeting the darling of the papers filled her with an unexpected terror.
“Rue.” Elias moved to sit across from her. “I can tell Peter we can’t make it.”
“No, no.” she shook her head, clearing it. “I’ll be fine. Just have to remember that she’s human, too. And she’s got to be a saint, to have stayed with Peter for so long.”
“He’s not that bad, Ruby, admit it.”
She grinned, knowing that hinting that Peter was less-than-perfect would get Elias’s hackles up. She might still have a few reservations about the man, but Elias thought he was just about perfect-to the point that Elias had approached Cunningham about luring the taciturn DI down to London permanently.
“Oh, fine, he’s alright. You certainly like him, and that’s good enough for me.” She grinned at him, asking before looking down at her paperwork, “When’s dinner?”
“Sunday, at the Thistle.”
“The Thistle?” Her head whipped up, appalled. “I don’t have anything for supper there!”
“Downstairs, Rue. Just the four of us, nothing too fancy.” He stood, moving around to her side of the table. “You’ll be gorgeous. I have absolute faith in that fact,” he said softly, leaning down to kiss the curve of her neck.
Damn the man-he knew exactly how to appease her.
Still, she spent the days leading up to the dinner worrying about it in her spare time. She despaired over her wardrobe-it wasn’t shabby by anyone’s measure, but she worried that it wouldn’t be worthy of meeting one of the wealthiest women in the country-and found herself reading the gossip and society pages with an even sharper eye each afternoon.
Elias must have said something to Peter, as well, because she found Peter Carlisle seated across from her desk the Friday afternoon before their supper. He had a small smile playing across his lips, and his eyes were twinkling, and Ruby once again had the thought that he was a handsome devil.
He and Elias, if their partnership worked out, would be breaking hearts during investigations. She tried to stifle a smile at the thought, imagining witnesses wilting beneath their combined charm.
“May I help you, Inspector?” she asked, finally unable to keep from grinning.
Peter replied in a droll tone, “No, Inspector. But I thought perhaps I might be able to help you.”
She arched an eyebrow, curious as to what he was playing at. “And how’s that?”
He leaned forward, his arms resting on her desk; she unconsciously mirrored him, her lips still curved.
“I’ve heard a rumour-a scandalous falsehood, I’m sure-that you’re terrified of my paramour.”
She sat back, her cheeks flaming. “I’m going to kill him,” she muttered, looking anywhere but at Peter.
“No, Ruby, don’t kill him,” Peter said, laughing gently. “Well, if you do, don’t do it for that, and please wait until I’m gone.” Peter reached forward, placating. “He kept asking me questions about dinner-questions which made absolutely no sense to me, and were quite frankly driving me spare. I finally asked him what he was on about, and he kind of let it slip out. Now-Ruby, don’t kill him, remember?-he was busy working on something when I asked. My timing was purely accidental, I assure you.”
Ruby had settled down and returned her attention to Peter; he, still twinkling with good humour, looked absolutely unrepentant.
If he and Elias were partners, the Metropolitan Police Services-and Scotland Yard-truly would never know what hit it.
“You...you...”
“Clever bastard, I think, is the phrase you’re looking for,” he offered, still mischievous.
“Sneaky, conniving bastard, more like” she offered, only partially teasing.
“That’s also been used.” Peter’s expression grew serious. “Ruby, I do mean it in good counsel. Rose...she’s Rose.” He paused, then continued, “She’s not at all like you’ve read, I can promise you that. She’s as beautiful, of course, but she’s much more...grounded. Normal. I think-I fear, to be frank-that you’ll get on brilliantly; you’re really rather alike. And she’ll not bite.”
“Are you implying that I’ll bite?”
“The thought crossed my mind a time or two-especially when you weren’t best pleased with me.” He looked at her, so evenly that she had the idea that he was waiting her for deny it; to state explicitly that she actually liked him. He was such an odd mix, this Scotsman in front of her-smart and confident to the point of cockiness in the field, according to Elias, but almost boyishly insecure when he was out of the public’s eye. She once more wondered about the person that was Rose Tyler; wondered how the heiress handled the man in front of her.
She dodged his question. “Elias, I’m sure, has exaggerated for effect. But thank you for your concern.”
Peter held her gaze before nodding. “You’re welcome, Ruby.”
Ruby didn’t tell Elias of her conversation with Peter; she had a feeling Peter hadn’t mentioned it to Elias, and she was embarrassed by her persistent insecurities. But she bore Peter’s words in mind as she dressed for dinner, and as she and Elias rode the subte to Charing Cross. Not surprisingly, there were delays on the Northern line; fortunately, she and Elias had years of experience in planning around the delays, and they walked into the hotel only a few minutes late.
Ruby spotted Rose first, her breath catching briefly at the shock of seeing someone famous in person. The heiress was watching something-no, someone, an older couple-smiling and relaxed as she stood next to the familiar form of Peter Carlisle. But she felt the change in Peter-plain to see from Ruby’s perspective, even across the room-and turned, her line of sight following Peter's.
Ruby couldn’t help but smile, noting the eagerness in Peter, and the body language between him and Rose Tyler.
“There they are,” Elias said, eagerly, pulling her along to meet his friend and the Vitex heiress.
“We’ll get there in good time, I promise,” she replied, joking, trying to get him to slow down.
He glanced back, his cheeks going a soft pink as he realized he’d been so eager. She squeezed his hand, and increased her speed. “C’mon, then.”
They closed the distance in no time, and were greeted with a large grin from Peter, and a more reserved smile from the Vitex heiress. “Hello, you troublemaker!” Peter shook Elias’s hand in greeting.
“You didn’t think we’d be late, surely?” Elias responded, grinning in response.
“No, why would I think that?” Peter replied blithely. “Ruby,” he said, shifting his attention to her. He surprised her by leaning forward to kiss her cheeks.
“Peter.” Ruby had never seen Peter so ‘on’. He was exuding charm, although not in an obsequious way; she began to understand, just a bit, how he’d pulled Rose Tyler after all. She had the fleeting thought that if she’d not known him better, she might have suspected him of taking some sort of upper before meeting them.
“ Elias, Ruby-it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Rose. Rose, these are Elias and Ruby.” Peter beamed gently at Rose.
Rose shook Ruby’s hand, smiling; her handshake was firm but not too tight, and her small hand was warm-although not as soft as Ruby was expecting.
Rose’s gaze drifted over to Elias, her expression shifting briefly from recognition to confusion. Elias immediately noticed, asking as he shook her hand, “Have we met, Ms. Tyler?”
“I don’t believe so, unless you count the stories I’ve been hearing from Peter.” She released his hand. “And Rose, please. Ms. Tyler gives me the willies.”
“Shall we?” Peter asked, filling the role of gracious host. He gestured towards the stairs, encouraging Ruby and Elias to precede him.
Ruby really hadn’t known what to expect of dinner with Rose Tyler. But...whatever that expectation was, Rose Tyler wasn’t it. She was quiet-but in a way that reminded Ruby of Elias when he was taking everything in. She was clearly mad for Peter, giving him glances full of love, her hand always seeking his out on the table. And, when she joined the conversation, Ruby discovered that Rose was more than a match for not only Peter, but for Elias.
By the time dinner ended, with hugs and goodnights exchanged, Ruby reflected that Peter had been right-she and Rose could be fast friends indeed.
“Did you enjoy supper, love?” Elias asked as they rode the subte back towards their flat, the two of them seated together on the worn fabric of a bench seat.
“I did.” She leaned in, kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”
He smiled down at her, his arm slipping around her back to pull her closer. “You’re very welcome.”
~ fin ~
End note: The Support Stacie Auction is this weekend-and there are loads of DW/TW authors participating! Things kick off, bidding-wise, at 11:59 pm CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME tomorrow, April 3; and bidding ends at 9:00 pm CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME on Monday, April 6. Any and all money goes to, well, Support Stacie in her battle against cancer.
Er, I’m also participating in the Author chat-a-thon which will accompany this particular auction. I’ll be online from 6-6:30 pm EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (sense a theme here with those time zone statements?) this Saturday, to pretty much chat about whatever ficcy goodness you want to. And EGT will be online Sunday evening, to chat about her stories. Actually, click here to see the entire schedule.
Cheers!