Keeping it in the Family, Part II
"...The... the family wants to breed... me."
His eyes narrowed, clearly confused. I suppose I could have been less delicate about the matter, but it was a delicate subject! "They...what?"
No matter how I wanted to look away, I didn't. I met him, eye to eye, because he deserved that. I forgot my wine, my cigar, everything but the gentleman rogue of a cousin across from me. "...Because I withdrew...10 years of service, they have demanded I pay it back. Since I cannot promise to extend my own life for a decade...I must give another."
"Well, that's not terrible. I mean, it could be worse, right?" He frowned, clearly not quite believing a single word he was saying, but he tried to say them anyway. Tried to offer comfort. The sweet fool.
I smirked deeply, scooping up my wine again and throwing back a gulp of the stuff like a shot, finishing off my glass before I dared speak again. "...I... I am certain, with the resources of the Crassus family...it sure as hell could be worse. Yes." But this was pretty shitty. I didn't bother to add that part.
"So, who's the lucky guy?" He grinned again, trying to make a bit of a joke of the whole matter. He didn't get it. He really didn't. I just stared at him, letting my eyes do the work as we looked at each other between the strong, sweet cigar smoke that drifted between us. He might be a bit of a dolt, but he'd get it eventually. He blinked back at me, waiting, clueless. After another few heartbeats I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"...that's... the favour I have to ask you, Will..." I blushed, something I hadn't really done with him since I was a little girl. But it wasn't every day someone asked their own cousin to knock them up.
"What you need a godfather, or something? I don't have any friends to set you up with, Kate. Sorry, I'm new in town. Remember?" I think I could have killed him right then and there. Was he being purposefully dense? Did men just not GET this kind of thing?
"...Wil... I need to... find a suitable mate, in the family... by the end of the month. Or they will find one for me." The blush disappeared at the thought of who the family might set me up with. Auerlius, maybe, or even Reginald. Or old Uncle Fabian. None of the options were pretty.
"Alright, I'm your wingman. This'll be..." His thought trailed off. Slowly, something was dawining upon his face. "Wait. In the family?"
"Crassus blood to breed Crassus blood." There wasn't a single joke to my voice. Maybe he might finally get it.
Apparently, it had sunk in. He paused for a long time, draining his glass of wine, staring into the room in silence as my words rung in his ears. "Definitely a two bottle conversation."
"Yeah... top me off..." I offered my previous emptied glass, trying to conceal the fact my hand was shaking. I pretty much failed, though. Dammit, I really was that nervous about this whole bloody mess. And he clearly wasn't exactly jumping for joy either. If he said no, I didn't know what I'd do. My first chance. My last chance to get through this mess with some bit of my dignity in tact.
He refilled my glass wordlessly, then drained his and refilled it a second time. "And I brought the good stuff, so the quicker we get to that bottle, the better." He gently placed the new glass into my shaking hand, holding it there a moment as he moved closer on the couch. "Kate, what are you asking me to do. Because I get it, but...I don't get it."
I stared down into my fresh wine glass, unable to meet his eyes, my bit of ultimate courage gone for the night. I couldn't watch that pity in his gaze, that apology, the 'No' that I knew to be coming. I couldn't bring myself to see it all. "I have to find a cousin of the blood... willing to father a child. Or they will assign someone. You... you're the closest... I mean... we had such good times... growing up..." My voice cracked, faltering. I had run out of words.
"Wow. I mean. Wow." He was in shock, that much was clear. Totally speechless. And leaving Wilson White speechless was a nigh imopssible job.
I sipped at my wine again, trying to let it give me liquid courage once more. "I mean... we... We don't have to... couple...if you don't want. There's science... technology... Medicine these days, you know..."
His eyes went wide then and, strangely, I saw a smile slowly breaking across his face. It turned into a slight giggle, then a throaty chuckle, then a full on belly laugh. What the hell, had I finally made him crack? "Holy shit." He laughed out. I stared at him, suddenly wide eyed. I had no clue what this reaction meant, and it was the last one I expected. "Kate - " He said between laughs. "of all the favors in all the world, never did I think you'd ask me to knock you up."
I blushed again. Twice in one night, he must be a miracle worker. But this time I felt the heat go all the way up to my temples. I gave him an awkward little smile and even with my short hair, I knew I suddenly looked all too much like that teenage girl he first met on the steps of the boarding school in Florence. That rebellious, too smart for her own good girl, shy with the handsome boys and not nearly so pretty as her sisters, but ever clever. That was the look he managed to pull from me now."...Well...I hope it's a relief compared to what you're overactive imagination WAS thinking."
His eyes narrowed, clearly confused. I suppose I could have been less delicate about the matter, but it was a delicate subject! "They...what?"
No matter how I wanted to look away, I didn't. I met him, eye to eye, because he deserved that. I forgot my wine, my cigar, everything but the gentleman rogue of a cousin across from me. "...Because I withdrew...10 years of service, they have demanded I pay it back. Since I cannot promise to extend my own life for a decade...I must give another."
"Well, that's not terrible. I mean, it could be worse, right?" He frowned, clearly not quite believing a single word he was saying, but he tried to say them anyway. Tried to offer comfort. The sweet fool.
I smirked deeply, scooping up my wine again and throwing back a gulp of the stuff like a shot, finishing off my glass before I dared speak again. "...I... I am certain, with the resources of the Crassus family...it sure as hell could be worse. Yes." But this was pretty shitty. I didn't bother to add that part.
"So, who's the lucky guy?" He grinned again, trying to make a bit of a joke of the whole matter. He didn't get it. He really didn't. I just stared at him, letting my eyes do the work as we looked at each other between the strong, sweet cigar smoke that drifted between us. He might be a bit of a dolt, but he'd get it eventually. He blinked back at me, waiting, clueless. After another few heartbeats I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"...that's... the favour I have to ask you, Will..." I blushed, something I hadn't really done with him since I was a little girl. But it wasn't every day someone asked their own cousin to knock them up.
"What you need a godfather, or something? I don't have any friends to set you up with, Kate. Sorry, I'm new in town. Remember?" I think I could have killed him right then and there. Was he being purposefully dense? Did men just not GET this kind of thing?
"...Wil... I need to... find a suitable mate, in the family... by the end of the month. Or they will find one for me." The blush disappeared at the thought of who the family might set me up with. Auerlius, maybe, or even Reginald. Or old Uncle Fabian. None of the options were pretty.
"Alright, I'm your wingman. This'll be..." His thought trailed off. Slowly, something was dawining upon his face. "Wait. In the family?"
"Crassus blood to breed Crassus blood." There wasn't a single joke to my voice. Maybe he might finally get it.
Apparently, it had sunk in. He paused for a long time, draining his glass of wine, staring into the room in silence as my words rung in his ears. "Definitely a two bottle conversation."
"Yeah... top me off..." I offered my previous emptied glass, trying to conceal the fact my hand was shaking. I pretty much failed, though. Dammit, I really was that nervous about this whole bloody mess. And he clearly wasn't exactly jumping for joy either. If he said no, I didn't know what I'd do. My first chance. My last chance to get through this mess with some bit of my dignity in tact.
He refilled my glass wordlessly, then drained his and refilled it a second time. "And I brought the good stuff, so the quicker we get to that bottle, the better." He gently placed the new glass into my shaking hand, holding it there a moment as he moved closer on the couch. "Kate, what are you asking me to do. Because I get it, but...I don't get it."
I stared down into my fresh wine glass, unable to meet his eyes, my bit of ultimate courage gone for the night. I couldn't watch that pity in his gaze, that apology, the 'No' that I knew to be coming. I couldn't bring myself to see it all. "I have to find a cousin of the blood... willing to father a child. Or they will assign someone. You... you're the closest... I mean... we had such good times... growing up..." My voice cracked, faltering. I had run out of words.
"Wow. I mean. Wow." He was in shock, that much was clear. Totally speechless. And leaving Wilson White speechless was a nigh imopssible job.
I sipped at my wine again, trying to let it give me liquid courage once more. "I mean... we... We don't have to... couple...if you don't want. There's science... technology... Medicine these days, you know..."
His eyes went wide then and, strangely, I saw a smile slowly breaking across his face. It turned into a slight giggle, then a throaty chuckle, then a full on belly laugh. What the hell, had I finally made him crack? "Holy shit." He laughed out. I stared at him, suddenly wide eyed. I had no clue what this reaction meant, and it was the last one I expected. "Kate - " He said between laughs. "of all the favors in all the world, never did I think you'd ask me to knock you up."
I blushed again. Twice in one night, he must be a miracle worker. But this time I felt the heat go all the way up to my temples. I gave him an awkward little smile and even with my short hair, I knew I suddenly looked all too much like that teenage girl he first met on the steps of the boarding school in Florence. That rebellious, too smart for her own good girl, shy with the handsome boys and not nearly so pretty as her sisters, but ever clever. That was the look he managed to pull from me now."...Well...I hope it's a relief compared to what you're overactive imagination WAS thinking."