Le Tourbillon de la Vie (7/12)
Title: Le Tourbillon de la Vie
Characters: Claude, Sandra, an occasional OC or two
Pairings: Vague and one-sided Claude/Sandra
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Language
Word Count: 976
Spoilers: In this part not terribly much but for the story overall it really helps to have read the Golden Handshake series of the GN, as well as Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, Part 1 (marginally) and The Caged Bird, Part 2, but it's not essential.
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah.
Summary: A Company trip to Paris takes a turn for the...interesting.
A/N: Because I am clearly insane I took a perfectly decent Noah/Sandra/Claude threesome fic (which is now the prologue) and turned it into a quasi-romantic action movie set in Paris. I still don't even know. I blame Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.
Super-awesome-special thanks to englishmuffin2 for beta-ing and assisting with the French.
[ Prologue] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6]
[Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Epilogue]
“Or what, you’ll shoot her?” Claude said after a moment, tone admirably casual.
“I…”
“That was the plan, right?”
“Yes,” the young man had rallied, and was even attempting to sneer.
Claude let out a laugh.
“Go ahead and do it, then,” he said, doing his best not to look at Sandra’s face, and the boy’s eyes narrowed.
“Claude-“ Hassan murmured, carefully, and Claude pressed the gun closer to his head.
“Not now, mate,” he looked a little more closely at the deceptively confident young man in front of him. “Talkin’ to your friend here,” he nudged Hassan forward.
“I have nothing to-“
“Yeah, right, ‘course not,” Claude smiled sharply. “Just decided to take an innocent woman hostage, did you?”
“I-“
“Next time you want to try somethin’ like that, mate, make sure she’s worth enough to the person you’re threatenin’.”
“She was worth enough to you last night,” and Claude cringed, inwardly, as the young man smirked.
“They’re always worth enough last night, ” is what he said, and saw Sandra blink. “But at the moment-“
“I will kill her!”
“Given you a chance already, mate, and-“
“Enough!” Hassan shouted, and the young man jumped. “We are civilized men!”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Claude heard Sandra mutter under her breath, and held back a smile.
“Brahim, give Mr. Rains his power back, and tell him what he wants to know,” Hassan continued, pulling away from Claude, who let him. “And Claude?”
“Yeah, mate?”
“You were, as you say, bluffing just then?”
“I was, yeah,” he shrugged, wiping a hand across his forehead and wincing as his sleeve caught on the bandage.
“You’ve gotten much better at it,” Hassan gave him a long look, and Claude let his gaze drop to the ground. “We will have coffee, later.”
*
“Well?”
The young man continued to glare at him, and Claude rolled his eyes.
“You heard your boss, mate.“
“He is not my boss, he’s just-“
“Ah, right, just your…just you friend. Just your partner,” Claude laughed, and leaned back against the desk. “Not even that, though, is he? Your liability. Mean’s he’s holdin’ you back,” the boy’s eyes dropped to the ground for a moment, and then returned to his. “Fact is, you do a better job than he does, yeah? Could do even better by yourself, you start thinkin’, ‘cos you’re clever like that. Don’t need to listen to someone like that, all…all old-fashioned, so many rules, turnin’ so many people down. But you, you can take a job or two o’ your own, can’t you?”
“I don’t-“
“And then all the sudden here you are, kidnappin’ people, holding guns to the heads of innocent women. Nothin’ you signed up for, that’s for sure. Nothin’ you’re gettin’ paid for, isn’t that right? Any of this makin’ sense?”
Brahim gave a petulant half-shrug, and what might’ve even been a sniffle, and then sighed.
“I never meant…” he glanced at Sandra, who was giving him a surprisingly kind look, and then, smooth as anything, reached out to pat his hand. The young man’s eyes dropped to the ground again, and his voice even seemed to quiver. “I would have never…”
“No, ‘course not,” Claude said, softly. “You’re not a murderer, lad. Not even much of a kidnapper, really.”
The glare returned, focused in his direction, and Claude just grinned. “Well, you’re not. All those powers o’ yours? Could’ve taken out the entire hotel, if that’d been-“
“Enough, Claude,” her voice had gone to steel again, and Claude had to remind himself to roll his eyes and not just smile like an idiot at her. “Listen to me, young man. Brahim…it was Brahim, right?”
The boy nodded, and glanced at her. Couldn’t look away from the smile, but then again, who could?
“Am I pronouncin’ that right?”
“Wonderfully,” he actually smiled back, the cheeky bastard, and Claude held back a laugh of his own.
“Listen, Brahim,” her voice went softer, suddenly vulnerable. “I love my husband very much. And I’m very worried about him. You’ll help us, right? You’ll tell us where he is?”
“I cannot,” and he looked like he honestly regretted saying it. “She, uh,” he waved slightly at his head. “How you say, she-“
“She mind-wiped you?” Claude couldn’t help laugh. “Fantastic, mate. Great story.”
“It is not story-“
“You can bloody well heal, kid,” the young man looked at him, surprised, and Claude raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, mate, I shot you in the arm this afternoon and there wasn’t even any blood on the floor. Not to mention the fact that I’d have given you black eye at the very least if you hadn’t fixed it. And see, the thing is, technically speakin’, having your mind wiped’s brain damage. Somethin’ else you can fix. So if you haven’t-”
“I did not know,” the boy crossed his arms in front of him and pouted.
“Right, well, now you do, so-“
“So it’s a good thing Claude told you, right?” Sandra gave him a quick glare and then looked back at Brahim, blue eyes soft. “And you can help us?”
“You,” he said after a moment, nodding seriously. “I will help you.”
Sandra’s smile was infectious and, as far as Claude could tell, genuine.
“So you’ll take us-“
“I go to her first. Tell her he,” he gave Claude a bit of a glare. “Is willing to bargain. Then I take you both, if you wish.”
“Yeah, we wish,” Claude snorted.
“Is that yes?”
“Yes,” Sandra laid a hand on Claude’s arm before he could say anything. “Yes, that is yes. Thank you so much.”
“I return soon,” and he disappeared again, as Claude rolled his eyes.
“Bloody teleporters,” he shrugged when Sandra gave him a look. “Never know where they’re gonna turn up.”
*
Characters: Claude, Sandra, an occasional OC or two
Pairings: Vague and one-sided Claude/Sandra
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Language
Word Count: 976
Spoilers: In this part not terribly much but for the story overall it really helps to have read the Golden Handshake series of the GN, as well as Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, Part 1 (marginally) and The Caged Bird, Part 2, but it's not essential.
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah.
Summary: A Company trip to Paris takes a turn for the...interesting.
A/N: Because I am clearly insane I took a perfectly decent Noah/Sandra/Claude threesome fic (which is now the prologue) and turned it into a quasi-romantic action movie set in Paris. I still don't even know. I blame Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.
Super-awesome-special thanks to englishmuffin2 for beta-ing and assisting with the French.
[ Prologue] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6]
[Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Epilogue]
“Or what, you’ll shoot her?” Claude said after a moment, tone admirably casual.
“I…”
“That was the plan, right?”
“Yes,” the young man had rallied, and was even attempting to sneer.
Claude let out a laugh.
“Go ahead and do it, then,” he said, doing his best not to look at Sandra’s face, and the boy’s eyes narrowed.
“Claude-“ Hassan murmured, carefully, and Claude pressed the gun closer to his head.
“Not now, mate,” he looked a little more closely at the deceptively confident young man in front of him. “Talkin’ to your friend here,” he nudged Hassan forward.
“I have nothing to-“
“Yeah, right, ‘course not,” Claude smiled sharply. “Just decided to take an innocent woman hostage, did you?”
“I-“
“Next time you want to try somethin’ like that, mate, make sure she’s worth enough to the person you’re threatenin’.”
“She was worth enough to you last night,” and Claude cringed, inwardly, as the young man smirked.
“They’re always worth enough last night, ” is what he said, and saw Sandra blink. “But at the moment-“
“I will kill her!”
“Given you a chance already, mate, and-“
“Enough!” Hassan shouted, and the young man jumped. “We are civilized men!”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Claude heard Sandra mutter under her breath, and held back a smile.
“Brahim, give Mr. Rains his power back, and tell him what he wants to know,” Hassan continued, pulling away from Claude, who let him. “And Claude?”
“Yeah, mate?”
“You were, as you say, bluffing just then?”
“I was, yeah,” he shrugged, wiping a hand across his forehead and wincing as his sleeve caught on the bandage.
“You’ve gotten much better at it,” Hassan gave him a long look, and Claude let his gaze drop to the ground. “We will have coffee, later.”
*
“Well?”
The young man continued to glare at him, and Claude rolled his eyes.
“You heard your boss, mate.“
“He is not my boss, he’s just-“
“Ah, right, just your…just you friend. Just your partner,” Claude laughed, and leaned back against the desk. “Not even that, though, is he? Your liability. Mean’s he’s holdin’ you back,” the boy’s eyes dropped to the ground for a moment, and then returned to his. “Fact is, you do a better job than he does, yeah? Could do even better by yourself, you start thinkin’, ‘cos you’re clever like that. Don’t need to listen to someone like that, all…all old-fashioned, so many rules, turnin’ so many people down. But you, you can take a job or two o’ your own, can’t you?”
“I don’t-“
“And then all the sudden here you are, kidnappin’ people, holding guns to the heads of innocent women. Nothin’ you signed up for, that’s for sure. Nothin’ you’re gettin’ paid for, isn’t that right? Any of this makin’ sense?”
Brahim gave a petulant half-shrug, and what might’ve even been a sniffle, and then sighed.
“I never meant…” he glanced at Sandra, who was giving him a surprisingly kind look, and then, smooth as anything, reached out to pat his hand. The young man’s eyes dropped to the ground again, and his voice even seemed to quiver. “I would have never…”
“No, ‘course not,” Claude said, softly. “You’re not a murderer, lad. Not even much of a kidnapper, really.”
The glare returned, focused in his direction, and Claude just grinned. “Well, you’re not. All those powers o’ yours? Could’ve taken out the entire hotel, if that’d been-“
“Enough, Claude,” her voice had gone to steel again, and Claude had to remind himself to roll his eyes and not just smile like an idiot at her. “Listen to me, young man. Brahim…it was Brahim, right?”
The boy nodded, and glanced at her. Couldn’t look away from the smile, but then again, who could?
“Am I pronouncin’ that right?”
“Wonderfully,” he actually smiled back, the cheeky bastard, and Claude held back a laugh of his own.
“Listen, Brahim,” her voice went softer, suddenly vulnerable. “I love my husband very much. And I’m very worried about him. You’ll help us, right? You’ll tell us where he is?”
“I cannot,” and he looked like he honestly regretted saying it. “She, uh,” he waved slightly at his head. “How you say, she-“
“She mind-wiped you?” Claude couldn’t help laugh. “Fantastic, mate. Great story.”
“It is not story-“
“You can bloody well heal, kid,” the young man looked at him, surprised, and Claude raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, mate, I shot you in the arm this afternoon and there wasn’t even any blood on the floor. Not to mention the fact that I’d have given you black eye at the very least if you hadn’t fixed it. And see, the thing is, technically speakin’, having your mind wiped’s brain damage. Somethin’ else you can fix. So if you haven’t-”
“I did not know,” the boy crossed his arms in front of him and pouted.
“Right, well, now you do, so-“
“So it’s a good thing Claude told you, right?” Sandra gave him a quick glare and then looked back at Brahim, blue eyes soft. “And you can help us?”
“You,” he said after a moment, nodding seriously. “I will help you.”
Sandra’s smile was infectious and, as far as Claude could tell, genuine.
“So you’ll take us-“
“I go to her first. Tell her he,” he gave Claude a bit of a glare. “Is willing to bargain. Then I take you both, if you wish.”
“Yeah, we wish,” Claude snorted.
“Is that yes?”
“Yes,” Sandra laid a hand on Claude’s arm before he could say anything. “Yes, that is yes. Thank you so much.”
“I return soon,” and he disappeared again, as Claude rolled his eyes.
“Bloody teleporters,” he shrugged when Sandra gave him a look. “Never know where they’re gonna turn up.”
*