Closing Time (1/1)
Title: Closing Time
Author: WibbleyWobbley
Characters: Scotty and Robert, mostly. Not in that way.
Rating: G
Summary: Pasadena Primary follow-up
Spoilers: Obviously, Pasadena Primary
Word Count: ~1,400
Disclaimer: You know, not to sound paranoid or arrogant. But - a class reunion storyline? Kevin reconsidering his job and future after coming to terms with insecurities from his high school days? Justin interrupting the smooching with little-brother-esque comments? I'm pretty sure I've covered all these topics. Several times in some cases. Maybe it is mine. Or at least maybe the writers are reading. Hi writers! More K/S sexy time please!
Scotty ducked into the locker room for a minute and slowly exhaled. Coriander issues aside, the evening was going well. Guests seemed to be having a good time. The press was taking lots of pictures. They might just pull this off, and he won’t have to go find a job as a short-order cook at a Denny’s or something. He closed his eyes and tried to relax for a minute.
And then his cell buzzed. Scotty jumped, reaching into his pocket and removing the device. Michelle’s name was on the screen, and Scotty tried to ignore the flash of panic that went through him.
“Hey hon. I’m at work; can I call you - ”
“Scotty?” Michelle interrupted, and Scotty could tell she was crying.
Scotty’s shoulders dropped, and he sat slowly on the nearest bench.
“Everything OK?”
“No,” Michelle sniffed. “I started my period.”
Scotty felt himself go numb. “Oh.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“No.” Scotty shook his head, sighing. “No, it’s not your fault. The odds of success are…Michelle, just try to relax. I’m going to call Kevin, and we’ll call you tomorrow or something and figure out what to do next. OK?”
Michelle sighed loudly. “OK. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
After Michelle said goodbye, Scotty hung up the phone and stared at the screen. He glanced up, looking around the room sadly, and then hit the speed-dial for Kevin’s cell. Kevin answered on the third ring, and Scotty could hear the muffled sounds of a large group of people.
“I will never forgive you for making me go to this thing,” Kevin said, skipping the pleasantries. “Matt Kensington and Stacy Jenkins are actually dressed up in regal, you know, costumes. Who cares if you were Homecoming King and Queen 20 years ago?”
“Kevin. Are you alone? I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, hold on. Let me step into the hall. Everything OK? Mom and Robert haven’t burned the place down yet, have they?”
Scotty smiled painfully at the joke. He didn’t want to have to add more stress to Kevin’s night. Scotty felt his heart beating faster as the background noise faded.
“OK, much better. What’s going on?”
Scotty took a deep breath. “I just got a call from Michelle. She, uh, she started her period. The implantation didn’t work.”
Kevin didn’t reply.
“Kevin?”
“Oh,” he finally said.
***
Scotty tilted his head side to side, relieving the strain in his neck. He removed his coat, tossing it aside to bring to the laundry later, and tried to decide what clean-up procedure needed to be completed next. It had been a long night, and he had tried to be upbeat during it, especially after Michelle’s call. Frankly, he was just happy he had something to focus on, something to keep his mind off of it. Now, things were slowing down, though, and his thoughts kept drifting. As much as his future employment continued to worry him, the surrogacy - and especially the concern over Kevin’s reaction to the implantation failure, whether he really was handling it as OK as could be expected - was weighing on him the most.
The kitchen doors swung open, and Scotty turned around. Robert nodded at him in greeting and held up a bottle of beer invitingly.
“Nora’s gone home. Don’t make me drink alone.”
“No. Thank you. I’m still working,” Scotty said, finally deciding to scrub the pots and pans. He stepped over to the sink and turned on the faucet.
“Need any help?” Robert asked.
Scotty laughed shortly. “You’ve done more than enough. Thank you so much for stepping in at the last minute.”
Robert pulled out a stool, sitting down as he rested his half-empty bottle on the table. “Happy to.”
Scotty turned towards him again, smirking. “Especially since you were able to interrogate Nora over a hot stove. I'm pretty sure the Geneva Conventions have to be recognized at this restaurant.”
Robert barked in laughter. “Well, you know. Two birds.”
Scotty faced forward again, nodding in amusement.
“It wasn’t even her, it turns out.”
“What?”
“Nope. It was Kevin.”
Scotty nearly dropped his sponge on the floor as he turned to Robert again, the surprise evident on his face. Robert nodded.
“I didn’t know that,” Scotty said.
Robert shrugged. “I don’t know the whole story.”
Scotty just shook his head, then turned back to the sink.
“So it went pretty well tonight, I think,” Robert observed after a moment, changing the subject.
“Yeah, I guess. The story will be in the Times on Monday, and Jeff - the owner - will be figuring out the numbers over the weekend, so I guess we’ll know more then.”
“Not the only thing you’ll know on Monday, I hear!”
It had been so unexpected that the comment didn’t even register with Scotty at first. As soon as he realized what Robert had said, however, Scotty stood straight. He brought one hand up in an attempt to stop the hot tears that had sprung to his eyes, and he swallowed painfully. Not turning around, he finally found his voice.
“No, uh. No. I thought you talked to them.”
Robert paused for a second. Then he said cautiously, “I talked to Kitty very briefly. She just said - ”
“Michelle called earlier tonight. She started her period,” Scotty interrupted, unwilling to drag the conversation out longer than it had to be.
“Oh crap,” Robert exhaled. “I’m sorry, Scotty. I really am.”
Scotty shook his head quickly.
Robert sighed, then whistled lightly in disbelieving admiration. “I can’t believe you were out there, wining and dining all night. I thought only politicians could turn on the fake charm like that.”
Scotty snorted. Then he took a shaky breath. “Well, there was work that had to be done.”
“God, you two are perfect for each other. You and Kevin, I mean. I’ve never met anyone who was able to stay on message during a crisis like he can. You should have seen him during Kitty’s treatments.”
“I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“Oh, I don’t mean it like that. I certainly don’t mean to suggest you don’t care, because…well, obviously. But to be able to think of the bigger picture, remember the other little priorities that everyone else would forget. To control your emotions or maybe more accurately channel them for a little while - it’s a rare thing. I’m going to miss him.”
Scotty finally faced Robert again, staring at him in confusion. “I don’t follow.”
“I told you there was more to the story.”
Scotty paused. “So we’re both on the brink of unemployment. Great. Well, I suppose it’s a good thing that - ” He broke off, unable to even pretend there was any reason that would make their loss a good thing.
Robert smiled grimly at Scotty. He lifted his bottle, finishing off the last swig of beer. Then he stood.
“Come on. Hand me a towel. You need to see him, and I want an ice cream sundae.”
Scotty stared at him incredulously. Robert gestured impatiently with the hand he held out. Scotty looked down at it, and then finally grabbed a clean towel. He handed it to Robert; they both turned back to the sink and began to work side-by-side.
“This doesn’t mean I’ve drunk the Robert McCallister Kool-Aid,” Scotty said, only somewhat jokingly.
“I take it you heard that story,” Robert replied with a grin.
“What story?” Scotty asked.
Robert stared at him, waiting for a sign that Scotty was feigning ignorance. When none came, he started to laugh. “You two,” he said, shaking his head.
***
With both of them working, it thankfully didn’t take long to close the kitchen for the night. Scotty changed quickly in the locker room, then drove directly to Nora’s. He couldn’t wait for ice cream, a glass of wine from the bottle he was sure they had already cracked open and - most importantly - to see Kevin.
He slipped through the back kitchen door, already cheering up as he heard the sound of Walkers laughing and talking. Saul patted his back as he joined them at the table, and Scotty tried not to think of the baby growing inside Rebecca as he returned her and Justin’s sad smiles. He felt Sarah’s hand squeeze his arm reassuringly as she passed him on her way to her seat; he nodded at the silent question in Kitty’s concerned expression. Nora kissed his cheek as she handed him a bowl of ice cream and tilted her head in the direction of the pantry. He gave her a quick smile, and walked away from the counter to go find Kevin.
The End
A/N: Seriously, this story was supposed to be a Scotty and Nora conversation. The muse apparently is feeling oddly, nostalgically fond of Robert. Now that he's leaving and Kevin is (almost) FREE!!!!!!
Author: WibbleyWobbley
Characters: Scotty and Robert, mostly. Not in that way.
Rating: G
Summary: Pasadena Primary follow-up
Spoilers: Obviously, Pasadena Primary
Word Count: ~1,400
Disclaimer: You know, not to sound paranoid or arrogant. But - a class reunion storyline? Kevin reconsidering his job and future after coming to terms with insecurities from his high school days? Justin interrupting the smooching with little-brother-esque comments? I'm pretty sure I've covered all these topics. Several times in some cases. Maybe it is mine. Or at least maybe the writers are reading. Hi writers! More K/S sexy time please!
Scotty ducked into the locker room for a minute and slowly exhaled. Coriander issues aside, the evening was going well. Guests seemed to be having a good time. The press was taking lots of pictures. They might just pull this off, and he won’t have to go find a job as a short-order cook at a Denny’s or something. He closed his eyes and tried to relax for a minute.
And then his cell buzzed. Scotty jumped, reaching into his pocket and removing the device. Michelle’s name was on the screen, and Scotty tried to ignore the flash of panic that went through him.
“Hey hon. I’m at work; can I call you - ”
“Scotty?” Michelle interrupted, and Scotty could tell she was crying.
Scotty’s shoulders dropped, and he sat slowly on the nearest bench.
“Everything OK?”
“No,” Michelle sniffed. “I started my period.”
Scotty felt himself go numb. “Oh.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“No.” Scotty shook his head, sighing. “No, it’s not your fault. The odds of success are…Michelle, just try to relax. I’m going to call Kevin, and we’ll call you tomorrow or something and figure out what to do next. OK?”
Michelle sighed loudly. “OK. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
After Michelle said goodbye, Scotty hung up the phone and stared at the screen. He glanced up, looking around the room sadly, and then hit the speed-dial for Kevin’s cell. Kevin answered on the third ring, and Scotty could hear the muffled sounds of a large group of people.
“I will never forgive you for making me go to this thing,” Kevin said, skipping the pleasantries. “Matt Kensington and Stacy Jenkins are actually dressed up in regal, you know, costumes. Who cares if you were Homecoming King and Queen 20 years ago?”
“Kevin. Are you alone? I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, hold on. Let me step into the hall. Everything OK? Mom and Robert haven’t burned the place down yet, have they?”
Scotty smiled painfully at the joke. He didn’t want to have to add more stress to Kevin’s night. Scotty felt his heart beating faster as the background noise faded.
“OK, much better. What’s going on?”
Scotty took a deep breath. “I just got a call from Michelle. She, uh, she started her period. The implantation didn’t work.”
Kevin didn’t reply.
“Kevin?”
“Oh,” he finally said.
***
Scotty tilted his head side to side, relieving the strain in his neck. He removed his coat, tossing it aside to bring to the laundry later, and tried to decide what clean-up procedure needed to be completed next. It had been a long night, and he had tried to be upbeat during it, especially after Michelle’s call. Frankly, he was just happy he had something to focus on, something to keep his mind off of it. Now, things were slowing down, though, and his thoughts kept drifting. As much as his future employment continued to worry him, the surrogacy - and especially the concern over Kevin’s reaction to the implantation failure, whether he really was handling it as OK as could be expected - was weighing on him the most.
The kitchen doors swung open, and Scotty turned around. Robert nodded at him in greeting and held up a bottle of beer invitingly.
“Nora’s gone home. Don’t make me drink alone.”
“No. Thank you. I’m still working,” Scotty said, finally deciding to scrub the pots and pans. He stepped over to the sink and turned on the faucet.
“Need any help?” Robert asked.
Scotty laughed shortly. “You’ve done more than enough. Thank you so much for stepping in at the last minute.”
Robert pulled out a stool, sitting down as he rested his half-empty bottle on the table. “Happy to.”
Scotty turned towards him again, smirking. “Especially since you were able to interrogate Nora over a hot stove. I'm pretty sure the Geneva Conventions have to be recognized at this restaurant.”
Robert barked in laughter. “Well, you know. Two birds.”
Scotty faced forward again, nodding in amusement.
“It wasn’t even her, it turns out.”
“What?”
“Nope. It was Kevin.”
Scotty nearly dropped his sponge on the floor as he turned to Robert again, the surprise evident on his face. Robert nodded.
“I didn’t know that,” Scotty said.
Robert shrugged. “I don’t know the whole story.”
Scotty just shook his head, then turned back to the sink.
“So it went pretty well tonight, I think,” Robert observed after a moment, changing the subject.
“Yeah, I guess. The story will be in the Times on Monday, and Jeff - the owner - will be figuring out the numbers over the weekend, so I guess we’ll know more then.”
“Not the only thing you’ll know on Monday, I hear!”
It had been so unexpected that the comment didn’t even register with Scotty at first. As soon as he realized what Robert had said, however, Scotty stood straight. He brought one hand up in an attempt to stop the hot tears that had sprung to his eyes, and he swallowed painfully. Not turning around, he finally found his voice.
“No, uh. No. I thought you talked to them.”
Robert paused for a second. Then he said cautiously, “I talked to Kitty very briefly. She just said - ”
“Michelle called earlier tonight. She started her period,” Scotty interrupted, unwilling to drag the conversation out longer than it had to be.
“Oh crap,” Robert exhaled. “I’m sorry, Scotty. I really am.”
Scotty shook his head quickly.
Robert sighed, then whistled lightly in disbelieving admiration. “I can’t believe you were out there, wining and dining all night. I thought only politicians could turn on the fake charm like that.”
Scotty snorted. Then he took a shaky breath. “Well, there was work that had to be done.”
“God, you two are perfect for each other. You and Kevin, I mean. I’ve never met anyone who was able to stay on message during a crisis like he can. You should have seen him during Kitty’s treatments.”
“I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“Oh, I don’t mean it like that. I certainly don’t mean to suggest you don’t care, because…well, obviously. But to be able to think of the bigger picture, remember the other little priorities that everyone else would forget. To control your emotions or maybe more accurately channel them for a little while - it’s a rare thing. I’m going to miss him.”
Scotty finally faced Robert again, staring at him in confusion. “I don’t follow.”
“I told you there was more to the story.”
Scotty paused. “So we’re both on the brink of unemployment. Great. Well, I suppose it’s a good thing that - ” He broke off, unable to even pretend there was any reason that would make their loss a good thing.
Robert smiled grimly at Scotty. He lifted his bottle, finishing off the last swig of beer. Then he stood.
“Come on. Hand me a towel. You need to see him, and I want an ice cream sundae.”
Scotty stared at him incredulously. Robert gestured impatiently with the hand he held out. Scotty looked down at it, and then finally grabbed a clean towel. He handed it to Robert; they both turned back to the sink and began to work side-by-side.
“This doesn’t mean I’ve drunk the Robert McCallister Kool-Aid,” Scotty said, only somewhat jokingly.
“I take it you heard that story,” Robert replied with a grin.
“What story?” Scotty asked.
Robert stared at him, waiting for a sign that Scotty was feigning ignorance. When none came, he started to laugh. “You two,” he said, shaking his head.
***
With both of them working, it thankfully didn’t take long to close the kitchen for the night. Scotty changed quickly in the locker room, then drove directly to Nora’s. He couldn’t wait for ice cream, a glass of wine from the bottle he was sure they had already cracked open and - most importantly - to see Kevin.
He slipped through the back kitchen door, already cheering up as he heard the sound of Walkers laughing and talking. Saul patted his back as he joined them at the table, and Scotty tried not to think of the baby growing inside Rebecca as he returned her and Justin’s sad smiles. He felt Sarah’s hand squeeze his arm reassuringly as she passed him on her way to her seat; he nodded at the silent question in Kitty’s concerned expression. Nora kissed his cheek as she handed him a bowl of ice cream and tilted her head in the direction of the pantry. He gave her a quick smile, and walked away from the counter to go find Kevin.
The End
A/N: Seriously, this story was supposed to be a Scotty and Nora conversation. The muse apparently is feeling oddly, nostalgically fond of Robert. Now that he's leaving and Kevin is (almost) FREE!!!!!!