Toy Soldiers: Priorities (PG)
Summary: Not everyone watching the terrorist crisis at Regis was worrying about the students.
Notes: For my birthday challenge, electrablue requested a story "about Headmaster Gould and his pretty, plump little personal secretary. Or whatever she is. [...] It doesn't have to be long, explicit or even terribly romantic. I'm more into the sad, long-suffering, loving-in-silence kind of thing, anyway." Here you are, dear. Hope this works for you.
PRIORITIES
*
Electra Simmons doesn't live on the campus of Regis. Dr. Gould apologized to her for that, when he called to officially offer her the position as his secretary. "We can arrange something in the town, but the apartments on the campus itself are reserved for the headmaster, the dean, and the residence administrators. ...those last are all teachers, I'm afraid."
"It's okay," she said. She didn't ask -- didn't think to ask -- whether a wife could live on campus. It wasn't important then. She knew Dr. Gould himself wasn't married, but she only found out after working there a few weeks that neither was the dean, nor any of the RAs. Chance or design?
At the time, however, all she said was, "It's okay," and smiling into the phone, "At least I'll know where to find you."
"I assure you, I don't make a habit of sleeping in." He sounded flustered and a bit apologetic. He'd been a few minutes late to the interview because, he said, he'd overslept that morning and been running late ever since.
"Of course not," Electra said, and allowed him to change the subject.
It's an illogical thing to think about now. The terrorists sent all the staff away, after all, even the teachers who did live on campus. The only one they kept was Dr. Gould. What must he be thinking? Is he sleeping at all? Do they let him make his tea?
Did he know? Did he have the slightest suspicion something like this was coming?
If he'd known, then at least he would have been prepared. He's strong, stronger than the students think, but she doesn't want to imagine him thrown into this horror without warning. And if he'd known, she can tell herself that he sent her off-campus on that errand deliberately, to get her out into safety.
She watches the news, and bites her nails, and worries.
-end-
Notes: For my birthday challenge, electrablue requested a story "about Headmaster Gould and his pretty, plump little personal secretary. Or whatever she is. [...] It doesn't have to be long, explicit or even terribly romantic. I'm more into the sad, long-suffering, loving-in-silence kind of thing, anyway." Here you are, dear. Hope this works for you.
PRIORITIES
*
Electra Simmons doesn't live on the campus of Regis. Dr. Gould apologized to her for that, when he called to officially offer her the position as his secretary. "We can arrange something in the town, but the apartments on the campus itself are reserved for the headmaster, the dean, and the residence administrators. ...those last are all teachers, I'm afraid."
"It's okay," she said. She didn't ask -- didn't think to ask -- whether a wife could live on campus. It wasn't important then. She knew Dr. Gould himself wasn't married, but she only found out after working there a few weeks that neither was the dean, nor any of the RAs. Chance or design?
At the time, however, all she said was, "It's okay," and smiling into the phone, "At least I'll know where to find you."
"I assure you, I don't make a habit of sleeping in." He sounded flustered and a bit apologetic. He'd been a few minutes late to the interview because, he said, he'd overslept that morning and been running late ever since.
"Of course not," Electra said, and allowed him to change the subject.
It's an illogical thing to think about now. The terrorists sent all the staff away, after all, even the teachers who did live on campus. The only one they kept was Dr. Gould. What must he be thinking? Is he sleeping at all? Do they let him make his tea?
Did he know? Did he have the slightest suspicion something like this was coming?
If he'd known, then at least he would have been prepared. He's strong, stronger than the students think, but she doesn't want to imagine him thrown into this horror without warning. And if he'd known, she can tell herself that he sent her off-campus on that errand deliberately, to get her out into safety.
She watches the news, and bites her nails, and worries.
-end-