Fic: The ties that bind us
Written for fanfic50, xposted to dresdenfic
Title: The ties that bind us
Fandom: The Dresden Files bookverse
Word Count: 441
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Summary: What is family?
a/n Written for the fanfic50 challenge, prompt 20, Dinner. Unbeta'ed, all mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: The Dresden Files belongs to Jim Butcher, ROC Books, and Orbit Books. No profit is being made, nor is any copyright or trademark infringement intended.
Table: Table found here
Once every couple of months or so, at the family restaurant, the entire Ramirez clan descends for a good old-fashioned get together.
Children everywhere, playing, running free, giggling as only children can. Adults in groups huddled in corners, the men talking about how much the world is changing, the women doing the same. Grandparents, great aunts and uncles, telling anyone who would listen that the good old days were so much better, how the youth of today didn’t appreciate what they had, how morals were declining, and when was Carlos going to settle down and marry?
“Un día, un día,” is my laughing response. They all tut at me, then cackle with laughter. Ritual. Gotta love it.
It was at gatherings like this that I wonder where I’d inherited my magic from. They all knew that Carlos had a special job, one that took him all over the country. I doubt most of them would believe me if I told them what I was, as with them, like so many, magic is the family, nothing else. When I stop and think about it, I suspect it was Grandmamma Ramirez. Sometimes, when she doesn’t think I’m looking, I see her watching with me knowing eyes at times. And her cooking verges on the supernatural.
As we all sit down, dishes piled high with food are passed around. Noone will go home hungry. There is lots of chatter in English and Spanish, with plenty of laughter. All normal. One of my cousins is getting married in a couple of month’s time, so everyone is talking excitedly about it, making plans.
Suddenly, the phone rings. Papa gets up to answer it, shutting the office door behind him. There are shouts of “leave it alone!” which he just ignores. After a moment, his face appears in the doorway.
One word. “Carlos.” I know instinctively who is on the other end of the line. Mamma sighs. Grandmamma just looks at me, eyes filled with... something, I can’t describe it - wisdom, love, fear - all rolled into one. I walk into the office, take the receiver from Papa.
“Harry.”
“’Los. I’ve got ghouls. I could use your help.”
“I told you to take something for that last time.”
I look out of the office door over the restaurant, watching the scene. Harry doesn’t have this. I know his history (who on the Council doesn’t?) - an orphan, labelled a black magic user by the Council, derided by unbelievers. All he has are a few close friends. They are his family. And families stick together.
“Save some fighting for me, old man. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Title: The ties that bind us
Fandom: The Dresden Files bookverse
Word Count: 441
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Summary: What is family?
a/n Written for the fanfic50 challenge, prompt 20, Dinner. Unbeta'ed, all mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: The Dresden Files belongs to Jim Butcher, ROC Books, and Orbit Books. No profit is being made, nor is any copyright or trademark infringement intended.
Table: Table found here
Once every couple of months or so, at the family restaurant, the entire Ramirez clan descends for a good old-fashioned get together.
Children everywhere, playing, running free, giggling as only children can. Adults in groups huddled in corners, the men talking about how much the world is changing, the women doing the same. Grandparents, great aunts and uncles, telling anyone who would listen that the good old days were so much better, how the youth of today didn’t appreciate what they had, how morals were declining, and when was Carlos going to settle down and marry?
“Un día, un día,” is my laughing response. They all tut at me, then cackle with laughter. Ritual. Gotta love it.
It was at gatherings like this that I wonder where I’d inherited my magic from. They all knew that Carlos had a special job, one that took him all over the country. I doubt most of them would believe me if I told them what I was, as with them, like so many, magic is the family, nothing else. When I stop and think about it, I suspect it was Grandmamma Ramirez. Sometimes, when she doesn’t think I’m looking, I see her watching with me knowing eyes at times. And her cooking verges on the supernatural.
As we all sit down, dishes piled high with food are passed around. Noone will go home hungry. There is lots of chatter in English and Spanish, with plenty of laughter. All normal. One of my cousins is getting married in a couple of month’s time, so everyone is talking excitedly about it, making plans.
Suddenly, the phone rings. Papa gets up to answer it, shutting the office door behind him. There are shouts of “leave it alone!” which he just ignores. After a moment, his face appears in the doorway.
One word. “Carlos.” I know instinctively who is on the other end of the line. Mamma sighs. Grandmamma just looks at me, eyes filled with... something, I can’t describe it - wisdom, love, fear - all rolled into one. I walk into the office, take the receiver from Papa.
“Harry.”
“’Los. I’ve got ghouls. I could use your help.”
“I told you to take something for that last time.”
I look out of the office door over the restaurant, watching the scene. Harry doesn’t have this. I know his history (who on the Council doesn’t?) - an orphan, labelled a black magic user by the Council, derided by unbelievers. All he has are a few close friends. They are his family. And families stick together.
“Save some fighting for me, old man. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”