TITLE: Etude Interrupted
AUTHOR: Ashley-Pitt
WORD COUNT: 300
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Inspired by a suggestion by
ylla this story follows several day after
The Eye of the BeholderDISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters nor am I making any money from them. I borrow them once in awhile, but put them away tidily.
Stephen and Jack were in the middle of a particularly vexing etude when Stephen suddenly stopped playing.
“Brother!” Jack cried, “What is this? Have you injured a string?”
Stephen sat with his ‘cello at rest, his bow lax in his hand.
“Jack,” he said, “The other morn, before the battle, you said that you found me beautiful…please, tell me why.”
Jack thought for a moment and replied, “Well for one, you are the most gifted surgeon and physician in the whole of the fleet.”
Stephen shrugged and said, “That only means that I have chosen the correct calling in life.”
“ For another, you can name out of hand any creature that crawls, flies or swims upon the earth.”
“That merely means that I am a somewhat knowledgeable naturalist.”
“And you can speak and understand prodigious many languages.”
Stephen sighed, “Merely multilingual. Jack, I am a strange looking Irish-Catalan bastard with oddly toned skin and even more oddly colored eyes. I have a stunted sense of humor which is all well for when I do laugh, I sound like a she-walrus calving. Pray, what can you find beautiful?”
Jack’s brow furrowed and he placed his violin on the table. He walked over to Stephen and knelt before him. He looked into Stephen’s eyes and said, “Those are but outer trappings, a husk if you will. What I find beautiful is in here.”
He placed a hand gently on Stephen’s chest.
Stephen looked at Jack and whispered, “ Please brother, do not toy with my feelings.”
“Never in life,” Jack said softly as he leaned forward and slowly, sweetly kissed Stephens lips.
Jack then stood and walked back to the table.
Smiling, he picked up his violin and said, “Do you think we have time for the etude again before Killick arrives with our toasted cheese?”