Poached Pear 23: Politics
Title: Politics
Main Story: In the Heart and Polyfaceted
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Poached pear 23 (high & mighty), gummy bunnies (Sara: Ivy tells her parents that she's a bridesmaid in Is's wedding.), malt (Summer Challenge 457: I don't like to make political statements.), chopped nuts (crossover AU), milkshake.
Word Count: 1008
Rating: PG.
Summary: "What have you done?"
Notes: To break up the woe and upcoming (hopefully) creepy. Approved by the wonderful sarcasticsra.
ETA: Forgot the milkshake tag. Duh, self.
"So, Mom," Ivy said, innocently.
Too innocently.
Gail sighed, and shut the refrigerator door. There wasn't anything in there that she wanted to eat, anyway. "What have you done?"
"Mother." And that was Ivy's false indignation voice. "Why would you say a thing like that? It's like you don't trust me."
"Child of mine," Gail said, patiently, "I stopped trusting that particular tone of voice when you were four. Why are you here, anyway?"
Ivy opened her eyes very wide. "Don't you want me around?"
"Ivy Sophia," Gail said, less patiently. "I'm a politican. I've been dealing with idiocy all day. Do not give me the runaround if you know what's good for you."
"Okay," Ivy said, and to her credit, dropped the act. "Summer asked me to come help her with her chemistry homework. Kinetic-molecular theory, which she's better at than me, but whatever, she decided she needed help."
Which probably actually meant that Summer had wanted to see her sister. Gail nodded. "All right. Now, what have you done?"
"Nothing," Ivy said. Gail must have made an interesting expression because she quickly added, "Really! Nothing! I mean, I've agreed to do something but it shouldn't be a problem. It's not even illegal."
Gail leaned on the kitchen counter, inhaled, and gathered her strength. "All right," she said, again. "What did you agree to do?"
"Be a bridesmaid," Ivy said, which was so far from what Gail had expected that for a moment she could only stare.
"A bridesmaid," she said, finally.
Ivy nodded, brightly. "Yep!" she said. "That's all. I'm going to be a bridesmaid." She hesitated, then mumbled, "forIsabellaCorlioni."
Gail narrowed her eyes. "Sorry?" she asked, voice deceptively sweet. "I didn't quite catch that."
"Um," Ivy said. "For Isabella Corlioni."
"For Isabella Corlioni," Gail repeated, and put her hand over her face. "God help me."
It wasn't that she disliked Isabella, or that she made a habit of policing Ivy's friends. The latter would be an exercise in frustration, and as for the former, well, Ivy had had far less polite and well-behaved friends, though she thankfully hadn't kept them. It was just that... well.
Gail was not, thank God, an elected official. But she was still a politician, and the Corlionis were still a famous-- or should that be infamous?-- mob family. Gail had no interest in adultery, no inclination for treason and no intention of stealing anything, but a rumor that her integrity was for sale could destroy her career just as easily.
"Summer and Aaron are also coming," Ivy said. "Or they're invited, anyway. So are you. If you don't mind."
"Aaron is a grownup. He can do what he likes," Gail said. "Summer..." She hesitated, then shook her head. "I'll have to talk to Summer. Ivy, sweetheart, you do realize that the Corlionis are the mob, right?"
"Well, yeah," Ivy said, "but I like Is."
And that was her child all over. "Of course you do," Gail said, and sighed again. "Well, your father and I can't go. It isn't that I don't wish Isabella well, but..."
Ivy nodded. "No, I figured," she said. "I told Is as much too. She wanted to invite you guys anyway."
"It's kind of her," Gail said, and decided then that if Summer wanted to go, she could. They'd have to have a talk about rules, and about what was and wasn't okay behavior at a wedding, but she could go. "Who's she marrying, anyway?"
"Jeremy Osborne," Ivy said. The name sounded familiar, and Gail was about to say so when her daughter added, "He's a principal at some school somewhere, I don't know. Is was bragging but I honestly wasn't listening too hard. I mean, she doesn't listen when I brag about Gina, so..."
"Oh, damn," Gail said, suddenly placing him. "He's the Brit, isn't he? The expat in Queens. Damn, I liked him."
Ivy's eyebrow went up. "And him getting married to Is means you can't like him?"
"No," she said, thoroughly disgruntled. "It means I can't go to his wedding. Damn it."
Her ungrateful daughter laughed. "Well," she said, brightly, "you can chip in for the wedding present!"
Gail decided, somewhat reluctantly, that Ivy was too old to be grounded. Instead, she said, "I think I'll be sending him a separate letter of congratulations, thank you very much. And if the newspapers catch wind of you being a Corlioni girl's bridesmaid, I'm going to set Jake on you."
"Pff," Ivy said, waving a negligent hand. "Like I couldn't take Jake with both hands tied behind my back. He's a wimp, Mom."
Gail thought back to her disaster of a fifteenth wedding anniversary, and snorted. "You haven't seen him when he's overworked and knows who to blame."
"Mother!" Ivy said, back to false indignation. "Are you suggesting you would bet against me in a fight?"
"In this particular one?" she asked. "Absolutely. Now get out of my sight, child. I have to strategize for the inevitable storm at work."
Ivy sobered suddenly. "Is it really going to be that much trouble?" she asked. "I mean, I can still back out if I have to. Is will understand."
Gail, touched, smiled at her. "That's sweet," she said, "but unnecessary. You're a grown woman, Ivy. No one with any sense will hold me responsible for your actions."
"I thought you said nobody in politics had any sense," Ivy said.
Her good memory could sometimes be very annoying. "They don't," Gail said, "but that's all right, because I'm not an elected official so it doesn't really matter what they think. The worst that will happen is my boss will be annoyed with me for a few days. Then someone else will do something far worse and he'll get over it." She leaned forward and kissed Ivy's forehead. "Go be your friend's bridesmaid and enjoy. And tell Jeremy congratulations from me."
"Will do," Ivy said. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome," Gail said. "Now leave. I haven't eaten dinner yet and you're in the way."
Ivy laughed, and left.
Main Story: In the Heart and Polyfaceted
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Poached pear 23 (high & mighty), gummy bunnies (Sara: Ivy tells her parents that she's a bridesmaid in Is's wedding.), malt (Summer Challenge 457: I don't like to make political statements.), chopped nuts (crossover AU), milkshake.
Word Count: 1008
Rating: PG.
Summary: "What have you done?"
Notes: To break up the woe and upcoming (hopefully) creepy. Approved by the wonderful sarcasticsra.
ETA: Forgot the milkshake tag. Duh, self.
"So, Mom," Ivy said, innocently.
Too innocently.
Gail sighed, and shut the refrigerator door. There wasn't anything in there that she wanted to eat, anyway. "What have you done?"
"Mother." And that was Ivy's false indignation voice. "Why would you say a thing like that? It's like you don't trust me."
"Child of mine," Gail said, patiently, "I stopped trusting that particular tone of voice when you were four. Why are you here, anyway?"
Ivy opened her eyes very wide. "Don't you want me around?"
"Ivy Sophia," Gail said, less patiently. "I'm a politican. I've been dealing with idiocy all day. Do not give me the runaround if you know what's good for you."
"Okay," Ivy said, and to her credit, dropped the act. "Summer asked me to come help her with her chemistry homework. Kinetic-molecular theory, which she's better at than me, but whatever, she decided she needed help."
Which probably actually meant that Summer had wanted to see her sister. Gail nodded. "All right. Now, what have you done?"
"Nothing," Ivy said. Gail must have made an interesting expression because she quickly added, "Really! Nothing! I mean, I've agreed to do something but it shouldn't be a problem. It's not even illegal."
Gail leaned on the kitchen counter, inhaled, and gathered her strength. "All right," she said, again. "What did you agree to do?"
"Be a bridesmaid," Ivy said, which was so far from what Gail had expected that for a moment she could only stare.
"A bridesmaid," she said, finally.
Ivy nodded, brightly. "Yep!" she said. "That's all. I'm going to be a bridesmaid." She hesitated, then mumbled, "forIsabellaCorlioni."
Gail narrowed her eyes. "Sorry?" she asked, voice deceptively sweet. "I didn't quite catch that."
"Um," Ivy said. "For Isabella Corlioni."
"For Isabella Corlioni," Gail repeated, and put her hand over her face. "God help me."
It wasn't that she disliked Isabella, or that she made a habit of policing Ivy's friends. The latter would be an exercise in frustration, and as for the former, well, Ivy had had far less polite and well-behaved friends, though she thankfully hadn't kept them. It was just that... well.
Gail was not, thank God, an elected official. But she was still a politician, and the Corlionis were still a famous-- or should that be infamous?-- mob family. Gail had no interest in adultery, no inclination for treason and no intention of stealing anything, but a rumor that her integrity was for sale could destroy her career just as easily.
"Summer and Aaron are also coming," Ivy said. "Or they're invited, anyway. So are you. If you don't mind."
"Aaron is a grownup. He can do what he likes," Gail said. "Summer..." She hesitated, then shook her head. "I'll have to talk to Summer. Ivy, sweetheart, you do realize that the Corlionis are the mob, right?"
"Well, yeah," Ivy said, "but I like Is."
And that was her child all over. "Of course you do," Gail said, and sighed again. "Well, your father and I can't go. It isn't that I don't wish Isabella well, but..."
Ivy nodded. "No, I figured," she said. "I told Is as much too. She wanted to invite you guys anyway."
"It's kind of her," Gail said, and decided then that if Summer wanted to go, she could. They'd have to have a talk about rules, and about what was and wasn't okay behavior at a wedding, but she could go. "Who's she marrying, anyway?"
"Jeremy Osborne," Ivy said. The name sounded familiar, and Gail was about to say so when her daughter added, "He's a principal at some school somewhere, I don't know. Is was bragging but I honestly wasn't listening too hard. I mean, she doesn't listen when I brag about Gina, so..."
"Oh, damn," Gail said, suddenly placing him. "He's the Brit, isn't he? The expat in Queens. Damn, I liked him."
Ivy's eyebrow went up. "And him getting married to Is means you can't like him?"
"No," she said, thoroughly disgruntled. "It means I can't go to his wedding. Damn it."
Her ungrateful daughter laughed. "Well," she said, brightly, "you can chip in for the wedding present!"
Gail decided, somewhat reluctantly, that Ivy was too old to be grounded. Instead, she said, "I think I'll be sending him a separate letter of congratulations, thank you very much. And if the newspapers catch wind of you being a Corlioni girl's bridesmaid, I'm going to set Jake on you."
"Pff," Ivy said, waving a negligent hand. "Like I couldn't take Jake with both hands tied behind my back. He's a wimp, Mom."
Gail thought back to her disaster of a fifteenth wedding anniversary, and snorted. "You haven't seen him when he's overworked and knows who to blame."
"Mother!" Ivy said, back to false indignation. "Are you suggesting you would bet against me in a fight?"
"In this particular one?" she asked. "Absolutely. Now get out of my sight, child. I have to strategize for the inevitable storm at work."
Ivy sobered suddenly. "Is it really going to be that much trouble?" she asked. "I mean, I can still back out if I have to. Is will understand."
Gail, touched, smiled at her. "That's sweet," she said, "but unnecessary. You're a grown woman, Ivy. No one with any sense will hold me responsible for your actions."
"I thought you said nobody in politics had any sense," Ivy said.
Her good memory could sometimes be very annoying. "They don't," Gail said, "but that's all right, because I'm not an elected official so it doesn't really matter what they think. The worst that will happen is my boss will be annoyed with me for a few days. Then someone else will do something far worse and he'll get over it." She leaned forward and kissed Ivy's forehead. "Go be your friend's bridesmaid and enjoy. And tell Jeremy congratulations from me."
"Will do," Ivy said. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome," Gail said. "Now leave. I haven't eaten dinner yet and you're in the way."
Ivy laughed, and left.