After work at S-Mart

[thisismyboomstick]

"Hey, Ash?"

"I'm off the clock. Whaddya want?"

"You comin' to the Christmas party?"

"Hell no. Like I wanna spend any more time with you people?"

"Yeah, whatever, man. Have a good night."

"You too."

"Um.. Ash?"

"What?"

"There's someone waiting for you out here."

Comments

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

Sheila is standing around talking to Fox, two shopping bags in her arms, and wearing, gasp, modern clothes -- a well-fitting red maternity dress from the Somerset.

Ash's stocking guru waves at him. "She came to see you, man," says Fox, before wnadering off.

Her smile's quite innocent.

"Hi."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He stammers a bit, torn between 'you look great' and 'how the hell did you get here?' Eventually he finds his voice.

"Hey, babe."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"I got a little bored. I hope you don't mind my being here?" she asks sweetly.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"No, of course not."

Pause.

"How did you get here, anyway?"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Consider my dearest friend's species carefully," Sheila starts, before very very quickly changing the subject. "Like I said, I was a bit bored, so why don't you show me around?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He leads her inside, tactfully refraining from pointing out that she has, in fact, been there before.

"C'mon. You didn't really come all this way just to see this dump."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"No, I didn't. It is possible I will be attacked every single time I end up here, but -- really? Just lonely."

It almost hurts to admit it.

"Shiloh and I were telling Jay old family stories and we got to the silliest things, and --" Her eyes are dancing, she's giggling slightly as she talks. "I don't know, really. I felt like visiting."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He takes her by the hand and leads her to a marginally quiet corner.

"Sure you're okay?"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Of course I am, despite being just a tiny bit bulgier than I normally am," she laughs.

"Only lonely."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He hugs her.

"Holiday hours. I'm sorry."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"It is all right. I have a brother and several friends."

There's a black feather behind her head.

It might be her vulture's. It might not be.

"We manage. Just, the telling of family stories, you know."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I-"

And in mid-sentence, someone whistles.

He glares.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

She doesn't.

She just smiles.

"Would you please keep your mouth closed, licheor plain d'anvie?" is said in a very sweet and impeccable accent.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"We're tryin' to talk here, do you mind?"

After the interloper mumbles an apology and makes a hasty exit, Ash turns back to Sheila.

"You're gonna hve to teach me that one of these days."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"What, how to say incredibly improper things in diplomatic languages?"

Hers is an impish smile.

"And you probably thought finishing school was all about how to behave at meals."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He grins.

"That's my girl."

It's at this point that he's approached by a rather flustered shopper.

Damn. Still in uniform.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where-"

"Customer service is that way, kid."

He shakes his head as the boy scurries off.

"C'mon, let's take a walk."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Right."

They're walking.

"Are we going anywhere in particular?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He shrugs. Not really.

"So when do I get to hear these family stories?"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Which ones? Some are about our silly adventures as children, others when I was in school for diplomacy and Shiloh and Arthur to become Great and Powerful Warriors, and how I tried to follow them about ... I was such a silly little girl."

She still is.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Well, you never told me much about your past."

Ash? There's probably a reason for that.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Silly little girl, see. There's not that much to say -- a lot was spent in France, with fellow students, and my brother and cousins and the de Brabants --"

She cuts herself off, blushing.

"... well, you and Nick have met," she picks up, covering for herself. "His family. Nothing very interesting."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He raises an eyebrow.

"That's not a 'nothing very interesting' look on your face."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

Sweetly, "It isn't?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He gives her a look. Now he's just... curious.

"C'mon, tell me."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Tell you what? About my foolish childhood love for my brother's friend, maybe?"

She's shaking, just a little.

"Nicholas' nephew, Fleur de Brabant's son, Andre --"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Aw, you had a crush, didn't you?"

The teasing stops when he realizes she's not the slightest bit amused.

"Hey. You know it's okay, right?"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"... and yet wholly improper and it is bad enough I was wed before --"

Apparently she doesn't.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Hey, hey, hey. We've been over this before."

He looks her straight in the eyes.

"Nothing about this relationship's ever been normal - for either of us. And there's nothing wrong with that."


As he looks up, he realizes they've attracted a bit of an audience.

"Hey everyone - big sale on Beanie Babies in the toy department!"

That oughta clear the room.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

As everyone runs away, Sheila can't help but chuckle a little.

"... and yet it isn't right. Not how things work, to love another first, you know. Arthur never felt entirely comfortable with it, and I always just felt so awful ..."

And then she clings to him and cries.

The narrator doesn't know either.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

Sighing, he holds her and lets her cry it out.

Pregnancy hormones. Gotta love 'em.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

She's always like this.

It's the propriety thing.

"... you're not upset."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"After some of the things I've done to you, I think I've lost whatever right I ever had to be upset about this."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Not done anything wrong. Every motion you've made is within your right as lord."

La la medieval propriety!

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"No, it's not!"

He's not a lord. He never wanted to be. The whole thing is giving him a headache.

"... I hate it when you talk like that. You're not my property."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"I am terribly sorry for acting how I was raised to be," she says, sharply turning away and muttering.

"Une losengor."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Dammit, that's not what I meant..."

He takes a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I don't understand your customs and traditions. I'm trying. But you kinda need to meet me halfway..."

You need to believe me when I tell you everything's alright.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes it just isn't my fault," she says quietly. "It's the way I just am, and I've been trying -- I'm sorry."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Me too. For a lot of things."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"I told you I'm not angry about anything."

Beat.

"I still wonder sometimes why you left so long ago, but that's different. Didn't matter to you then anyway."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Well for one thing, there's no indoor plumbing in the 14th century."

Yeah. So not the time to be flippant.

"Sorry. I jsut... don't even know anymore. I think I was scared."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"I had to yell at you to get you to care about us. But I believe that. We were scared too."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't really the battle that scared me," he admits.

Yep. An army of evil undead? No problem. Unexpectedly strong emotions? Terrifying.