FIC: The Good Husband
Aug. 27th, 2007 03:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalTags: Terinu, Barry & Vonnie.
Just a look at was going on in the background during this.
Barry put down his hammer. It was 9:30 in the evening at the little canal-side vacation home that he and Vonnie owned here in Mandurah and he’d been busying himself hanging new pictures on the walls. Earlier that evening he had cooked (and eaten) a meal for two, maintaining the illusion that he and Vonnie were both here, instead of just himself. He finished with the pictures and was looking speculatively at the back porch’s wood stain, when the front door opened and Vonnie came into the house.
“I’m back, Barry,” she said, looking jet-lagged and wrung out. “Take off your hat, would you? Where’s Kevin?”
“Kevin went to bed already. You all right, luv? You look right crook,” he said, taking her coat and hanging it in the closet while she sat down in an easy chair. “Everything go all right?”
“Well enough. They didn’t twig to our falsified passes. That cyber glider Lance found was good for that at least. We planted as many charges as we could and we got out again. Lance and I had a bit of an argument about the placement of one but we settled it. Oh, thank you, luv.” She took the tea that he’d had steeping in kitchen for her eventual arrival gratefully.
“So everything looks a go?” he asked.
“Oh, aye. Just wish it hadn’t come to this.” She sipped her tea and then banged the cup down on the end table. “What the devil was that idiot brother of mine thinking, putting Leeza, his own daughter, in a bloody prison cell for speaking her mind? Does he think we’re going to forgive him, once he’s done saving the universe from a fifteen-year old boy?”
“Mind you don’t spill, dear,” he said, slipping a coaster underneath it.
“Don’t fuss, Barry,” Vonnie said.
“Sorry, luv. Anyway, I don’t know what Erwin thinks he’s up to. The fella ain’t been quite right since his wife died.”
“Oh, I know that, Barry. But that’s no excuse for all of the bloody nonsense he’s tried to pull. Putting Leeza in prison, setting out to kill a young boy. And he’s making us act as mad as him now! Good God, what are we doing?”
He pulled out his kerchief from his pocket and wiped a spot of tea from the table. “Helping Leeza and Terinu.”
“Oh, yes! We’re breaking Leeza out of prison, which is going to make her a fugitive and if she gets caught the law will have a real reason to arrest her. Meanwhile poor Lance has chucked his career in the dustbin, the young fool!”
Barry pursed his lips and said, “Vonnie, if I remember right you’re the one that talked him into this.”
She stood up, throwing her hands in the air. “He didn’t have to listen to me!”
“It’ll all work out, luv. Anyway, aren’t you proud of Lance, for doing what’s right?” He reached over and gather her up in his arms. “There now.”
“Tell me it’ll be all right, Barry,” she whispered, hugging him tightly.
“It’ll be all right, Vonnie, you’ll see,” he told her. “Now why don’t you get some sleep? You’ve had a long day. Nothing more to be done now.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said. He led her upstairs to bed, and she fell asleep before he’d finished with her foot rub.
* * *
It was two in the morning when Barry woke up to a tickle in his ear, as the phone headset he’d clipped there buzzed silently. He slipped out of bed and into the hallway before he touched the answer button and greeted, “G’mornin’, Ernie. Up late?”
“Get Vonnie for me, Barry,” Erwin replied with a growl.
Barry smiled in the darkness. “She’s sleepin’. Worked late last night, poor thing.”
“Get her on anyway, Barry. It’s important.”
“What’s it about then?”
“That’s classified.”
“Oh, classified. Can’t imagine why you’d want to talk t’ Vonnie about it then. Anyway, it’s a bit rude to be callin’ at Oh Dear God in the morning after she’s been trying to get a hold of you about Leeza for a week. How is your girl, anyway? Still enjoying her holiday?”
“That’s none of your business,” Erwin said, and Barry could imagine the smoke coming out of his brother-in-law’s ears.
“Rotten way to treat family, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask you.”
“Oh, I know. You’re not real big on other people’s opinions, are ya Ernie? Never have been.”
He heard Erwin take in a deep breath, before his brother-in-law said, “I need to know what Vonnie knows. Otherwise things could go very badly for her. Maybe for you both, if you aren’t careful.”
“Y’ can’t stick every relative you have into the poke, Erwin,” Barry said, feeling his blood start a slow, unfamiliar boil. “You put your own daughter in prison, for daring to tell you that murdering a young boy is wrong. You put your niece at an unholy risk, just to catch a spy, and now she’s kidnapped and God only knows where. What are you going to do to her when Gwen gets back, Ernie? Rip out that damned implant you let that bloody weasel Cyeman put into her, and then throw her in jail for collaborating with the enemy?”
“That’s my worry, Barry.”
“I suppose it is, Erwin. Hope that keeps you warm at night, when you’re all alone in that apartment of yours on Luna Station, wondering why no one calls on you..”
Erwin’s voice went ice cold. “Good night, Barry.”
“Good morning, Erwin.” Barry turned off the headset and then picked up Vonnie’s handcomp, where she’d left it on the side table. He typed in her password and checked through her messages. There, from the anonymous server ID that she’d been given by Lance’s Cyber Glider contact, was a single message line.
Holiday went very well. Mouse hunt started.. –L
He shut the comp down and headed back to bed. When he curled up behind Vonnie, she murmured sleepily, “Where were you?”
“Answering the phone, that’s all,” he replied.
“Oh?”
“Everything’s fine. Go back to sleep, Vonnie.”
“Love you, sweetheart,” she said.
“Love you too.”
Just a look at was going on in the background during this.
Barry put down his hammer. It was 9:30 in the evening at the little canal-side vacation home that he and Vonnie owned here in Mandurah and he’d been busying himself hanging new pictures on the walls. Earlier that evening he had cooked (and eaten) a meal for two, maintaining the illusion that he and Vonnie were both here, instead of just himself. He finished with the pictures and was looking speculatively at the back porch’s wood stain, when the front door opened and Vonnie came into the house.
“I’m back, Barry,” she said, looking jet-lagged and wrung out. “Take off your hat, would you? Where’s Kevin?”
“Kevin went to bed already. You all right, luv? You look right crook,” he said, taking her coat and hanging it in the closet while she sat down in an easy chair. “Everything go all right?”
“Well enough. They didn’t twig to our falsified passes. That cyber glider Lance found was good for that at least. We planted as many charges as we could and we got out again. Lance and I had a bit of an argument about the placement of one but we settled it. Oh, thank you, luv.” She took the tea that he’d had steeping in kitchen for her eventual arrival gratefully.
“So everything looks a go?” he asked.
“Oh, aye. Just wish it hadn’t come to this.” She sipped her tea and then banged the cup down on the end table. “What the devil was that idiot brother of mine thinking, putting Leeza, his own daughter, in a bloody prison cell for speaking her mind? Does he think we’re going to forgive him, once he’s done saving the universe from a fifteen-year old boy?”
“Mind you don’t spill, dear,” he said, slipping a coaster underneath it.
“Don’t fuss, Barry,” Vonnie said.
“Sorry, luv. Anyway, I don’t know what Erwin thinks he’s up to. The fella ain’t been quite right since his wife died.”
“Oh, I know that, Barry. But that’s no excuse for all of the bloody nonsense he’s tried to pull. Putting Leeza in prison, setting out to kill a young boy. And he’s making us act as mad as him now! Good God, what are we doing?”
He pulled out his kerchief from his pocket and wiped a spot of tea from the table. “Helping Leeza and Terinu.”
“Oh, yes! We’re breaking Leeza out of prison, which is going to make her a fugitive and if she gets caught the law will have a real reason to arrest her. Meanwhile poor Lance has chucked his career in the dustbin, the young fool!”
Barry pursed his lips and said, “Vonnie, if I remember right you’re the one that talked him into this.”
She stood up, throwing her hands in the air. “He didn’t have to listen to me!”
“It’ll all work out, luv. Anyway, aren’t you proud of Lance, for doing what’s right?” He reached over and gather her up in his arms. “There now.”
“Tell me it’ll be all right, Barry,” she whispered, hugging him tightly.
“It’ll be all right, Vonnie, you’ll see,” he told her. “Now why don’t you get some sleep? You’ve had a long day. Nothing more to be done now.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said. He led her upstairs to bed, and she fell asleep before he’d finished with her foot rub.
* * *
It was two in the morning when Barry woke up to a tickle in his ear, as the phone headset he’d clipped there buzzed silently. He slipped out of bed and into the hallway before he touched the answer button and greeted, “G’mornin’, Ernie. Up late?”
“Get Vonnie for me, Barry,” Erwin replied with a growl.
Barry smiled in the darkness. “She’s sleepin’. Worked late last night, poor thing.”
“Get her on anyway, Barry. It’s important.”
“What’s it about then?”
“That’s classified.”
“Oh, classified. Can’t imagine why you’d want to talk t’ Vonnie about it then. Anyway, it’s a bit rude to be callin’ at Oh Dear God in the morning after she’s been trying to get a hold of you about Leeza for a week. How is your girl, anyway? Still enjoying her holiday?”
“That’s none of your business,” Erwin said, and Barry could imagine the smoke coming out of his brother-in-law’s ears.
“Rotten way to treat family, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask you.”
“Oh, I know. You’re not real big on other people’s opinions, are ya Ernie? Never have been.”
He heard Erwin take in a deep breath, before his brother-in-law said, “I need to know what Vonnie knows. Otherwise things could go very badly for her. Maybe for you both, if you aren’t careful.”
“Y’ can’t stick every relative you have into the poke, Erwin,” Barry said, feeling his blood start a slow, unfamiliar boil. “You put your own daughter in prison, for daring to tell you that murdering a young boy is wrong. You put your niece at an unholy risk, just to catch a spy, and now she’s kidnapped and God only knows where. What are you going to do to her when Gwen gets back, Ernie? Rip out that damned implant you let that bloody weasel Cyeman put into her, and then throw her in jail for collaborating with the enemy?”
“That’s my worry, Barry.”
“I suppose it is, Erwin. Hope that keeps you warm at night, when you’re all alone in that apartment of yours on Luna Station, wondering why no one calls on you..”
Erwin’s voice went ice cold. “Good night, Barry.”
“Good morning, Erwin.” Barry turned off the headset and then picked up Vonnie’s handcomp, where she’d left it on the side table. He typed in her password and checked through her messages. There, from the anonymous server ID that she’d been given by Lance’s Cyber Glider contact, was a single message line.
Holiday went very well. Mouse hunt started.. –L
He shut the comp down and headed back to bed. When he curled up behind Vonnie, she murmured sleepily, “Where were you?”
“Answering the phone, that’s all,” he replied.
“Oh?”
“Everything’s fine. Go back to sleep, Vonnie.”
“Love you, sweetheart,” she said.
“Love you too.”
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no subject
Date: 2007-08-28 05:41 am (UTC)Love it!
no subject
Date: 2007-08-28 07:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-28 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-28 07:34 pm (UTC)Heck, if anything he'd be a worshipper of the Holy Den Mother, given who raised him.
*Royce giggles to himself and writes down a drabble idea*
no subject
Date: 2007-08-28 07:44 pm (UTC)