(no subject)
Fandom: Persuasion
Pairing: Admiral Croft x Sophy Croft
Theme set: Delta
Rating: PG, PG-13, maybe.
A/N: Admiral Croft isn’t given a Christian name in the novel, so I named him John, in honor of the estimable John Woodvine. Chronological order. Enjoy!
#32 - Pretty
“So what do you think of my sister?” asks Midshipman Wentworth; “A pretty girl,” Captain Croft allows, “a very pretty girl,” and he will say no more.
#42 - Strange
Sophia Wentworth has never been in love before; it’s a very strange feeling deep in her gut, and it’s only when he goes away, and it twists until she feels like crying, that she understands it for what it is.
#14 - Fire
Fire is a sailor’s worst enemy, from lightning or a heated cannonball through the sails; but Sophy Wentworth causes a different kind of fire, one far more dangerous.
#21 - Head
His head says that he is utterly foolish, wanting to wed a woman he met in person only five days ago; his heart has rather more to say on the subject, and it makes more sense.
#33 - Rain
They are walking in the garden when the clouds burst; Captain Croft hurries Sophy to a tree, where he holds his cloak over their heads and asks her to marry him.
#03 - Beginning
Captain John Croft bows and kisses Sophia Wentworth’s hand on their first introduction; ten days later he’s kissing her at their wedding, and he cannot believe his luck.
#19 - Grave
Sophy laughs from sheer happiness; her mother steps on her foot, and she stifles another giggle and looks appropriately grave, but her husband-to-be is glad to see her eyes still sparkling as she walks up the aisle towards him.
#01 - Air
Her first day on board her new husband’s new ship, Sophy Croft lifts her face to the sea wind and smiles.
#47 - Water
Sophy told him once that she always loved the ocean; watching her now on the bridge of his ship, he can believe it, for she looks so at home.
#09 - Drink
Captain Croft notices an appreciable lowering in the average level of drunkenness of his crew since he brought Sophy on board, and an equally appreciable heightening in their manners.
#18 - Foot
Sophy takes off her wet stockings and flexes her bare foot by the fire: John watches, dry-mouthed, and swallows hard when she tucks it back under her skirts.
#10 - Duty
It is his duty to be here, freezing his...face off on the North Seas, while his new and precious wife remains behind in Deal; John Croft wipes the cold spray from his face and promises himself that he’ll never again leave port without her.
#49 - Winter
It’s cold in Deal, far colder on the North Seas, probably, but Sophy would much rather be there than here; at least there, she would have her husband to keep her warm.
#45 - Ugly
Sophy never really felt pretty until Captain Croft told her that she was; and she never really felt ugly until the winter in Deal.
#40 - Spring
The robins sing, the snow vanishes, the roses bloom, and still the winter is not over; the front door opens, John Croft strides across the threshhold calling her name, and catches her in his arms, and finally it is spring.
#39 - Solid
Sophy is the only woman on board, and indeed, has been given the high honor of being considered quite a hand; Captain Croft’s current lieutenant even called her “as solid as any of the sailors.”
#06 - Dark
Battle is coming-Captain John Croft stands at the rail of his ship, straining his eyes against the dark for the enemy ships, and thanks God that Sophy is safely ashore.
#46 - War
It is days before they hear news of Trafalgar, and days more before news of those lost comes through: Sophy bites her nails until her husband returns and holds her tightly against him, and will not speak of the battle.
#38 - Snow
The snow drifts down on the ocean, laces the rigging with white and mists Sophy’s dark hair with water droplets; John wishes her a very happy New Year, because he needs an excuse for kissing her in public.
#04 - Bugs
It’s the insects that tell him the long journey to India is nearly over; to Sophy, they’re just an annoyance, but she trusts his word.
#28 - New
Sophy Croft makes friends in the East Indies, one of whom manages to talk her into a sari; it’s a new look for her, but John Croft thoroughly approves.
#35 - Roses
Somewhere, he found a rose and stripped it of its thorns, and now, when he tucks it into the side of her bodice with an impish smile, Sophy wonders how he knew she was missing England’s gardens.
#31 - Poison
After Frederick’s promotion to Captain, Sophy invites him aboard and asks him about his time ashore, but he goes tight-lipped and will say nothing; Sophy and John exchange glances, and by mutual consent switch to a less poisonous topic.
#36 - Secret
They have no secrets between them, not anymore; secrets, they have both learned, are acid to the foundations of love.
#16 - Flying
Sophy prefers sailing on the Atlantic to any of the other seven seas she’s been on; it’s usually smoother, and on a windy day, she can stand at the bow of the ship and feel like flying.
#37 - Snakes
There’s a shriek, and John tears out of the cabin, crashes into Sophy hurrying up the gangplank; a moment later, and he’s laughing helplessly, even as she thumps him about the head and shoulders: who would have thought his fearless Sophy would be afraid of something so harmless as a garden snake?
#20 - Green
Cork is so green it dazzles Sophy; later that night, John swears flecks of that green have gotten into her eyes.
#24 - Hope
Sophy waits with rising hope through the months, counting the days until she can tell the admiral; a week before the day that would have made it certain, she miscarries, and does not speak for days.
#02 - Apples
Sophy loves apples; her expression when he presents her with a bushel is well worth the expense, and her expression when she gets around to eating them is worth the world.
#17 - Food
John adores the spices in the East Indies, but cannot afford to purchase them at home, so Sophy bribes Frederick to bring her some and surprises him; he is appropriately grateful, and later that night he surprises her.
#05 - Coffee
Sophy wakes up late that morning, after the Admiral has long been up and about; he gives her a good-morning kiss, she complains, “You taste like coffee,” and he laughs, and kisses her again.
#15 - Flexible
The orders come down from on high, and the Admiral and Mrs. Croft must delay their visits home; Sophy smiles, and shakes her head, and does not show her sadness, because she knows he hates it too.
#30 - Peace
Finally, finally, the war is over, and they can settle in England at last; Sophy is alarmed when the Admiral speaks of having the good luck to live to another war, and hits him lightly on the forearm when he explains he was only joking.
#23 - Honor
His honor is in his crew, his ship, good men and good wood; but most of all it is in his wife, in the best choice he ever made.
#11 - Earth
It is quite unfair that he, a sailor all his life, has difficulty readjusting to life on land, while Sophy transitions easily from sea legs to land legs and back again, and laughs at him when he cannot.
#50 - Wood
Sophy would never tell, but she loves Kellynch Hall because it creaks comfortingly at night, like the ribs of a ship, or her husband’s knee.
#27 - Metal
The mirrors in the dressing room, all reflecting his somewhat substandard face and form, bother him excessively; Sophy comes in beside him to help him move them, and suddenly he doesn’t mind them so much.
#07 - Despair
“The Admiral loves children,” Sophy says, and smiles to cover the sudden emptiness beneath her ribs.
#48 - Welcome
“Anne Elliot is a sweet girl,” Sophy says, out of the blue, and the Admiral agrees, “I should not be sorry to know her better”; and just like that, Anne is welcome in any home they make together.
#44 - Taboo
Frederick will not speak of Anne Elliot, and is so stubbornly silent on the subject that Sophy decides he is in love with her; John kisses her brow and requests only that matchmaking attempts not involve him.
#41 - Stable
Sophy drives better than he does, but is kind enough not to show it; he is better at harnessing their horses, but lets her do it when she asks.
#13 - Fall
The gig overturns and Sophy and her Admiral spill out on the ground; “Do try to be careful, dear,” she says, exasperated, as he picks her up and laughs.
#29 - Old
“Do you know, dear,” Sophy says, “I’m very glad to hear that Captain Benwick and Louisa Musgrove are to marry”; “It certainly makes things easier for older loves,” agrees the Admiral.
#26 - Lost
Sophy shakes her head as her husband relates his conversation with Anne Elliot, regarding getting Frederick to Bath; “A little heavy-handed, dear, but all is not lost yet.”
#43 - Summer
Anne gives birth to their first child in the summer of 1816; Sophy smiles, says everything that is appropriate, and is very grateful for her husband’s hand on the small of her back.
#34 - Regret
Sophy asks him one day if he has any regrets, a nervous hand laid across her abdomen; the Admiral takes that hand, and kisses it, and says no.
#12 - End
His Sophy was blessed with excellent health, right up until the day she fell on the stairs and did not get up again.
#08 - Doors
The Admiral cannot stand having doors between him and Sophy, and so they have always shared a bedroom; and so he is holding her hand when she dies.
#22 - Hollow
He reaches for a cup, fills it with tea, absently makes a cup for Sophy, and remembers; for the rest of the day, the teacup sits untouched and full, until the maids take it out in the evening.
#25 - Light
Admiral John Croft closes his eyes and remembers the light on Sophy’s hair as she stood at the bow, smiling at him; he closes his eyes, and reaches out to Sophy, and is at peace.
Pairing: Admiral Croft x Sophy Croft
Theme set: Delta
Rating: PG, PG-13, maybe.
A/N: Admiral Croft isn’t given a Christian name in the novel, so I named him John, in honor of the estimable John Woodvine. Chronological order. Enjoy!
#32 - Pretty
“So what do you think of my sister?” asks Midshipman Wentworth; “A pretty girl,” Captain Croft allows, “a very pretty girl,” and he will say no more.
#42 - Strange
Sophia Wentworth has never been in love before; it’s a very strange feeling deep in her gut, and it’s only when he goes away, and it twists until she feels like crying, that she understands it for what it is.
#14 - Fire
Fire is a sailor’s worst enemy, from lightning or a heated cannonball through the sails; but Sophy Wentworth causes a different kind of fire, one far more dangerous.
#21 - Head
His head says that he is utterly foolish, wanting to wed a woman he met in person only five days ago; his heart has rather more to say on the subject, and it makes more sense.
#33 - Rain
They are walking in the garden when the clouds burst; Captain Croft hurries Sophy to a tree, where he holds his cloak over their heads and asks her to marry him.
#03 - Beginning
Captain John Croft bows and kisses Sophia Wentworth’s hand on their first introduction; ten days later he’s kissing her at their wedding, and he cannot believe his luck.
#19 - Grave
Sophy laughs from sheer happiness; her mother steps on her foot, and she stifles another giggle and looks appropriately grave, but her husband-to-be is glad to see her eyes still sparkling as she walks up the aisle towards him.
#01 - Air
Her first day on board her new husband’s new ship, Sophy Croft lifts her face to the sea wind and smiles.
#47 - Water
Sophy told him once that she always loved the ocean; watching her now on the bridge of his ship, he can believe it, for she looks so at home.
#09 - Drink
Captain Croft notices an appreciable lowering in the average level of drunkenness of his crew since he brought Sophy on board, and an equally appreciable heightening in their manners.
#18 - Foot
Sophy takes off her wet stockings and flexes her bare foot by the fire: John watches, dry-mouthed, and swallows hard when she tucks it back under her skirts.
#10 - Duty
It is his duty to be here, freezing his...face off on the North Seas, while his new and precious wife remains behind in Deal; John Croft wipes the cold spray from his face and promises himself that he’ll never again leave port without her.
#49 - Winter
It’s cold in Deal, far colder on the North Seas, probably, but Sophy would much rather be there than here; at least there, she would have her husband to keep her warm.
#45 - Ugly
Sophy never really felt pretty until Captain Croft told her that she was; and she never really felt ugly until the winter in Deal.
#40 - Spring
The robins sing, the snow vanishes, the roses bloom, and still the winter is not over; the front door opens, John Croft strides across the threshhold calling her name, and catches her in his arms, and finally it is spring.
#39 - Solid
Sophy is the only woman on board, and indeed, has been given the high honor of being considered quite a hand; Captain Croft’s current lieutenant even called her “as solid as any of the sailors.”
#06 - Dark
Battle is coming-Captain John Croft stands at the rail of his ship, straining his eyes against the dark for the enemy ships, and thanks God that Sophy is safely ashore.
#46 - War
It is days before they hear news of Trafalgar, and days more before news of those lost comes through: Sophy bites her nails until her husband returns and holds her tightly against him, and will not speak of the battle.
#38 - Snow
The snow drifts down on the ocean, laces the rigging with white and mists Sophy’s dark hair with water droplets; John wishes her a very happy New Year, because he needs an excuse for kissing her in public.
#04 - Bugs
It’s the insects that tell him the long journey to India is nearly over; to Sophy, they’re just an annoyance, but she trusts his word.
#28 - New
Sophy Croft makes friends in the East Indies, one of whom manages to talk her into a sari; it’s a new look for her, but John Croft thoroughly approves.
#35 - Roses
Somewhere, he found a rose and stripped it of its thorns, and now, when he tucks it into the side of her bodice with an impish smile, Sophy wonders how he knew she was missing England’s gardens.
#31 - Poison
After Frederick’s promotion to Captain, Sophy invites him aboard and asks him about his time ashore, but he goes tight-lipped and will say nothing; Sophy and John exchange glances, and by mutual consent switch to a less poisonous topic.
#36 - Secret
They have no secrets between them, not anymore; secrets, they have both learned, are acid to the foundations of love.
#16 - Flying
Sophy prefers sailing on the Atlantic to any of the other seven seas she’s been on; it’s usually smoother, and on a windy day, she can stand at the bow of the ship and feel like flying.
#37 - Snakes
There’s a shriek, and John tears out of the cabin, crashes into Sophy hurrying up the gangplank; a moment later, and he’s laughing helplessly, even as she thumps him about the head and shoulders: who would have thought his fearless Sophy would be afraid of something so harmless as a garden snake?
#20 - Green
Cork is so green it dazzles Sophy; later that night, John swears flecks of that green have gotten into her eyes.
#24 - Hope
Sophy waits with rising hope through the months, counting the days until she can tell the admiral; a week before the day that would have made it certain, she miscarries, and does not speak for days.
#02 - Apples
Sophy loves apples; her expression when he presents her with a bushel is well worth the expense, and her expression when she gets around to eating them is worth the world.
#17 - Food
John adores the spices in the East Indies, but cannot afford to purchase them at home, so Sophy bribes Frederick to bring her some and surprises him; he is appropriately grateful, and later that night he surprises her.
#05 - Coffee
Sophy wakes up late that morning, after the Admiral has long been up and about; he gives her a good-morning kiss, she complains, “You taste like coffee,” and he laughs, and kisses her again.
#15 - Flexible
The orders come down from on high, and the Admiral and Mrs. Croft must delay their visits home; Sophy smiles, and shakes her head, and does not show her sadness, because she knows he hates it too.
#30 - Peace
Finally, finally, the war is over, and they can settle in England at last; Sophy is alarmed when the Admiral speaks of having the good luck to live to another war, and hits him lightly on the forearm when he explains he was only joking.
#23 - Honor
His honor is in his crew, his ship, good men and good wood; but most of all it is in his wife, in the best choice he ever made.
#11 - Earth
It is quite unfair that he, a sailor all his life, has difficulty readjusting to life on land, while Sophy transitions easily from sea legs to land legs and back again, and laughs at him when he cannot.
#50 - Wood
Sophy would never tell, but she loves Kellynch Hall because it creaks comfortingly at night, like the ribs of a ship, or her husband’s knee.
#27 - Metal
The mirrors in the dressing room, all reflecting his somewhat substandard face and form, bother him excessively; Sophy comes in beside him to help him move them, and suddenly he doesn’t mind them so much.
#07 - Despair
“The Admiral loves children,” Sophy says, and smiles to cover the sudden emptiness beneath her ribs.
#48 - Welcome
“Anne Elliot is a sweet girl,” Sophy says, out of the blue, and the Admiral agrees, “I should not be sorry to know her better”; and just like that, Anne is welcome in any home they make together.
#44 - Taboo
Frederick will not speak of Anne Elliot, and is so stubbornly silent on the subject that Sophy decides he is in love with her; John kisses her brow and requests only that matchmaking attempts not involve him.
#41 - Stable
Sophy drives better than he does, but is kind enough not to show it; he is better at harnessing their horses, but lets her do it when she asks.
#13 - Fall
The gig overturns and Sophy and her Admiral spill out on the ground; “Do try to be careful, dear,” she says, exasperated, as he picks her up and laughs.
#29 - Old
“Do you know, dear,” Sophy says, “I’m very glad to hear that Captain Benwick and Louisa Musgrove are to marry”; “It certainly makes things easier for older loves,” agrees the Admiral.
#26 - Lost
Sophy shakes her head as her husband relates his conversation with Anne Elliot, regarding getting Frederick to Bath; “A little heavy-handed, dear, but all is not lost yet.”
#43 - Summer
Anne gives birth to their first child in the summer of 1816; Sophy smiles, says everything that is appropriate, and is very grateful for her husband’s hand on the small of her back.
#34 - Regret
Sophy asks him one day if he has any regrets, a nervous hand laid across her abdomen; the Admiral takes that hand, and kisses it, and says no.
#12 - End
His Sophy was blessed with excellent health, right up until the day she fell on the stairs and did not get up again.
#08 - Doors
The Admiral cannot stand having doors between him and Sophy, and so they have always shared a bedroom; and so he is holding her hand when she dies.
#22 - Hollow
He reaches for a cup, fills it with tea, absently makes a cup for Sophy, and remembers; for the rest of the day, the teacup sits untouched and full, until the maids take it out in the evening.
#25 - Light
Admiral John Croft closes his eyes and remembers the light on Sophy’s hair as she stood at the bow, smiling at him; he closes his eyes, and reaches out to Sophy, and is at peace.