[TM] 234 - Utopia
“Utopia...who needs it?”
“That was the quote given by former LAPD detective, Arthur Jackson, as he exited the courthouse after his landmark victory against the state Supreme Court. The case is expected to give a strong foothold to Paranormal advocates seeking to-”
“Reenie! Turn off the babblebox and come eat!”
Had he breath, Artie would have heaved a sigh of gratitude as his daughter got up and shut off the TV before coming to the dinner table. “It’s a good interview, Dad! I want to see it!”
“After dinner...they’ll be running this damn story all night long.” he sighed, rolling his eyes as he moved back into the kitchen, where Jimmy was getting the butter out of the fridge for the biscuits Artie had made.
“Don’t you think it’s kind of funny that you can still cook so good, Dad?” he asked curiously. “I mean...you don’t even eat anymore.”
“Yeah, but your mother’s the best cook I ever knew.” Artie reminded him with a grin. “And I have an excellent memory...I’ll never forget the way her stuff tasted.”
He was rewarded with a smile from his son, who nodded. “Yeah...me, neither.”
Artie ushered Jimmy into the dining room, where the rest of the food was already waiting. It had been three years since Gail’s passing, but the kids were getting a little better every day. At least now they could talk about their mother...remember her fondly without too much pain.
“So what was up with that crack?” Jimmy asked as he sat down. “The utopia thing?”
“Oh, that damn reporter was asking if I was going forward in the civil liberties game...y’know, striving for a utopian tomorrow, or something like that.”
“She asked if you believed in the utopian notions most Freak supporters were fostering.” Irene corrected with a roll of her eyes. “Honestly, Dad...the quote was good, though.”
“I thought you were gonna be a cop, little miss, not a reporter.”
“Hey, it could go either way!”
Artie just grinned, reaching for his usual glass of plasma on the table to take a sip before continuing. “Anyway, I told ‘em, in so many words, to cram it because I have no interest in civil liberties.”
“But Dad!”
“Now, Jimmy, I’m not talking about you and your friends. I think it’s admirable you want to make a difference. Print up as many of those t-shirts as you want...just make sure you save me one.”
Jimmy grinned, taking a bite of his salad. “All right! Artie Jackson, Freak Lovers’ first charter member! Not counting me, Tommy, and Chris, of course.”
“Of course. Now, as I was saying...utopia’s not what I want. Hell, if we lived in a perfect world? We’d all be normal, equal, and bored to tears. We need a little shadow so the light has something to cast, guys...evil’s inescapable. It is, however, controllable.”
“Balance.” Irene observed. “Yin and yang...like your friend Jake talks about.”
“Very good...speaking of which, he’s coming to town next weekend. Make sure you guys have all your homework done, and maybe we can let you miss a day of school to meet him and his son, Joey. After all, we’ve got something to celebrate.”
“Your resurrection.” Irene teased. “Legally alive and all that.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes. “No, chowderhead, he means the fact that the state got enough brains to say he’s good enough to be my dad.”
“You take that back, JJ!”
“Don’t call me JJ!”
“Then don’t’ call me chowderhead, you annoying little twerp!”
“You only call me that because your stupid boyfriend Brian calls me that, Lizard Lips!”
“Lunkhead!”
“Priss!”
“Miscreant!”
Normally, Artie would have separated the kids by now...but not today. Today, he’d officially won custody of his children, and yes...he’d taken a huge step on behalf of vampires and Paranormals everywhere. It made him feel good, but it mattered little to him.
He was home, and he was with his kids again...that was all that mattered.
So instead, he sat back in his chair, took another swig of his plasma, listened to his kids argue...and raised a silent toast to his own personal utopia.
Muse: Artie Jackson
Fandom: Original Character
Words: 704
“That was the quote given by former LAPD detective, Arthur Jackson, as he exited the courthouse after his landmark victory against the state Supreme Court. The case is expected to give a strong foothold to Paranormal advocates seeking to-”
“Reenie! Turn off the babblebox and come eat!”
Had he breath, Artie would have heaved a sigh of gratitude as his daughter got up and shut off the TV before coming to the dinner table. “It’s a good interview, Dad! I want to see it!”
“After dinner...they’ll be running this damn story all night long.” he sighed, rolling his eyes as he moved back into the kitchen, where Jimmy was getting the butter out of the fridge for the biscuits Artie had made.
“Don’t you think it’s kind of funny that you can still cook so good, Dad?” he asked curiously. “I mean...you don’t even eat anymore.”
“Yeah, but your mother’s the best cook I ever knew.” Artie reminded him with a grin. “And I have an excellent memory...I’ll never forget the way her stuff tasted.”
He was rewarded with a smile from his son, who nodded. “Yeah...me, neither.”
Artie ushered Jimmy into the dining room, where the rest of the food was already waiting. It had been three years since Gail’s passing, but the kids were getting a little better every day. At least now they could talk about their mother...remember her fondly without too much pain.
“So what was up with that crack?” Jimmy asked as he sat down. “The utopia thing?”
“Oh, that damn reporter was asking if I was going forward in the civil liberties game...y’know, striving for a utopian tomorrow, or something like that.”
“She asked if you believed in the utopian notions most Freak supporters were fostering.” Irene corrected with a roll of her eyes. “Honestly, Dad...the quote was good, though.”
“I thought you were gonna be a cop, little miss, not a reporter.”
“Hey, it could go either way!”
Artie just grinned, reaching for his usual glass of plasma on the table to take a sip before continuing. “Anyway, I told ‘em, in so many words, to cram it because I have no interest in civil liberties.”
“But Dad!”
“Now, Jimmy, I’m not talking about you and your friends. I think it’s admirable you want to make a difference. Print up as many of those t-shirts as you want...just make sure you save me one.”
Jimmy grinned, taking a bite of his salad. “All right! Artie Jackson, Freak Lovers’ first charter member! Not counting me, Tommy, and Chris, of course.”
“Of course. Now, as I was saying...utopia’s not what I want. Hell, if we lived in a perfect world? We’d all be normal, equal, and bored to tears. We need a little shadow so the light has something to cast, guys...evil’s inescapable. It is, however, controllable.”
“Balance.” Irene observed. “Yin and yang...like your friend Jake talks about.”
“Very good...speaking of which, he’s coming to town next weekend. Make sure you guys have all your homework done, and maybe we can let you miss a day of school to meet him and his son, Joey. After all, we’ve got something to celebrate.”
“Your resurrection.” Irene teased. “Legally alive and all that.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes. “No, chowderhead, he means the fact that the state got enough brains to say he’s good enough to be my dad.”
“You take that back, JJ!”
“Don’t call me JJ!”
“Then don’t’ call me chowderhead, you annoying little twerp!”
“You only call me that because your stupid boyfriend Brian calls me that, Lizard Lips!”
“Lunkhead!”
“Priss!”
“Miscreant!”
Normally, Artie would have separated the kids by now...but not today. Today, he’d officially won custody of his children, and yes...he’d taken a huge step on behalf of vampires and Paranormals everywhere. It made him feel good, but it mattered little to him.
He was home, and he was with his kids again...that was all that mattered.
So instead, he sat back in his chair, took another swig of his plasma, listened to his kids argue...and raised a silent toast to his own personal utopia.
Muse: Artie Jackson
Fandom: Original Character
Words: 704