Holiday Exchange - Fanfiction for Godric
Title: untitled
Rating: G
Pairing/Characters: Vimes/Sybil
For: the_godric
‘Twas the day before Hogwatch and all through the house, the servants were bustling tum-tumpty-ta-touse. People kept coming in and out of the house, bringing orders, setting things to one side while putting other things in the places where the first things had been, making things, scrubbing things, fluffing things, and doing all those things necessary for making a truly delightful Hogwatch. Even the dragons were excited about the coming holiday, and the smell of their spontaneous combustions entered the house through every open window. More servants were called in to aerate the house. The smells from the kitchen took the place of the exploded-dragon smells, filling every room with a tantalising scent. Shouts echoed through the corridors as people in one part of the house called out instructions and questions to those in another. A grand fir tree stood in the middle of the living room, being decorated by no less than ten people, half of whom were getting in the way of the other half. The entire house had been transformed into a sort of controlled chaos.
This was the scene that met Commander Samuel Vimes, the Duke of Ankh, as he walked into his home. He was met at the door by his butler who took his cloak and helmet.
“The Lady Sybil,” Wilkins said after Vimes had finished getting out his armour, “has requested that you speak to her in the sitting room, sir.”
“Ah,” said Vimes. “And is this something that I will need to sit down for?”
“Well, it may take a long time, sir.”
“In that case, I’ll go see her now.”
Vimes went down the long hallway, past rooms and scuttling servants, until he reached the sitting room. He was bustled aside at the entrance by a matronly woman and her cohorts. After moving aside a respectful distance, he walked into the room and sat down on a small couch near the chair his wife was sitting in. He smiled at her. She smiled back.
“You are staying home tomorrow, aren’t you, Sam?”
“I can’t, Sybil,” Vimes said. “There’s work to do at the Watch House.”
“There is always work to do at the Watch House, Sam,” Sybil replied. “If you can’t take a day off, who can?”
“Crime doesn’t take a day off for the holidays,” he said.
“And will the city stop working if you do not supervise your watchmen on this one day?” Sybil asked.
“I wouldn’t be the only one taking a day off tomorrow,” Vimes said, but he could tell he was going to lose this one.
“And you wouldn’t be the only one going to work tomorrow,” Lady Ramkin replied. “Besides,” she added before he could respond. “Young Sam is used to having you home for Hogwatch. He will be disappointed if you are not there.”
Vimes surrendered to that logic. “Alright, then. I suppose I’ll stay home,” he said.
Sybil smiled at him. “Thank you, Sam. It’ll be so nice to have a Hogwatch with the family again.”
Vimes smiled. With this family? he thought. It will be a nice Hogwatch.
Rating: G
Pairing/Characters: Vimes/Sybil
For: the_godric
‘Twas the day before Hogwatch and all through the house, the servants were bustling tum-tumpty-ta-touse. People kept coming in and out of the house, bringing orders, setting things to one side while putting other things in the places where the first things had been, making things, scrubbing things, fluffing things, and doing all those things necessary for making a truly delightful Hogwatch. Even the dragons were excited about the coming holiday, and the smell of their spontaneous combustions entered the house through every open window. More servants were called in to aerate the house. The smells from the kitchen took the place of the exploded-dragon smells, filling every room with a tantalising scent. Shouts echoed through the corridors as people in one part of the house called out instructions and questions to those in another. A grand fir tree stood in the middle of the living room, being decorated by no less than ten people, half of whom were getting in the way of the other half. The entire house had been transformed into a sort of controlled chaos.
This was the scene that met Commander Samuel Vimes, the Duke of Ankh, as he walked into his home. He was met at the door by his butler who took his cloak and helmet.
“The Lady Sybil,” Wilkins said after Vimes had finished getting out his armour, “has requested that you speak to her in the sitting room, sir.”
“Ah,” said Vimes. “And is this something that I will need to sit down for?”
“Well, it may take a long time, sir.”
“In that case, I’ll go see her now.”
Vimes went down the long hallway, past rooms and scuttling servants, until he reached the sitting room. He was bustled aside at the entrance by a matronly woman and her cohorts. After moving aside a respectful distance, he walked into the room and sat down on a small couch near the chair his wife was sitting in. He smiled at her. She smiled back.
“You are staying home tomorrow, aren’t you, Sam?”
“I can’t, Sybil,” Vimes said. “There’s work to do at the Watch House.”
“There is always work to do at the Watch House, Sam,” Sybil replied. “If you can’t take a day off, who can?”
“Crime doesn’t take a day off for the holidays,” he said.
“And will the city stop working if you do not supervise your watchmen on this one day?” Sybil asked.
“I wouldn’t be the only one taking a day off tomorrow,” Vimes said, but he could tell he was going to lose this one.
“And you wouldn’t be the only one going to work tomorrow,” Lady Ramkin replied. “Besides,” she added before he could respond. “Young Sam is used to having you home for Hogwatch. He will be disappointed if you are not there.”
Vimes surrendered to that logic. “Alright, then. I suppose I’ll stay home,” he said.
Sybil smiled at him. “Thank you, Sam. It’ll be so nice to have a Hogwatch with the family again.”
Vimes smiled. With this family? he thought. It will be a nice Hogwatch.