[SR] Mary Oliver quote
[Savannah is afew_snapshots and is used with permission from his mun who made a request for Ethan/Savannah future!fic with the prompt “allies.” Set about ten years in the future.]
“To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your life depends on it; and when the time comes, to let it go.”
He really shouldn’t be doing this in a suit.
Granted the jacket and tie had already been discarded when he’d first entered the house, but this suit had cost him some serious money. It certainly wasn’t wise to go climbing a tree in search of a kitten who had gotten herself in over her head and climbed a tree. Had it not been for the sobbing six year-old at the foot of the tree-the daughter of his second chair who he happened to be watching for ten minutes while her mother ran to the store-Ethan probably wouldn’t have even known that the cat had escaped the house.
“Don’t die,” Hilary Wells said quietly as she watched Ethan climb the tree, wedging one foot onto one of the lower branches to hold his balance. Ethan glanced back at her with a bit of a smirk, before extending his hand to Princess, the small gray and white striped kitten to see if he could get her to come to him. He wasn’t a stranger, and she moved just enough that he could scoop a hand under her middle and lift her up off the branch and start to make his way slowly back down. As he got down, and was handing off the kitten, both he and Hilary were startled by the voice behind them.
“I can see the headline now. ‘Hot shot New York lawyer who can’t lose spends off-time rescuing kittens from trees’.” There was the sound of a shutter closing before Ethan turned around, his eyes landing on a blond he wasn’t expecting to see. He stared at her for a moment, not sure exactly want to say, before Savannah raised an eyebrow back at him before continuing. “Or maybe this one is better-‘Attorneys for Kittens: the New York Bar Association becomes an ally for better pet health’.”
“Savannah,” he said softly. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
Ethan just continued to stare at her from a moment, before Hilary cleared her throat, holding tight to her kitten. “Are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend or something?”
Ethan blinked, before shaking his head slightly as he looked over at her. “No. No, we’re just-old friends.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Go back in to watch TV.” Hilary continued to give him a look as she walked away, and she was about halfway back before Ethan tossed another order back over his shoulder. “And close the door this time!” At that, the little girl rolled her eyes and dashed back into the house, closing the front door with a slam.
“She’s-charming.”
“She’s my second chair’s kid,” Ethan replied. “I’m just watching her for a minute while her mom runs to the store.”
“Oh,” she nodded, rubbing her camera arm lightly, before looking up at him with a small smile. “You look good.”
“So do you,” he sighed, returning the smile a bit. “What’re you doing in town?”
“Story,” she replied simply. “The person we’re interviewing lives on this block-I was just taking the pictures.”
Ethan nodded. “Cool. Interesting story?”
“I think so. How have you been?”
He was quiet for a minute as he tried to formulate a response to that, before nodding again. “Good. I’ve been good. You?”
“I’m good,” she sighed. There was a rumble as Sarah Wells pulled back into the driveway of the house, and Savannah started to back away, looking uncomfortable. “I should go-”
“Something wrong, Ethan?”
“No, Hil’s inside,” Ethan began before turning back to the girl in front of him. “And no. You don’t have to. I mean-I’m leaving, so-” He paused for a moment, trying to get the words to form right for what he wanted to ask. “-Do you want to get dinner? Catch up, maybe? If you’re done with the story, of course.”
“Of course,” she said with a bit of a nod, hesitating just slightly, before nodding. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
He grinned slightly, before nodding as he took a step back towards the door. “Let me just go get my stuff.”
“Don’t take too long,” she said after him with a smirk. “Otherwise I might leave to eat without you. And you know I would!”
“I do,” he said softly to himself with a bit of a chuckle. “I definitely do.”
714 words
“To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your life depends on it; and when the time comes, to let it go.”
He really shouldn’t be doing this in a suit.
Granted the jacket and tie had already been discarded when he’d first entered the house, but this suit had cost him some serious money. It certainly wasn’t wise to go climbing a tree in search of a kitten who had gotten herself in over her head and climbed a tree. Had it not been for the sobbing six year-old at the foot of the tree-the daughter of his second chair who he happened to be watching for ten minutes while her mother ran to the store-Ethan probably wouldn’t have even known that the cat had escaped the house.
“Don’t die,” Hilary Wells said quietly as she watched Ethan climb the tree, wedging one foot onto one of the lower branches to hold his balance. Ethan glanced back at her with a bit of a smirk, before extending his hand to Princess, the small gray and white striped kitten to see if he could get her to come to him. He wasn’t a stranger, and she moved just enough that he could scoop a hand under her middle and lift her up off the branch and start to make his way slowly back down. As he got down, and was handing off the kitten, both he and Hilary were startled by the voice behind them.
“I can see the headline now. ‘Hot shot New York lawyer who can’t lose spends off-time rescuing kittens from trees’.” There was the sound of a shutter closing before Ethan turned around, his eyes landing on a blond he wasn’t expecting to see. He stared at her for a moment, not sure exactly want to say, before Savannah raised an eyebrow back at him before continuing. “Or maybe this one is better-‘Attorneys for Kittens: the New York Bar Association becomes an ally for better pet health’.”
“Savannah,” he said softly. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
Ethan just continued to stare at her from a moment, before Hilary cleared her throat, holding tight to her kitten. “Are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend or something?”
Ethan blinked, before shaking his head slightly as he looked over at her. “No. No, we’re just-old friends.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Go back in to watch TV.” Hilary continued to give him a look as she walked away, and she was about halfway back before Ethan tossed another order back over his shoulder. “And close the door this time!” At that, the little girl rolled her eyes and dashed back into the house, closing the front door with a slam.
“She’s-charming.”
“She’s my second chair’s kid,” Ethan replied. “I’m just watching her for a minute while her mom runs to the store.”
“Oh,” she nodded, rubbing her camera arm lightly, before looking up at him with a small smile. “You look good.”
“So do you,” he sighed, returning the smile a bit. “What’re you doing in town?”
“Story,” she replied simply. “The person we’re interviewing lives on this block-I was just taking the pictures.”
Ethan nodded. “Cool. Interesting story?”
“I think so. How have you been?”
He was quiet for a minute as he tried to formulate a response to that, before nodding again. “Good. I’ve been good. You?”
“I’m good,” she sighed. There was a rumble as Sarah Wells pulled back into the driveway of the house, and Savannah started to back away, looking uncomfortable. “I should go-”
“Something wrong, Ethan?”
“No, Hil’s inside,” Ethan began before turning back to the girl in front of him. “And no. You don’t have to. I mean-I’m leaving, so-” He paused for a moment, trying to get the words to form right for what he wanted to ask. “-Do you want to get dinner? Catch up, maybe? If you’re done with the story, of course.”
“Of course,” she said with a bit of a nod, hesitating just slightly, before nodding. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
He grinned slightly, before nodding as he took a step back towards the door. “Let me just go get my stuff.”
“Don’t take too long,” she said after him with a smirk. “Otherwise I might leave to eat without you. And you know I would!”
“I do,” he said softly to himself with a bit of a chuckle. “I definitely do.”
714 words