Fic: Betty at Eight - Church
Title: Betty at Eight - Church
Author: majorrogue
Pairing, Character(s): Betty McRae
Word Count: 1,221
Rating: U
Spoilers: None
Summary: The McRae family go to church, but not everyone stays in there!
Betty and Tommy were sitting near the back of the church, not listening to what was going on. Their parents, Oma and older brothers were sitting in the pew in front of them.
Betty was swinging her legs under the pew and out in front of her. Both of them were still too small for their feet to touch the floor.
“That tree outside sure has grown” Betty said quietly to Tommy while watching her new shoes come into view and then disappear again.
“It’s sure has” Tommy said also watching her feet “Those new shoes are mighty shiny” he said
“Yeah…..” Betty said stretching them out in front of her and putting her feet together. She didn’t ask for new shoes or a new dress, and she didn’t really want either, but when her Oma had come to stay she bought them with her. She didn’t think Betty should be wearing all her brothers’ hand-me-downs clothes and so, here she was sitting in church in a new dress and new very shiny patent shoes. The family only really went to church when their Oma came to stay. The rest of the time their father said they were too busy on the farm to spare the time.
They sat in silence for a while, Betty still swinging her legs and Tommy playing with a button on his best shirt.
“Do you think anyone has climbed it?” Betty asked looking at her older brother
Tommy looked at her and thought for a second “I bet they haven’t”
“That’s because no-one’s as good at climbing as us” Betty smiled
“We would be the first” Tommy said smiling back cheekily
Betty stopped swinging her legs and looked to see if their parents were paying attention to them. Tommy and her both stayed perfectly still for a moment until they were sure their parents and Oma were concentrating on whatever was going on in the church and not to their two youngest children sitting behind them.
They slowly slid off the pew and while still leaning against it a little sidestepped along the aisle. Their eyes didn’t leave the back of their parents’ heads until Tommy reached the end of the aisle, they then quickly whirled around the end of the pew, ducked down and made their way to the main doors at the back of the church.
Tommy got to the door first and reached up and grabbed the handle. He pulled on it as hard as he could, but the door was heavier than he had anticipated. Betty, who was still right behind him, reached up and grabbed just above tommy’s hand and also pulled. The huge door opened just enough for them both to slide through.
When they were outside they ran to the tree just to the left of the entrance to the church. They stood at the bottom of it and looked up
“Wow” Tommy said craning his neck to see right up the trunk
Betty suddenly sat down on the grass around the base of the tree
“What are you doing?” Tommy asked looking down at Betty, why was she sitting down when they were meant to be climbing up?
“Taking my shoes off” she said unbuckling them
“Oh” Tommy said a little confused, but waited for his sister anyway
Once her shoes were taken off Betty stood back up, put her hands on her hips and looked up at the tree again “Race you to the top” she said smiling devilishly
Without another word they both ran for the tree and started climbing. Every branch or so they would stop and check their path to the highest branches.
When they reached as far up as they could get, they both picked a large branch to sit on. Betty was rather pleased that hers was just a little bit higher than Tommy’s.
They both sat with their backs to the main trunk and the branch between their legs. Through the leaves they could just make out the sidewalk in front of the church. Betty leaned forward and leaned against the branch to watch people walk past.
After a while a young couple walked past holding hands and laughing and smiling at each other. Betty and Tommy watched them.
“When I’m older I’m going to get married to a pretty girl and I’m going to hold her hand all the time” Tommy said
Betty turned up her nose “I’m not”
Tommy looked at her confused “But holding hands is really nice though”
“I don’t mind holding hands, but I’m not going to get married”
“Why? Everyone gets married and it makes people happy, like mum and dad”
“I don’t want some boy telling me what I can and can’t do, I get enough of that now” Betty said sitting up and leaning against the tree trunk folding her arms.
“I don’t tell you what to do” Tommy said
“I know, that’s why you’re my best friend” Betty said smiling at him
Tommy smiled back happily and carried on watching people
It felt like they had been up there for hours when they suddenly heard a voice shouting at the bottom of the tree
“Thomas and Elizabeth McRae, what do you think you are doing?” Their mother shouted
They both looked down a little nervously
“Betty, if you have scuffed those new shoes……” Their mother started, but she stopped when Betty said nothing but pointed to the base of the tree. Sitting there in front of it was Betty’s new shoes placed carefully next to each other. She knew she’d get in trouble if she marked them, that’s why she’d taken them off.
“Both of you get down here right now” she said pointing in front of her and shaking her head.
As they slowly made their descent they could see their Oma standing next to their mother shaking her head as well.
“When we come to church you are meant to stay in church, not sneak out and climb trees” Their mother said as they stood in front of her “Sometimes I wonder if you are children or monkey’s” she said pointing towards where the rest of the family was waiting for them. “Go” They started to walk towards them
“Betty?”
“Yes mother” Betty said sullenly, she didn’t want to get told off again
“Are you going to leave your shoes there?” Her mother asked, pointing to the bottom of the tree
Betty thought for a second and opened her mouth to say something, but when her mother raised her eyebrows in a way that said ‘careful what you say’ she closed it and said “No mother”
She ran to the shoes and picked them up, but didn’t bother to put them back on, before running back to Tommy.
As their mother walked behind them with her own mother she noticed just how dirty Betty’s dress was and shook her head again.
As they walked along Tommy looked at Betty and smiled “ooh ooh” he said quietly imitating a monkey
Betty looked at him and laughed “ooh ooh oh” she said back, they both started laughing
Tommy then did it again but this time jumped around waving his arms. In fits of laughter Betty did the same, they then started chasing each other around as they made their way home.
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Author: majorrogue
Pairing, Character(s): Betty McRae
Word Count: 1,221
Rating: U
Spoilers: None
Summary: The McRae family go to church, but not everyone stays in there!
Betty and Tommy were sitting near the back of the church, not listening to what was going on. Their parents, Oma and older brothers were sitting in the pew in front of them.
Betty was swinging her legs under the pew and out in front of her. Both of them were still too small for their feet to touch the floor.
“That tree outside sure has grown” Betty said quietly to Tommy while watching her new shoes come into view and then disappear again.
“It’s sure has” Tommy said also watching her feet “Those new shoes are mighty shiny” he said
“Yeah…..” Betty said stretching them out in front of her and putting her feet together. She didn’t ask for new shoes or a new dress, and she didn’t really want either, but when her Oma had come to stay she bought them with her. She didn’t think Betty should be wearing all her brothers’ hand-me-downs clothes and so, here she was sitting in church in a new dress and new very shiny patent shoes. The family only really went to church when their Oma came to stay. The rest of the time their father said they were too busy on the farm to spare the time.
They sat in silence for a while, Betty still swinging her legs and Tommy playing with a button on his best shirt.
“Do you think anyone has climbed it?” Betty asked looking at her older brother
Tommy looked at her and thought for a second “I bet they haven’t”
“That’s because no-one’s as good at climbing as us” Betty smiled
“We would be the first” Tommy said smiling back cheekily
Betty stopped swinging her legs and looked to see if their parents were paying attention to them. Tommy and her both stayed perfectly still for a moment until they were sure their parents and Oma were concentrating on whatever was going on in the church and not to their two youngest children sitting behind them.
They slowly slid off the pew and while still leaning against it a little sidestepped along the aisle. Their eyes didn’t leave the back of their parents’ heads until Tommy reached the end of the aisle, they then quickly whirled around the end of the pew, ducked down and made their way to the main doors at the back of the church.
Tommy got to the door first and reached up and grabbed the handle. He pulled on it as hard as he could, but the door was heavier than he had anticipated. Betty, who was still right behind him, reached up and grabbed just above tommy’s hand and also pulled. The huge door opened just enough for them both to slide through.
When they were outside they ran to the tree just to the left of the entrance to the church. They stood at the bottom of it and looked up
“Wow” Tommy said craning his neck to see right up the trunk
Betty suddenly sat down on the grass around the base of the tree
“What are you doing?” Tommy asked looking down at Betty, why was she sitting down when they were meant to be climbing up?
“Taking my shoes off” she said unbuckling them
“Oh” Tommy said a little confused, but waited for his sister anyway
Once her shoes were taken off Betty stood back up, put her hands on her hips and looked up at the tree again “Race you to the top” she said smiling devilishly
Without another word they both ran for the tree and started climbing. Every branch or so they would stop and check their path to the highest branches.
When they reached as far up as they could get, they both picked a large branch to sit on. Betty was rather pleased that hers was just a little bit higher than Tommy’s.
They both sat with their backs to the main trunk and the branch between their legs. Through the leaves they could just make out the sidewalk in front of the church. Betty leaned forward and leaned against the branch to watch people walk past.
After a while a young couple walked past holding hands and laughing and smiling at each other. Betty and Tommy watched them.
“When I’m older I’m going to get married to a pretty girl and I’m going to hold her hand all the time” Tommy said
Betty turned up her nose “I’m not”
Tommy looked at her confused “But holding hands is really nice though”
“I don’t mind holding hands, but I’m not going to get married”
“Why? Everyone gets married and it makes people happy, like mum and dad”
“I don’t want some boy telling me what I can and can’t do, I get enough of that now” Betty said sitting up and leaning against the tree trunk folding her arms.
“I don’t tell you what to do” Tommy said
“I know, that’s why you’re my best friend” Betty said smiling at him
Tommy smiled back happily and carried on watching people
It felt like they had been up there for hours when they suddenly heard a voice shouting at the bottom of the tree
“Thomas and Elizabeth McRae, what do you think you are doing?” Their mother shouted
They both looked down a little nervously
“Betty, if you have scuffed those new shoes……” Their mother started, but she stopped when Betty said nothing but pointed to the base of the tree. Sitting there in front of it was Betty’s new shoes placed carefully next to each other. She knew she’d get in trouble if she marked them, that’s why she’d taken them off.
“Both of you get down here right now” she said pointing in front of her and shaking her head.
As they slowly made their descent they could see their Oma standing next to their mother shaking her head as well.
“When we come to church you are meant to stay in church, not sneak out and climb trees” Their mother said as they stood in front of her “Sometimes I wonder if you are children or monkey’s” she said pointing towards where the rest of the family was waiting for them. “Go” They started to walk towards them
“Betty?”
“Yes mother” Betty said sullenly, she didn’t want to get told off again
“Are you going to leave your shoes there?” Her mother asked, pointing to the bottom of the tree
Betty thought for a second and opened her mouth to say something, but when her mother raised her eyebrows in a way that said ‘careful what you say’ she closed it and said “No mother”
She ran to the shoes and picked them up, but didn’t bother to put them back on, before running back to Tommy.
As their mother walked behind them with her own mother she noticed just how dirty Betty’s dress was and shook her head again.
As they walked along Tommy looked at Betty and smiled “ooh ooh” he said quietly imitating a monkey
Betty looked at him and laughed “ooh ooh oh” she said back, they both started laughing
Tommy then did it again but this time jumped around waving his arms. In fits of laughter Betty did the same, they then started chasing each other around as they made their way home.
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