Pickle 9, Cookies 'n Cream 14: Encounter
Title: Encounter
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Pickle 9 (the stork), malt (hi falootin's trick or treat: When you play pass the parcel with human body parts//Somebody might get head, but someone will get hurt).
Word Count: 1582
Rating: R, for lots and lots of f-bombs.
Summary: Clara has a highly disturbing encounter.
Notes: He'll get his.
edit: to remove the cookies 'n' cream prompt, because I'm special and didn't notice until just now that I'd already used it.
The babies were moving again, little flutters of not-quite-kicking against the stretched skin of Clara's belly. She pressed a hand to her side, shifted her weight to lean against the side of the bus shelter. Why hadn't Ivy shown up already? She was so sick of waiting in the freezing cold, and she'd lost her gloves again.
On the other hand, she couldn't really complain about the day. She'd just come back from a home visit, a foster that looked like it was going to become a permanent adoption. She smiled just thinking about it, Simon bouncing around telling her all about the other children there and how wonderful his foster parents were and how much he loved the dogs already, and about the foster parents watching him with enormous smiles. He was happy there, the other children loved him. Barring any administrative screwups or unexpected problems, she'd just helped another child find a home.
Clara never got sick of that feeling. She rubbed a hand over her belly again, over her own children stirring just under her skin.
She'd never get sick of this feeling either.
"Hey! Hey, Clara!"
She blinked, and straightened up at the sound of someone calling her name. It wasn't Ivy, it was a masculine voice-- a familiar voice, too, but one she couldn't quite place. Clara raised a hand to her eyes to block out the glare of the setting sun and scanned the crowd.
What she saw made her lower it again, stunned.
"Kevin?" she exclaimed, putting her hand against the bus shelter to steady herself. One of the babies, startled maybe by the sudden jump in her heart rate, began doing what felt like backflips.
"Clara!" he exclaimed. He was smiling at her, coming towards her with both hands extended. "How are you? It's been ages."
And wasn't that just like him, acting as if they'd parted amiably, instead of in the frozen, heartbroken silence that she remembered. "I suppose it has," she replied, still stunned. She did not take his hands, and after a moment he withdrew them, with no apparent ill will. "Six years, at least. What are you doing in New York?"
"Working," he said, airly. "We've got a contract with a company up here. Some publishing group."
"Oh?" she asked, grabbing onto the potential conversational topic with relief. "My sister-in-law works for Random House. It's not them, is it?"
He shook his head. "No, someone else. I'm not clear on the details. So Ethan got married?"
Surprised, and amused by the idea, Clara laughed. "No, not Ethan. My husband's sister's wife." It felt good to be able to say that at last. Ivy had had a big stupid grin on her face every time Clara had seen her for at least the last two months.
Speaking of Ivy, where was she? Clara craned her neck discreetly, couldn't see her sister-in-law, and returned her gaze to Kevin's face to find him frowning thunderously. "Your what?"
"My husband's sister's wife," she replied, confused. He hadn't been homophobic when she'd known him, just... well, she wouldn't think about that. People didn't change that much, did they? "They just got married. Ivy and Gina, I mean."
He waved that off, still frowning. "Your husband."
"Yes," she said, slowly, more confused. "Aaron Kendall. We've been married for... it'll be five years in June." And by then they'd have children. She pressed a hand to her belly again, half unconsciously.
Kevin must have registered the movement, because his eyes flicked down and back up. There was such rage in his face when he looked back up that she stepped back automatically, and came up against the back of the shelter.
"So it was just me, huh?" he asked, quietly.
Clara stared at him, baffled and a little frightened. "I don't understand."
"Good enough to screw with, but not good enough to fuck?" he snarled. "Was that it?"
Oh, for the love of God. Exasperation briefly overtook fear. "I told you," she said. "Over and over and over again. I'm asexual. I don't have sex with anyone."
He leaned down, got very close to her face, and the fear surged back. "That shit won't fly anymore, sweetheart," he said. "Or do you really think I'm dumb enough to not know how people get pregnant? You think I think the fucking stork brings them?"
Pregnant? This was about the babies? "I... we did in-vitro," she stammered. "Kevin, Aaron's asexual too. We've never... it's not like you think!"
He snorted. "Sure. Right. That is such fucking bullshit, Clara. I can't believe I bought it for so long."
"Back up," she said, and managed to keep her voice from shaking. "You're scaring me."
"Good!" he exploded. She pressed herself back against the bus shelter, fingers scrabbling at the plastic. "You should be scared! What the fucking hell is wrong with you, anyway? Why did you jerk me around all that time? You could've just fucking told me you weren't going to fuck me!"
Both the babies were fluttering now. Her heart was racing. She had to get out of here, right now, but he was between her and the outside and why hadn't anyone noticed? "Back up," she said again. This time her voice did shake. "Right now."
Kevin leaned down close to her again, and said, softly, "Make me."
Clara's hands were coming up to shove at him when he abruptly stumbled backwards. "The lady," Ivy said, voice colder than the air around them, "said to move."
"Back the fuck off," Kevin snarled at her, trying to jerk his arm out of her grip. Ivy's hand didn't move at all. "This isn't any of your fucking business."
"The hell it isn't," Ivy said. "Clara, you okay?"
She was shaking. "Yes," she lied. "Where on earth have you been?"
"Got tied up at work, sorry." Ivy hauled Kevin back a few more paces, then stepped between him and Clara, and finally let go. She turned to face Clara, eyes searching her face. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Clara said. She looked down, away from Ivy's eyes, and stepped away from the back of the shelter, smoothing down her coat to hide the tremors in her hands. "Let's go. It's nothing."
Kevin's face underwent such a sudden and vicious transformation that she flinched. "You bitch!" he screamed. "You fucking bitch, how dare you call me nothing?"
Ivy whirled and pushed him away again. "Settle down!"
He ignored her, as if she hadn't even spoken, as if she hadn't even been there. "You lie to me for a year and a half, and then you run off with the first fucking guy to wink at you! You think I can't do the fucking math?"
"You want to calm the fuck down right now!" Ivy snarled, poking Kevin in the chest. He loomed over her, and yet she didn't seem the least bit intimidated; if anything, it seemed to make her angrier. It was weird, Clara thought, irrelevantly. She always forgot how short Ivy was.
"Two-timing bitch!" Kevin screamed at Clara, over Ivy's head. "So when did you start fucking him, huh? Is that why you wouldn't sleep with me? Not fucking good enough for you?"
"Ivy," Clara said quietly. She was shaking, in every limb. "Ivy, I want to go home. Will you please take me home?"
Ivy didn't pay any attention. "Hey!" she snapped, poking Kevin again. "I'm down here, fucker! Pick on someone your own size!"
"Shut the fuck up," Kevin told her.
"Ivy," Clara said. Tears were starting to escape.
"Fuck you!" Ivy shouted. "You fucking bully!"
"Ivy!" Clara screamed. She was crying now, freely. "Ivy, I want to go home!"
Ivy shoved at Kevin again, then backed up and put her arm around Clara's shoulders, protectively. "You want," she said, her voice very calm and deadly, "to stay the hell away from Clara. In fact, you probably want to stay the hell out of New York. If I see you again I am calling the police." She paused, looking as if she'd dearly love to add something threatening.
"Ivy," Clara said again, to forestall her. She couldn't stop shaking, couldn't stop the tears, and if Ivy got herself arrested she didn't know what she'd do. "Ivy, let's go home."
"Yeah," Ivy said. "Come on, sweetie. We can go out some other time." She turned her back on Kevin, dismissing him utterly, though Clara noticed that she still kept her body between them.
They walked away. She was amazed at how easily he let them go; she sneaked a glance back and he just stood there, breathing heavily, fists curling and uncurling at his sides. He didn't even try to get in a parting shot.
Which was good. Clara tried to tell herself it was good.
Ivy hailed a cab and all but shoved her in, then slid in beside her, gave the driver the address, and looked at her with compassion in her face. "You want to talk about it?"
Mute, Clara shook her head, and swiped a hand across her eyes.
"Okay," Ivy said, and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay. It's over now."
It was sweet of her to say so, but Clara was pretty sure that it wasn't over yet.
The babies were moving again, quick jerky movements that felt afraid. Her children hadn't even been born yet, and they were afraid.
Clara pressed a hand to her belly and another to her eyes, and wept.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Pickle 9 (the stork), malt (hi falootin's trick or treat: When you play pass the parcel with human body parts//Somebody might get head, but someone will get hurt).
Word Count: 1582
Rating: R, for lots and lots of f-bombs.
Summary: Clara has a highly disturbing encounter.
Notes: He'll get his.
edit: to remove the cookies 'n' cream prompt, because I'm special and didn't notice until just now that I'd already used it.
The babies were moving again, little flutters of not-quite-kicking against the stretched skin of Clara's belly. She pressed a hand to her side, shifted her weight to lean against the side of the bus shelter. Why hadn't Ivy shown up already? She was so sick of waiting in the freezing cold, and she'd lost her gloves again.
On the other hand, she couldn't really complain about the day. She'd just come back from a home visit, a foster that looked like it was going to become a permanent adoption. She smiled just thinking about it, Simon bouncing around telling her all about the other children there and how wonderful his foster parents were and how much he loved the dogs already, and about the foster parents watching him with enormous smiles. He was happy there, the other children loved him. Barring any administrative screwups or unexpected problems, she'd just helped another child find a home.
Clara never got sick of that feeling. She rubbed a hand over her belly again, over her own children stirring just under her skin.
She'd never get sick of this feeling either.
"Hey! Hey, Clara!"
She blinked, and straightened up at the sound of someone calling her name. It wasn't Ivy, it was a masculine voice-- a familiar voice, too, but one she couldn't quite place. Clara raised a hand to her eyes to block out the glare of the setting sun and scanned the crowd.
What she saw made her lower it again, stunned.
"Kevin?" she exclaimed, putting her hand against the bus shelter to steady herself. One of the babies, startled maybe by the sudden jump in her heart rate, began doing what felt like backflips.
"Clara!" he exclaimed. He was smiling at her, coming towards her with both hands extended. "How are you? It's been ages."
And wasn't that just like him, acting as if they'd parted amiably, instead of in the frozen, heartbroken silence that she remembered. "I suppose it has," she replied, still stunned. She did not take his hands, and after a moment he withdrew them, with no apparent ill will. "Six years, at least. What are you doing in New York?"
"Working," he said, airly. "We've got a contract with a company up here. Some publishing group."
"Oh?" she asked, grabbing onto the potential conversational topic with relief. "My sister-in-law works for Random House. It's not them, is it?"
He shook his head. "No, someone else. I'm not clear on the details. So Ethan got married?"
Surprised, and amused by the idea, Clara laughed. "No, not Ethan. My husband's sister's wife." It felt good to be able to say that at last. Ivy had had a big stupid grin on her face every time Clara had seen her for at least the last two months.
Speaking of Ivy, where was she? Clara craned her neck discreetly, couldn't see her sister-in-law, and returned her gaze to Kevin's face to find him frowning thunderously. "Your what?"
"My husband's sister's wife," she replied, confused. He hadn't been homophobic when she'd known him, just... well, she wouldn't think about that. People didn't change that much, did they? "They just got married. Ivy and Gina, I mean."
He waved that off, still frowning. "Your husband."
"Yes," she said, slowly, more confused. "Aaron Kendall. We've been married for... it'll be five years in June." And by then they'd have children. She pressed a hand to her belly again, half unconsciously.
Kevin must have registered the movement, because his eyes flicked down and back up. There was such rage in his face when he looked back up that she stepped back automatically, and came up against the back of the shelter.
"So it was just me, huh?" he asked, quietly.
Clara stared at him, baffled and a little frightened. "I don't understand."
"Good enough to screw with, but not good enough to fuck?" he snarled. "Was that it?"
Oh, for the love of God. Exasperation briefly overtook fear. "I told you," she said. "Over and over and over again. I'm asexual. I don't have sex with anyone."
He leaned down, got very close to her face, and the fear surged back. "That shit won't fly anymore, sweetheart," he said. "Or do you really think I'm dumb enough to not know how people get pregnant? You think I think the fucking stork brings them?"
Pregnant? This was about the babies? "I... we did in-vitro," she stammered. "Kevin, Aaron's asexual too. We've never... it's not like you think!"
He snorted. "Sure. Right. That is such fucking bullshit, Clara. I can't believe I bought it for so long."
"Back up," she said, and managed to keep her voice from shaking. "You're scaring me."
"Good!" he exploded. She pressed herself back against the bus shelter, fingers scrabbling at the plastic. "You should be scared! What the fucking hell is wrong with you, anyway? Why did you jerk me around all that time? You could've just fucking told me you weren't going to fuck me!"
Both the babies were fluttering now. Her heart was racing. She had to get out of here, right now, but he was between her and the outside and why hadn't anyone noticed? "Back up," she said again. This time her voice did shake. "Right now."
Kevin leaned down close to her again, and said, softly, "Make me."
Clara's hands were coming up to shove at him when he abruptly stumbled backwards. "The lady," Ivy said, voice colder than the air around them, "said to move."
"Back the fuck off," Kevin snarled at her, trying to jerk his arm out of her grip. Ivy's hand didn't move at all. "This isn't any of your fucking business."
"The hell it isn't," Ivy said. "Clara, you okay?"
She was shaking. "Yes," she lied. "Where on earth have you been?"
"Got tied up at work, sorry." Ivy hauled Kevin back a few more paces, then stepped between him and Clara, and finally let go. She turned to face Clara, eyes searching her face. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Clara said. She looked down, away from Ivy's eyes, and stepped away from the back of the shelter, smoothing down her coat to hide the tremors in her hands. "Let's go. It's nothing."
Kevin's face underwent such a sudden and vicious transformation that she flinched. "You bitch!" he screamed. "You fucking bitch, how dare you call me nothing?"
Ivy whirled and pushed him away again. "Settle down!"
He ignored her, as if she hadn't even spoken, as if she hadn't even been there. "You lie to me for a year and a half, and then you run off with the first fucking guy to wink at you! You think I can't do the fucking math?"
"You want to calm the fuck down right now!" Ivy snarled, poking Kevin in the chest. He loomed over her, and yet she didn't seem the least bit intimidated; if anything, it seemed to make her angrier. It was weird, Clara thought, irrelevantly. She always forgot how short Ivy was.
"Two-timing bitch!" Kevin screamed at Clara, over Ivy's head. "So when did you start fucking him, huh? Is that why you wouldn't sleep with me? Not fucking good enough for you?"
"Ivy," Clara said quietly. She was shaking, in every limb. "Ivy, I want to go home. Will you please take me home?"
Ivy didn't pay any attention. "Hey!" she snapped, poking Kevin again. "I'm down here, fucker! Pick on someone your own size!"
"Shut the fuck up," Kevin told her.
"Ivy," Clara said. Tears were starting to escape.
"Fuck you!" Ivy shouted. "You fucking bully!"
"Ivy!" Clara screamed. She was crying now, freely. "Ivy, I want to go home!"
Ivy shoved at Kevin again, then backed up and put her arm around Clara's shoulders, protectively. "You want," she said, her voice very calm and deadly, "to stay the hell away from Clara. In fact, you probably want to stay the hell out of New York. If I see you again I am calling the police." She paused, looking as if she'd dearly love to add something threatening.
"Ivy," Clara said again, to forestall her. She couldn't stop shaking, couldn't stop the tears, and if Ivy got herself arrested she didn't know what she'd do. "Ivy, let's go home."
"Yeah," Ivy said. "Come on, sweetie. We can go out some other time." She turned her back on Kevin, dismissing him utterly, though Clara noticed that she still kept her body between them.
They walked away. She was amazed at how easily he let them go; she sneaked a glance back and he just stood there, breathing heavily, fists curling and uncurling at his sides. He didn't even try to get in a parting shot.
Which was good. Clara tried to tell herself it was good.
Ivy hailed a cab and all but shoved her in, then slid in beside her, gave the driver the address, and looked at her with compassion in her face. "You want to talk about it?"
Mute, Clara shook her head, and swiped a hand across her eyes.
"Okay," Ivy said, and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay. It's over now."
It was sweet of her to say so, but Clara was pretty sure that it wasn't over yet.
The babies were moving again, quick jerky movements that felt afraid. Her children hadn't even been born yet, and they were afraid.
Clara pressed a hand to her belly and another to her eyes, and wept.