Pickle 13, Rocky Road 6, FOTD: Plausible Deniability
Title: Plausible Deniability
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Pickle 13 (bundle of joy), rocky road 6 (kitchen), malt (PFAH: Olivia in love), FOTD (ferret: To harry, worry, or torment.), fresh peaches (There's most likely a slow-moving, transforming energy in your life right now that's touching off your emotions.).
Word Count: 916
Rating: PG.
Summary: In which Jake is a drama queen and Olivia washes dishes.
Notes: Two MCs down, six to go. This is considerably happier than the previous pieces.
Jake had been hiding in the kitchen for almost ten minutes when Olivia came in.
She stopped dead in the doorway when she saw him, then rolled her eyes and carried the plates she held to the counter. "Stop hiding," she told him. "Seriously. It's going to go fine."
"Your father," said Jake, "is going to kill me just as soon as he does the math. You know that, right?"
Olivia turned to face him and leaned back against the counter, smiling at him. From that position, she looked more pregnant than usual, her belly pushing out the soft purple drape of the shirt she wore. How her father hadn't noticed yet was an eternal mystery to Jake. "You did marry his only precious daughter. I'm sure he's wanted to kill you many times before."
"Yes," he said. "Wanted to kill me. I said will kill me."
"Oh, please." She turned around again and began rinsing the dishes. "Joanna will stop him if he tries anything permanent. Besides, I think the idea of grandchildren to spoil will win him over sooner or later."
Jake went over to her and leaned against the counter beside the sink. "That won't do me any good if I'm dead."
She flicked water at him, and laughed when he jumped. "Stop being dramatic. Worst case scenario, there'll be some shouting over the pie, and I don't think that's very likely. Joanna's very good at shutting Daddy down when she needs to."
This was actually true, and he relaxed a little, then tensed up again. "Well, how's she going to react? Maybe she won't want to."
"Don't be silly, she already knows," Olivia said. "Pass the dish soap, please."
He reached for the dish soap. "You know, half of the things you've said to me so far have been instructions to stop doing something. Are you practicing for--" His brain caught up with his ears, and he fumbled the bottle. It dropped to the floor with a clatter as he yelped, "What do you mean she already knows?"
"I mean she already knows," Olivia said. "Why do you think she pulled me aside when we got here? Apparently she thought I was pregnant at the wedding, but wasn't sure and didn't want to bring it up."
Jake put a hand over his eyes. "Please tell me she didn't tell your father."
Olivia tsked, which he felt was unfair. "Of course not. She wasn't sure. Besides, it's our decision when we want to tell people about it. I mean, some people have problem pregnancies and they want to be sure." She smiled, briefly, a little sadly. "Joanna of all people would know that."
Oh, yes, Joanna would know that. Jake changed the subject. "You mean, as opposed to just trying to con their fathers."
"Don't be silly," she said again. "He's going to know. Are you going to pass me the soap or not?"
He bent down, picked up the bottle and handed it to her. "Then the whole point of this charade is..."
"To give him a plausible excuse to not believe it," she said, and took it with a quick kiss. "Thanks. Look, my father is not a stupid man. Sooner or later he's going to figure out that the baby came along awfully soon after the wedding."
"And he's going to kill me," Jake said.
"Shh," Olivia said, sounding amused, and flicked water at him again. "No. Because he'll be able to tell himself that we didn't tell him I was pregnant until after we were married. And that makes it okay, because we would have told him as soon as we know. I don't know how this works, okay, I just know that it does."
He shook his head. "I will take your word for it."
"Good," she said, and handed him the soap bottle again. "Put that back, please."
Jake did as he was told, then moved behind her, slid his arms around her belly and rested his forehead against her hair. "It's really going to be all right?"
She patted his hand with one of hers, leaving a trail of water and soap bubbles. "It's really going to be all right. Plausible deniability, that's the key. And really, once Daddy gets to hold his grandbaby all will be right with the world. Just you wait and see."
"I hope I don't have to wait that long," he said, and she laughed, then stacked the last plate by the sink. "Finished?" he asked.
"Mmhmm," she said, and dried her hands on a towel. "Come on. Let's go tell Daddy the good news."
Jake groaned and hid his face in her hair. "He's going to kill me."
"He will not," she said, rolling her eyes-- he couldn't see it, but he didn't need to see it, he could hear it in her voice. "Such melodrama. At most he'll maim you."
"Why am I maiming Jake?" Hugh inquired, from the doorway.
Jake flinched, and stepped around Olivia to put her between them. She shot a glare at him, but said brightly, "No reason, Daddy. It's good news. Go sit down and I'll bring tea."
Hugh eyed them both for a moment, then nodded. "All right, Sunny. Earl Grey, please."
"Of course," Olivia said, warmly. He gave them one more sharp glance, then went back into the living room.
"I'm going to die," Jake muttered into her ear, and didn't even flinch when she drove an elbow into his side.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Pickle 13 (bundle of joy), rocky road 6 (kitchen), malt (PFAH: Olivia in love), FOTD (ferret: To harry, worry, or torment.), fresh peaches (There's most likely a slow-moving, transforming energy in your life right now that's touching off your emotions.).
Word Count: 916
Rating: PG.
Summary: In which Jake is a drama queen and Olivia washes dishes.
Notes: Two MCs down, six to go. This is considerably happier than the previous pieces.
Jake had been hiding in the kitchen for almost ten minutes when Olivia came in.
She stopped dead in the doorway when she saw him, then rolled her eyes and carried the plates she held to the counter. "Stop hiding," she told him. "Seriously. It's going to go fine."
"Your father," said Jake, "is going to kill me just as soon as he does the math. You know that, right?"
Olivia turned to face him and leaned back against the counter, smiling at him. From that position, she looked more pregnant than usual, her belly pushing out the soft purple drape of the shirt she wore. How her father hadn't noticed yet was an eternal mystery to Jake. "You did marry his only precious daughter. I'm sure he's wanted to kill you many times before."
"Yes," he said. "Wanted to kill me. I said will kill me."
"Oh, please." She turned around again and began rinsing the dishes. "Joanna will stop him if he tries anything permanent. Besides, I think the idea of grandchildren to spoil will win him over sooner or later."
Jake went over to her and leaned against the counter beside the sink. "That won't do me any good if I'm dead."
She flicked water at him, and laughed when he jumped. "Stop being dramatic. Worst case scenario, there'll be some shouting over the pie, and I don't think that's very likely. Joanna's very good at shutting Daddy down when she needs to."
This was actually true, and he relaxed a little, then tensed up again. "Well, how's she going to react? Maybe she won't want to."
"Don't be silly, she already knows," Olivia said. "Pass the dish soap, please."
He reached for the dish soap. "You know, half of the things you've said to me so far have been instructions to stop doing something. Are you practicing for--" His brain caught up with his ears, and he fumbled the bottle. It dropped to the floor with a clatter as he yelped, "What do you mean she already knows?"
"I mean she already knows," Olivia said. "Why do you think she pulled me aside when we got here? Apparently she thought I was pregnant at the wedding, but wasn't sure and didn't want to bring it up."
Jake put a hand over his eyes. "Please tell me she didn't tell your father."
Olivia tsked, which he felt was unfair. "Of course not. She wasn't sure. Besides, it's our decision when we want to tell people about it. I mean, some people have problem pregnancies and they want to be sure." She smiled, briefly, a little sadly. "Joanna of all people would know that."
Oh, yes, Joanna would know that. Jake changed the subject. "You mean, as opposed to just trying to con their fathers."
"Don't be silly," she said again. "He's going to know. Are you going to pass me the soap or not?"
He bent down, picked up the bottle and handed it to her. "Then the whole point of this charade is..."
"To give him a plausible excuse to not believe it," she said, and took it with a quick kiss. "Thanks. Look, my father is not a stupid man. Sooner or later he's going to figure out that the baby came along awfully soon after the wedding."
"And he's going to kill me," Jake said.
"Shh," Olivia said, sounding amused, and flicked water at him again. "No. Because he'll be able to tell himself that we didn't tell him I was pregnant until after we were married. And that makes it okay, because we would have told him as soon as we know. I don't know how this works, okay, I just know that it does."
He shook his head. "I will take your word for it."
"Good," she said, and handed him the soap bottle again. "Put that back, please."
Jake did as he was told, then moved behind her, slid his arms around her belly and rested his forehead against her hair. "It's really going to be all right?"
She patted his hand with one of hers, leaving a trail of water and soap bubbles. "It's really going to be all right. Plausible deniability, that's the key. And really, once Daddy gets to hold his grandbaby all will be right with the world. Just you wait and see."
"I hope I don't have to wait that long," he said, and she laughed, then stacked the last plate by the sink. "Finished?" he asked.
"Mmhmm," she said, and dried her hands on a towel. "Come on. Let's go tell Daddy the good news."
Jake groaned and hid his face in her hair. "He's going to kill me."
"He will not," she said, rolling her eyes-- he couldn't see it, but he didn't need to see it, he could hear it in her voice. "Such melodrama. At most he'll maim you."
"Why am I maiming Jake?" Hugh inquired, from the doorway.
Jake flinched, and stepped around Olivia to put her between them. She shot a glare at him, but said brightly, "No reason, Daddy. It's good news. Go sit down and I'll bring tea."
Hugh eyed them both for a moment, then nodded. "All right, Sunny. Earl Grey, please."
"Of course," Olivia said, warmly. He gave them one more sharp glance, then went back into the living room.
"I'm going to die," Jake muttered into her ear, and didn't even flinch when she drove an elbow into his side.