fanfic and original writing by ar (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
witticaster) wrote2010-06-18 01:04 am
witticaster) wrote2010-06-18 01:04 am
0219
And then AR couldn't write derpy first times, so she wrote derpy "and everyone sat on the couch and was happy" fic instead.
When Beth opened the door, she looked more tired than anything else; upon seeing the man standing before her, however, her countenance brightened significantly. "James!" she exclaimed, opening the door wider and hurrying him in, sea chest and all. "I thought you'd expected to return tomorrow or the next day."
He made haste to set his things down where they might be out of the way for the moment, pushing the door closed with one foot as he did so, then wasted no time in enveloping his wife in an embrace. "We were, but--" and he could not leave off a kiss hello any longer than that, after months away. When they had parted again, he began his reply again. "We were, but fortune favoured us, and Gillette offered me a ride home. I thought I might surprise you."
"You did," she said, settling comfortably in his arms, and looked up at him with no small joy. At that moment, a wail came from the upstairs, and her gaze shifted in the direction of the stairs. Giving him another, shorter peck on the lips, she stepped out of his embrace and called over her shoulder, "I'll see to her. You've surely had a long morning, go and sit down."
He did as asked, removing his coat and boots and stretching out gladly upon the settee; and after some minutes, she returned with a bleary-eyed baby in tow. She was a far cry from the three months old infant he had kissed goodbye: now quite larger, though not yet grown into her wide blue eyes, and with wispy hair that matched his own where previously she'd had none.
Beth sat down next to James, bearing a shy little smile. "She's gotten quite big since last you saw her. Here Amelia, you remember your papa, don't you?" With this question, she attempted to pass the squirming little girl over to James. He held his arms out to her, only to watch his daughter cling more tightly to her mother, taking a hank of Beth's long hair in hand in an attempt to avoid being handed to the apparent stranger. "Oh--please don't pull Mama's hair--I'm sorry, James, she's been frightened of people lately. It's only a phase, of course."
"It is no matter," James said, and told himself it was only to be expected that the child would not know him from Adam, having seen him last six months ago. "I expect we'll have time to get to know each other again."
"And she will be in much better sorts when she's properly woken from her nap; she's always a little raincloud at first," Beth assured him, extricating her hair from the little grasp with some effort. At Beth's attempt to set the Amelia down on the floor and leave her to her own devices, the girl balked, and held as fast as a barnacle. "All right, stay where you are; we will have to show your father how well you stand later." After some minutes of quiet, during which Amelia settled into her mother's lap with a sulky sort of pout, Beth said, "She resembles you, you know. I hadn't realized how much until this afternoon."
"The poor thing," James said dryly, but could not help but look into his daughter's face and assess it for himself. Their colouring was certainly alike, but she otherwise looked like every chubby-cheeked baby he had seen; perhaps she had inherited his nose as well, in which case his comment stood.
"Oh, hush," Beth told him, a smile in her voice as on her lips. "I like the way you look, quite well." And, as though to prove it, she leaned carefully close and kissed him on the mouth.
When Beth opened the door, she looked more tired than anything else; upon seeing the man standing before her, however, her countenance brightened significantly. "James!" she exclaimed, opening the door wider and hurrying him in, sea chest and all. "I thought you'd expected to return tomorrow or the next day."
He made haste to set his things down where they might be out of the way for the moment, pushing the door closed with one foot as he did so, then wasted no time in enveloping his wife in an embrace. "We were, but--" and he could not leave off a kiss hello any longer than that, after months away. When they had parted again, he began his reply again. "We were, but fortune favoured us, and Gillette offered me a ride home. I thought I might surprise you."
"You did," she said, settling comfortably in his arms, and looked up at him with no small joy. At that moment, a wail came from the upstairs, and her gaze shifted in the direction of the stairs. Giving him another, shorter peck on the lips, she stepped out of his embrace and called over her shoulder, "I'll see to her. You've surely had a long morning, go and sit down."
He did as asked, removing his coat and boots and stretching out gladly upon the settee; and after some minutes, she returned with a bleary-eyed baby in tow. She was a far cry from the three months old infant he had kissed goodbye: now quite larger, though not yet grown into her wide blue eyes, and with wispy hair that matched his own where previously she'd had none.
Beth sat down next to James, bearing a shy little smile. "She's gotten quite big since last you saw her. Here Amelia, you remember your papa, don't you?" With this question, she attempted to pass the squirming little girl over to James. He held his arms out to her, only to watch his daughter cling more tightly to her mother, taking a hank of Beth's long hair in hand in an attempt to avoid being handed to the apparent stranger. "Oh--please don't pull Mama's hair--I'm sorry, James, she's been frightened of people lately. It's only a phase, of course."
"It is no matter," James said, and told himself it was only to be expected that the child would not know him from Adam, having seen him last six months ago. "I expect we'll have time to get to know each other again."
"And she will be in much better sorts when she's properly woken from her nap; she's always a little raincloud at first," Beth assured him, extricating her hair from the little grasp with some effort. At Beth's attempt to set the Amelia down on the floor and leave her to her own devices, the girl balked, and held as fast as a barnacle. "All right, stay where you are; we will have to show your father how well you stand later." After some minutes of quiet, during which Amelia settled into her mother's lap with a sulky sort of pout, Beth said, "She resembles you, you know. I hadn't realized how much until this afternoon."
"The poor thing," James said dryly, but could not help but look into his daughter's face and assess it for himself. Their colouring was certainly alike, but she otherwise looked like every chubby-cheeked baby he had seen; perhaps she had inherited his nose as well, in which case his comment stood.
"Oh, hush," Beth told him, a smile in her voice as on her lips. "I like the way you look, quite well." And, as though to prove it, she leaned carefully close and kissed him on the mouth.