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Vivian's New Start
message 501:
by
Raina-J.
(new)
Jul 15, 2013 07:23PM
Vivian stared at Anne, astounded. "So that's where he gets it from!" she laughed suddenly.
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"Gets what from?" Anne asked, thinking she meant the shyness her father had at times.
"Joeri has this...this romantic streak to him," Vivian confided. "Underneath what he calls his 'automaton exterior,' I mean. There are moments when he'll just do or say the sweetest little things and it's all so..." Her voice trailed off and she smiled like an idiot.
Anne laughed and gave her a playful poke. "You must be a miracle. I've been the only one so far who got him to crack jokes or to laugh."
Vivian grinned. "I think he must be the miracle, Anne," she argued. "I've never been happier or more content in my entire life."
"I'm glad to hear it, Vivian. It seems he's still being heroic," Anne said with a grin.
Vivian leaned her head back on the sofa's cushioned back and smiled wistfully. "I do wish he was here right now," she said with a sigh.
"Where has he gone to then, if he's not here?" Anne asked.
"He's back on duty," Vivian sighed.
"On duty? Like in Wales again?" Anne looked eager, remembering the adventures she dreamed up as he told her of his travel to Wales.
Vivian shook her head. "He's...he's here," she said quietly.
"In London? How boring," she sighed. "No where else?"
"He also went to Italy, and India," Vivian said, remembering their early conversations. "In Venice he was tricked into rowing gondolas in the canals on a day off."
Anne laughed, shaking her head. "Really? Oh, goodness, I wonder how that happened! But then again, I easily tricked him into playing games with me."
Vivian's eyes sparkled. "You must teach me how to do that," she remarked. "I can't seem to get anything past him at all."
"What? Have you at least tried? He really believes anything you tell him unless he knew the truth from the start," Anne said with a nod.
Vivian's brow rose in her trademarked expression as she thought. "I suppose you're right," she said after a short ponder. "He does seem to take everything up front, doesn't he?"
Grinning mischievously, Anne nodded again. "Oh, you must do something when you meet him again. Something so surprising. You'll love to see his face," she insisted.
"Like what?" Vivian asked, a devilish smile on her lips.
"I don't know, really. What has been used already? It's so much easier when we were younger and didn't know anything. Perhaps you can tell him convince him of a ridiculous fact about yourself," Anne suggested.
"Joeri knows all kinds of ridiculous things about me," Vivian said with a wry chuckle. Well, I don't have to tell him ridiculous things...
"Ah, well, just use your imagination," she said with a smile. "Joeri wouldn't notice a thing until he's in far too deep."
"You're evil," Vivian teased, "but then again, you are a little sister, just like I am. But my older brothers are quite different from Joeri."
She smiled in admittance. "You have older brothers as well? Oh, what are they like?" Anne asked.
"They're identical twins but their personalities are so different," Vivian said. "Bertrand - he's the older one - is very responsible and serious, and he's a very skilled doctor. Benedict is carefree and wild and funny, but strangely enough he's a barrister, and a darn good one too."Vivian grinned suddenly. "Actually, Bertrand was in Wales when Joeri had his accident."
"Wow. Did they ever meet?" She leaned forward with interest.
"Yes. It's the reason why Joeri can make an appeal for his name to be cleared," Vivian said brightly. "Bert was the physician who assessed him after...after the explosion."
Anne reached out and clasped her hands in her own. "That's amazing! Then he can come home right if he knows the truth. He can be free."
"Well, there's a process that has to be followed, but yes - soon, I hope, he can come home," Vivian replied, squeezing Anne's hands encouragingly.A thought just popped into her head and caused her eyes to dim a bit. What if Joeri wants to stay with them instead of with me?
Nodding emphatically, Anne grinned. "And he can be with you too, right? Since you are together, I'm sure it'd be hard to separate you two. I might have to trick him."
"Oh, I...I couldn't take Joeri away from your family," Vivian said quickly.
Looking her eye, Anne placed a steady hand on her shoulder. "No. It would be best if Joeri were to stay with you. One, because Henny is in the family now and things are crowded. Two, because of my father, and three," she paused, looking sad, "he doesn't know about mother."
"...what happened to your mother?" Vivian asked quietly.
"She died. Her mind fled her, crumbling until she didn't know anyone and her lungs forgot to breath," Anne said, her voice choking up slightly.
Vivian pulled Anne to her again in a fierce hug. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.She thought back to her own mother, and wondered what was worse - a mother who had died a slow death like that, or a mother who just didn't care.
VIvian pushed the thought from her mind and gave Anne a squeeze. "We'll just both have to be there for Joeri when he comes home," she said firmly.
Anne smiled, feeling for once what it's like to have a sister. "Yes. We have to be there or else he'll fall into pieces," she added with a more serious tone.
It was hard to think of Joeri going to pieces - the last time Vivian had witnessed anything remotely like Joeri falling apart was the day they'd gotten caught in the thunderstorm.Vivian nodded against Anne's shoulder. "Well, he'll need us both, I think," she said.
After a long while, Vivian pulled away and asked, "Anne, how...how did you know to come to me specifically?"
((Goodnight!))"Oh, a friend of mine. Stephen Dedalus. He said he knew you and helped, um, with your arm," Anne answered, hoping she didn't overstep her boundaries concerning her bio-engineering.
"Ah."Vivian settled back against the sofa cushions and traced the embroidery on her skirt for a moment. "Yes," she said after a bit, "yes, I did know him once."
She gave Anne a small half-smile. "He's a good person to have as a friend. You're quite lucky indeed."
Anne nodded her agreement. "Yes, and he's letting me be an apprentice artificer. But, um," she paused, glancing down at her hands, "if you don't mind my asking, since he seems so nice, why do you sound as if you're no longer friends?"
"Because we're not," Vivian said softly, twirling a rambunctious curl around a delicate finger again. "We were friends for a long time, but...people change." She shrugged. "Stephen and I just grew apart, I suppose."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope my mention of him doesn't bother you," Anne said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Vivian smiled. "It's alright," she assured Anne. "Really. Life happens, and people change," she repeated.
"Indeed." Anne brought her hand back to her side, tilting her head as she thought. "Joeri, has he changed much you think? Would he even recognize me?"
"I think he will always know who you are," Vivian said with a smile. "And I've only known him a short while, so you would have to tell me if he's changed a great deal."She paused. "I would hope, though, that I've made him happier at least. He was quite forlorn when I first met him."
"I would imagine so if I were in his shoes," Anne replied. Shaking her head, she bundled up the fabric of her skirt when that flame of anger flew up again. "Pater must have been delusional to think Joeri would betray this country. It's our homeland, unlike my father. But I'm glad you were there for him when I couldn't."
"I'm glad that you're so..." Vivian bit her lip, thinking for the right word. "Well, just so easy with all of this," she said at last, "and so happy to know what's really happened. Joeri was scared you might not...not feel happy to know you were deceived."
Glancing over at Vivian, Anne gave her a wry smile, thinking of the night she first found out. Then she flushed as she remembered how she ran to Stephen as well. "You could say that those feelings have already come out," Anne commented, looking down. "But I don't want to waste the fact that Joeri is alive and I can see him again. Dwelling on such things would make me forget the importance of that."
Vivian briefly wondered if she herself would ever come to see her own family - twins aside, of course - in that same way. But she knew they would never be a proper family. The Kaylocks were far too messed up, selfish, and delusional to realise the worth of family.
Anne checked the clock and her eyes widened in surprise. If she stayed much longer, she might have no time to tell Stephen or to work on that machine. She turned to Vivian and grinned. "So, you sure you don't have anything I could fix for you? I probably should get going soon and I don't want to take too much of your time."
