A Case of Nerves (![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
non_plot challenge #3: Responsibility.)
Jack realized, as he fluttered aimlessly around the kitchen, that he had really, really put his foot in it this time.
Oh sure, there was the time he'd run off to London to live with his ex without having a clue about London; or the time that he'd run off to Sardova on assignment to get away from Allanna and, as it happened, run right into Allanna's arms; not to mention every single time he tried to cook something and ended up getting distracted or sidetracked and it ending up horribly wrong.
Jack was supposed to be the responsible one. Evan was usually the one that had bad luck and did stunningly irresponsible things. But when Jack took it into his head to so something stupid, well, he usually managed to come up with a real winner. Usually something that had far-reaching implications.
This time was no exception.
Allanna was going to be here any minute. Allanna was going to be here any minute, so he'd better figure out what to say. Allanna was going to be here any minute, and then she'd find out that he'd effectively become legal guardian of his ex-girlfriend's four year old daughter. Oh God, Allanna was going to be here any minute ...
Almost as if in a dream, he heard the silvery tinkle of bracelets on her wrists, the lilting melody of a snippet of folksong, her step on a creaky board near the kitchen nook.
"Something wrong, darling?" Her voice was amused, for some reason. Maybe it was because he was cowering in a corner by the stove.
"Nothing!" Jack put his hands down and smiled at her, just a little too brightly. "Nothing at all. Drink?"
"Certainly." Allanna set down her enormous leather purse and stood in the kitchen door for a moment, staring at him expectantly. Jack paid this no attention, trying to quiet the constant ruminating of his mind. Allanna was going to kill him. How could he have done this? He didn't know anything about kids. Especially little girls. He snatched two wine glasses out of the cupboard, struggling for a moment with the cork in the bottle of merlot that was sitting on the counter. The lush flavours of the drink escaped him this time; it burned like acid going down, but he poured himself another anyway.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong, love?" Allanna murmured, taking a more sedate approach toward her wine glass as she sipped from it delicately.
"Yes, I'm sure. What would be wrong? Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all." The second glass was mysteriously empty, and he watched his hands refilling it as though he were in a movie.
"Uncle Jack?"
Jack very nearly jumped straight out of his skin and through the ceiling. The wine glass toppled, spilling crimson in a widening pool on the breakfast bar, but somehow managing not to break. He looked down at the small girl in pink footie pyjamas that stood before him, holding a large purple stuffed dragon by the tail. "Y-yes, Audra?"
"I finished cleaning my room. Can I do puzzles now?"
"Yes, of course you can, darling, go right ahead." Allanna answered for him, kneeling down to give her a hug. "Why don't you go do a puzzle, and your uncle and I will be in to read you a story in a little while, all right?"
"Okay, Allanna." Audra hugged back and trotted down the hallway, the dragon staring back at them with dark plastic eyes as its head traced a path along the floor.
"Why don't you just sit down and tell me what the problem is." Allanna squeezed his hand for a moment and began hunting in drawers for something to clean up the spill.
Nothing for it now. Jack took a deep breath. "Audra ... Audra's going to be staying with me for a little while."
"Oh, that's very sweet."
"A few months. Six at least. Might be a year, or longer." She had paused for a moment mid-cleaning, and he just kept talking, words tripping over each other in their haste, trying to get everything out on the table before she started protesting, complaining, coming up with reasons why this was a dumb idea. "They made Trish go to Shanghai ... and she's going to have to go into some pretty violent situations and she was going to leave her with Carl and Regina but they're really not very good with children really, they're all about kids being seen and not heard and they were going to take most of her toys away because she's too old for toys or something and I know I don't know a damn thing about kids, but I had to do something, so I said she could stay with me, please don't be mad, I know it's crazy, but I feel ... responsible ... somehow..." he trailed off, finally aware of the amused expression on Allanna's face.
"It's fine." She put her hands on his shoulders firmly, comfortingly, as if to ground him. "It's fine. I think it's perfectly lovely of you."
"You do?"
"Of course I do. I wouldn't want that sweet little girl staying with those two." She made a face. "Too old for toys indeed. Ridiculous."
Jack sighed explosively, sinking into a chair. "Oh, thank God."
"I am still somewhat miffed at you, though."
"Wh-why?"
"I've been here fifteen minutes and you haven't even given me so much as a hug."
Throwing his arms around her, Jack decided to remedy that.
Oh sure, there was the time he'd run off to London to live with his ex without having a clue about London; or the time that he'd run off to Sardova on assignment to get away from Allanna and, as it happened, run right into Allanna's arms; not to mention every single time he tried to cook something and ended up getting distracted or sidetracked and it ending up horribly wrong.
Jack was supposed to be the responsible one. Evan was usually the one that had bad luck and did stunningly irresponsible things. But when Jack took it into his head to so something stupid, well, he usually managed to come up with a real winner. Usually something that had far-reaching implications.
This time was no exception.
Allanna was going to be here any minute. Allanna was going to be here any minute, so he'd better figure out what to say. Allanna was going to be here any minute, and then she'd find out that he'd effectively become legal guardian of his ex-girlfriend's four year old daughter. Oh God, Allanna was going to be here any minute ...
Almost as if in a dream, he heard the silvery tinkle of bracelets on her wrists, the lilting melody of a snippet of folksong, her step on a creaky board near the kitchen nook.
"Something wrong, darling?" Her voice was amused, for some reason. Maybe it was because he was cowering in a corner by the stove.
"Nothing!" Jack put his hands down and smiled at her, just a little too brightly. "Nothing at all. Drink?"
"Certainly." Allanna set down her enormous leather purse and stood in the kitchen door for a moment, staring at him expectantly. Jack paid this no attention, trying to quiet the constant ruminating of his mind. Allanna was going to kill him. How could he have done this? He didn't know anything about kids. Especially little girls. He snatched two wine glasses out of the cupboard, struggling for a moment with the cork in the bottle of merlot that was sitting on the counter. The lush flavours of the drink escaped him this time; it burned like acid going down, but he poured himself another anyway.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong, love?" Allanna murmured, taking a more sedate approach toward her wine glass as she sipped from it delicately.
"Yes, I'm sure. What would be wrong? Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all." The second glass was mysteriously empty, and he watched his hands refilling it as though he were in a movie.
"Uncle Jack?"
Jack very nearly jumped straight out of his skin and through the ceiling. The wine glass toppled, spilling crimson in a widening pool on the breakfast bar, but somehow managing not to break. He looked down at the small girl in pink footie pyjamas that stood before him, holding a large purple stuffed dragon by the tail. "Y-yes, Audra?"
"I finished cleaning my room. Can I do puzzles now?"
"Yes, of course you can, darling, go right ahead." Allanna answered for him, kneeling down to give her a hug. "Why don't you go do a puzzle, and your uncle and I will be in to read you a story in a little while, all right?"
"Okay, Allanna." Audra hugged back and trotted down the hallway, the dragon staring back at them with dark plastic eyes as its head traced a path along the floor.
"Why don't you just sit down and tell me what the problem is." Allanna squeezed his hand for a moment and began hunting in drawers for something to clean up the spill.
Nothing for it now. Jack took a deep breath. "Audra ... Audra's going to be staying with me for a little while."
"Oh, that's very sweet."
"A few months. Six at least. Might be a year, or longer." She had paused for a moment mid-cleaning, and he just kept talking, words tripping over each other in their haste, trying to get everything out on the table before she started protesting, complaining, coming up with reasons why this was a dumb idea. "They made Trish go to Shanghai ... and she's going to have to go into some pretty violent situations and she was going to leave her with Carl and Regina but they're really not very good with children really, they're all about kids being seen and not heard and they were going to take most of her toys away because she's too old for toys or something and I know I don't know a damn thing about kids, but I had to do something, so I said she could stay with me, please don't be mad, I know it's crazy, but I feel ... responsible ... somehow..." he trailed off, finally aware of the amused expression on Allanna's face.
"It's fine." She put her hands on his shoulders firmly, comfortingly, as if to ground him. "It's fine. I think it's perfectly lovely of you."
"You do?"
"Of course I do. I wouldn't want that sweet little girl staying with those two." She made a face. "Too old for toys indeed. Ridiculous."
Jack sighed explosively, sinking into a chair. "Oh, thank God."
"I am still somewhat miffed at you, though."
"Wh-why?"
"I've been here fifteen minutes and you haven't even given me so much as a hug."
Throwing his arms around her, Jack decided to remedy that.