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rivendellroseIt's not any of the three fics I've been promising people, but it's something that I actually wrote about a year ago, and forgot about before I could post it. And since I found it again, and today just happens to be Father's Day... well, here you go.
Fandom: Highlander
Characters: Joe and Amy
Warnings: Spoilers for the end of season 5. Deals with character death. Part of the "Interference" series, but probably works okay as a stand-alone.
Summary: Amy visits Joe on an important day.
Title: 'Someday'
Nothing put Joe on edge like seeing Amy walk into his bar looking tense, and today was one of the worst cases he’d ever seen. She fidgeted with her purse as she sat down, and kept brushing a little bit of too-long hair out of her eyes while he made her drink. “Everything okay?” he asked, trying to go for casual concern as he set down the iced tea she’d ordered.
“No.”
Yeah, this is gonna be bad. Joe settled himself into the chair across from her, glad she’d chosen one of the quietest times of the day to come in. Probably she’d done that on purpose, if this was going to be the kind of conversation Joe was beginning to suspect it would be. Amy was too classy to let a dozen or more customers hear her tell Joe where he could shove his interest in working up a father-daughter relationship. “Okay... what’s up?”
“I... uh... Where’s Duncan?”
“What?” That was entirely unexpected. On some level, Joe thought he shouldn’t have been surprised that Amy would’ve taken a shine to the handsome and charming immortal - Duncan had practically adopted Amy ever since he met her, and pretty, brotherly little gifts kept turning up on Joe’s desk with notes to the effect of “found this, thought it’d be great for Amy.” In his way, Mac was trying to help, but it was clearly having effects he wasn’t thinking of. At least he damned well better not be. “Him and Amanda are at the opera,” Joe informed Amy firmly, with a not-so-subtle don’t even think about it look.
“Good.”
The world shifted again. “Good?”
“Good,” Amy repeated. “Today’s... you know. Well. The anniversary, isn’t it? Of his friend...” She gestured vaguely for a minute, biting her lip and looking embarassed.
The anniversary of Richie’s death - of course. Joe sighed, relieved and saddened at the same time. “Yeah, it is. You’re right, it’s good he’s out, not home thinking about that. I stopped by the cemetary earlier on the way here.”
“Well, that’s... good. I wanted... I know how hard that is. And from what Duncan’s said, you guys were really close.”
“Yeah, we were.”
“Kind of like a son?” She looked almost accusing, suddenly - sharply curious in a way that he hadn’t seen since the day she confronted him with their relationship.
Joe shook his head. “More like Mac’s son than mine. Mac got the hard stuff, most of the time - him and Richie butted heads a lot, but they were real close. I got to be the favorite uncle,” he added, grinning for a moment before the memories softened his expression into a mix of sorrow and warmth. “I guess I wanted to look out for him, though, yeah. He was a good kid. ‘Bout your age, too. Or he would’ve been.” He looked down at his hands. “Maybe it was like trying to watch out for him, since I couldn’t do it for you.”
Amy tossed aside the wrapper from her straw, and Joe noticed she’d shredded little nicks into its whole length. “Well. He’s lucky he had you, while he was here, anyway.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a plain envelope and a little package wrapped in blue paper, setting them on the table in front of her. “Here. Say hi to the guys for me, when they get here. I... I’ve gotta go.”
A condolences card? That seemed unlikely. Joe opened the envelope and got a jolt that had to be similar to the first bolts of a Quickening for an immortal. Happy Father’s Day.
“Amy! Hey - wait!”
She stopped at the door, but didn’t turn to look at him. “You don’t have to say anything. It was just a thought.”
“I didn’t even realize... hell, I totally forgot about it, Amy. What with Richie and all... I’m not exactly used to this whole fatherhood deal, yet.”
“I figured.” She turned back to him, and he was struck by how young she looked - the short haircut and pixie face made her look far less than her twenty-three years, and he could swear she hadn’t looked so vulnerable even when Walker’d had a gun to the back of her head. “I just... didn’t want everything about today to be bad for you.”
“It isn’t, now.” Joe smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand. “So, uh... is this ‘someday,’ then?”
Amy hung her head and blushed, but when she looked up she was smiling a bit shyly. “I guess it could be.”
“Well, then...” Joe walked around behind the bar and pulled out a bottle and two wine glasses. “As an ancient and wise smart-ass we both know once said to me, here’s to ‘someday.’”
Fandom: Highlander
Characters: Joe and Amy
Warnings: Spoilers for the end of season 5. Deals with character death. Part of the "Interference" series, but probably works okay as a stand-alone.
Summary: Amy visits Joe on an important day.
Title: 'Someday'
Nothing put Joe on edge like seeing Amy walk into his bar looking tense, and today was one of the worst cases he’d ever seen. She fidgeted with her purse as she sat down, and kept brushing a little bit of too-long hair out of her eyes while he made her drink. “Everything okay?” he asked, trying to go for casual concern as he set down the iced tea she’d ordered.
“No.”
Yeah, this is gonna be bad. Joe settled himself into the chair across from her, glad she’d chosen one of the quietest times of the day to come in. Probably she’d done that on purpose, if this was going to be the kind of conversation Joe was beginning to suspect it would be. Amy was too classy to let a dozen or more customers hear her tell Joe where he could shove his interest in working up a father-daughter relationship. “Okay... what’s up?”
“I... uh... Where’s Duncan?”
“What?” That was entirely unexpected. On some level, Joe thought he shouldn’t have been surprised that Amy would’ve taken a shine to the handsome and charming immortal - Duncan had practically adopted Amy ever since he met her, and pretty, brotherly little gifts kept turning up on Joe’s desk with notes to the effect of “found this, thought it’d be great for Amy.” In his way, Mac was trying to help, but it was clearly having effects he wasn’t thinking of. At least he damned well better not be. “Him and Amanda are at the opera,” Joe informed Amy firmly, with a not-so-subtle don’t even think about it look.
“Good.”
The world shifted again. “Good?”
“Good,” Amy repeated. “Today’s... you know. Well. The anniversary, isn’t it? Of his friend...” She gestured vaguely for a minute, biting her lip and looking embarassed.
The anniversary of Richie’s death - of course. Joe sighed, relieved and saddened at the same time. “Yeah, it is. You’re right, it’s good he’s out, not home thinking about that. I stopped by the cemetary earlier on the way here.”
“Well, that’s... good. I wanted... I know how hard that is. And from what Duncan’s said, you guys were really close.”
“Yeah, we were.”
“Kind of like a son?” She looked almost accusing, suddenly - sharply curious in a way that he hadn’t seen since the day she confronted him with their relationship.
Joe shook his head. “More like Mac’s son than mine. Mac got the hard stuff, most of the time - him and Richie butted heads a lot, but they were real close. I got to be the favorite uncle,” he added, grinning for a moment before the memories softened his expression into a mix of sorrow and warmth. “I guess I wanted to look out for him, though, yeah. He was a good kid. ‘Bout your age, too. Or he would’ve been.” He looked down at his hands. “Maybe it was like trying to watch out for him, since I couldn’t do it for you.”
Amy tossed aside the wrapper from her straw, and Joe noticed she’d shredded little nicks into its whole length. “Well. He’s lucky he had you, while he was here, anyway.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a plain envelope and a little package wrapped in blue paper, setting them on the table in front of her. “Here. Say hi to the guys for me, when they get here. I... I’ve gotta go.”
A condolences card? That seemed unlikely. Joe opened the envelope and got a jolt that had to be similar to the first bolts of a Quickening for an immortal. Happy Father’s Day.
“Amy! Hey - wait!”
She stopped at the door, but didn’t turn to look at him. “You don’t have to say anything. It was just a thought.”
“I didn’t even realize... hell, I totally forgot about it, Amy. What with Richie and all... I’m not exactly used to this whole fatherhood deal, yet.”
“I figured.” She turned back to him, and he was struck by how young she looked - the short haircut and pixie face made her look far less than her twenty-three years, and he could swear she hadn’t looked so vulnerable even when Walker’d had a gun to the back of her head. “I just... didn’t want everything about today to be bad for you.”
“It isn’t, now.” Joe smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand. “So, uh... is this ‘someday,’ then?”
Amy hung her head and blushed, but when she looked up she was smiling a bit shyly. “I guess it could be.”
“Well, then...” Joe walked around behind the bar and pulled out a bottle and two wine glasses. “As an ancient and wise smart-ass we both know once said to me, here’s to ‘someday.’”
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 05:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 05:59 am (UTC)Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 08:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 12:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 12:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 04:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-19 06:55 pm (UTC)And yeah - you have to watch out for those ancient and wise smart-asses - or at least one.
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Date: 2006-06-20 01:18 am (UTC)Anyway, I'm glad you liked it! I just wanted to give him some happy for once. ;)
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Date: 2006-06-20 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-20 01:20 am (UTC)Oh yes. Yes, indeed. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:54 pm (UTC)I really like the thought of Amy being concerned about Mac and Joe on this unpleasant anniversary. There is a perfect amount of awkwardness between the two of them. Poor Joe hasn't allowed himself to take on the role and expectations of a father at all, has he?
Did Richie really die on Father's Day? *scurries off to look that up*
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 06:59 pm (UTC)Most likely, absolutely not. Unfortunately, I didn't have access to the DVDs when I wrote this, and could only remember a vague association of spring/early summer around his death. On the other hand, that may've had something to do with it being spring when I saw the episodes. XP Call it a combination of forgetfulness and creative license....
As for Joe... I think he'd like to. But he's smart enough to realize that if he pushes, it won't go well between him and Amy. And, in my mind at least, Amy is a very confused young woman. I was relieved, in this fic, to finally get her to some space of conclusion.
And I'm glad you liked it! Sorry to talk your ear off. ;)