Another Journey Begins
folder
Angst › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
863
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Angst › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
863
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Coffee, tea or beer?
"I do not understand why you feel the need to work, Rio," Justin sighed in exasperation. "You do not need to be paid. "
"I wish to do this myself," she replied in a tone that allowed for no argument. "It is for the experience. I have not handled the public in some time now and I fear I may be losing my social skills."
She didn't want to get into her financial woes with Justin and Sven, feeling that she was imposing upon them enough as it was. Besides, she was getting a little wary of their way of dealing with her. Namely, they choreographed her entire life with the training. She knew she needed to learn from them and appreciated what they were doing for her, but they were downright anal when it came to structuring her day. She needed a break from them for a while. Maybe just a few hours a day, or night as this ad detailed, would do it.
"But you have never worked at a bar, sweet one," Sven tried. "Do you even know what it would be like?"
"Are you worried about whether or not I can handle myself?" she asked with a smirk. "As you both have succinctly stated, I can "˜now use karate, kung fu and tae kwon do interchangeably' so what do you have to worry about?"
"That you may actually do such and we will have to arrange bail for you," Justin replied dryly.
"Yes, I have given you much indication that I will do so, have I not?" Rio huffed as she rolled her dark blue eyes.
"Why are you so adamant about this?" Sven asked quietly.
She knew he would be the tougher of the two to convince, even if he was the more understanding. Perhaps because of, she thought ruefully. Yet she also knew that if she won him over Justin wouldn't refuse her request. And she needed that job to help pay off the medical bills. She needed to keep that house, at least while she still lived.
"Look, I am not joking about needing to be out in public," she said as Sven searched her eyes. "I also would like to get out of here for a few hours at a time. It is not that I want to get away from you. I just need to gain some perspective."
Sven watched her appraisingly for a long time and she was afraid he wouldn't give his assent. But finally he nodded carefully. Justin watched with an unreadable expression, as usual. Rio was used to seeing him that way.
"I think if you wish to do this, we should not stand in your way," the blonde man said.
Rio turned to Justin expectantly.
"I suppose if this is what you want," he sighed.
"It is," she smiled benignly. "Thank you for understanding."
She picked up the newspaper and went to the phone in the den to call the bar.
---------------------------------------
"Why does she not admit that she needs the money for her bills?" Justin quietly asked Sven when Rio stepped away.
"I do not know for certain. Perhaps she wishes to do this on her own."
"But she does not need to! We have the resources to make sure she never wants for anything ever again."
"Perhaps that is the problem," the Scandinavian man shrugged. "She has never had anyone to rely upon before and she does not trust her relationship with us now."
"I do not understand."
"Well, look at it this way," Sven said gently as he took Justin's hand in his own. "No one stepped forward to help her financially or otherwise, as far as I could tell, when Ben died. She was on her own and almost immediately went back to work. She may not even know about our wealth, but I doubt she has even considered asking us for money because it did not occur to her that we would help her with her bills."
"But we took her out of Massachusetts and home with us with the express intention of helping her!" the dark haired man protested. "How could she not know that we would help her financially as well?"
"Maybe she suspects it," Sven shrugged. "But she obviously does not wish for us to help her right now."
"This is ludicrous! I will march right in there . . ." Justin said in frustration as he made to rise from his chair.
"And tell her what? That she has no right to make this decision for herself? That you will not allow it and will pay off those bills regardless how she feels about it? Do you think she will be happy then?"
"What is the difference?" Justin sighed as he sat back down. "She is not happy now."
Sven watched him with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. Justin wasn't used to dealing with Rio, or any "˜child' really. But Sven had come to think of her as a daughter already and had more time to get used to the idea. True she was above the legal age for adulthood, yet she was still so young in many other ways. Her marriage hadn't been enough to mature her, though Ben's death had certainly taken its toll. How could she mature correctly if she'd never had the chance to be a child? Yet, as much as he wanted to protect her and make sure that no one hurt her again, he understood her need to handle her problems on her own. Besides Ben, she'd never had the luxury of relying on anyone else before and she was unlikely to allow it now.
But he also liked the idea of her getting out of the house more often. It would give her exposure to other people and perhaps ground her. Her ready immersion into the Rio persona worried him at first, but she seemed to be taking life in stride now, no longer focusing on the overwhelming urge to die, a welcome improvement, to say the least as far as he and Justin were concerned.
Her hair had grown back somewhat over the last month or so, but she kept it trimmed short, lending her a less delicate appearance and her muscles added to the affect. Sven was almost awed by the look. If she were to really enter the Mexican wrestling circuit, the look would do her justice. Yet, he knew Justin was loathe to let her do such a thing, even if he was training her. But Sven knew the choice had to be Rio's and Rio's alone.
"She may not be entirely happy," he sighed to his darker-haired lover, "but she is more stable. And I would not like to jeopardize that by refusing a small request like this."
"Stable?" Justin's eyes went wide. "How do you figure? She's liable to tear apart the first man who reminds her of Adam. And she now has intimate knowledge of just how to go about such a task. I was not facetious about likely having to bail her out of jail."
"Justin, she is no fool. She will not attack anyone who does not provoke her. In fact, she has given no clear evidence that she will ever really use what we are teaching her at all. We have to trust her sometime, and this seems to be a good time. She will not allow us to help her. If she were of that mind, she would have asked by now."
"I still feel it is not the best idea."
"Aside from disregarding her wishes, do you have a better idea?"
Justin shook his head miserably.
"Well, then," Sven replied to the gesture. "We have no choice. In the meantime, we can research whatever bills are due that she may not know about or remember and pay them before they have a chance to get to her."
"Well, I suppose that is all we can do then," the dark-haired man sighed.
---------------------------------------
"Hello?" Rio said into the phone, disguising her voice to sound like someone from the Southwest, as she'd practiced with Sven. "I'm calling to inquire about the open waitress position. Has it been filled?"
"Why, no, darlin'," a man's hearty voice greeted her. "It ain't been in the papa but for a day. Ya got experience?"
"Well, not as a waitress," she replied. "But I have been in customer service before."
"Where at?"
"Back east, where I once lived," she said nervously, hoping it wouldn't affect her chances. She injected some eager hope into her voice as she continued. "I cashiered in the supermarket and I sold shoes and such in a department store. I know it ain't really like waitressing, but I learn fast and I sure could use the job."
"Well, now. That don't sound too bad."
"It don't?" she asked hopefully. "Then I can come down for an interview?"
"Honey, that WAS the interview," he laughed. "I ain't got time to be so formal. Can ya start tonight?"
"Tonight?" she exclaimed. "Sure!"
"What's your name, darlin'?"
"Tara," she faltered but only for a moment. "But my friends call me Rio."
"Okay, then, Rio," she could hear the smile in his voice. "The dress code's casual. You wear the jeans and I supply the tee shirt. See you at seven?"
"That sounds great!"
"Wear comfortable shoes!"
"I wish to do this myself," she replied in a tone that allowed for no argument. "It is for the experience. I have not handled the public in some time now and I fear I may be losing my social skills."
She didn't want to get into her financial woes with Justin and Sven, feeling that she was imposing upon them enough as it was. Besides, she was getting a little wary of their way of dealing with her. Namely, they choreographed her entire life with the training. She knew she needed to learn from them and appreciated what they were doing for her, but they were downright anal when it came to structuring her day. She needed a break from them for a while. Maybe just a few hours a day, or night as this ad detailed, would do it.
"But you have never worked at a bar, sweet one," Sven tried. "Do you even know what it would be like?"
"Are you worried about whether or not I can handle myself?" she asked with a smirk. "As you both have succinctly stated, I can "˜now use karate, kung fu and tae kwon do interchangeably' so what do you have to worry about?"
"That you may actually do such and we will have to arrange bail for you," Justin replied dryly.
"Yes, I have given you much indication that I will do so, have I not?" Rio huffed as she rolled her dark blue eyes.
"Why are you so adamant about this?" Sven asked quietly.
She knew he would be the tougher of the two to convince, even if he was the more understanding. Perhaps because of, she thought ruefully. Yet she also knew that if she won him over Justin wouldn't refuse her request. And she needed that job to help pay off the medical bills. She needed to keep that house, at least while she still lived.
"Look, I am not joking about needing to be out in public," she said as Sven searched her eyes. "I also would like to get out of here for a few hours at a time. It is not that I want to get away from you. I just need to gain some perspective."
Sven watched her appraisingly for a long time and she was afraid he wouldn't give his assent. But finally he nodded carefully. Justin watched with an unreadable expression, as usual. Rio was used to seeing him that way.
"I think if you wish to do this, we should not stand in your way," the blonde man said.
Rio turned to Justin expectantly.
"I suppose if this is what you want," he sighed.
"It is," she smiled benignly. "Thank you for understanding."
She picked up the newspaper and went to the phone in the den to call the bar.
---------------------------------------
"Why does she not admit that she needs the money for her bills?" Justin quietly asked Sven when Rio stepped away.
"I do not know for certain. Perhaps she wishes to do this on her own."
"But she does not need to! We have the resources to make sure she never wants for anything ever again."
"Perhaps that is the problem," the Scandinavian man shrugged. "She has never had anyone to rely upon before and she does not trust her relationship with us now."
"I do not understand."
"Well, look at it this way," Sven said gently as he took Justin's hand in his own. "No one stepped forward to help her financially or otherwise, as far as I could tell, when Ben died. She was on her own and almost immediately went back to work. She may not even know about our wealth, but I doubt she has even considered asking us for money because it did not occur to her that we would help her with her bills."
"But we took her out of Massachusetts and home with us with the express intention of helping her!" the dark haired man protested. "How could she not know that we would help her financially as well?"
"Maybe she suspects it," Sven shrugged. "But she obviously does not wish for us to help her right now."
"This is ludicrous! I will march right in there . . ." Justin said in frustration as he made to rise from his chair.
"And tell her what? That she has no right to make this decision for herself? That you will not allow it and will pay off those bills regardless how she feels about it? Do you think she will be happy then?"
"What is the difference?" Justin sighed as he sat back down. "She is not happy now."
Sven watched him with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. Justin wasn't used to dealing with Rio, or any "˜child' really. But Sven had come to think of her as a daughter already and had more time to get used to the idea. True she was above the legal age for adulthood, yet she was still so young in many other ways. Her marriage hadn't been enough to mature her, though Ben's death had certainly taken its toll. How could she mature correctly if she'd never had the chance to be a child? Yet, as much as he wanted to protect her and make sure that no one hurt her again, he understood her need to handle her problems on her own. Besides Ben, she'd never had the luxury of relying on anyone else before and she was unlikely to allow it now.
But he also liked the idea of her getting out of the house more often. It would give her exposure to other people and perhaps ground her. Her ready immersion into the Rio persona worried him at first, but she seemed to be taking life in stride now, no longer focusing on the overwhelming urge to die, a welcome improvement, to say the least as far as he and Justin were concerned.
Her hair had grown back somewhat over the last month or so, but she kept it trimmed short, lending her a less delicate appearance and her muscles added to the affect. Sven was almost awed by the look. If she were to really enter the Mexican wrestling circuit, the look would do her justice. Yet, he knew Justin was loathe to let her do such a thing, even if he was training her. But Sven knew the choice had to be Rio's and Rio's alone.
"She may not be entirely happy," he sighed to his darker-haired lover, "but she is more stable. And I would not like to jeopardize that by refusing a small request like this."
"Stable?" Justin's eyes went wide. "How do you figure? She's liable to tear apart the first man who reminds her of Adam. And she now has intimate knowledge of just how to go about such a task. I was not facetious about likely having to bail her out of jail."
"Justin, she is no fool. She will not attack anyone who does not provoke her. In fact, she has given no clear evidence that she will ever really use what we are teaching her at all. We have to trust her sometime, and this seems to be a good time. She will not allow us to help her. If she were of that mind, she would have asked by now."
"I still feel it is not the best idea."
"Aside from disregarding her wishes, do you have a better idea?"
Justin shook his head miserably.
"Well, then," Sven replied to the gesture. "We have no choice. In the meantime, we can research whatever bills are due that she may not know about or remember and pay them before they have a chance to get to her."
"Well, I suppose that is all we can do then," the dark-haired man sighed.
---------------------------------------
"Hello?" Rio said into the phone, disguising her voice to sound like someone from the Southwest, as she'd practiced with Sven. "I'm calling to inquire about the open waitress position. Has it been filled?"
"Why, no, darlin'," a man's hearty voice greeted her. "It ain't been in the papa but for a day. Ya got experience?"
"Well, not as a waitress," she replied. "But I have been in customer service before."
"Where at?"
"Back east, where I once lived," she said nervously, hoping it wouldn't affect her chances. She injected some eager hope into her voice as she continued. "I cashiered in the supermarket and I sold shoes and such in a department store. I know it ain't really like waitressing, but I learn fast and I sure could use the job."
"Well, now. That don't sound too bad."
"It don't?" she asked hopefully. "Then I can come down for an interview?"
"Honey, that WAS the interview," he laughed. "I ain't got time to be so formal. Can ya start tonight?"
"Tonight?" she exclaimed. "Sure!"
"What's your name, darlin'?"
"Tara," she faltered but only for a moment. "But my friends call me Rio."
"Okay, then, Rio," she could hear the smile in his voice. "The dress code's casual. You wear the jeans and I supply the tee shirt. See you at seven?"
"That sounds great!"
"Wear comfortable shoes!"