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Lucy Thatcher (paperlucy) wrote in la_vie_rpg,
@ 2008-07-21 22:27:00

Who: James & Lucy
What: Brother and sister reunite!
Where: Streets of Paris
When: 21 July, mid-morning
Rating: PG?

It was a rather warm July morning, the air already somewhat heavy. Lucy couldn't stand to be in her incredibly hot flat. She had thrown open all the windows, hoping to catch a cross-breeze, but all she got was the smell of sweaty grumpy Parisians and the rotten garbage on the curb below. Unable to write in the sickly warm apartment, Lucy had decided to go out in hopes of distraction.

The park seemed like a good idea -- lots of open air, a fountain -- Lucy could sun herself for a while. She settled on a bench protected by the shade of a tall tree. She had brought her notebook but decided her brain wasn't going to work correctly in this heat, so instead the blonde amusedly watched the people around her. There were two small children playing with a ball just across the path, a German soldier in full uniform with a firearm standing watch nearby. She wished she had brought a camera. That would have been an excellent picture for the paper. There was an elderly couple just beyond that, strolling on the path hand in hand. Lucy couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Those people still had love in a time like this, still had family.

Then -- no, it wasn't James. Lucy had been having these moments for the past few months, times when she thought she saw her brother in the streets. They had been increasing ever since she had received the telegram. But it looked just like him; the hair, the stature -- except he had a cane. It was possible that James had been injured. He was, after all, missing. Lucy dared not hope that it was him, but there was just something so familiar about the man just down the path. She stood up, squinting as he moved closer. Taking a few tentative steps toward the man, her heart started pounding faster. She thought it was going to burst through her chest. And then she could see them: his eyes. Lucy would know her brother's eyes anywhere, and there was no doubt that they were his. But was it her imagination? Was she dreaming all of this? Stepping out into the path of the man, she stood and stared.

"James?" she asked, her voice quavering.

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privatethatcher
2008-07-21 10:12 pm UTC (link)

For the most part, since arriving in Paris, James had been lucky; he had been able to find a place to stay for a few nights and had finally gotten to clean up a little. Once he looked more like himself, he felt a bit more at ease about trying to look for his sister.

But that was proving difficult. He couldn't quite remember if she had ever mentioned where she was staying in the city, and he knew better than to go inquire anywhere. With all the German soldiers around, making his own presence known would be a very foolish idea, not that he was much of a threat to any of them, but still.

For some reason, James hadn't expected it to be so hot in Paris. Perhaps it was because after spending so long in the Mediterranean, he had assumed France would have a cooler climate. But now, it was the middle of summer, and the heat was practically unbearable. He had come across the park after leaving the hotel he'd been staying at as discreetly as he had arrived there. What money he had was quickly starting to vanish, so he was going to have to find somewhere else to stay soon.

Not surprisingly, the park was full of people on that sunny day. All of them except for the German soldiers seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was a nice change from the warfare he'd grown accustomed to seeing.

And then--had he imagined it? That hauntingly familiar voice...

James looked ahead, squinting slightly in the bright daylight, and almost stumbled backward. At first he swore it was his imagination, but no...Lucy was definitely standing right there. His grip on his cane tightened and his mouth went dry. Suddenly it was difficult to process any real thoughts about what he was seeing.

"Lucy," he managed finally, shocked, "I--I wasn't expecting to run into you here." He frowned inwardly, but given the circumstances, he couldn't really blame himself for not being able to react properly. After all, they hadn't seen each other in what seemed like a century to him.

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paperlucy
2008-07-21 10:18 pm UTC (link)

She couldn't contain herself any longer -- the vision had spoken, and he seemed so real, it had to be him. Nearly choking on a sob, Lucy ran toward him, closing the distance in seconds, and threw her arms around his neck. She didn't think of his cane or possible injury. It had been far too long and she didn't have her head about her at the moment.

"Oh, it's you, it's really you," she continued to mumble, feeling his face as if her fingertips were trying to remember what he looked like. She kissed both his cheeks and hugged him again, touching his hair and wiping her tears on his shoulder. "I had -- I had thought the worst -- I didn't know what to do --" She could hardly string complete sentences together.

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privatethatcher
2008-07-21 10:29 pm UTC (link)

It was difficult to comprehend what was happening. After being away from her for so long, to have suddenly come across Lucy this way had taken him so completely by surprise. He wasn't sure how to react.

But then Lucy did it all for him. The feeling of her close to him was starting to bring him out of the shock that he had fallen into the moment he had heard her voice.

Carefully, he put his arm around her waist and offered her a slight, reassuring smile. To see her this upset was difficult, to put it lightly.

"I'm here now," he said softly, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you when I arrived, but somehow, I knew we would find each other."

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paperlucy
2008-07-21 10:33 pm UTC (link)

"Don't bloody apologize," Lucy said, half-laughing as she wiped away her tears. "I'm just glad you're alive and safe -- having you in Paris is even more of a reward." She led her brother to the bench she had been occupying. "Your leg, what did you do? And do Mum and Dad know where you are? Where have you been staying?" Lucy couldn't help it; her questions just came pouring out. It was still a little difficult for her to believe that her James was standing right in front of her.

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privatethatcher
2008-07-22 08:44 pm UTC (link)

The number of questions that Lucy was bombarding him with came as no real surprise. James slowly sat down next to her and hesitated a moment before answering. "One thing at a time, Bee," he said, "As for all your questions, first of all, what happened to me is really not important. I was staying at a cheap hotel until this morning, but I'm a bit short on money now...and you're the only one who knows where I am now. I haven't been able to contact anyone."

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paperlucy
2008-07-24 05:43 pm UTC (link)

Lucy felt her heart well with emotion when she heard her brother utter her nickname once again. However, she controlled herself for James' sake and instead grabbed his hand.

"Of course it is, it's all important," Lucy insisted, unwrapping a bit of biscuit she had brought with her. It was her last for the week, and it had taken quite a bit of money to get the sweet, but she didn't mind sharing it with her brother. He deserved it. She offered it to him in the wax paper. "Don't worry about money. I have a flat.. it's a bit small, but I won't mind sharing with you. You can have the bed. The sofa is comfortable enough, and I don't mind sleeping on it." She smiled at the older man, feeling a bit like herself again.

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	privatethatcher 2008-07-24 08:28 pm UTC (link)
	"If I'm going to move in with you, I'll take the sofa. I don't want to be a burden for you," James said as he accepted the biscuit. He unwrapped it from its wax paper and broke it in half, handing one of the halves back to Lucy. "You're already risking enough by saying that I can stay with you," he added quietly. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

paperlucy
2008-07-25 04:30 pm UTC (link)

"You're not a burden, James," Lucy told him, her face serious. "Don't ever think that." She took the rest of the sweet treat, broke a piece off, and popped it into her mouth. "If the sofa gets uncomfortable for you we can take turns, then." She wanted her brother to be comfortable, even if he felt like he was putting her out (which she wasn't).

Lucy knew she was risking a lot by housing a British soldier, but that didn't bother her. She was already in danger as it was, being an English reporter in Paris. And he was family. It wasn't like she could just cast him aside.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I don't want you wandering about the streets, especially with your leg like that. My flat will be perfectly safe for the time being." She paused. "So what happened, James? I got a telegram a few weeks ago. What's going on?"

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privatethatcher
2008-07-25 11:28 pm UTC (link)

As much as he did not like the idea of talking about it, James knew that he owed Lucy an explanation. He hesitated, trying to think of a good way to word what he needed to say, but this was one thing that he was fairly sure he would never be able to talk about very eloquently.

"...I was shot in the back of my knee by enemy soldiers. I sustained a couple other injuries as well, but to be completely honest, I don't remember what a lot of them were," he said with obvious unease, "I'm surprised I was able to get out of there alive...I suppose it was because I knew I had to get home again somehow. I didn't want to die there."

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paperlucy
2008-07-27 05:00 pm UTC (link)

Lucy felt her eyes well up again -- the thought of her brother fighting, of being shot.. it was just too much. She was sorry she had asked. Lucy knew not to tell James not to talk like that, to talk about dying. This was a war and death was a reality. Lucy learned a long time ago not to live in a false reality, especially since as a news reporter she was supposed to bring the cold hard truth. Some called her cynical. She thought she was a realist.

"I'm sorry," she replied, resting her head briefly on her brother's shoulder before sitting back up again. "We don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to. We could go back to the flat and have some lunch. You don't have any ration cards since you're technically not supposed to be here, but I've been saving up food for a while. I haven't been that hungry as of late.. worrying does that to me, you know."

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privatethatcher
2008-07-27 09:51 pm UTC (link)

"I know, but I want you to make sure you're being careful, all right?" James said, concern seeping into his voice. Lucy really was risking a lot, both with her job and inviting him to stay with her. If anything was to happen to her, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"...And I think it might be a good idea for us to go to your flat. We can speak more openly there," he added softly.

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paperlucy
2008-07-29 08:25 pm UTC (link)

Lucy nodded, shoving her belongings back into her small bag. She stood up and offered James her arm. "It's a bit of a walk, I'm afraid. You can lean on my arm if you need to." He was right; the sooner they got inside, the better.

"My flat's already got blinds and curtains to keep any prying eyes out, and the building is almost always empty. There's a small dress shop below own by a really lovely elderly woman who just adores me. As long as we don't tell her too much, you should be fine there."

Once they were both ready, Lucy started leading the way to the apartment. She had such a huge conflict of feelings. One, she was incredibly ecstatic to have her brother back, though he wasn't exactly safe. Two, she was so nervous that something would go wrong. But for now, she was going to treat her brother to a nice warm meal.

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