Alice Munroe (ex_barebones985) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-12-05 21:45:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ^ week 23, alice munroe, jed bailey, | alice and jed |
Week 23: Tuesday
Characters: Alice Munroe and Jed Bailey.
Location: A cabin near Lake Selmac.
Summary: The lovebirds spend part of their trip reading for entertainment (namely, Alice reading to Jed). They take a small break to talk and drink cocoa, but the play-fighting that comes out of their talking sets Alice back a few steps.
Rating: PG-13
A/N: The story is Tangled Trails, by William MacLeod Rain.
“"I—I—I swear to God I didn't do it—didn't kill him," he gasped at last.” Alice read on, pausing only briefly to shift the book from one hand to the other where it rested on her chest. “"Then who did—yore wife?" demanded Olson. "Neither of us. I—I'll tell you-all the whole story."”
They had been slowly parsing through the book Alice had brought along for the bulk of the day, pausing long enough to eat and break up the monotony with other activities. She’d been a little surprised at Jed’s insistence that she pick up where she’d left off after dinner. In all honesty, she hadn’t expected him to take to the idea of her reading to him; she’d expected some kind of argument going on about how he wasn’t a child, and didn’t need to be read to.
He’d known, however, that she’d taken to reading to Meg when they’d found her. Alice had always enjoyed reading aloud, though she’d never had much of a reason to until Meg had come along. In Vegas they’d still had power enough to play old DVD’s, but there wasn’t really much in the ways of entertainment anymore. They all had to take it where they could find it these days.
“"Do you know who did kill him?" Kirby persisted. "I come pretty near knowing but I didn't see it done." "Who, then?"” Alice paused for dramatic effect. “"Yore cousin—James Cunningham."”
Alice turned her head to look up and behind her, smiling widely up at him. “Did you wanna take a break?”
Jed had been unconsciously twisting a strand of her hair around and around as he listened, his blank gaze on the fire. It took him a moment to realize her last words were addressed to him. “What? I mean, if you gotta... Jesus, James? I was puttin’ all my money on Rose.”
“It’s never the obvious person in a mystery,” Alice replied, chuckling. She dog-eared the bottom corner of the page and closed it, turning over slightly so she was laying across his chest rather than sitting back-to-front against him. “I can keep reading, if you want. I just noticed you were sorta fading out a little.”
“Naw, I was juss thinkin’. ‘Bout the book,” he said, playing with her hair. “It’s funny, though, the book thing. One of the things that don’t need electricity to use now.”
Alice arched her brows lightly in response, smirking a little at his idle fidgeting. She couldn’t recall a time when he’d openly played with her hair, but maybe she’d never really been aware of it. He shifted under her gaze, his face feeling a bit warm. “So if Rose was the obvious one, who were you thinkin’?”
“I still think it’s Hull,” she said shifting up a little bit toward him so they were nose to nose. “There’s too much evidence stacked up against him, what with the money being borrowed and the fact that he hasn’t got a proper alibi. He has more motive.”
He nuzzled her with a slight smile. “But they juss said it was James.”
“Hull said it was James,” she replied, shifting her weight over him a little so she was more comfortable. “That doesn’t really mean much if already he’s sweating bullets. ‘Course, I could be wrong. I haven’t really read that many mysteries. I just grabbed this one because the blurb sounded interesting. ‘A western mystery.’”
“You tryin’ to cowboy up fer me is cute,” he teased. “I like how you do the accents, too.”
Alice blushed a little, eyes averting off to the side before she ducked her head into his chest. She hadn’t meant to do them originally, but the way the book was written it was almost impossible not to. No doubt she’d butchered it entirely, but if he liked it, she wasn’t about to stop. “Now you’re just makin’ fun of me.”
“I ain’t, I promise,” he said with a laugh. “Makes it remind me of watchin’ Dallas, ‘cept more old-timey.”
“I’ll try’n grab something a little more current next time,” she commented, moving her head up again and swiping her hair out of her face with one hand. She attempted to roll sideways off of him but he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her in place.
“Where you goin’, we ain’t finished yet.”
Alice laughed. “To get some cocoa or something. Am I not allowed?”
“Alright, fine,” he whined playfully, letting her go. “Get me some, too, eh?”
“Tch. Lazy.” With the current temperature in the cabin, it was no longer necessary to dress as heavily as when they first arrived, as was evident to the bare legs that disappeared from view as she trotted off toward the little kitchen.
“I don’t think I ever saw Dallas. What was it about?”
“Juss somethin’ I watched with my granma,” he called out, taking the liberty to stretch out on the couch. “Was about a rich Texas oil family who was always gettin’ into trouble. Y’know, shootin’ each other an’ sleepin’ around.”
Alice laughed. “Homework for real life, huh?” she replied playfully, filling each mug with water after dumping in a packet each of the cocoa mix. Her eyes paused briefly on the little flask of whiskey they’d brought with them, debating on whether or not to spike the drinks before deciding to hell with it. She knew he’d appreciate it.
That got a laugh. “Well I shore learned not to fuck with rich oil tycoons, I tell ya that.”
After another quick stir and a taste, Alice brought both mugs back to the couch, settling on the edge and passing one mug to him. She thought briefly about making a toast, but bit the words back. There was no way to do it without sounding ridiculously cheesy, so she merely clicked the bottom of her mug to his and raised it slightly before sipping from it. He raised his glass as well before taking a deep drink. The unexpected flavor made his eyebrows rise.
“Alice, you tryin’ to get me tipsy without me knowin’?” he said, grinning wide.
“From hardly a shot?” she replied, her voice bubbling with laughter. “Now why would I do that?”
“T’ take advantage an’ have yer wily way with me,” he teased, leaning over to pinch her side.
“Sugar, I don’t gotta get you tipsy for that,” she replied, one corner of her lips going up in a wry smile as she swatted his hand away.
“Don’t mean you won’t try it,” he said. “Juss ‘cause you know you can win don’t mean it ain’t fun to chase.”
“I’ll find my fun in different ways,” she assured him, sipping at her cocoa conspiratorially.
“Yeah? Any surprises comin’ my way?”
“They wouldn’t be surprises if I told you what they where and when,” she said matter-of-factly, clearly smug.
“Bet I could drag ‘em out of you if I really wanted,” he said, his grin turning lecherous.
“I’m not making bets with you,” she blurted. “You cheat. And you’re a fun-ruiner.”
“Hey, that ain’t true!” he said, mock-insulted. “I’m all about the fun, and I ain’t never cheated in my life. Scout’s honor!” He held up a two-finger salute.
Alice rolled her eyes playfully and turned her shoulder away from him, as if to say just what she thought about his so-called scout’s honor. She knew fully well from personal experience that he’d weaseled his way back into her good graces by laying the charm on thick. He still had the ability to make her knees a bit weak when he touched her the right way.
Well, when they had the time. And when they weren’t fighting. Which had finally been happening, up until all the new people had started showing up. She forcibly pushed those thoughts out of her head before they had a chance to be fully formed. Keep that stuff at home. This is supposed to be time away from that, she told herself. Just him and me, and nothing else. Don’t ruin it by thinking. Please, please, please... It’s only been one night. Please...
Scooting up behind her, Jed rested his head on her shoulder, his warm mug pressed between her back and his stomach. “You know I’m fun. You wouldn’t’ve brought me if I weren’t.”
“No, I know,” she said, her voice much quieter with the sudden turn from playful to sober. I need to get out of this, came the insistent thought, as others had started rising to the surface. Making the bread the day before they left with Leo and Walker. Talking with Louisa May in the trailer. Jack’s face shouting at her from across the table. Now. Get the book and start reading again. Talk about something else. Anything! She focused on the weight of his head, on the heat from the mug through the thin cloth of his shirt she was wearing, which still smelled like him even after a month of sharing the same drawers as well as the same bed.
Jed frowned slightly. The tone of her voice, the tension in her shoulders, it didn’t spell good things. “You alright? I ain’t said somethin’ wrong, have I?”
“No, not at all,” she answered, the words out in a rush. She turned her head a little to lean her temple against his, bringing her cocoa up to take a gulp. “Sorry. Don’t know what came over me.”
Something was definitely off, but it wasn’t like Jed could press the issue if Alice said it didn’t exist. Maybe the situation had set off good memories that hadn’t involved him; there was still so much history he had to work against with Alice. Pressing a kiss to the back of her jaw, he pulled back, settling into the couch again. “You set to keep goin’? Wanna see who’s right about the murder.”
“Yeah...” she said slowly, then gulped down the mug without stopping to put it on the coffee table they’d dragged over. Her hand came up to rub at her neck, finding a kink she’d been only partly aware of as she leaned over to grab the book. “Five more chapters to go.”