Fanfic 100 - 010, Years
Feb. 10th, 2006 08:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolevalanTitle: Fracture, part 4
Fandom: Sweeney Todd
Characters: Tobias, Agatha, Holmes
Prompt: 010, Years
Word Count: 512
Rating: G
Summary: Part 4 of 5
Author's Notes: Biting my tongue until the end. And yes, more Bernstein/Schwartz.
Oh, I suddenly feel every step I've ever taken,
And my legs are lead
And I suddenly see every hand I've ever shaken,
And my arms are dead
I feel every psalm that I've ever sung
Turn to wormwood on my tongue.
And I wonder,
Oh, I wonder,
Was I ever really young?
Agatha came in with the tea. “Forgive me for the delay… no one in the kitchen was ready at all, so everything had to be made from scratch.” She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know what got into them…” She trailed off, looking at the two men. The stranger was leaning against the mantle, smoking his pipe. Her father was sitting in his chair, half collapsed, his face ashen. “Papa?” She hurried to his side, kneeling to look up at him. “Papa, are you all right?”
The stranger turned, and said calmly, “I believe the storm is abating, and I have several other calls to make.” He gave a small, half-bow. “Thank you, Mr. Ragg, for your assistance. I do not expect I will need trouble you again. Good day.” Without waiting for a response, he strode from the room.
After a moment, Tobias met his daughter’s worried eyes. She couldn’t hold back a small gasp, lifting a hand to his cheek. Even when she was a very small girl, she knew there was a catch in her father’s eyes; his smile was never quite as happy as her mother’s or her sisters’. But now, there were horrors lurking in his eyes. Her father had seen things no human being was ever meant to see, and though most of his face was still calm, there was a storm in his eyes that frightened her.
“Oh, Papa,” she breathed, leaving her hand on his pale cheek. “What did he say to you? What is it?”
Slowly, he shook his head, his hand covering hers. He lifted it gently away, kissing it before laying it in his lap. “My darling, it is nothing. He simply needed to know some things about my past. Things that happened years and years ago.” He gave her a smile, though it did nothing to abate the pain in his eyes. “It was a bit of a shock, but I will be fine.” He chuckled softly, the sound a bit broken. “I suddenly feel very old indeed, that’s all.”
“Papa…” After a moment, Agatha bit her lip, but moved to pour the tea, silent except for the soft rustle of her skirts. The rain had faded to a soft drip outside the window pane. When she turned, her father had let his eyes close.
Without opening them, he said softly, “My dearest… could I beg you to leave the tea for a moment? I need to… gather my thoughts.” She was about to protest, but he shook his head before she could say a word. “I will be fine by supper time. You’ll see. We shall eat at the usual time, Agatha. That’s all.” The dismissal was soft, but firm, and though she was loathe to do so, she obediently withdrew. She could not imagine what had passed in the interview; all she knew was that, for the first time, she was aware that her father had been alive a good deal longer than she had, and that there was a large portion of his life that she had never shared.
Fandom: Sweeney Todd
Characters: Tobias, Agatha, Holmes
Prompt: 010, Years
Word Count: 512
Rating: G
Summary: Part 4 of 5
Author's Notes: Biting my tongue until the end. And yes, more Bernstein/Schwartz.
Oh, I suddenly feel every step I've ever taken,
And my legs are lead
And I suddenly see every hand I've ever shaken,
And my arms are dead
I feel every psalm that I've ever sung
Turn to wormwood on my tongue.
And I wonder,
Oh, I wonder,
Was I ever really young?
Agatha came in with the tea. “Forgive me for the delay… no one in the kitchen was ready at all, so everything had to be made from scratch.” She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know what got into them…” She trailed off, looking at the two men. The stranger was leaning against the mantle, smoking his pipe. Her father was sitting in his chair, half collapsed, his face ashen. “Papa?” She hurried to his side, kneeling to look up at him. “Papa, are you all right?”
The stranger turned, and said calmly, “I believe the storm is abating, and I have several other calls to make.” He gave a small, half-bow. “Thank you, Mr. Ragg, for your assistance. I do not expect I will need trouble you again. Good day.” Without waiting for a response, he strode from the room.
After a moment, Tobias met his daughter’s worried eyes. She couldn’t hold back a small gasp, lifting a hand to his cheek. Even when she was a very small girl, she knew there was a catch in her father’s eyes; his smile was never quite as happy as her mother’s or her sisters’. But now, there were horrors lurking in his eyes. Her father had seen things no human being was ever meant to see, and though most of his face was still calm, there was a storm in his eyes that frightened her.
“Oh, Papa,” she breathed, leaving her hand on his pale cheek. “What did he say to you? What is it?”
Slowly, he shook his head, his hand covering hers. He lifted it gently away, kissing it before laying it in his lap. “My darling, it is nothing. He simply needed to know some things about my past. Things that happened years and years ago.” He gave her a smile, though it did nothing to abate the pain in his eyes. “It was a bit of a shock, but I will be fine.” He chuckled softly, the sound a bit broken. “I suddenly feel very old indeed, that’s all.”
“Papa…” After a moment, Agatha bit her lip, but moved to pour the tea, silent except for the soft rustle of her skirts. The rain had faded to a soft drip outside the window pane. When she turned, her father had let his eyes close.
Without opening them, he said softly, “My dearest… could I beg you to leave the tea for a moment? I need to… gather my thoughts.” She was about to protest, but he shook his head before she could say a word. “I will be fine by supper time. You’ll see. We shall eat at the usual time, Agatha. That’s all.” The dismissal was soft, but firm, and though she was loathe to do so, she obediently withdrew. She could not imagine what had passed in the interview; all she knew was that, for the first time, she was aware that her father had been alive a good deal longer than she had, and that there was a large portion of his life that she had never shared.
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-10 04:39 pm (UTC)I'm glad I'm not the only one driving him in a new direction. I mean, the madhouse was one option, but it's interesting to build a new life for him post musical.