Post by Broni on Oct 31, 2013 5:56:02 GMT -5
I don't know what's spurring me on to write fics, but here is another! Thanks for the reviews ladies. I'm sad this board has quietened down the past few years, but it still feels like home coming back and chatting to the few remaining (active) members.
Title: Dictation.
Author: Broni.
Rating: PG.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Don’t own them.
Summary: They seemed good together, but he needed a heads up.
~*~
She ran up the steps to the familiar building, hating that it’d been so long since she’d been there.
Honestly, she didn’t want to say that life had been the reason for her lack of friendship, but there wasn’t any other thing to explain it. Louise Stafford was a busy working mom, but that didn’t mean she could neglect her friends. On the other hand, Samantha Spade wasn’t the greatest at keeping in touch with her friends, either.
It wasn’t only because of her job. Working for the FBI seemed to take up a lot of her time and stressed her some. Hell, she got shot because of it and almost died in a bookstore! But the Samantha Spade Louise knew had been this way for years, long before she joined the FBI and the NYPD. It seemed her tough job didn’t help her improve in that area.
So, given that they were buying a present together for their friend, Lucy, who was due to give birth to her first baby in a month or so, Louise needed to see Samantha face to face. Apparently she’d purchased the gift but hadn’t wrapped it, and was no good at wrapping things. As someone who had received gifts from Samantha, Louise agreed with her.
So while her daughter was at her grandmother’s for the day, Louise thought she’d stop by her friend’s home and catch up.
They didn’t see each other much, but when they did, Louise loved her friendship.
Finding Samantha’s name on the buzzer panel, Louise pressed it for a couple of seconds, hoping that Samantha was awake. It was Saturday morning, a little after ten. If she wasn’t at work, she would be at home and at this hour, fast asleep. Louise didn’t want to dilly-dally and given that she had until dinner time to run errands, she had more motivation to get the day started early.
Half a minute went by at least but there wasn’t a reply. Louise groaned and pressed the button three times in succession. She had to be home! Where else would she be? Could she be at work? She’d learned that Samantha’s work hours could be very erratic and sucked up a lot of her time. But a Saturday morning? Surely not!
Twenty seconds went by, and to Louise’s surprise, a male voice responded, “Hello?”
Lucy frowned quickly double checking she pressed the right button. “Uh hi, I’m looking for Samantha Spade?”
“Yeah this is her apartment,” the male replied.
“Is she home?”
He chuckled. “She sure is, come on up.” The buzzer sounded and Louise pulled the door open, heading inside and up the two flights of stairs towards Samantha’s apartment, the whole time her mind flicking through the reasons why a man was in Samantha’s apartment.
Please god let it mean that finally, FINLLY, Samantha had a boyfriend!
Since Louise had known her, which was quite a long time, Samantha hadn’t had many boyfriends. She was a self-confessed commitment-phobe. But Louise knew that she did see men, casually. She never judged her and just hoped that she was careful about whom she encountered and that she was safe… in every way.
Samantha never openly talked about her other personal relationships. Louise had to usually force it out of her that she was seeing someone. She was surprised to learn that she was dating her boss… well not really dating, considering he was married. Still, Louse knew that if there was big news Samantha would divulge it.
Maybe today would finally be the day?
Louise finally made it to Samantha’s door and promptly knocked on the door. She had to find out who this mystery man was!
The door flung open, and the smile that was already on Samantha’s face quickly grew when she spotted her friend. “Louise!”
“Hey Sammy,” she replied with a grin, stepping forward and taking her friend in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You too.” Samantha looked her friend over. “How are you? How’s Max?”
Louise smiled broadly. “He is great, starting preschool in a couple of months. He misses his Aunt Samantha though.”
“Oh I miss him too.” Samantha offered her a small and guilty smile. “So what are you doing here?”
She shrugged weakly. “Well Lucy’s baby shower is next weekend and apparently you have the present.”
Samantha nodded. “Right, your email! Yes, I do have it.” She glanced over her shoulder quickly and Louise could see her noticeably hesitate. “But uh…”
“Something wrong?” Louise’s smile grew unintentionally.
“Uh… no, nothing at all.” Reluctantly, Samantha stepped aside and held the door open for her friend. “Are you hungry?”
Louise looked around the apartment and inhaled deeply. “I wasn’t before I stepped in here. What are you cooking? And when did you learn?”
“She didn’t.” A man stuck his head out from the kitchen and flashed a rather dazzling smile filled with two rows of perfectly straight and white teeth. “Louise, right?”
She nodded and stepped closer, feeling Samantha’s eyes switching between them quite eagerly. So far, this man was gorgeous! “Yeah, and you are…?”
“Martin Fitzgerald.” He stepped closer with an outstretched hand, but it wasn’t his hand Louise’s eyes were caught on. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a wife beater singlet. And just like his smile and perfect teeth, his body was amazing. “It’s good to meet you.”
“You too Martin,” she replied, struggling to tear her eyes off him. “I’m sorry to interrupt your morning together…”
But Martin shook his head. “Not at all. Would you like some food?”
Louise peeped in the kitchen at the stove. There were eggs, bacon, hash browns and freshly brewed coffee on two large dinner plates. She’d eaten but suddenly her stomach wanted more. “I already ate.”
“Well if you change your mind…”
She groaned. “Okay maybe one of each?”
He chuckled. “Coming right up.”
“Sam?” She looked behind her and saw Samantha standing nervously by the front door, her damp hair slowly drying and body wrapped comfortably in a fluffy white bathrobe. “Do you have the present?”
Samantha snapped out of her trance and forced a smile. “Sure, it’s in my bedroom.”
“Well Max is with my mom today so we can write on the card together and I’ll take it home and wrap it tonight,” Louise suggested. “And it would be nice to have a coffee and catch up.”
That stopped Samantha short. “The last time you said that you told me you were pregnant.”
Louise laughed. “Well I’m not.”
“So what other news do you have to share?”
“I think this time it might be your turn to share,” Louise whispered, nodding towards the kitchen at Martin who was staring intently at the stove as he cooked.
Samantha’s cheeks reddened and she averted her gaze from her friend. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Oh I think there is.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Is this that guy from your work who you had a thing for?”
“I didn’t have… well…” Samantha groaned loudly in frustration and tucked some hair behind her ear. “I guess I did. It’s only been a couple of months.”
Louise nudged her. “And he’s standing in your kitchen on a Saturday morning cooking breakfast like he has done it his entire life. You two are close.”
“Like I said,” Samantha whispered, also glancing back at Martin, “it’s still new.”
She shrugged weakly. “Okay well, you get that present and the card, we’ll eat and then go from there.”
Samantha reluctantly nodded. “Well okay, but please don’t, don’t say anything to embarrass me.”
“Would I do that?” Louise sent her a cheeky smile and could only laugh as Samantha sent her a glare in return as she headed for her bedroom. The moment she disappeared, Louise stepped into the kitchen and gave Martin a smile. “How’s it going in here?”
Martin glanced at her and nodded. “Well you know, I think the eggs are a day or two from turning but everything else… well we’ll soon find out I guess.”
“Sammy’s certainly not a chef,” Louise stated.
“Uh no.” Martin chuckled. “What she lacks in culinary skills she makes up for in other ways.”
Louise giggled. “How long have you two been together exactly?”
“A little over two months,” he replied. “Why?”
“You seem smitten.”
He shrugged weakly. “She’s a hell of a woman.” He turned the stove off and carefully maneuvered an egg onto an empty plate, managing to keep everything together. A piece of crispy bacon and a crunchy hash brown quickly joined it. Louise’s stomach actually grumbled loudly and she coughed to cover it up, but she had a feeling Martin heard it and was too polite to say anything.
Louise took a breath. “You’re… you’ve known her awhile?”
“A few years.” He glanced at her as he set the dirty fry pan back on the stove. “Why?”
“So you know she’s a bit closed off?”
Martin let out a light laugh. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that. It’s not a bad thing.”
Louise shook her head. “Certainly not. At least not at first.”
“Louise… I know we just met, but I have a feeling you’re trying to tell me something but you’re trying to do it politely.” He turned to face her and honestly, she only found that distracting. She wanted to tell him to put a sweater on but then again, she wouldn’t have this great view. Samantha was a lucky woman. “Just be blunt.”
“Really?” She couldn’t help but be suspicious.
He sighed. “I can see you two go way back and you know her better than me. Any advice or stories you’re willing to share, I’m all ears.” He gestured to the plate of hot food. “But do it while eating. That won’t stay hot forever.”
Louise smiled broadly and picked up the plate, taking it to the small kitchen table and having a seat, watching Martin join her with his own plate piled with food. How did he eat like a horse but look so good? “For as long as I’ve known her, Samantha hasn’t had a long, steady romantic relationship.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” He took a bite of crispy bacon.
“But she’s spoken about you to me, and it’s more than just a crush.” She paused. “At least I think she was talking about you, she never mentioned your name.”
He nodded slowly while he chewed. “That’s interesting I guess.”
“I just… I love her like a sister and care about her,” she admitted softly, “and while you seem like a great guy, I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
“Louise, it’s a new relationship,” he replied. “No one except the three of us now knows about it. I care about Sam and I see the way she’s been treated in the past, but we’re just… giving this a try and seeing what comes of it.”
She smiled. “Even though you’d like a lot to happen?”
“It’s that obvious?” he quipped, having a sip of his coffee.
Louise shrugged weakly. “I’m sorry to butt in like this, but, well, hearing a guy answering her buzzer and to see someone actually using her kitchen and to see her smile that big… I guess I just want to make sure that all that remains this way for a long time.”
He chuckled. “I’ve never had an interrogation about a girlfriend like this before. Especially by one of her friends.”
“I’m unique.”
“So is Samantha,” he breathed.
Louise smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but Samantha noisily coming into the room stopped her. “I think I got something on the envelope, coffee maybe. Lucy won’t care though, right?” She stopped short of the table and frowned, seeing Martin and Louise eating together. “It seems I’m interrupting something.”
“Just uh, swapping stories,” Martin replied with the shake of his head, having the last of his coffee to wash down his food.
Samantha winced. “That’s great.”
Louise chuckled. “Nothing bad sweetie. Your boyfriend’s a great cook, by the way.”
“He’s great at a few things,” Samantha murmured, handing the gift bag to Louise before wrapping an arm around Martin’s shoulders affectionately.
They shared a gaze and instantly, Louise knew, this man was good for her friend. Hopefully, Samantha would open up and show how truly great she was, too.
Title: Dictation.
Author: Broni.
Rating: PG.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Don’t own them.
Summary: They seemed good together, but he needed a heads up.
~*~
She ran up the steps to the familiar building, hating that it’d been so long since she’d been there.
Honestly, she didn’t want to say that life had been the reason for her lack of friendship, but there wasn’t any other thing to explain it. Louise Stafford was a busy working mom, but that didn’t mean she could neglect her friends. On the other hand, Samantha Spade wasn’t the greatest at keeping in touch with her friends, either.
It wasn’t only because of her job. Working for the FBI seemed to take up a lot of her time and stressed her some. Hell, she got shot because of it and almost died in a bookstore! But the Samantha Spade Louise knew had been this way for years, long before she joined the FBI and the NYPD. It seemed her tough job didn’t help her improve in that area.
So, given that they were buying a present together for their friend, Lucy, who was due to give birth to her first baby in a month or so, Louise needed to see Samantha face to face. Apparently she’d purchased the gift but hadn’t wrapped it, and was no good at wrapping things. As someone who had received gifts from Samantha, Louise agreed with her.
So while her daughter was at her grandmother’s for the day, Louise thought she’d stop by her friend’s home and catch up.
They didn’t see each other much, but when they did, Louise loved her friendship.
Finding Samantha’s name on the buzzer panel, Louise pressed it for a couple of seconds, hoping that Samantha was awake. It was Saturday morning, a little after ten. If she wasn’t at work, she would be at home and at this hour, fast asleep. Louise didn’t want to dilly-dally and given that she had until dinner time to run errands, she had more motivation to get the day started early.
Half a minute went by at least but there wasn’t a reply. Louise groaned and pressed the button three times in succession. She had to be home! Where else would she be? Could she be at work? She’d learned that Samantha’s work hours could be very erratic and sucked up a lot of her time. But a Saturday morning? Surely not!
Twenty seconds went by, and to Louise’s surprise, a male voice responded, “Hello?”
Lucy frowned quickly double checking she pressed the right button. “Uh hi, I’m looking for Samantha Spade?”
“Yeah this is her apartment,” the male replied.
“Is she home?”
He chuckled. “She sure is, come on up.” The buzzer sounded and Louise pulled the door open, heading inside and up the two flights of stairs towards Samantha’s apartment, the whole time her mind flicking through the reasons why a man was in Samantha’s apartment.
Please god let it mean that finally, FINLLY, Samantha had a boyfriend!
Since Louise had known her, which was quite a long time, Samantha hadn’t had many boyfriends. She was a self-confessed commitment-phobe. But Louise knew that she did see men, casually. She never judged her and just hoped that she was careful about whom she encountered and that she was safe… in every way.
Samantha never openly talked about her other personal relationships. Louise had to usually force it out of her that she was seeing someone. She was surprised to learn that she was dating her boss… well not really dating, considering he was married. Still, Louse knew that if there was big news Samantha would divulge it.
Maybe today would finally be the day?
Louise finally made it to Samantha’s door and promptly knocked on the door. She had to find out who this mystery man was!
The door flung open, and the smile that was already on Samantha’s face quickly grew when she spotted her friend. “Louise!”
“Hey Sammy,” she replied with a grin, stepping forward and taking her friend in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You too.” Samantha looked her friend over. “How are you? How’s Max?”
Louise smiled broadly. “He is great, starting preschool in a couple of months. He misses his Aunt Samantha though.”
“Oh I miss him too.” Samantha offered her a small and guilty smile. “So what are you doing here?”
She shrugged weakly. “Well Lucy’s baby shower is next weekend and apparently you have the present.”
Samantha nodded. “Right, your email! Yes, I do have it.” She glanced over her shoulder quickly and Louise could see her noticeably hesitate. “But uh…”
“Something wrong?” Louise’s smile grew unintentionally.
“Uh… no, nothing at all.” Reluctantly, Samantha stepped aside and held the door open for her friend. “Are you hungry?”
Louise looked around the apartment and inhaled deeply. “I wasn’t before I stepped in here. What are you cooking? And when did you learn?”
“She didn’t.” A man stuck his head out from the kitchen and flashed a rather dazzling smile filled with two rows of perfectly straight and white teeth. “Louise, right?”
She nodded and stepped closer, feeling Samantha’s eyes switching between them quite eagerly. So far, this man was gorgeous! “Yeah, and you are…?”
“Martin Fitzgerald.” He stepped closer with an outstretched hand, but it wasn’t his hand Louise’s eyes were caught on. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a wife beater singlet. And just like his smile and perfect teeth, his body was amazing. “It’s good to meet you.”
“You too Martin,” she replied, struggling to tear her eyes off him. “I’m sorry to interrupt your morning together…”
But Martin shook his head. “Not at all. Would you like some food?”
Louise peeped in the kitchen at the stove. There were eggs, bacon, hash browns and freshly brewed coffee on two large dinner plates. She’d eaten but suddenly her stomach wanted more. “I already ate.”
“Well if you change your mind…”
She groaned. “Okay maybe one of each?”
He chuckled. “Coming right up.”
“Sam?” She looked behind her and saw Samantha standing nervously by the front door, her damp hair slowly drying and body wrapped comfortably in a fluffy white bathrobe. “Do you have the present?”
Samantha snapped out of her trance and forced a smile. “Sure, it’s in my bedroom.”
“Well Max is with my mom today so we can write on the card together and I’ll take it home and wrap it tonight,” Louise suggested. “And it would be nice to have a coffee and catch up.”
That stopped Samantha short. “The last time you said that you told me you were pregnant.”
Louise laughed. “Well I’m not.”
“So what other news do you have to share?”
“I think this time it might be your turn to share,” Louise whispered, nodding towards the kitchen at Martin who was staring intently at the stove as he cooked.
Samantha’s cheeks reddened and she averted her gaze from her friend. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Oh I think there is.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Is this that guy from your work who you had a thing for?”
“I didn’t have… well…” Samantha groaned loudly in frustration and tucked some hair behind her ear. “I guess I did. It’s only been a couple of months.”
Louise nudged her. “And he’s standing in your kitchen on a Saturday morning cooking breakfast like he has done it his entire life. You two are close.”
“Like I said,” Samantha whispered, also glancing back at Martin, “it’s still new.”
She shrugged weakly. “Okay well, you get that present and the card, we’ll eat and then go from there.”
Samantha reluctantly nodded. “Well okay, but please don’t, don’t say anything to embarrass me.”
“Would I do that?” Louise sent her a cheeky smile and could only laugh as Samantha sent her a glare in return as she headed for her bedroom. The moment she disappeared, Louise stepped into the kitchen and gave Martin a smile. “How’s it going in here?”
Martin glanced at her and nodded. “Well you know, I think the eggs are a day or two from turning but everything else… well we’ll soon find out I guess.”
“Sammy’s certainly not a chef,” Louise stated.
“Uh no.” Martin chuckled. “What she lacks in culinary skills she makes up for in other ways.”
Louise giggled. “How long have you two been together exactly?”
“A little over two months,” he replied. “Why?”
“You seem smitten.”
He shrugged weakly. “She’s a hell of a woman.” He turned the stove off and carefully maneuvered an egg onto an empty plate, managing to keep everything together. A piece of crispy bacon and a crunchy hash brown quickly joined it. Louise’s stomach actually grumbled loudly and she coughed to cover it up, but she had a feeling Martin heard it and was too polite to say anything.
Louise took a breath. “You’re… you’ve known her awhile?”
“A few years.” He glanced at her as he set the dirty fry pan back on the stove. “Why?”
“So you know she’s a bit closed off?”
Martin let out a light laugh. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that. It’s not a bad thing.”
Louise shook her head. “Certainly not. At least not at first.”
“Louise… I know we just met, but I have a feeling you’re trying to tell me something but you’re trying to do it politely.” He turned to face her and honestly, she only found that distracting. She wanted to tell him to put a sweater on but then again, she wouldn’t have this great view. Samantha was a lucky woman. “Just be blunt.”
“Really?” She couldn’t help but be suspicious.
He sighed. “I can see you two go way back and you know her better than me. Any advice or stories you’re willing to share, I’m all ears.” He gestured to the plate of hot food. “But do it while eating. That won’t stay hot forever.”
Louise smiled broadly and picked up the plate, taking it to the small kitchen table and having a seat, watching Martin join her with his own plate piled with food. How did he eat like a horse but look so good? “For as long as I’ve known her, Samantha hasn’t had a long, steady romantic relationship.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” He took a bite of crispy bacon.
“But she’s spoken about you to me, and it’s more than just a crush.” She paused. “At least I think she was talking about you, she never mentioned your name.”
He nodded slowly while he chewed. “That’s interesting I guess.”
“I just… I love her like a sister and care about her,” she admitted softly, “and while you seem like a great guy, I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
“Louise, it’s a new relationship,” he replied. “No one except the three of us now knows about it. I care about Sam and I see the way she’s been treated in the past, but we’re just… giving this a try and seeing what comes of it.”
She smiled. “Even though you’d like a lot to happen?”
“It’s that obvious?” he quipped, having a sip of his coffee.
Louise shrugged weakly. “I’m sorry to butt in like this, but, well, hearing a guy answering her buzzer and to see someone actually using her kitchen and to see her smile that big… I guess I just want to make sure that all that remains this way for a long time.”
He chuckled. “I’ve never had an interrogation about a girlfriend like this before. Especially by one of her friends.”
“I’m unique.”
“So is Samantha,” he breathed.
Louise smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but Samantha noisily coming into the room stopped her. “I think I got something on the envelope, coffee maybe. Lucy won’t care though, right?” She stopped short of the table and frowned, seeing Martin and Louise eating together. “It seems I’m interrupting something.”
“Just uh, swapping stories,” Martin replied with the shake of his head, having the last of his coffee to wash down his food.
Samantha winced. “That’s great.”
Louise chuckled. “Nothing bad sweetie. Your boyfriend’s a great cook, by the way.”
“He’s great at a few things,” Samantha murmured, handing the gift bag to Louise before wrapping an arm around Martin’s shoulders affectionately.
They shared a gaze and instantly, Louise knew, this man was good for her friend. Hopefully, Samantha would open up and show how truly great she was, too.