Post by FicWriter on Feb 25, 2009 3:33:43 GMT 10
The Castle
(a fic written for the community Realm of the Muse on Live Journal.)
by JD
"What do you think?" Luka shifted Joe to his shoulder as he stood looking up at the castle in front of him.
"I don't know what to think, I'm still trying to recover from the flight, let alone the news that this is ours." Abby slid her arm around her husband's waist as she leaned against him.
"How is it that your father never told you about this?"
"It's not like I've been here, and before that." He offered a shrug by way of explaining what he couldn't find the words to say.
"Abby..." Luka stopped himself before he even began.
"Let's go inside." Producing a key he unlocked the padlock that secured the gate and pushed it open.
"After you." He shifted Joe's weight as he realized that their son had managed to fall asleep as they stood talking.
Over the next half hour the two walked from one end of the castle to the other with Abby drawing out a rough floor-plan as they did. The condition was rough, it would take time and money to renovate, but, Luka's salary had been more then he had needed for years, and it wasn't like they couldn't find a loan for additional funds they might need.
"What's going on in your head, Luka, you've been staring out that window for the last ten minutes." The truth was, Abby had grown frustrated with trying to read what was on her her husband's mind from his face alone, and her curiosity was getting the better of her.
"Abby...what would you think about moving here?" Luka's voice held a quiet seriousness to it.
"To this castle? Are you serious?" Moving in front of him she forced her husband to look at her.
"I don't mean to use it as a house." The Croat moved his sleeping son from his shoulder to the crook of his arm so he could see his face.
"Abby, I'd like to turn it into a combination orphanage/hospice... use it as a tribute mainly to Jasna and Marko, but also Danijela and Tata. There is so much space here, and we could provide the medical care that was needed...before you say anything, I've spent most of the last fifteen years thinking only about how much it hurt to lose my family. This is a way to change that, a way I can see them and talk about them without the sadness that I've always felt. I don't mean we'll do all of this by ourselves. We would have a staff, but being here with Tata while he was ill, I realized how much I've missed being here and how much I would love to raise Joe the way I was raised. I want Joe to know my language and culture as well as he knows yours." He paused, drawing his lower lip between his teeth as he waited for her reaction.
"I think it's a wonderful idea, and I think Danijela and your father would be honored to have something like this dedicated to their memories and to the memories of your children." Taking care not to disturb Joe's sleep Abby rose up on her tip-toes so she could kiss him.
"As for raising Joe here, we can do that too, though I'm making no promises on my learning Croatian." She couldn't help but smile as her words provoked a laugh from him.
"You think I'm kidding, I barely passed Spanish in High School. Stop laughing at me." She swatted at him which only seemed to make things worse then gave up and slipped her arm around his waist again as she leaned against him.
Maybe there really were happily ever afters...
The End
(a fic written for the community Realm of the Muse on Live Journal.)
by JD
"What do you think?" Luka shifted Joe to his shoulder as he stood looking up at the castle in front of him.
"I don't know what to think, I'm still trying to recover from the flight, let alone the news that this is ours." Abby slid her arm around her husband's waist as she leaned against him.
"How is it that your father never told you about this?"
"It's not like I've been here, and before that." He offered a shrug by way of explaining what he couldn't find the words to say.
"Abby..." Luka stopped himself before he even began.
"Let's go inside." Producing a key he unlocked the padlock that secured the gate and pushed it open.
"After you." He shifted Joe's weight as he realized that their son had managed to fall asleep as they stood talking.
Over the next half hour the two walked from one end of the castle to the other with Abby drawing out a rough floor-plan as they did. The condition was rough, it would take time and money to renovate, but, Luka's salary had been more then he had needed for years, and it wasn't like they couldn't find a loan for additional funds they might need.
"What's going on in your head, Luka, you've been staring out that window for the last ten minutes." The truth was, Abby had grown frustrated with trying to read what was on her her husband's mind from his face alone, and her curiosity was getting the better of her.
"Abby...what would you think about moving here?" Luka's voice held a quiet seriousness to it.
"To this castle? Are you serious?" Moving in front of him she forced her husband to look at her.
"I don't mean to use it as a house." The Croat moved his sleeping son from his shoulder to the crook of his arm so he could see his face.
"Abby, I'd like to turn it into a combination orphanage/hospice... use it as a tribute mainly to Jasna and Marko, but also Danijela and Tata. There is so much space here, and we could provide the medical care that was needed...before you say anything, I've spent most of the last fifteen years thinking only about how much it hurt to lose my family. This is a way to change that, a way I can see them and talk about them without the sadness that I've always felt. I don't mean we'll do all of this by ourselves. We would have a staff, but being here with Tata while he was ill, I realized how much I've missed being here and how much I would love to raise Joe the way I was raised. I want Joe to know my language and culture as well as he knows yours." He paused, drawing his lower lip between his teeth as he waited for her reaction.
"I think it's a wonderful idea, and I think Danijela and your father would be honored to have something like this dedicated to their memories and to the memories of your children." Taking care not to disturb Joe's sleep Abby rose up on her tip-toes so she could kiss him.
"As for raising Joe here, we can do that too, though I'm making no promises on my learning Croatian." She couldn't help but smile as her words provoked a laugh from him.
"You think I'm kidding, I barely passed Spanish in High School. Stop laughing at me." She swatted at him which only seemed to make things worse then gave up and slipped her arm around his waist again as she leaned against him.
Maybe there really were happily ever afters...
The End
