Eyes of a Tragedy

Harriet knew she couldn't keep Kerrigan from reading whatever she was thinking, so she simply filled her mind with paperwork. With accounts, with the minutiae of school administration that bored even her to tears. The closer they got, the more she thought about it, and by the time she was knocking on the door, she was quite engrossed in a particularly tricky ledger balance.

She did so want this to be a surprise. Harriet could sometimes be rather evil.

From:

Kerrigan's attention was pulled from the kitten for a moment, and she glanced at the door. Huh. Harriet. They hadn't said Saturday.

Depositing Mustang next to her on the couch (with some realy difficulty), she got up, stalked to the door, and pulled it open. "Is this a business call?" was out of her mouth before the door was fully open.

From:

And before the door was fully open, Lauren had snuck her hand out of Harriet's and snuck through the door to grin up at her mom, standing almost to attention but not quite. "Mom!"

From:

Huh.

That one became obvious for a second or... one and a half, perhaps. And then--

Kerrigan closed her mouth again. She opened it a moment later. "This island. I swear to god."

From:

Harriet continued to look - and, if one were a telepath, to feel - amused. "I certainly never expected to find myself with child at this age."

From:

"Mum made me give a report, in case something had infiltrated," she said proudly. "It hadn't, but reports are important. And she didn't see me sneaking up on her. Which was good, because you say stealth is most important of all."

She was so clearly mimicking her mom, right down to posture, it was almost scary.

From:

"So she decided to bring you here." Kerrigan shot Harriet a look over the girl's head.

And then peered down at her. "Reports are important," she said, warily. "Come in. You can give me one."

From:

"She did indeed," Harriet agreed, guiding Lauren into the house. "It seemed the best place to bring her. I do live in the same house as Professor Stinson, and no child of mine," no matter how she arrived, "is going anywhere near him."

Edited Date: 2008-04-26 07:17 am (UTC)

From:

"Probably a good idea."

Kerrigan stayed by the door, staring after them-- pensively, more than anything-- then shut it. "Any clues on how this happened--?" Pause. "Damn island."

From:

Lauren's attention was immediately caught by the kitten. She paused long enough to say, "Mum says you're not supposed to say those words in front of me," before holding out a hand for the kitten to sniff.

Always approach an unfamiliar situation with caution, and it was an unfamiliar kitten, which was almost the same.

From:

Harriet's lips twitched with the effort of holding back laughter at the idea of her telling Kerrigan not to swear in front of their child. "If it's any consolation, Lieutenant, it's not the first time this has happened. If it's anything like last time, it won't be permanent."

From:

Mustang crept closer. Closer. Closer. And then sniffled. He didn't really get enough attention.

But Kerrigan just watched them, something in her face tightening a little-- "Good," she said, simply, and turned around. "Tea?"

From:

"Please." Harriet watched Lauren, who was holding still - very still, in a way most children couldn't - then glanced at Kerrigan. "If you want to add a dash of something stronger to it, I wouldn't say no."

From:

"One whisky tea, coming up," Kerrigan snorted, slipping quietly into the kitchen.

She might go for an Irish, herself. And fixed it up with deftness.

From:

Harriet leaned against the arm of the couch, watching the girl play with the kitten. Amusing as Kerrigan's reaction was, having Lauren appear out of nowhere was more than a bit of a shock. Tea with a bit extra was definitely called for.

From:

And it was with tea-and-a-little-extra that Kerrigan returned, wordlessly holding the cup in front of Harriet-- blue with a crack in it, so little left to clean out, really.

Then she took a big swig of her own coffee, barely avoiding burns to her mouth. "Must've been a shock."

From:

Lauren looked over from petting the kitten. "You always say that after I do something new," she said with a put-upon sigh (which sounded remarkably like Harriet's). "I didn't even do anything interesting this time."

From:

"I hate to think what interesting entails," Harriet muttered and took a long sip of her tea. "And it was, yes. She popped out of nowhere with a cry of mum."

Edited Date: 2008-04-26 08:10 pm (UTC)

From:

"So much for stealth," Kerrigan said, dryly. She found a spot to sit on-- floor, but that wasn't anything out of the usual. "You came here through a portal. That qualifies as interesting."

And shot Harriet a look. "You don't want to know."

From:

Harriet gave her a dry smile in return. "It sounds as if, in her version of the future, at least, I don't have a choice."

From:

"Me neither," Kerrigan said, slamming back another sip of coffee.

From:

"Stand easy, Lieutenant," she murmured over her tea. "It won't last."

From:

"I know," she replied, without any emotion whatsoever. "She can stay here. I've got an extra room."

From:

"I'll be back. I won't leave you to look after her yourself." Harriet took a longer sip of her tea, almost a gulp, the extra a welcome warmth. "If you could find out exactly how this came to pass, it would be appreciated."

From: