A/N: Thanks Bubbly Washing Machine for the lovely review on my one-shot, Always - one fav/follow is already more than I was expecting!
I've decided to give this a shot; I hope it lives up to expectations!
...
"You're up early." Hitch commented simply with that phrase when he entered the Redfort's kitchen at 4am to find Clancy Cree slumped at the table, clutching a cup of something like a lifeline. "...And drinking coffee?" He raised an eyebrow, and Clancy stared at him witheringly. "Another one?" Hitch moved to take a seat next to the kid, switching a light on as he did.
"Yeah." Clancy winced at the sudden brightness of the room, and the thought of Ruby's reoccurring nightmares. "It's every night now." There were a few seconds of silence whilst Hitch opened and closed his mouth indecisively, before he finally spoke.
"You know, Crew, you could go home for a bit. She's not your responsibility." He said, looking straight at Clancy, who didn't take his eyes off his coffee, but clenched his fists a little; a habit he'd developed recently when trying to remain calm around Ruby.
"I - I couldn't..." He stammered, noticeably distressed. Hitch sighed.
"Ok, kid, I get it." He stood up and began to make his way out to the hall. "Just know that I'll take care of her, if that's what you've got to do. The option's always there."
Clancy nodded gratefully. "Thanks." Silence fell again, until the older man reached the doorway. "Uh, Hitch?" Clancy called out quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping family upstairs. Hitch turned, and Clancy lowered his voice. "The - The Count's still alive, isn't he?" Hitch frowned sympathetically.
"You're a smart boy, Crew. I'm not going to lie to you." He said, and turned around. "Have a good day, kid." And he walked through the corridor and out of the front door, pulling it gently closed with a soft click. It was almost a full five minutes later that Clancy realised he was still flapping his arms like a headless chicken; his fears all but confirmed.
7am was not a busy time in the Redfort's residence. Only two people were up - Clancy still in the kitchen and Ruby on her way down to find him. "Hi." Clancy smiled when he saw her, hair hanging loose over her shoulders and glasses framing perfectly her tired eyes.
"Morning." She yawned in return, reaching for a banana milk.
"I heard that that stuff is really bad for your metabolism." Clancy nodded towards the carton Ruby was now sipping from.
"That doesn't surprise me." She shrugged. "These things are, like, 80% artificial flavouring and 20% added sugar." She took a seat beside him. "Have you seen Hitch?"
Clancy nodded. "Yeah, saw him leaving this morning."
"Huh. He say where he was going?"
"Does he ever say where he's going?" Clancy retorted.
"Nope." Ruby grinned slightly. "You heard about the Misfit Fashion Show in town tomorrow?"
"Have I heard about it?" Clancy's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dad has been on about it for weeks." He groaned. " The Crew's have gotta make a good impression, so we're all going - to 'show support for Twinford's Talent'."
Ruby winced in sympathy. "That's rough. And right after the Eye Ball?" She threw her carton in the bin and got to her feet.
"Yeah. Maybe I can get Mrs Digby to come, just in case?" Clancy joked as he got up too. Luckily, Ruby just smiled and the pair headed upstairs to get ready for school.
"I am a trained Spectrum agent," she announced playfully, "And you're requesting the help of my housekeeper?"
"I did it before and I'll do it again." Clancy said, with a hint of seriousness. "Not that I'll need to..." He added quickly.
"No. If anything happens to you again, I'll be there." Their eyes met and Clancy hoped she could see how much that meant to him. "You won't need the help of your sister's doll and Bug." Ruby continued. They both laughed again, enjoying the normality of the morning.
"Someone really should give that dog a medal." Clancy said; and he meant it.
...
A/N: Ta da! ;) Not much going on in that one, but the story's going to have to get going before we get to the really good bits!
I'm thinking updates will be every weekend, but if chapters don't feel right by then, I'm not going to force myself to write/post.