This is the sequel to "Wait and see". I'm not sure whether it makes much sense, if you haven't read "Wait and see", but feel free to try. ^^
First off I want to thank all the people who reviewed to my last story. I am most thankful for your feedback. Actually I wasn't going to write a sequel but there is this posibility in "Feet of Clay" and I thought: Why not?
Warning: There are some spoilers for "Feet of Clay", also it helps a lot to know the book, in order to understand this story.
This story is for Seaspy. Thanks for fighting your computer for me. Merci beaucoup.^^
Vimes tore his gaze away from that horrible clock on the wall of Vetinari's waiting hall and looked back at the disorganizer instead. What a completely useless thing it was. Mentally he was already making plans how to get rid of it. It would have to look like an accident of course...
Well, this was slowly getting out of hand...
Sam was so busy trying to avoid certain thoughts, that he was already making plans to murder a little green thing in a box.
Vimes stood up and walked over to the door. He couldn't stand waiting anymore. Why did Vetinari have to let him wait that long anyway? As if Vimes wasn't nervous enough, already.
During the past few weeks Vimes had barely made it through the weekly reports. He had tried to be right on time for every meeting. It wasn't that he was keen to see Vetinari – or so he told himself – most of all he didn't want to attract any attention. The last thing he wanted was the patrician to get sarcastic. Vimes considered himself just on the very edge of the scorpion pit anyway, no use in making it worse.
It had been weeks and lots of meetings, since the gonne-incident, but Vimes hadn't seen Vetinari since that day. In fact he hadn't been able to look at the man at all. He had just stared at that certain spot on the wall right behind the desk. Although he knew that this would also get Vetinari to get sarcastic one day, it honestly wasn't something the commander could do anything about.
He wished he could say those previous meetings had been awkward, but they had been that since he first stepped into the Oblong office, when Vimes had taken over the Night watch...
Vimes knocked and then he entered. But what he found wasn't what he expected.
There was Vetinari still sitting on his chair, but with his head resting in the wooden desktop.
"Sir!", Vimes called on the edge of panic.
But he received no answer. The patrician was obviously unconscious. The commander hurried to check whether Vetinari was still alive.
He nearly fainted with relieve when he felt the mans pulse being still there.
His next actions were to blame on his copper instinct.
After Vimes brought Vetinari to his bedroom, he waited impatiently for Fred Colon to turn up. When the sergeant finally arrived the commander ordered him to get a doctor, though, not one for humans, but one for horses instead.
Just after the older man had left, Sam relaxed a bit and returned to the patricians bedroom.
Vimes closed the door and leaned against it. Then he locked it and used a chair to make absolutely sure that no-one could enter.
Vetinari still lay in the same spot on the floor – because of a failed attempt to rise - he had when Sam and Colon had left the room. Vimes gave an exhausted sigh and walked over to where the patrician lay.
"Sir?", he asked, but all he got for an answer, was a quiet incomprehensible mumble.
Vimes gave a sarcastic smile and picked Vetinari up from the floor. He carried the nearly unconscious man over to the bed and dropped him there.
Vimes wasn't sure what to do now. So he just stayed where he was, standing next to the bed. Even though he didn't want it, the commander took in the sight of the half sleeping man in front of him. Vetinari didn't look peaceful, he looked like he was fighting an internal fight, that he seemed to loose.
"Vetinari.", Vimes said softly. It hadn't been his intention to wake the patrician up, in fact he didn't know what his intention had been.
Vetinaris eyelids fluttered and the man woke up. Vimes was taken aback, but stopped himself, before he could take a step backwards.
For a moment they just looked at each other, though Vimes wasn't sure whether Vetinari actually saw him.
„Isn't it strange commander?", the patrician suddenly said.
The words came so unexpected, that Vimes jerked backwards, startled. But Vetinari didn't seem to notice and continued: "We kissed in the University and you still married Lady Sybil."
Dumbstruck Vimes answered: „Well... what else was I supposed to do?"
Vimes paused and looked at Vetinari expectantly, but received no answer.
"I can't exactly cancel the wedding and give an explanation like: 'hey, sorry, but I kissed Vetinari and now I have some second thoughts, but we can still be friends, right?'.", Vimes went on.
„No, I guess you couldn't.", the patrician slowly answered. He somehow looked like a kicked puppy, with his hair in a mess and his eyes glazed.
Sam ignored it, he wanted to voice these thoughts, that had been tormenting his subconscious for so long.
„And anyway, I don't even know what you want from me."
At this the patricians gaze became sharper, with a deadly calm voice he said: „I thought that was fairly obvious."
„Was it?", Vimes asked honestly confused.
The commander gave Vetinari an uncomprehending look.
The patrician sighed. „Commander, how many times have you seen me kiss anyone?", he asked.
Still not getting it Vimes answered: „Never...", and then it dawned on him. "Oh...", he murmured.
„See, there is my point.", Vetinari said with an undertone that could easily been mistaken as triumph.
Vimes slowly backed away. He had to get away, this was just to much.
With impressive speed Vimes made it through the door and out onto the corridor. He was nearly at the end of the corridor, when he slowed down.
Then Sam stopped. This was probably the last chance he would ever get to speak to Vetinari that openly. He honestly couldn't imagine having this kind of talk with the man, when he sat behind that desk in the Oblong Office.
So Sam gathered all the courage he had left, turned on his heels and went back. Vimes stormed back into the room, without hesitation, because he feared he wouldn't be able to go through this if he did. He was greeted by the cool, slightly dazed stare of the patrician. The man looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't.
Vimes did, though: „Right, listen. I'm going to say this and I hope you understand how incredibly hard it is for me to do so...", he paused, and fought down the uprising second thoughts. "I don't want you to die.", he went on "I couldn't stand seeing you die, because...", the trick was not to stop now "I. Love. You."
Silence.
Vetinari said absolutely nothing. All the man did was looking at Vimes with a gaze that didn't give away any of his thoughts.
„Well...", Vimes was nearly trembling with nervousness. Even at the best of times he wasn't able to stand Vetinari starring at him with those cold grey eyes.
Right now his whole mind was screaming at him, that he should run.
He already was about to turn and do so, when...
„Do you mean it?", Vetinari finally asked in a very hesitant voice.
„Of course I mean it! That is hardly something to make fun about.", Vimes answered, slightly angry.
„Thank you.", Vetinari whispered very quietly. The tone of his voice was completely alien to Vimes. He had never heard the patrician use it before and it scared him, though he didn't know why.
„I should better go now.", Vimes said hurriedly and nearly ran towards the door. All his courage had left him by now and he wanted to get away, as fast as he could.
His hand already rested on the door handle when he heard Vetinari say: „Please wait, Commander." It wasn't the kind of tone he usually spoke those words in, it was much softer. And that was the reason Vimes stopped.
„What is it, sir?", Vimes asked, trying to get his voice from shaking. He turned to see Vetinari looking at him with eyes full of - well, because Vimes was lacking a better description – warmth. „I...", Vetinari clearly wasn't able to say it, but in that moment, it wasn't necessary. The look he gave Sam said more than the man possibly ever could. Vimes understood, because he had never seen the patricians eyes fill with such warmth, or any warmth at all.
Sam nodded silently and then he left.
And that's it, 'cause a happy ending isn't always needed, sometimes it's enough to know, that there could be one.
-The end -
There isn't going to be another sequel, but as I might have mentioned I have some plans for a longer story, which won't be related to these.