Standard Disclaimer – I do not own Little Women nor do I own the characters. I just adore them and love to scribble my silly little scenes for them.

TACIT -

–adjective

1.understood without being openly expressed; implied: tacit approval.

2.silent; saying nothing: a tacit partner.

3.unvoiced or unspoken: a tacit prayer.

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"Jo – tell me the truth."

"Of course, sweet Beth. You know that I would tell you anything." Jo smiled at her sister affectionately.

"Why do you treat him the way that you do?" Beth asked softly.

"What? Who?"

"You know who. Laurie."

Jo's brows furrowed as she averted her gaze studiously. "Oh, fiddlesticks to Laurie. He thinks that I have nothing better to do than romp about with him. He thinks his lazy antics are more important than my writing...well, he's wrong. Who says I have to spend every minute with him? I don't."

Beth smiled tranquilly. "I didn't mean anything by it, Jo. I was only wondering."

Jo was seated on the floor, hunched over with elbows digging into her knees. She looked up at Beth, sitting peacefully in the rickety old rocking chair. Her mouth twisted up and to the side to blow away a stubborn strip of hair wisping across her eyes. She sighed audibly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off like that."

"I know. I just think that sometimes you're too hard on him."

"Did he say something to you?" Jo asked, attempting to mask any real concern with a bored face.

"No."

"Good. Teddy is always interfering with things that he oughtn't. He blows all of his money at billiards, then comes home for his weekends and expects me to just drop everything the moment he comes bounding in."

"I know, dear."

"And then, if I'm in the middle of scribbling away at a new story or reading a particularly thrilling passage he just sits there and pouts, hoping I'll relent and come out with him. He's like a petulant child sometimes."

"Imagine that..." Beth grinned, but Jo didn't catch the gentle sarcasm.

"Really, he should get himself attached to a nice girl who has nothing better to do than to hang on his arm and laugh at his silly jokes."

"He should," Beth agreed amicably.

"Then he wouldn't have to bother me every time he has a spare minute..." Jo went on.

"Right..."

"And he wouldn't be pestering me every blessed second of the day!"

"But Jo, dear?"

"Hmm?" Jo asked distractedly, staring out of the window and upon her neighbour's stately home.

"If you're so tired of him, why are you sitting in here waiting for him to arrive?"

Jo snapped her attention back to Beth. "What? I'm not waiting for him," she answered a little too indignantly.

"You're not?"

"Certainly not."

"Why are you watching his front door through the window, then?"

Jo's cheeks coloured a deep crimson. "I was just...sitting."

Beth nodded sagely. "Oh. My mistake," she muttered quietly.

Jo watched her a moment. "Bethy – you really know everyone best, don't you?" she finally whispered. Beth smiled in return.

"Try to go easy on him, Jo. He's quite tender when it comes to you." Beth offered her a small smile.

"I know, I know." Jo stood and took Beth's hand, squeezing it in hers before relinquishing her hold when a loud rap sounded from the door. The sisters exchanged knowing looks and grins before Jo promptly went to answer it.

"Jo – I shan't disturb the working writer long, I know you're too busy scribbling away to spend time with your boy. I only wanted to say hello and let you know I'm home." He gave her a lopsided grin, his eyes bright.

Jo looked hard at him, realizing that she did take him for granted at times and grateful that Beth had shed some light on it. Leave it to Beth to be the wise one, she thought lovingly. She blinked hard before laughing at Laurie's waiting expression in front of her.

"Too busy for my boy? Never," she finished off grandly, and she was reward with the most brilliant megawatt beam that she had ever had the pleasure of being directed towards her.

Beth sat listening in the background, before happily turning once again to her knitting.

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What can I say? This little scene just materialized in my mind and I had to get it down. Let me know what you think, please?