The fic that I was trying to re-write didn't work out, so here is something
completely new. Probably not as good as the first part (I'm not a very
good judge of my own stuff), but I tried. Well, here goes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Francie looked up as the door opened, and Sydney trudged into the house. She looked exhausted: dark circles beneath her eyes and a nasty cut above her eyebrow, which she claimed happened when she fell out of her hotel room bed. Francie didn't buy it for a second. She'd watched her friend sleep many times before, and she rarely moved.
It was still weird, second-guessing Sydney; hearing the words come from her mouth, and wanting desperately to believe them, but refusing herself that pleasure.
Sydney slowly moved to the couch, and sat down gingerly, trying to cover her pained grunt with a sigh.
"Rough trip?" Francie put on the same performance that she had for the past eight years, but it was no longer sincere. She was a good actor, though, almost as good as Sydney, and was able to fake her way through it.
"The worst. Dixon's daughter was sick, so he decided at the last minute that he couldn't come. I had to deal with a room full of sleazy, spoiled, Germans, that couldn't keep their eyes off of me for more that two seconds!"
Now, this, Francie believed. The vehement words were filled with emotion that no person could fake.
"You put them in their place, I hope!" Francie shoved herself up off of the couch, and headed for the kitchen. Keeping up her clueless act, when all she wanted to do was beg for the truth, was more difficult than she remembered. She leaned over the sink and ran cold water over her wrists, trying to keep her mind occupied. Sydney's laughter was the only thing that kept it from working.
"No, I don't think the bank would appreciate me chewing out important clients."
'The bank.' That was all that it took to set Francie off. She slammed the glass, which she had been pretending to wash, onto the counter. Ignoring the shards of broken glass, she spun around and glared at Sydney over the bar. "Stop it."
"What-"
"Just stop!" Had anyone else been in the room, they would've thought that Francie had lost her mind. "I remember everything: the burglar, the fight, the man.I can't stand it anymore!"
Sydney, who had previously jumped up from the couch, collapsed back down, with her had over her mouth. "Francie, no."
As quickly as Francie had exploded, she lost her fire. Sydney was trembling, fighting back tears, and looking utterly pathetic. "Syd, I just want the truth. Why is that so hard?"
"I can't." Those two words were packed with such raw emotion that Francie almost gave up her interrogation. Almost. There were just a few questions that she had to have answers to.
"What's SD-6? That guy that you were with mentioned it; and-" her words were silenced by Sydney's hand.
Sydney's mood swings were just as scary as Francie's. First she was confused, then scared, and now she was determined. For what, she didn't know.
"Fran," her words were no more than a whisper, "we have to go. We have to leave, come on!"
Francie opened her mouth to speak, but an explosion drowned out any sound that might have escaped.
TBC...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Francie looked up as the door opened, and Sydney trudged into the house. She looked exhausted: dark circles beneath her eyes and a nasty cut above her eyebrow, which she claimed happened when she fell out of her hotel room bed. Francie didn't buy it for a second. She'd watched her friend sleep many times before, and she rarely moved.
It was still weird, second-guessing Sydney; hearing the words come from her mouth, and wanting desperately to believe them, but refusing herself that pleasure.
Sydney slowly moved to the couch, and sat down gingerly, trying to cover her pained grunt with a sigh.
"Rough trip?" Francie put on the same performance that she had for the past eight years, but it was no longer sincere. She was a good actor, though, almost as good as Sydney, and was able to fake her way through it.
"The worst. Dixon's daughter was sick, so he decided at the last minute that he couldn't come. I had to deal with a room full of sleazy, spoiled, Germans, that couldn't keep their eyes off of me for more that two seconds!"
Now, this, Francie believed. The vehement words were filled with emotion that no person could fake.
"You put them in their place, I hope!" Francie shoved herself up off of the couch, and headed for the kitchen. Keeping up her clueless act, when all she wanted to do was beg for the truth, was more difficult than she remembered. She leaned over the sink and ran cold water over her wrists, trying to keep her mind occupied. Sydney's laughter was the only thing that kept it from working.
"No, I don't think the bank would appreciate me chewing out important clients."
'The bank.' That was all that it took to set Francie off. She slammed the glass, which she had been pretending to wash, onto the counter. Ignoring the shards of broken glass, she spun around and glared at Sydney over the bar. "Stop it."
"What-"
"Just stop!" Had anyone else been in the room, they would've thought that Francie had lost her mind. "I remember everything: the burglar, the fight, the man.I can't stand it anymore!"
Sydney, who had previously jumped up from the couch, collapsed back down, with her had over her mouth. "Francie, no."
As quickly as Francie had exploded, she lost her fire. Sydney was trembling, fighting back tears, and looking utterly pathetic. "Syd, I just want the truth. Why is that so hard?"
"I can't." Those two words were packed with such raw emotion that Francie almost gave up her interrogation. Almost. There were just a few questions that she had to have answers to.
"What's SD-6? That guy that you were with mentioned it; and-" her words were silenced by Sydney's hand.
Sydney's mood swings were just as scary as Francie's. First she was confused, then scared, and now she was determined. For what, she didn't know.
"Fran," her words were no more than a whisper, "we have to go. We have to leave, come on!"
Francie opened her mouth to speak, but an explosion drowned out any sound that might have escaped.
TBC...