A Caroline in the City/Northern Exposure Crossover
by Ann Fox and Sarah Stella
1998
Winner of 1998 CitC fanfic mailing list contest: "Best Crossover fanfic"
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Part Eight
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Gwen awoke the next morning to the soft murmur of the running shower. Alex's sleeping bag was rolled up tightly and set neatly at the foot of Annie's still-made bed, and the luminous green numbers on the digital clock read 10:13 AM. To Gwen, it still seemed pretty early to be getting up, but she knew that Alex normally got up with the sun, not wanting to miss a minute of the best part of the day--early morning. Gwen preferred the nighttime--staying up late and sleeping in late, but Alex preferred "early to bed and early to rise". She kept farmer's hours; that's what Gwen always said.
Gwen got out of her sleeping bag and stretched her arms over her head. The two-AM wake-up call had been a little too much for her already-tired body to handle, but she knew Alex was worse; she wasn't much of a traveler. As Gwen rolled up her sleeping bag, she heard the shower turn off. Moments later, Alex emerged clothed in a fuzzy red bathrobe and an aqua towel in her hair.
"Morning," greeted Alex cheerfully.
With a sigh that said I could use a few more hours of sleep, Gwen echoed, "Morning."
"Did Annie come back this morning?" Alex asked.
Gwen shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't think she has rehearsal or a matinee today, so she might be gone most of the day. I don't know about Aunt Angie, though. She didn't come home, either, as far as I know."
"Hmmmm," mused Alex suggestively, her voice rising in pitch as she drew out the sound. Plopping down on the couch, Alex asked, "So what do you want to do today?"
Gwen shrugged. "I dunno. We could just make it a day on the town. Like, go exploring and stuff."
"That's what I was thinking," agreed Alex. "I've always wanted to see some of those famous places like the Empire State Building and Times Square and Central Park."
"Me too. We might as well get our directionless meanderings done before school starts so when we do need to go somewhere, at least we'll have some idea of how to get there."
Alex was already rummaging through one of her smaller suitcases for some appropriate clothing. After a few moments of silence, she commented, "And I want to get one of those Darwin fish too."
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"Well," Ed said after Caroline and Richard had finished their lunches, "I think I had better be heading off now. I have a lot of work ahead of me and I think I could use a nap."
"Good luck, Ed," said Maggie. Ed smiled in thanks and started for the door.
"As soon as I know it's time, I'll call you guys at Maurice's, 'kay?," he said, looking Caroline in the eye, then shifting his gaze to Richard.
"Maurice's?" repeated Richard with much confusion.
"Oh," realized Ed. "I forgot to tell you. You're gonna be staying with Maurice Minnifield. He has a real nice place--really big, well-heated, the whole nine yards."
"But I have to warn you," cut in Joel, "he's a little arrogant at times, so make sure you get on his good side right away. Kiss up to him. Don't dare say anything he'd find the least bit demeaning, or you'll be out on your behind faster than--"
"Fleischman, not everyone has to resort to such lowly displays of false admiration," Maggie interrupted, eliciting a dirty look from Joel. Turning to Caroline and Richard, she said, "Whatever you do, don't say you've never heard of him. He hates when people don't recognize him. All you need to know is that he was an astronaut for NASA. Just remember that much and you'll be fine. Although," she added, "since you are guests in our town, he might not go as hard on you, especially since you're from New York."
"And make sure to compliment his food," said Joel. "He loves to entertain but can't stand to have his guests disappointed in the slightest way."
"He sounds like a wonderful man," commented Richard dryly. Maggie raised an eyebrow at him. "Just make sure to leave the sarcasm at the front door. I probably don't have to tell you that he doesn't have much of a sense of humor."
Richard's sour expression didn't change; he just looked at her and shrugged. Somehow her comment seemed to be directed more towards Fleischman than towards himself. He supposed the whole thing had passed right over Joel's head. "I'm going then," piped up Ed, who stood patiently off to the side. "See you guys later."
He was answered with a chorus of "good-bys" and "laters".
"If you two are ready, we can take you out to Maurice's now," offered Maggie. "Right, Fleischman?"
Joel seemed to be holding some sort of grudge over Maggie that went deeper than her most recent dig towards him. Ignoring her somewhat, he nodded brightly in the direction of Richard and Caroline. "No problem."
He whipped out his wallet and slapped a ten down on the counter. "We're off then."
Caroline stood up and began to follow Maggie and Joel, with Richard close behind when a voice piped up from behind. "Aw, naw, naw, naw, naw." Holling stood behind the bar holding Joel's ten between his index finger and thumb. "Fleischman, this one was on the house."
"Really?" replied Joel somewhat excitedly. Maggie elbowed him in the back. "Uh, no Holling, go ahead and keep it."
"Naw, Fleischman, I insist."
Despite Maggie's hostile glare, Joel shrugged and retrieved the money from Holling. Turning back to his fellow New Yorkers, he said, "I'll buy you guys something at Ruth Anne's, then."
"That's okay," said Caroline.
"Yeah," agreed Richard. "We're actually pretty tired too. We wouldn't mind getting somewhere where we could lie down for a few hours." Caroline, although desperately tired, was sort of dreading going to sleep for fear that she'd awaken somewhere strange, unaware of what had happened the previous evening. (Or afternoon, as the case would be.) All other things aside, she really was only afraid of one thing (well, actually two)--the demons. Both hers and now Richard's. Would sleeping in the same house as he bring her into contact with his demon and vice versa? Part of her was curious while the other wanted no part in any experiment that would prove anything either way. Joel slapped Richard on the back. "Okay, then. We're out of here now. Thanks, Holling."
"See yih folks later," called Holling.
"Bye," they called as they muddled through the front door of the Brick.
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The huge log cabin seemed miserably out of place in the tree-studded, snowy Alaskan wilderness. Sheds and other equipment housings spread out across the property and a tangle of power lines shot in from the poles above the gravel road. The cabin looked warm and inviting, yet something about it seemed a little forlorn to Caroline, like it was well-lived in but its inhabitant led an unhappy and lonely life.
Joel's truck was still terribly uncomfortable with four occupants rather than five, but at least there was room to breathe normally. Caroline found it interesting how quickly they seemed to travel from a slightly populated area to one of near desertion. Maurice's home wasn't too far from town with all things considered, but it seemed like his property was the only thing for hundreds of miles, with only snow-covered evergreens standing as far as the eye could see.
Joel pulled into the cabin's driveway and jumped out. "O'Connell and I will get your bags," he offered. "You guys just go up and wait by the door."
"Thanks," said Caroline.
Maggie and Joel grabbed the luggage from the bed of the truck, ignoring each other with practiced ease, as Richard and Caroline slid out of the truck and headed for the porch.
"You guys pack pretty light," Maggie commented.
"Maybe I should have packed more," Caroline mused worriedly. "I didn't know Ed needed time to prepare for this."
"Oh, don't worry, Caroline," comforted Maggie. "It won't take him long. He'll know within a few days, if not a couple hours."
"Really?" asked Richard hopefully as Joel rang the doorbell.
"Oh, sure. I really don't know much about the whole shaman bit, but I do know that Ed is getting very good at it. And I guess he's dealt with this sort of thing before, so that should make it easier."
A hawk or some other type of large bird squawked from somewhere behind the bulidings--an angry and cautionary cry. Caroline shivered. A shuffling sound came from behind the wooden doors and soon one swung open, revealing a middle-aged man with drooping jowls and a stomach that hung over his beltline. Wrinkles at the corners of his mouth and eyes gave him the appearance of a man who had suffered a trying life and was aging prematurely, but Richard (who was quite observant when it came to judging people, based on his own life experiences) was struck with the impression that his hardships had been mostly self-inflicted. The man's scowl soon transformed into a welcoming smile when he realized who was on his porch. "Maggie! Fleischman! I wasn't expecting you for another three hours."
"Oh, sorry, Maurice, but our travelers are a little tired. They took the redeye from New York," Maggie explained.
"That's perfectly fine," Maurice said, opening the door wider. "Why don't you bring all of that stuff on in here and we'll get you two set up?"
The four of them hunkered into the cabin. The minute she stepped inside, Caroline marveled at the beauty of the building. Hanging above the fireplace were several stuffed animal heads with much of the rest of the walls covered in expensive original oil paintings. Pictures of Maurice as an astronaut hung in custom frames throughout the home. The floors were covered in designer carpeting and shiny, polished hardwood upon which sat posh designer furniture. The latest in entertainment technology covered most of one wall of the den, including a projection TV and a high-quality stereo system. It was almost too much for Caroline to take in at once.
"This is absolutely......beautiful," she gushed in awe.
"Oh? You like it?" Maurice raised his eyebrows, pleased. "Built 'er from scratch, I did. Well, me and about thirty carpenters from Anchorage. But who wants to quibble over details, eh?" The last part was directed towards Richard, and even though he was just as amazed by the place as Caroline, he chose not to show it. "What is your name again, darlin'?" he asked Caroline.
"Caroline Duffy."
"Oh--right!" Maurice said, clapping his hands together. "You do that cartoon."
"Caroline in the City," offered Richard.
"And you are...?"
"Richard Karinsky."
"Our little friend Ed was a little confusing over the old telephone. I didn't catch your names the first time; all I knew was you folks were shackin' up here and I was supposed to put you up for a few nights." Caroline noticed that Maurice's consonants were unusually enunciated. "Well, my friends, mi casa es su casa, if you know what I mean. You go have yourselves a nice nap and we'll have ourselves a good, hearty dinner. How's that sound?"
"Great," said Caroline. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Minnifield," she said politely.
"Likewise, likewise. You too, Monsieur Noir," he said, indicating Richard. His French accent needed a lot of work.
"Indeed," Richard said quietly.
Maggie and Joel set the bags down by the door. Maggie shot Richard a look that he read perfectly. He'd almost forgotten what she'd said about the sarcasm; when one used sarcasm on a basis as regular as Richard, it was a hard habit to break. He widened his eyes slightly to indicate that he had caught her meaning. "Well, we're gonna leave you two here then," said Maggie. "If you need anything, just give us a call. Maurice has both of our numbers."
"Thanks for the ride, Joel," Caroline said.
Richard nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thanks."
"No prob. And Richard--as soon as you feel like talking baseball, give me a call. Or if you want to play a few holes of golf...?" There was a hint of hopefulness and perhaps a mild plea in Fleischman's tone.
"Sure," said Richard, meaning what he said, but knowing full well that he wouldn't follow through with it. With a flurry of good-bys, Maggie and Joel left, and both Richard and Caroline's feelings of exhaustion seemed to heighten. Caroline stifled a yawn.
"Well, I'll get you two set up in a room. Why don't you grab your stuff and follow me."
"Excuse me," said Richard. "Did you say a room?" Maurice looked baffled. "Yeah, of course. A room. Aren't you two together?"
"Not in that way!" scoffed Richard a little too loudly. Caroline looked hurt.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you two were a couple. Well, my mistake. I do have extra rooms, so you don't have to stay together."
"It's okay, Mr. Minnifield," Caroline apologized, feeling somewhat guilty for Richard's outburst. "That's why we're here anyway. To try to remedy that situation."
Maurice looked doubtful. "Well, good luck to you. And you can call me Maurice. I don't need any of that fancy-schamncy formal gibberish."
Secretly, he was pleased with Caroline's politeness. Because of what Maggie had told Caroline earlier, Caroline could see it in his eyes where she otherwise might have missed it. Caroline and Richard picked up their luggage and followed the former astronaut to the stairs. Something told each of them that it was going to be one long night. And it was only one in the afternoon.
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Continued in Part Nine
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Please visit my Caroline in the City webpage: Sincere Amore