I've been getting mixed reviews on the Bethany-Holden situation, and to be honest with you, I myself don't know how it's going to pan out, so just sit tight and suffer with them, I guess. Thanks for the love, and to quote the guy at the end of the Clerks episodes: Thanks for watching! ;)
*Karasuma*Firestorm*
R for language.
Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
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"Yo! Bethany!"
The voice was familiar. Every time she'd woken up in the past twenty-four hours or so, she'd been met by something wholly unexpected. What would she see when she opened her eyes *this* time?
"Beth-an-y..." the voice sing-songed again, and Bethany jumped up, eyes alight with realization. This was something *holy* unexpected. "Rufus!" she cried out, lunging across the bed to hug her old friend. "Oh, wow, it's so great seeing you...how have you been?"
Rufus shrugged. "Oh, you know. Dead."
She laughed. "So how did you know where to find me?"
Rufus fixed her with a long stare. "Bethany. I'm dead. I've got nothing better to do than watch you most of the time. That, and watch Bea Arthur."
"Bea Arthur? Should I ask?"
"I like the Golden Girls."
She smiled. "Of course."
"How's the last Scion doing?" Rufus asked, making himself comfortable on Holden's bed. Bethany was pleased to note that he was actually wearing clothing this time, though they looked kind of familiar.
"She's doing great...are those Holden's clothes?"
"Well, he was in the shower when I arrived, and seeing as how he lent you some of his clothes already, I figured an extra dead guy thrown in the mix wouldn't make much of a difference."
"Somehow, I doubt he'll see it that way."
Rufus laughed. "Maybe if you explain it to him... You know, I think he has a thing for you."
"Holden?" Bethany laughed, and sat down on the bed. "Yeah, right."
"Look, I may be dead, but I ain't stupid." Rufus paused as the two stared at each other. "Why aren't you giving him your all, then? Still hung up over that ex-husband of yours?"
"No!" Bethany said, and giggled. "Oh, oh God no."
"So what's the hold up, kiddo? You're into him, he's into you..."
"It's not like that," Bethany insisted, and looked at the floor.
"You two fell asleep last night after relating your life stories to each other," Rufus pointed out with a smirk. "Now, to do that with someone you just met, you're either in a life or death situation like a Sandra Bullock movie, or you're secretly wanting to screw the other person."
"Funny." Bethany sighed and faced Rufus. "I just don't know... Is he...okay? I mean, is he a good person?"
"Bethany, he invited you to stay at his place even though he hardly knew you. He made you coffee, let you wear his clothes, and didn't mind when you decided to make long-distance calls and crash in his bed. He's a good guy," Rufus said. "You know he is."
Bethany opened her mouth to reply, but a freshly showered Holden appeared in the doorway. He blinked at the guy wearing his clothes and sitting on his bed. "Who the fuck are you?"
Rufus stood and extended his hand. "Rufus, friend of Bethany's."
Holden stared a second, then numbly shook Rufus's hand. "And how did you get in..?"
Rufus shrugged good-naturedly. "A little invention called 'gravity.' It's gonna be big someday."
Bethany erupted in giggles, and it took Holden a moment, but he laughed, as well. "Wait, are you that apostle guy Bethany told me about?"
"You told him about me?" Rufus said to Bethany.
"You know about Bryan Johnson, but not about this?" she answered, leveling him with a stare. Holden had no idea what was going on, and for once in his life, he didn't mind.
"Um, Banky invited us --Bethany and me, that is-- out to breakfast," he informed them.
"From what you told me, that doesn't sound like Banky," Bethany said.
"Well, okay, I talked him into it," Holden amended with a grin. "Anyway, Rufus, you're welcome to join us, I suppose..." Okay, so Holden didn't really want Rufus to interfere with the importance of the Bethany-Banky brunch. But he didn't want to be rude.
Rufus, however, seemed to realize what was at stake. Maybe it was that whole being dead thing, but he was really astute in relationship situations. "Nah, that's okay. Been a long time since I got to watch TV, I'll make myself at home here. That is, if you don't mind," he added.
"Why would I mind? You're already wearing my clothes."
"I've got my clothes in my car--" Bethany began, but Holden smiled. "I'll get them. Back in a flash." He jangled his keys, and left the room.
Rufus sat back down. "Why'd you bail on breakfast?" Bethany asked. "There would've been hash browns..."
"Don't tempt me," Rufus said, shaking his head. "This is important to Holden."
"What, breakfast?"
"Yes. Don't bother asking about it, I could never explain it to you. But Holden has his reasons, so let it slide."
"I was gonna..." Bethany said. She paused. "So why are you here? Please don't tell me you need me for another holy crusade; I'm not sure if I can handle it."
"I dunno, you did fine on the last one."
"Really, Rufus."
Rufus sighed. "I got kicked out."
"Again? I thought things would change for you up there."
"Oh, you know Metatron. All style, no substance."
Bethany swatted him. "Fine thing to say about the Voice of God. Besides, Metatron's a good guy...if you can call him a guy..."
"Oh, he's only nice to you because you've got divine heritage," Rufus said. "But never mind that. They'll let me back in soon enough."
As if on cue, Holden chose that moment to enter the room once more. "Got your stuff," he announced, waving Bethany's tattered duffel in the air.
"Great. Just let me take a quick shower and change and I'll be ready to go," she said, taking the bag from him and disappearing into the bathroom. "I hope you didn't use all the hot water!" she called over her shoulder before slamming the door.
"I can do whatever I want, it's my place!" Holden yelled back.
Bethany gave no sign of having heard him. Rufus patted Holden's shoulder. "You know, you could just tell her you like her, make everything easier."
Holden practically jumped away, and fixed Rufus with a stare. "What? No. I don't like her."
"Oh, you don't?" Rufus said, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, I like her, but I don't, you know, *like* her," Holden said, mentally berating his own stupidity and childishness.
"What is with the living, man?" Rufus cried. "Fuck. Y'all think that 'cause I'm dead, I gotta be deaf, dumb, and blind. Well, I'm not. I lived enough in my time to know when an idiot batch of twenty-somethings wanna jump each other."
"Did she say that?" Holden asked.
"No, she didn't. But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to." Rufus paused, staring at Holden. "You look an awful lot like Bartleby."
"So I heard."
"An *awful* lot."
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
"Well, I'm just thinking that maybe...*maybe* she has a bit of a thing for you because you kinda look like Bartleby and she really opened herself to Bartleby and vice versa. So logically, you stir up some kind of familiarity and comfort in her."
"Well, that's fucking comforting," Holden said. He appeared quite pissed.
"Hold up," Rufus said, and held up one hand. "I'm not saying it's true. I'm saying it's a *possibility*. The living are so big into taking the first thing they hear as being true. And from what *I* heard, *you* had a lot of faith in people to base things on hearsay."
Alyssa. Who was this guy to talk about Alyssa? But, he was right, for the most part. "Well, there were parts where that was true," he admitted.
"Right. So basically you're just listenin' to a dead guy ramble about assumptions. And you know what else? You look like a *lot* of people. Like Bartleby. Like this date rapist Shannon Hamilton that lives around here. I think he fucked over your ex-girlfriend," he commented idly, ignoring Holden's apparent irritation. "Like this kid named Chuckie down in South Boston. Like Rafe McCawley, a captain down from Pearl Harbor. I met him above, good guy. Fuck, you even kinda look like that Ben Affleck guy..."
"Would you shut up already with all the--did you say Ben Affleck? Fuck, he was the *bomb* in Phantoms."
"I loved that movie!" Rufus said enthusiastically, and they exchanged a high five.
Bethany came out of the bathroom, dressed and toweling her hair. "I'm ready. You're driving."
Holden looked at Rufus, looked at Bethany, contemplated everything, and smiled. "Of course."
*Karasuma*Firestorm*
R for language.
Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"Yo! Bethany!"
The voice was familiar. Every time she'd woken up in the past twenty-four hours or so, she'd been met by something wholly unexpected. What would she see when she opened her eyes *this* time?
"Beth-an-y..." the voice sing-songed again, and Bethany jumped up, eyes alight with realization. This was something *holy* unexpected. "Rufus!" she cried out, lunging across the bed to hug her old friend. "Oh, wow, it's so great seeing you...how have you been?"
Rufus shrugged. "Oh, you know. Dead."
She laughed. "So how did you know where to find me?"
Rufus fixed her with a long stare. "Bethany. I'm dead. I've got nothing better to do than watch you most of the time. That, and watch Bea Arthur."
"Bea Arthur? Should I ask?"
"I like the Golden Girls."
She smiled. "Of course."
"How's the last Scion doing?" Rufus asked, making himself comfortable on Holden's bed. Bethany was pleased to note that he was actually wearing clothing this time, though they looked kind of familiar.
"She's doing great...are those Holden's clothes?"
"Well, he was in the shower when I arrived, and seeing as how he lent you some of his clothes already, I figured an extra dead guy thrown in the mix wouldn't make much of a difference."
"Somehow, I doubt he'll see it that way."
Rufus laughed. "Maybe if you explain it to him... You know, I think he has a thing for you."
"Holden?" Bethany laughed, and sat down on the bed. "Yeah, right."
"Look, I may be dead, but I ain't stupid." Rufus paused as the two stared at each other. "Why aren't you giving him your all, then? Still hung up over that ex-husband of yours?"
"No!" Bethany said, and giggled. "Oh, oh God no."
"So what's the hold up, kiddo? You're into him, he's into you..."
"It's not like that," Bethany insisted, and looked at the floor.
"You two fell asleep last night after relating your life stories to each other," Rufus pointed out with a smirk. "Now, to do that with someone you just met, you're either in a life or death situation like a Sandra Bullock movie, or you're secretly wanting to screw the other person."
"Funny." Bethany sighed and faced Rufus. "I just don't know... Is he...okay? I mean, is he a good person?"
"Bethany, he invited you to stay at his place even though he hardly knew you. He made you coffee, let you wear his clothes, and didn't mind when you decided to make long-distance calls and crash in his bed. He's a good guy," Rufus said. "You know he is."
Bethany opened her mouth to reply, but a freshly showered Holden appeared in the doorway. He blinked at the guy wearing his clothes and sitting on his bed. "Who the fuck are you?"
Rufus stood and extended his hand. "Rufus, friend of Bethany's."
Holden stared a second, then numbly shook Rufus's hand. "And how did you get in..?"
Rufus shrugged good-naturedly. "A little invention called 'gravity.' It's gonna be big someday."
Bethany erupted in giggles, and it took Holden a moment, but he laughed, as well. "Wait, are you that apostle guy Bethany told me about?"
"You told him about me?" Rufus said to Bethany.
"You know about Bryan Johnson, but not about this?" she answered, leveling him with a stare. Holden had no idea what was going on, and for once in his life, he didn't mind.
"Um, Banky invited us --Bethany and me, that is-- out to breakfast," he informed them.
"From what you told me, that doesn't sound like Banky," Bethany said.
"Well, okay, I talked him into it," Holden amended with a grin. "Anyway, Rufus, you're welcome to join us, I suppose..." Okay, so Holden didn't really want Rufus to interfere with the importance of the Bethany-Banky brunch. But he didn't want to be rude.
Rufus, however, seemed to realize what was at stake. Maybe it was that whole being dead thing, but he was really astute in relationship situations. "Nah, that's okay. Been a long time since I got to watch TV, I'll make myself at home here. That is, if you don't mind," he added.
"Why would I mind? You're already wearing my clothes."
"I've got my clothes in my car--" Bethany began, but Holden smiled. "I'll get them. Back in a flash." He jangled his keys, and left the room.
Rufus sat back down. "Why'd you bail on breakfast?" Bethany asked. "There would've been hash browns..."
"Don't tempt me," Rufus said, shaking his head. "This is important to Holden."
"What, breakfast?"
"Yes. Don't bother asking about it, I could never explain it to you. But Holden has his reasons, so let it slide."
"I was gonna..." Bethany said. She paused. "So why are you here? Please don't tell me you need me for another holy crusade; I'm not sure if I can handle it."
"I dunno, you did fine on the last one."
"Really, Rufus."
Rufus sighed. "I got kicked out."
"Again? I thought things would change for you up there."
"Oh, you know Metatron. All style, no substance."
Bethany swatted him. "Fine thing to say about the Voice of God. Besides, Metatron's a good guy...if you can call him a guy..."
"Oh, he's only nice to you because you've got divine heritage," Rufus said. "But never mind that. They'll let me back in soon enough."
As if on cue, Holden chose that moment to enter the room once more. "Got your stuff," he announced, waving Bethany's tattered duffel in the air.
"Great. Just let me take a quick shower and change and I'll be ready to go," she said, taking the bag from him and disappearing into the bathroom. "I hope you didn't use all the hot water!" she called over her shoulder before slamming the door.
"I can do whatever I want, it's my place!" Holden yelled back.
Bethany gave no sign of having heard him. Rufus patted Holden's shoulder. "You know, you could just tell her you like her, make everything easier."
Holden practically jumped away, and fixed Rufus with a stare. "What? No. I don't like her."
"Oh, you don't?" Rufus said, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, I like her, but I don't, you know, *like* her," Holden said, mentally berating his own stupidity and childishness.
"What is with the living, man?" Rufus cried. "Fuck. Y'all think that 'cause I'm dead, I gotta be deaf, dumb, and blind. Well, I'm not. I lived enough in my time to know when an idiot batch of twenty-somethings wanna jump each other."
"Did she say that?" Holden asked.
"No, she didn't. But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to." Rufus paused, staring at Holden. "You look an awful lot like Bartleby."
"So I heard."
"An *awful* lot."
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
"Well, I'm just thinking that maybe...*maybe* she has a bit of a thing for you because you kinda look like Bartleby and she really opened herself to Bartleby and vice versa. So logically, you stir up some kind of familiarity and comfort in her."
"Well, that's fucking comforting," Holden said. He appeared quite pissed.
"Hold up," Rufus said, and held up one hand. "I'm not saying it's true. I'm saying it's a *possibility*. The living are so big into taking the first thing they hear as being true. And from what *I* heard, *you* had a lot of faith in people to base things on hearsay."
Alyssa. Who was this guy to talk about Alyssa? But, he was right, for the most part. "Well, there were parts where that was true," he admitted.
"Right. So basically you're just listenin' to a dead guy ramble about assumptions. And you know what else? You look like a *lot* of people. Like Bartleby. Like this date rapist Shannon Hamilton that lives around here. I think he fucked over your ex-girlfriend," he commented idly, ignoring Holden's apparent irritation. "Like this kid named Chuckie down in South Boston. Like Rafe McCawley, a captain down from Pearl Harbor. I met him above, good guy. Fuck, you even kinda look like that Ben Affleck guy..."
"Would you shut up already with all the--did you say Ben Affleck? Fuck, he was the *bomb* in Phantoms."
"I loved that movie!" Rufus said enthusiastically, and they exchanged a high five.
Bethany came out of the bathroom, dressed and toweling her hair. "I'm ready. You're driving."
Holden looked at Rufus, looked at Bethany, contemplated everything, and smiled. "Of course."
