Howdy peeps! *Avoids various objects thrown at her* I'm really, really,
REALLY sorry for the delay on this chapter. It was really inexcusable.
Not that I don't HAVE excuses. I just don't think that they vary enough
from the standard "School and everything related is trying to kill me" for
them to seem valid.
You'll note that this chapter seems short. It is. I was trying to get something out before you forgot I existed. But this is only part "A" of chapter 5, so indeed, it'll seem as if this actual chapter is longer, and that I have written more, but I have not had time to post it yet. Yeah! Nifty trick, that.
Regrettably, not much happens in the way of plot movement, but this is necessary to set up for when the plot DOES move. And it does, I swear! More movement shall be had in part "B" of this chapter, which I hope to have out soon.
Once again, a HUGE SMILEY THANK YOU to all of my reviewers, and, as I feel you've been neglected, I've been thinking of doing a personal response to each of your reviews, starting with chapter 5b. Lemme know what you think!
Have fun!!!!
---------~
"And so I keep lapsing into thoughts of whether or not I AM a hobbit. I have the height, after all and there's this strange obsession I have with Bilbo..."
Zachary Anderson, psychiatrist extraordinaire, tapped his pencil against his notepad and glanced quickly at the clock, then at the small old woman in the chair, and then back to the clock. Five minutes left in her session. Perhaps he could cut it off a bit early? Joseff was supposed to be here soon, and the woman HAD been repeating herself awkwardly for the last two minutes. He wouldn't charge her for the unused time, of course, that wouldn't be fair. And besides, he couldn't concentrate properly on her today. Not when the happiness of his marriage was riding on tonight.
Oh yes, tonight. Whatever he was to do had to be done tonight. His darling Minako had placed THAT restriction. The problem was, of course, that he did not feel he could completely rely on the plan that had been concocted between himself and a moose the previous evening.
Upon waking up he'd soon realized some basic flaws in what he had previously considered a stroke of uncommon genius. One, for example, like the teensy fact that before his office assistant could pretend to be his wife, he would actually have to get her to agree. (He blamed THAT oversight on Rudyard.) And for some reason he doubted that just looking deeply into her eyes and asking her would work. It was a continuation of his pathetically poor luck that the one woman he needed desperately for his plan was the one woman he had met that was immune to all his charms.
He was running out of time.
Speaking of which,
"So, what do you think, Mr. Anderson? Am I really crazy? I just-it's just sometimes I feel so inadequate and..."
Having made his decision, Zach surreptitiously moved the knob on the egg-timer forward, making it ring and causing the woman to jump slightly.
She sat up a bit. "Oh, is it time already?"
Zach nodded gently. "Yes, I'm afraid it is Mrs. Lawton. We'll have to continue next week."
The eccentric woman on the couch nodded her small head emphatically. "Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Anderson! I really enjoy our sessions together. You don't know how much better you make me feel!"
Zachary could not hide a small smile. He loved his job. Contrary to popular belief, he was not a completely self-centered jerk. He had become a psychiatrist because helping people gave him a certain high he could find no where else. Talking them through their problems and making them feel more self-assured was something that he viewed as a unique and rewarding challenge. Seeing his patients walk out of his office with a smile like the one Mrs. Lawton now sported lifted his own spirits and gave him confidence.
The fact that his selflessness didn't usually extend to anyone who was not paying absurd amounts of money for his time meant little.
"I'm glad that you feel that I'm helping you, ma'am." He managed humbly, then gallantly offered to escort her out.
----------~
He was staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her. He'd been looking at her the past ten minutes. Wherever she went, she could sense his gaze. There was no escape.
He was driving her crazy.
She hated giving him the satisfaction of knowing he got to her, but she just couldn't take it anymore. She could feel herself snap.
"Would you MIND, Mr. Thompson?"
Joseff knew grinning would not do anything to help establish his innocence. "Why, whatever do you mean, Ms. Mizuno?" He asked, never taking his eyes off her.
Ami huffed. "Would you PLEASE stop that?"
"Stop what? I'm not doing anything." He blinked his eyes slowly.
"Yes you are! You're staring at me!"
"Staring? I don't know what you mean."
"Oh just stop it, ok? I don't have the time or the energy to deal with this right now."
"Bad day, Serge?"
"You've no idea."
"Anything I can do to make it better?"
"You could stop staring at me."
"Staring?"
"Yes, staring. Staring. Gerund form of the verb 'to stare, to look at directly and fixedly'." She quoted blandly.
"OOOoooh, Serge, you don't know what it does to me when you talk that dirty dictionary talk..."
She felt her face flush. "Shut up, Thompson, and QUIT STARING!"
Joseff leaned happily back into the cushy chair he was seated on, pleased with himself. Rolling his shoulders he placed his arms casually on the back of the seat, and watched as Ami swirled her wheeley chair so her back was to him and began to type a document. Deciding to give her a break, he glanced at the ceiling and watched a ladybug make its way slowly across a florescent light.
Ami continued to type.
The bug crawled.
Clickity-click, click, click,... pause...clickety, clickety, tap.
The bug had made it about halfway.
Tap, tap, tappity, click. Taptaptap.
Almost there.
Clickety tap-tap tappity click. Pause. Tap tap tap.
The bug had fallen about a quarter of the way there...no wait, it was moving, moving...almost...
"Great Joseff! You're here on time!!!"
It was three minutes before an amused Ami and Zach could pry a very frightened Joseff off of the ceiling.
-----------~
So there ya have it! I'll see you soon guys! And in the meantime, read and review!
Louli~ 10/28/02
You'll note that this chapter seems short. It is. I was trying to get something out before you forgot I existed. But this is only part "A" of chapter 5, so indeed, it'll seem as if this actual chapter is longer, and that I have written more, but I have not had time to post it yet. Yeah! Nifty trick, that.
Regrettably, not much happens in the way of plot movement, but this is necessary to set up for when the plot DOES move. And it does, I swear! More movement shall be had in part "B" of this chapter, which I hope to have out soon.
Once again, a HUGE SMILEY THANK YOU to all of my reviewers, and, as I feel you've been neglected, I've been thinking of doing a personal response to each of your reviews, starting with chapter 5b. Lemme know what you think!
Have fun!!!!
---------~
"And so I keep lapsing into thoughts of whether or not I AM a hobbit. I have the height, after all and there's this strange obsession I have with Bilbo..."
Zachary Anderson, psychiatrist extraordinaire, tapped his pencil against his notepad and glanced quickly at the clock, then at the small old woman in the chair, and then back to the clock. Five minutes left in her session. Perhaps he could cut it off a bit early? Joseff was supposed to be here soon, and the woman HAD been repeating herself awkwardly for the last two minutes. He wouldn't charge her for the unused time, of course, that wouldn't be fair. And besides, he couldn't concentrate properly on her today. Not when the happiness of his marriage was riding on tonight.
Oh yes, tonight. Whatever he was to do had to be done tonight. His darling Minako had placed THAT restriction. The problem was, of course, that he did not feel he could completely rely on the plan that had been concocted between himself and a moose the previous evening.
Upon waking up he'd soon realized some basic flaws in what he had previously considered a stroke of uncommon genius. One, for example, like the teensy fact that before his office assistant could pretend to be his wife, he would actually have to get her to agree. (He blamed THAT oversight on Rudyard.) And for some reason he doubted that just looking deeply into her eyes and asking her would work. It was a continuation of his pathetically poor luck that the one woman he needed desperately for his plan was the one woman he had met that was immune to all his charms.
He was running out of time.
Speaking of which,
"So, what do you think, Mr. Anderson? Am I really crazy? I just-it's just sometimes I feel so inadequate and..."
Having made his decision, Zach surreptitiously moved the knob on the egg-timer forward, making it ring and causing the woman to jump slightly.
She sat up a bit. "Oh, is it time already?"
Zach nodded gently. "Yes, I'm afraid it is Mrs. Lawton. We'll have to continue next week."
The eccentric woman on the couch nodded her small head emphatically. "Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Anderson! I really enjoy our sessions together. You don't know how much better you make me feel!"
Zachary could not hide a small smile. He loved his job. Contrary to popular belief, he was not a completely self-centered jerk. He had become a psychiatrist because helping people gave him a certain high he could find no where else. Talking them through their problems and making them feel more self-assured was something that he viewed as a unique and rewarding challenge. Seeing his patients walk out of his office with a smile like the one Mrs. Lawton now sported lifted his own spirits and gave him confidence.
The fact that his selflessness didn't usually extend to anyone who was not paying absurd amounts of money for his time meant little.
"I'm glad that you feel that I'm helping you, ma'am." He managed humbly, then gallantly offered to escort her out.
----------~
He was staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her. He'd been looking at her the past ten minutes. Wherever she went, she could sense his gaze. There was no escape.
He was driving her crazy.
She hated giving him the satisfaction of knowing he got to her, but she just couldn't take it anymore. She could feel herself snap.
"Would you MIND, Mr. Thompson?"
Joseff knew grinning would not do anything to help establish his innocence. "Why, whatever do you mean, Ms. Mizuno?" He asked, never taking his eyes off her.
Ami huffed. "Would you PLEASE stop that?"
"Stop what? I'm not doing anything." He blinked his eyes slowly.
"Yes you are! You're staring at me!"
"Staring? I don't know what you mean."
"Oh just stop it, ok? I don't have the time or the energy to deal with this right now."
"Bad day, Serge?"
"You've no idea."
"Anything I can do to make it better?"
"You could stop staring at me."
"Staring?"
"Yes, staring. Staring. Gerund form of the verb 'to stare, to look at directly and fixedly'." She quoted blandly.
"OOOoooh, Serge, you don't know what it does to me when you talk that dirty dictionary talk..."
She felt her face flush. "Shut up, Thompson, and QUIT STARING!"
Joseff leaned happily back into the cushy chair he was seated on, pleased with himself. Rolling his shoulders he placed his arms casually on the back of the seat, and watched as Ami swirled her wheeley chair so her back was to him and began to type a document. Deciding to give her a break, he glanced at the ceiling and watched a ladybug make its way slowly across a florescent light.
Ami continued to type.
The bug crawled.
Clickity-click, click, click,... pause...clickety, clickety, tap.
The bug had made it about halfway.
Tap, tap, tappity, click. Taptaptap.
Almost there.
Clickety tap-tap tappity click. Pause. Tap tap tap.
The bug had fallen about a quarter of the way there...no wait, it was moving, moving...almost...
"Great Joseff! You're here on time!!!"
It was three minutes before an amused Ami and Zach could pry a very frightened Joseff off of the ceiling.
-----------~
So there ya have it! I'll see you soon guys! And in the meantime, read and review!
Louli~ 10/28/02