Due to family medical problems and a recent car accident, my writing time has been severely cut. I apologize to anyone out there who is still reading about the terminal tardiness of this chapter.
M L Europe – okay, please don't tie me to a chair and make me watch teletubbies. I promise you I will go insane
RavenChild, thanks for the new pic you drew of this story. As always, I get warm fuzzies when I think that my writing inspired another artist.
Sooooo, without too much further ado….
This story, due to being set during their twenties, will have a few more adult scenes to it, so be forewarned. Not NC-17 or anything, but come on, a bunch of twenty-somethings definitely won't be stuck in the holding hands stage…just FYI!
Justifying the Means
"Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil."
-Niccolo Machiavelli
"The end justifies the means."
-Niccolo Machiavelli
Chapter 9"Does this have to stink so much?"
Belle winced as Gavin pulled a lock of her hair. "What, the hair dye or your idea?"
Though she couldn't see him, he was sure she could almost feel him sticking his tongue out at her. "My idea does not stink."
"A little gentler, please." Belle said for the tenth time that night.
"Sorry." Gavin said. "I don't know why you always make me help with dyeing your hair. You always complain."
"Because you love me." Bell said simply. "Okay, back to the subject. You really think this will get Theodore and Eleanor back together?"
"Honestly?" Gavin asked. "I don't know. I have absolutely, positively, no idea. But it will at least get them together, alone, in a romantic setting." He grumbled then, almost to himself. "Since neither of them seems to want to do anything about it."
"I think your plan stinks more than my hair dye, personally."
"Got a better one?"
Belle picked up the bottle of blue hair dye in front of her. It was much smaller than what she usually bought. She twirled it in her fingers and sighed theatrically. "No."
"So we go with my plan, right?"
Belle sighed again, this time for real. "Right."
"Great. I'll call Theodore, and you'll call Eleanor. And try to be convincing."
"Okay, okay."
Gavin sounded entirely too pleased with himself, and he knew it, but it wasn't often he bested Belle. "So when do we fake this fight we're going to have?"
"Ouch!" Belle yelled again. "You pull my hair one more time, and we won't have to fake a fight. I'll just call you out for the abusive boyfriend you are."
"Yeah, right." Gavin snorted. Belle had told him once that she was actually irritated that he was such a good boyfriend, because it gave her no leg to stand on when she was angry with him. Gavin didn't quite understand that logic, but had come quite some time ago that he would never really understand his unpredictable girlfriend. Everything wasn't champagne and roses, though, and their fights rivaled Alvin and Brittany's at times – and were usually as silly. This was a fact that Simon never failed to point out to him.
Sometimes it annoyed him how often he and Belle were compared to their famous friends.
"It has to be tonight, I think." Belle said decisively, as usual trying to take control of the situation once she was a part of it. "Hey, pulling hair again!" Gavin finished coiling her hair on her head and ignored her. He knew that he was actually quite gentle by now – 4 years of doing this had made him something of an expert – and he realized that Isabelle's complaining was more out of habit than actual pain.
"I think you're right." He agreed, stripping off the plastic gloves that came with the kit. "How long does this particular stinky goo have to stay in that hair of yours?"
"Forty-five minutes." Belle replied, read off the back of the much larger box next to the little bottle of blue dye.
"Great." Gavin said sarcastically. "So I guess I have to go first, right?"
"Yep." Belle smiled up at him innocently. "It was your idea, after all."
"All right." Gavin sighed. "I'll call Theodore." He shuddered. "I just hope he doesn't snap my head off over the phone. Long distance or not, that's painful."
"Again…your idea." Belle reminded him.
"Yeah, I know, but…"
She handed him the phone. "Good luck."
"Yeah, yeah." Gavin grumbled. "I'm going to need it."
"Oh, and Gavin?"
"Yes?"
She smiled at him sweetly. "Be convincing."
OoooOoooO
"Simon? You going to get that?" Theodore yelled automatically when the phone rang. Then he remembered that Simon had moved out he day before. "Crap." He said aloud. He was the only one in the house…after a moment's indecision, he picked up the phone next to the bed. "Hello?"
"Uh, Theodore?"
"Hi, Gavin." Theodore tried to sound friendly. It was hard. "What do you want?" He winced. That certainly hadn't sounded friendly.
"Well…" There was a strange pause on the other end of the line, and then even over the phone Gavin's demeanor changed. "I've had it, Theodore. I'm tired of her whining, her self-centeredness, her ego the size of the moon-"
"Whoa, whoa." Theo interrupted. "What are you talking about?"
"Isabelle miss-world-revolves-around-me Fuerte, that's who." Gavin's voice was getting heated. "I am so sick of how she always seems to think that I am her personal slave. I'm her boyfriend, not her hired help!"
"Did you guys have a fight?"
Gavin snorted. "That's the understatement of the year." He paused. "I broke up with her."
"You what?" Theodore felt floored, a flood of his old sympathy feeling almost alien as concern for his friends overwhelmed him. "Oh, no, Gavin!"
"Oh, yes." Gave affirmed grimly. "It's over. I just can't take it anymore. I can't deal with her bitchiness for one…more…day."
"But are you sure-"
"Oh, I'm sure, all right." Gavin didn't let him finish. "Its over. No more following her around like a lost puppy, no more doing her errands, no more-"
"I get the picture, Gavin." Theodore said, breaking into his friend's ranting.
"Sorry. I'm getting a little carried away."
"That's okay." Theodore said automatically. "I understand."
"I know. That's why I'm calling you." There was a moment on the other line, and a strange thump in the background. Theodore frowned. Had Gavin just muffled a yelp of pain? "I was hoping we could get together…I just don't want to sit around and fume all day."
"Gavin, I don't know…"
"Theodore, please. I'm tired of you hiding from everyone…you do have friends, you know, and eventually they'll disappear if you never see them." Gavin's voice suddenly sounded much more genuine – or was that Theodore's imagination? "Alvin and Simon are busy. Honestly, this isn't something I'd want to burden them with right now anyways. Weddings and all, right?"
" I know, but…"
"Look, I'll pick you up around seven, okay? My uncle's already got reservations at the Blue Swan for two, Belle and I were supposed to go out, and he gets irritated when he goes out of his way for family and we cancel on him."
Theodore felt himself relenting, though he wasn't sure if Gavin was going to end up being happy about that or not. His friends had not seemed all that glad to be around him lately. "All right, all right."
"Wonderful." Gavin's voice sounded relieved. "Seven then."
"Seven."
"You broke up with me?" Isabelle nearly screeched as Gavin calmly hung up the phone.
"You told me to make it believable." Gavin managed to say with a completely straight face.
"Whining? Self-centered?" Isabelle seemed to have committed the conversation to memory already. "Ego the size of the moon?"
"Belle, I couldn't just call him and say 'we broke up…why? No reason. Just felt like it." Gavin squirmed a little under her gaze. Suddenly the heat in her eyes was making him nervous. "I didn't mean any of those things, you know…you know I adore you." Flattery couldn't hurt. "You're definitely not whiny or self-centered, you're smart, beautiful, and free spirited-"
"But my ego rivals a celestial satellite, huh?"
"Of course not! You're confident, that's all…"
Gavin could tell with a bit of a sinking heart that his capricious girlfriend wasn't buying it. Okay, he had maybe taken it a little too far… "I'm sorry, Belle." He said lamely, hoping that the old standby of taking all the blame in a fight would calm her, which is how their fights usually ended. This time, at least, he really did feel he might have been in the wrong. "I got carried away."
Isabelle grabbed the phone off the cradle roughly. "Oh, bugger off, you bloody twit. Ever hear the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?"
"Uh, Belle? You weren't really scorned." Gavin's unease was giving way to actual fright. Isabelle only reverted to her lower-class accent when she was really upset. "It was an act, remember? Trying to help Theodore and Eleanor, two of our best friends? An act."
"You fancy seeing some acting, luv?" Isabelle nearly hissed at him. "I'll show you acting. Brittany's not the only diva around here, you know."
Gavin knew that only too well, and as Isabelle punched in the numbers to the Miller's residence, he wondered if Eleanor would ever speak to him after the performance he was sure Isabelle was going to put on.
The malicious glint in Isabelle's eyes made Gavin think it wasn't likely.
OoooOoooO
"Do you know it's considered rude to keep working after the boss calls it quits?"
Simon looked up from his computer screen, only now noticing that Dr. Pryce was standing there, leaning against his desk in a casual manner. His expression seemed to indicate that he had been there for some time. "Sorry, Dr. Pryce. I didn't realize it was so late." He looked at the clock and realized just how late it was. He had supposed to have been home an hour ago. Jeannette was going to kill him. "Sometimes I just get carried away, and-"
"Relax, Simon. I was joking. Though I do think it's high time you went home." Pryce smiled at him. "You can't decipher all the secrets of the human nervous system in a single day."
"Believe me, that's a fact I'm only too aware of." Simon rubbed his eyes, noting the grainy tiredness in them, but still closed his laptop with a touch of reluctance. Pryce had wanted him to review the findings from his previous research before becoming actively involved in the project now. That made sense, since the projects were so closely linked, but the amount of information he had to assimilate was staggering – but fascinating. And pertinent to Simon's ultimate goals – he had never seen such promising research on nerve regeneration. The theories on possible neural tissue grafting seemed bordering on science fiction. There was only one problem, at least insofar as Simon had found yet.
There was no way to test a lot of the theories – at least from what he had seen so far. But he had barely made his way through a third of the material, and even the files that Pryce had given him were slimmed down. Besides, Simon knew that a great deal of science dealt with hypotheses that couldn't be proven but sometimes lead to new hypotheses that could be proven. In any case, Simon had felt a small but strong seed of hope germinate in the fertile soil of his soul.
Maybe there would be a way he could help his brother.
"Well, you don't seem too aware of it tonight." Pryce's smile faded a little. "Not that I don't appreciate your dedication, but do try and pace yourself, Simon. I've seen more that one promising resident burn out when the pressure just finally beat them. I'd hate to see that happen to the resident who I believe outshines them all."
Simon almost blushed. Pryce was like that with all his staff, though…he said he only worked with the best and so expected them to know that they were the best. If you didn't believe in yourself enough, you'd never be better than second-rate and there was no place for you here. Simon's innate modesty sometimes had a little difficulty with this somewhat egotistical attitude, but as he worked with Dr. Pryce's staff he grew to admire the brilliant people that surrounded him, and a small part of him had even started to agree with Pryce. False modesty aside, the research team seemed to encompass some of the greatest minds he had worked with thus far. And, as Dr. Thomas himself had said, the one thing a physician could not afford was doubt.
"Don't worry, sir." Simon said firmly, the blush fading before it really had had a chance to rise. "I'm not going to burn out. I promise you that."
Dr. Pryce's smile returned full force. "I don't believe you will, Simon. I don't think that at all."
"I appreciate your confidence in me, sir." Simon stood. "And you're absolutely right, it's way past the time I should have left. Jeannette is going to give me an earful when I get home, I'm sure. Its just Chinese take-out tonight, but we've been trying to make it a habit of having dinner together, and I was supposed to be home an hour ago."
"Jeanette's your new wife, isn't she?" Pryce asked conversationally as they walked out of the facility together.
"Yes. She's also been my best friend since we were children, and a brilliant chemist." Simon said, his face radiant with pride.
"Childhood sweethearts. That's rare to hear of nowadays." Pryce said as he flipped the switch and started to lock the doors. "She must be something special."
"She is, sir." Simon said. In his eyes, there was no one closer to perfection. "She is."
"I still haven't met your lovely wife, Simon. And I hope your coming to see that my staff and I aren't just co-workers, we're also friends – nearly a family all our own." The last tumbler in the lock clicked into place, and Pryce turned to face Simon. "I would love to meet Jeannette."
Despite himself, for the barest moment Simon couldn't keep his smile from faltering. Over the past few weeks he had found himself growing to like Dr. Pryce more and more, but Jeannette's opinion hadn't changed, and he had found himself veering from the subject of his new mentor whenever it seemed to be coming up in his and Jeannette's discussions. "I'm sure that she'd be happy to, but we've been very busy, and I'm not sure-"
"Besides," Pryce interrupted, "I never did get you a wedding present. Please, let my wife and I treat you to dinner. It's the least I can do."
"Oh, I'm not sure-"
"Please, I have reservations tonight anyways for four. Hennessy and her husband were supposed to join us, but she's on call and there was an emergency with one of her patients. It would be a waste to throw away reservations for such a fine restaurant, and I'm sure you could enjoy something more than Chinese take-out."
Simon hesitated. He didn't really feel like Chinese, that was true enough, but Jeannette had made her feelings known about how she viewed Dr. Pryce. But maybe meeting him, she would see her suspicions were unfounded. After all, Pryce was very personable, and maybe actually meeting the man would put Jeannette at ease. He would be working with Simon for quite some time – he didn't really want to have to do a verbal dance with Jeannette every time they spoke about his time at the research center. "What time are the reservations?"
"Six-thirty. That gives you an hour or so to get ready. And I know you pulled a double, working the graveyard shift last night at the hospital before coming to the Center this morning, but I also know tomorrow is your day off. And Sabrina and I would love the company."
An hour wasn't a very long time to get ready, but he and Jeannette weren't the primping types anyways…he sighed a little as he realized he had already decided on going. An informal dinner and conversation might just be what Jeannette needed to warm up to Dr. Pryce…and if she didn't, well, at least he had made the attempt. "We'd be happy to go, then, Dr. Pryce. But I'd better hurry home then, so we can get ready."
"Fantastic!" Dr. Pryce beamed. "We'll pick you up in an hour, then – I have your address." They were near their cars, Simon's sedate sedan and a Lexus that belonged to Dr. Pryce. "One hour, and semi-formal attire. Nothing but the best for my family."
Simon merely waved as the doctor shut his door and pulled out of the parking lot. He suddenly felt even more unsure about this…he really should have called Jeannette, at least, before agreeing to it. But it had happened so quickly…and he really did think that it might help his wife and his teacher get on better footing. And it was, as Pryce had said, a wedding gift. Surely Jeannette would appreciate that.
Simon was nearly halfway home when he remembered that Pryce hadn't told them just where they were going. 'Semi-formal attire' meant that it wasn't going to be a Denny's, though, and Simon quickly decided that the location of the dinner was irrelevant as long as they kept to the vague dress code Pryce had given them. He was paying, after all, so it wasn't as if they had to budget how much this dinner was going to cost before they left.
And besides, maybe Jeannette would like going out to a fancy restaurant. They hadn't had much time to go out lately. Simon's work hours and Jeannette's graduate schooling kept them extraordinarily busy. A night out to socialize was just what both of them needed, a little rest and relaxation.
Simon sighed as he pulled into their driveway, the drive itself seeming to have taken a lot less time that night. He knew he was rationalizing his decision, and that if he was doing that then he knew he was feeling more than a little guilty making plans he knew Jeannette wouldn't be happy about.
But what was done was done.
Simon plastered a smile on his face and went in to his wife.
End of Chapter 9Please, please review so I know that there are still people out there who aren't boycotting me because of dropping off the face of the planet for so long!
(Pathetic plea though that may be…)
