Shane and Lucie decided to keep their blossoming relationship a secret. Shane didn't really want to become the focus of the whole town, and Lucie was happy for it to stay lowkey for now. After all, the last thing she wanted was for someone to decide to write to her dad to catch up, and tell him before she did.
Marnie was less convinced that keeping a relationship secret was a healthy thing.
Lucie tried not to point out where she'd found Mayor Lewis' "shorts" that one time, and Shane merely spluttered his indignant protests at her. It took a bribe of a pumpkin pie and promising to give her any of her good produce for the upcoming fair. Really, the only thing that was being handed over as a bribe was the pumpkin pie - Marnie's cows produced more milk at a higher quality than Euripides and Sophocles ever had.
Shane was still not impressed, having caught the Mayor sneaking out more than once. Once Lucie had left, he pointed this out to Marnie and raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed.
"Well. I still think secrecy is a bad plan." Was all Marnie could think to retort back at him.
"Pot, meet Kettle," muttered Shane, trying very hard not to feel like a scolded teenager. "It's just for a little bit, okay?"
Marnie opened her mouth to say something, but Jas took that moment to come skipping into the kitchen, carrying a small bunny with her. She headed towards the door tucked away at the back of the kitchen, not pausing when Shane called after her, asking what she was up to.
"Admiral Fluffball has committed high treason. It's time for his execution."
Shane and Marnie exchanged glances. Jas started humming the Chopin's funeral march as the door started to swing shut behind her. A silence passed, then Shane opened his mouth. He shut it again with an audible snap.
"Is that… normal?" He finally asked. Marnie peered at the door, which was now firmly shut, as if she were trying to stare through the wood. As if she was trying to see how Jas was planning on executing Admiral Fluffball.
The door opened once more, and Jas reappeared, Admiral Fluffball intact in her hand.
"You've been pardoned this once, Admiral Fluffball, but you must go into exile from this day forth," Jas said, solemnly, looking the limp, faded pink bunny. Then, she turned to the two bemused adults and grinned at them. "Is it lunch soon? I'm a little hungry."
Shane entered the Stardrop that evening with the sole intention of finding Lucie and telling her about Jas' not-quite-execution. He wasn't quite sure when she'd become the only person he'd ever wanted to tell about his day - hell, he wasn't sure when he started caring about his day - but it made him feel like his heart was glowing. He looked forward to things in a way that he didn't use to. Things other than grid ball games and when he could next drink.
He scanned the room for the dark-haired woman, and came up empty. Shovelling the disappointment under his hunger, he made his way to the bar and ordered a pizza from Gus. Which did mean that he had to sit at a table instead of leaning against the back wall in his usual way, and so he grudgingly sat at the table furthest from the door. Hopefully, none of the over-friendly people in the saloon would notice him and take a seat with him.
Luck wasn't on his side as Sam moved towards him and gestured at one of the empty seats.
"Mind if I join until Abigail gets here?" He asked, looking as though he expected Shane to start breathing fire. The JoJo Cola in his hand was clutched close to his chest, the tips of his fingers white.
"Whatever," Shane answered with a shrug.
Silence passed. A very deeply uncomfortable silence.
The kind of silence where you could mistake yourself swallowing for a gunshot, then be disappointed that there was no gun.
"Pizza?" Shane shoved the plate slightly towards Sam, not quite looking at him as he grunted the offer. Sam looked between the pizza and the man across from him suspiciously, then took a slice with the manliest 'cheers' he could manage. The silence fell for a moment, then Sam asked through a mouthful of pizza if Shane was working tomorrow, and they found something to talk about; how much they wanted to watch Morris slip on a wet floor and land on his arse. Or anything that would wipe his smug little smile off his face.
Lucie was hauled to the side the second she entered, a hand grasping her around the arm and yanking, hard. Lucie turned to look at Abigail, the reproach in her eyes as she rubbed the now-released arm.
"Ow." The ow was more for emphasis than because of the pain, but it did hurt. Abigail had managed to grab hold of the bruise she'd gotten from trying to help Diogenes get untangled from a fence. She was never helping that goddamn, stupid chicken ever again.
Abigail shushed her and nodded towards a table in the corner.
"You broke Shane," she hissed. Lucie tutted and shook her head. Abigail nodded her head towards the table once more, urging Lucie to look. She did, but made sure Abigail saw the roll of her eyes first. "He is talking to someone that isn't Gus. And smiling. And he's not even wasted - what did you do?"
For some reason, Abigail's surprise rubbed Lucie up the wrong way. She crossed her arms and turned to look at the younger woman, disdain filling her voice.
"I was nice to someone clearly having a shitty time. Did none of you think that maybe he could do with a friend?" She snapped.
Abigail's eyes widened as Lucie spun on her heel and stalked over to Shane's table, her boots resounding on the stone floor in a satisfyingly stroppy manner.
"Sam, Abigail's over there if you were waiting for her," Lucie said as she sat, uninvited, and stole a slice of pizza. "If you weren't, she's still over there. Her existence isn't conditional on you waiting for her."
Shane frowned at Lucie, who shoved more pizza into her mouth than he thought humanly possible and chewed with surprisingly little difficulty. Sam looked between the two of them and picked up his JoJo Cola.
"I'll…go, see Abigail, I mean," he said. He paused before he walked away, turning back to add, "Thanks for the pizza, Shane! See you at work tomorrow."
Shane lifted a hand in a half-hearted wave. He waited until Sam had moved far enough away that Shane was certain he wouldn't be heard, then turned to Lucie.
"What?" He asked.
"What do you 'what'?" Lucie snapped. Then, hearing her own words, "Oh. That's what." She gestured at her own face. Shane nodded slowly, mouthing the word 'yes' as he looked quizzically at her.
"Also, you stole some of my pizza. That's fairly atypical for the girl who gets 'gift-giving guilt'," He added. Lucie looked at him with a blank expression, then reached forwards towards the plate.
"Just for that, I'm taking another slice." Shane didn't bother to try to stop her, as though he knew, there was no way that he could get between Lucie and her food. No wonder he loved her.
Oh. Love - well, no time to dwell on that, he though rapidly, back to the problem at hand.
"So. What is up with you?" He repeated.
"Abigail said something stupid and it made me irrationally angry."
"What did she say?"
Lucie looked sheepish, and then took a bite of pizza, deliberately filling her mouth in a not-so-subtle way of delaying her answer. Shane crossed his arms and looked at her. She took a second bite of pizza, meeting his gaze levelly. She didn't need to speak for Shane to hear her 'I'm not saying a thing' as clear as day.
He caved, and changed the subject, much to Lucie's relief.
"So, Jas did something weird today," he began, trying not to grin at the bizarreness of the young girl's behaviour. Lucie dared to look slightly intrigued. "She tried a fluffy pink rabbit for treason."
Lucie gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.
"Admiral Fluffball? I knew it would be him, the slimy little villain."
"How did you know it was Admiral Fluffball? Why - what. Lucie, how?"
Lucie grinned at Shane's spluttering, her earlier irritation all but forgotten. She placed a hand on his.
"Jas implements tax reforms for her chickens. Executing bunnies for high treason is the more normal thing." She raised an eyebrow at Shane's still puzzled face and resisted the urge to kiss him. "I made my toys wage war on each other. Trust me, Jas is just like every girl I've ever known."
