Chapter 58! This was inspired by something that actually happened to me (well only the second part - kind of - with the sea). One of you, I'm not sure who, asked for more memories of Jim - and I know he's OOC but basically that's what my story is based on. Well. Anyway, I'm hoping to have this story finished before the 31st of July, as that's when I'll go to england for four weeks and I think the story is close to the end :)
The first strange thing is the lack of fear in their eyes. Then they look slightly surprised, scanning the space around Father and me for something, as if they are looking for another person.
I find that I don't like waiting in line, but Father takes my hand and smiles at me, so I obediently stay next to him. The persons in front of us don't make space for us. They don't offer us their place and don't step to the side in fear, no, they simply look bored and they where they are, with the small shuffle forwards now and then.
Father smiles when I ask him why, and crouches down so he is at eye-level with me.
"They don't do that because they don't know me." he says, and I frown. How can they not know him? Everyone knows Father, and everyone is scared of him and obeys him. Everyone but me. Well, I do obey, but I can't understand why they are scared of him. He only punishes them when they do something wrong, so the solution is simple – don't do anything wrong.
"I wanted to go on a real holiday with you, Spitfire. That's why we're here in Denmark. I'm not so influential here, so we can just do what we want, and the people will be genuinely nice to us." Looking at him, I nod. He looks different than he usually does, today with a London-cap, jeans and a simple shirt. They are designer, Father only wears designer clothes, but look casually cheap.
When we are finally in front of the desk, I have to stand on the tip of my toes to look over the help-desk. Behind the lady sitting there is a big mirror, and I can see myself in it.
"Is there anyone else travelling with you? Your wife, girlfriend?" Father's hand on mine tenses slightly, but when I look at him, he's still smiling.
"No, it's just me and my daughter, I don't have a wife." He answers, and the lady nods, although she still seems sceptical.
"We're fine, thank you." Father obviously noticed as well, and even though I don't understand what's going on, his voice is audibly sharper. Had they known who he is, they would all have shivered by now, but the lady just lifts her hands slightly to apologize and gives Father his change.
"Have a nice day," she says, and Father nods, leading me back to our camping-car.
"Why was she suddenly so mean to you?" The words escape my mouth before I can form them the way I want to, so they sound a little wobbly. I can feel the familiar prickling sensation in my eyes and after two seconds everything is blurry with, at least for now, unshed tears.
I hear, rather than see him crouching down in front of me once more.
"What do you mean, she was mean to me?" He asks, his voice soft, touching my cheek lightly.
"You suddenly tensed, I don't know what happened." I couldn't stop the tears any longer, rolling down my cheeks in big, heavy drops.
Suddenly he's hugging me, rocking me slightly, while the shoulder of his shirt gets wet and snotty.
"Shhhhh, it's all right, calm down. Shhhhh." He keeps soothing me until I stop crying, only hiccuping now and then, and moves back a bit to look into my eyes.
"She was confused because there's nobody else, just us two. See, you look like you're eight or nine, even though you are six -"
"And a quarter," I interrupt him, snuffling lightly. He smiles at me with his special smile and nods.
"Okay, six years and five months and three days old, and I'm twenty-six. She's curious why I have you with me, without anyone else, without a mother. She was worried for you." I frown, and think through his words once more.
"What do I need a mother for?" An emotion crosses his face so swiftly that I can't recognize it, it might have been anger and sadness or happiness, then he smiles at me mysteriously.
"We've got each other, right?" I nod, lifting my left hand to wipe my face. "We don't need anyone else."
The water is cold but sparkles as I run through it, the waves splashing against my legs, probably washing off the sun-cream which Father had insisted on. The sand is smooth beneath my feet, and the water makes it move, so it's a bit dangerous, but that is what makes it so funny for me. Father has taken off his shoes as well, and he is just as far in the water as I am, but it only reaches to slightly above his ankles. Suddenly, the sand beneath my feet is not there, washed away by the waves, and I fall in the water, my shorts and t-shirt getting wet.
Father is at my side in an instant, crouching down, helping me sit up, checking me for injuries with a worried expression. When he finally looks into my eyes, I start smiling, and suddenly splash with water so his shirt gets wet and salty. I giggle when I see his surprised face and when he laughs as well, I can't stop.
Picking me up, standing up and raising me above his head, Father starts turning on the spot, holding me tightly while I'm flying through the air.
He is already wet, so the water splashing up doesn't bother him any more, he is just looking up to me. I spread my arms so it really feels like flying, my hair is tousling everywhere, and when I look down at him, he is laughing. His face is so open, his eyes full of joy, that I realise it's not only me who needs a holiday.
I open my eyes to the relative darkness of Mycroft's room, and feel that even though he is still sleeping deeply, a part of his t-shirt and my face are wet with tears.