Justice by InSilva
Disclaimer: still paddling, own nothing.
A/N: for otherhawk: for reassurance, for encouragement, for listening to the randomness and most of all for getting it. Completely. Every time. Can't tell you how it makes me feel. Couldn't give you the prologue because that's just too bleak but the rest…well, I hope I do it justice.
Chapter One: Summons
One week earlier.
"All I'm saying is, you didn't need to worry about the walking stick. It would have taken care of itself." Rusty pushed open the doors to his hotel. His hotel. One year on and Danny could tell he still liked the sound of it.
"You didn't want me to point it out," Danny said. "You didn't want me to mention it."
Rusty shrugged. "I'm just saying it wasn't necessary."
They'd spent the previous four weeks in Little Rock. Danny had taken a sabbatical from his respectable life with Tess. She had let him come visiting with a single condition: he was not to be directly involved in anything illegal that might result in a sojourn in prison. Rusty, naturally, had something illegal in mind.
Danny had compromised. He had talked the plan through with Rusty and given his thoughts; he'd suggested how Rusty might acquire what he'd needed for the job; and he'd definitely waited outside while Rusty had gone in for the goods. Up until the point where he hadn't.
Rusty had been unexpectedly fierce about that. Something along the lines of "Don't put me in a position where I have to explain to Tess that something's happened to you". Danny had held up his hands in apology but they both knew he would do it again in a heartbeat, which had only made Rusty frown at him harder. Danny had just looked at him. It was his decision, after all. And after a while, Rusty had come round to his way of thinking.
Now, they were returning, tired and satisfied and richer. Danny didn't want the money and he was almost certain Rusty didn't have to worry for the moment. Although Rusty had never been good at hanging on to wealth: it was so easy for him to acquire more. No, the job hadn't been about the money. The job had been about working together; about being together; about being.
Rusty greeted the girl on reception with a smile. "Hey, Kirsty."
"Hello, Mr Ryan," she replied, a little giggly.
"Any messages?" Rusty asked.
"Nothing urgent, Mr Ryan. Here's your mail." She handed over a fistful of envelopes.
"Thanks, Kirsty," he said, cranking the smile up a notch and sending her scurrying away, blushing.
Danny's mouth twitched. They might get older but nothing really changed.
They ascended in the lift to Rusty's penthouse suite. Rusty made his way through the mail.
"Bill, bill, bill, bill," he intoned, putting the keys in the door.
"Don't you ever pay them?" Danny asked. "You don't have to move state now, you know."
Rusty shook his head at him.
"Seriously. I swear there was a couple of years where you travelled America simply to get out of paying your debts."
"Coffee?"
"Yeah."
"Me too, thanks," said Rusty, still working his way through the envelopes.
Danny sighed and did the necessary in the little kitchen.
"Did you really just buy a hotel so that you didn't need to worry about anything domestic ever again? Dry-cleaning, food on tap, room cleaned…"
"You're just jealous." Rusty unfolded and refolded a takeaway menu.
"Chinese?"
"Korean."
Danny picked up the two mugs of coffee and handed him one of them.
"I should think any takeaway worth its salt knows to get a copy of its menu to you."
"Fuck."
Startled, Danny looked over at Rusty who was frowning down at an official looking letter.
"IRS?"
"Worse." He looked at Danny with genuine shock and Danny started to think about medical tests and results and felt his scalp starting to crawl.
His voice filled with panicked incredulity, Rusty went on, "They've called me up for jury service."
Relief and mirth flooding through him, Danny laughed. He couldn't help it. Some things you just couldn't write.
"How did they find me?" Rusty exclaimed. "How did my name come up?"
"Well, face it, Rusty, you're semi-legal nowadays," Danny said, taking a mouthful of coffee.
"I'm not semi-legal," Rusty snapped, "I'm barely legal!"
There was an explosion of coffee, snorting and choking.
"Sorry," Danny managed, "went down the wrong way."
Can we focus?
Danny reached over and took the letter out of Rusty's hand. It was polite and to the point and informed Mr Ryan that his presence would be required on the 20th of the month ("Tomorrow!" Rusty interjected with disbelief) at the courthouse in the city ("Court, Danny. Tell them I'm allergic!") and that additional information would be provided on his arrival.
"Skip to the exemptions page," Rusty said hopefully, reading over Danny's shoulder.
"If you have a physical or mental impairment," Danny looked doubtfully at Rusty.
"I could-"
"You couldn't keep it up," Danny pointed out. He carried on reading. "'If serving would prove an extreme financial burden'."
"It would!" Rusty protested.
"Rusty, even with the millions they don't know about, you run a hotel. You are not a down and out."
"Alright," Rusty conceded grudgingly. "What else?"
"'If you have to take care of another person and there is no one else available to do it.'."
Rusty's eyes lit up but Danny quickly quashed that one.
"Oh, no, I am not being an invalid for you," he said firmly. He looked down at the paperwork. "You could always postpone," he suggested.
Rusty looked tempted and then sighed. "But if the summons comes another time when I'm not here…what's the penalty for a no show?"
"A fine. And possibly jail."
Rusty winced.
"Been there, done that," Danny said quietly. "Trust me, you don't want to try it."
He looked at Rusty who was rubbing his mouth furiously. "What are you going to do?"
"What can I do? If I don't show up…" He scowled at Danny. "This is one upside of being an ex-con."
"Why don't you explain that jury service would get in the way of your long-term plans to pull heists and steal money?"
"Oh, you're funny," Rusty fumed. He stared at the carpet. "What am I going to do?" He raised troubled eyes to Danny's. "I'm going to have to do it, aren't I?"
Danny looked sympathetic. "It says here that if you're not chosen for jury selection after one day at the courthouse then your service is done for at least one year," he said helpfully. "If you don't get chosen, then you can just come home."
The troubled look didn't leave Rusty's face. Danny stood up and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll get through it. Like we always do."
He left Rusty standing in the middle of the room, undoubtedly contemplating burning down the courthouse to avoid the inevitable and pulled out his cell phone. Rusty became dimly aware of the one-sided conversation.
"Me. I do, too. I do. I said I do. Yes, he is. Nothing much. Just hanging. Yeah. And no washing or cleaning. I just pointed this out to him." Silence. "Tess…I'm going to be a little late home. No. No. No, listen to me, no, it's nothing like that. Really, it isn't, I swear. Tess, I swear-"
Rusty reached over and took the phone off him. "Tess? Me. It's OK. Listen, I've got to go and do something unpleasant and Danny's offering to stay and hold my hand." He looked at Danny. "He doesn't need to. I'm a big boy and he can come home to you."
Danny's brows drew down. As if.
"It's OK, Tess," Rusty went on. "I can get through it myself. Really. Yeah, something like that. It's OK. I- Tess, it's OK, honestly." Silence. "She wants to talk to you."
He handed the phone back.
"Don't listen to him, Tess, he needs me- Tess, I need to be – well, yes. Exactly. Of course, he would. That's my point. Thank you." Danny looked at Rusty. "No, I won't leave him till it's over. I won't go anywhere." He held the phone out to Rusty. "She wants to speak to you again."
So what, she thinks I've got a week to live?
Something like that.
Rusty took the phone and held it so they could both hear. Tess's voice came out tinnily. "He'll stay with you as long as you need him, Rusty. I know you'll keep him in one piece for me."
"Oh, he'll be fine," Rusty said with feeling.
"Danny?"
"Here, Tess."
"I'll see you when I do. I love you."
Rusty leaned in with a grin. "He loves you too, Tess."
"Bye, Tess," Danny rang off, irritation squalling through him.
"You could just tell her out loud. It's not the end of the world," Rusty grinned.
"No," Danny retorted. "That would be tomorrow at the courthouse."
And suddenly nothing seemed that funny anymore.