A/N: Well, I'm back, and here we are with the next chapter of A Different Deal. So, looks like we're going to have a bit of drama in this chapter, as you could of guessed by the ending to the last one. Not really a lot more to say, so enjoy.
"I... can't believe she would do that!" Rue sat on the sofa, sobbing into Ellen's shoulder. Ellen hugged her close, unsure of what else to do in this situation. She still didn't know what was wrong, but she knew that she had to help her new friend.
As Loki walked back in with a mug of hot chocolate for Rue, Ellen looked outside. Rain lashed at the windows, with thunder and lightning lighting up the sky. It was only half past twelve, yet the sky was dark as night.
Ellen turned back to Rue, who had managed to calm down slightly. "I'm sorry, I just... I don't know what to do..." Rue said, lifting up her head to look at the two of them.
It was Loki who broke the silence. "Well, the best thing to do would be to start at the beginning. What happened?"
Rue looked slightly scared, but when Ellen tightened her hug a little, trying to comfort her, she seemed to gain a little confidence, and began to speak. "Well, earlier today me and Angie decided to tell our parents that we're... together. And well, we went to hers, and everything was fine. Then she stayed there, and I went back to my house. And I tried to tell my parents, but... they just wouldn't stop shouting! They were so angry, and I couldn't take it! And then... my mum tried to forbid me from ever seeing Angie again..." At this, Rue started sobbing again. "I couldn't let her do that, so I just... ran out the door. I thought about going to Angie, but I didn't want to bother her with this. I was going to go to May or Viola's house, but... I thought this would be the best place to go."
"It's okay." Loki said. "Anything you need, we'll provide. If you want, I could try to get some things from your place?"
"No, I don't think that would work... I don't know what to do..." She said with a sigh.
"Well, for now, there's something ready to eat, if you want, and I think we could arrange for your other friends to come round, or you could go out and do something with them?" Loki suggested.
"Thank you... I would like to see them." Rue replied with a slight smile.
"Should I call Viola?" Ellen asked. Rue nodded in response, so Ellen took out her phone. Checking into the contacts, she saw two, Viola and Loki. Selecting Viola, she hit the call button, and then turned to Rue as she heard it dialling. "Would you like to stay here, or go out?"
"I'd prefer to stay here..." She replied.
Ellen nodded and turned her attention back to the phone just as she heard a click and a voice as Viola picked up her own phone. "Hello, who is this?"
"Hey Viola, it's me." Ellen smiled slightly as she answered.
"Oh, hey Ellen, what's up."
"Well, you see... Rue's here and, well... It would probably be best if you got May and Angie and brought them over here too. Can you do that?"
"Sure, but why do you-"
"I'll explain once you're here." Ellen cut her off, and then she hung up and put te phone down. Walking through to the kitchen with Ellen, she found Loki adding the finishing touches to what looked like two bowls of pasta and tomato sauce. "Loki, Viola and the others will be on their way soon, could you please do something about this storm." Then she looked at the pasta, smiling. "That looks amazing. Thank you."
"It's nothing. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." With that, he smiled and left the kitchen. Ellen and Rue sat on some tall chairs that Ellen noticed around the central island. The first bite of the pasta Ellen had, she was stunned by just how good it was. Rue also looked amazed at just how tasty it was.
"I never would have guessed he was such a good cook. Did you know about this?" She asked.
"No, but I guess as old as he is, he would have had time to pick up any skills he wanted to." She replied. Quickly the two of them finished up what they had been given, Ellen washing up the plates whilst she talked to Rue.
"So, uh... Why did you tell your parents anyway?"
"Well, I wanted... I wanted to stop having to lie to them. They were always asking me whether i had a boyfriend, or if I had a crush, things like that... And I always denied it because I was afraid of their reaction." She replied, looking slightly nervous. "But I couldn't carry on lying, and the only other option I had was to break up with Angie... which isn't an option."
"I see..." Ellen replied. "Well, it's good that Angelicas parents were all right with it. At least you have some allies in this whole fiasco."
"Yeah, I guess you're right there. Still... most of all, I want to know why my mum doesn't like it... I just don't understand." She spoke her thoughts aloud, giving voice to them. "What's wrong with me loving Angie...?" She trailed off as she drifted into her thoughts. Ellen looked at her as she dried her hands, unsure of what to say. Luckily, she was saved at that moment by the sound of the doorbell. The two of them immediately rushed through into the hallway and opened the door. There, standing on the doorstep, were May, Viola and Angelica.
"Hey guys!" Viola giggled cheerily. She wore a plain white dress, like the one she'd worn the night before. It was ever so slightly different, and Ellen couldn't help thinking that Viola looked incredibly cute. No, stop it mind... I need to help Rue now, and I won't be able to do that if I can't keep my eyes off Viola.
"Hey there. Come on in then." Ellen said, and the three of them came in, Ellen shutting the door behind them. Once they'd taken their coat and shoes off, the three of them looked at Ellen expectantly. "Um..." Now Ellen was caught off guard, unsure of what to do in a situation like this one. Looking around, she caught sight of the door to the living room. "Let's go into the living room." The five of them moved into said living room quickly, sitting on the sofas.
"So, why did you need us here guys?" Angie asked, snuggling into Rue's side and looking up at her. She looked slightly surprised when Rue hugged her back almost possessively, but she quickly started smiling. However, her expression once again changed into another as Rue told the three of them what had happened in a soft voice. All three of them looked aghast as she finished.
"That's horrible!" Viola said, tear dripping from her eyes.
May looked sad too, though not quite as emotional as Viola. "How could they do something like that?" She said.
Angelica, however, looked far more angry than sad. "I should have been there for you..." She muttered, pulling Rue even closer. "I love you baby..." She whispered, planting a kiss on Rue's lips. Rue immediately returned the kiss, and the two of them quickly ended up lying there on the sofa kissing passionately. May looked at them and laughed.
"Well, glad to see you two still are still enjoying yourselves." She laughed. "Ellen, could you show me to the toilet?"
"Sure, come this way." Ellen replied. As she said this, Viola got up and tapped Ellen on the shoulder. Ellen looked back over her shoulder, surprised.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Well, I was wondering, could you show me your bedroom?" Viola replied, and though she said it calmly, Ellen could tell she was nervous about something. She didn't know how she could tell, it seemed to be a subconscious instinct.
"Well, okay." Ellen agreed to her request. As she said this, Rue got up and Angelica got up with her, hugging onto her arm.
"I actually haven't seen a lot of your house. Mind showing us too?" She asked.
"Of course not." Ellen responded with a small smile. Viola seemed to tense up a little, but Ellen was sure it was her imagination. As the five of them moved upstairs, they encountered Loki on his way down. Ellen smiled at him as he walked past. "Hey there. You done working?"
"Unfortunately, no. I'm just going to get some coffee." He replied. As the other four moved on, Loki grabbed Ellen's arm subtly. When Ellen looked at him, he whispered in her ear. "Her parents are coming. Keep your friends upstairs whilst I have a word with them." At that moment, the doorbell rang. "It's them. Go!" With that, he moved down the stairs quickly, and Ellen hurried up the stairs. As she heard the door open, she reached the top of the stairs, the last thing she heard from downstairs was Loki saying, "Hello there. Can I help you?"
She looked around, finding that May had already found the bathroom, and that Rue and Angelica were nowhere to be seen. Turning to Viola, who was stood outside her bedroom door, she asked where Rue and Angelica were.
"They went into that room together." Viola said, indicating the spare room. "Of course... it's anyone's guess as to what they're doing in there." She said with a grin. Then her smile became nervy, edgy, like she was anxious about something. Ellen couldn't help but think she looked adorable like that. Then Viola asked Ellen, "Ellen, umm... Would you like to go somewhere tonight?"
Ellen was shocked and ecstatic at the same time. "Are... Are you asking me out on a date?" She replied, in her head trying to sort out the conflicting emotions in her heart. How do I act on a date!? I've never done anything like this before. But... I really want to go...
"Well, yes..." Viola muttered, a deep blush spreading over her cheeks. "I... I know you like me, and well... I guess I have a bit of a crush on you too." She admitted as if to herself more than to Ellen.
Ellen was surprised and overjoyed by Viola's revelation. "Well... Yeah, of course I would!" She said with a bright, happy smile. Viola herself grinned, happy to bring such a smile to Ellen's face. She was struck numb with surprise when Ellen kissed her, not violently or even very forcefully, but gently lovingly, albeit with very little skill, born of her complete lack of experience. Viola was struck numb by this, and just stood there, completely frozen, for several seconds, before finally trying to respond. She, too, could not really kiss that well, but she still tried, and put her heart into it, and for the two of them, that was enough.
"Hello there. Can I help you?" Loki asked of the couple in the doorway.
"Yes, we're looking for our daughter. Her name is Rue, and she happens to be friends with a girl who lives here." The woman said. "Would that be your daughter?"
"If you mean Ellen, then no, she's my little sister. She lives with me because of... well, let's just call them unfortunate circumstances and leave it at that." He said, inwardly surprised at how quickly they'd gathered information. No one really knows us yet, so I guess that explains the assumption she's my daughter, but... how'd they get all this info so quickly? They must know someone around here... Oh well, it's of little consequence. "Well, anyway, Rue is here, so if you'd like to come through to the living room." The two of them nodded their heads, walking into the house as he shut the door behind them. He then walked straight into the living room, and they followed him, looking around for Rue as Loki sat on the far sofa. Rue's mother looked like she was about to say something, when the door swung shut and locked with alarming speed.
"What the hell was that?" The woman shouted, looking scared. She immediately tried the garage door and the glass garden door, finding them both locked. "What have you done?"
"I have decided you two and I need to have a chat, and I'm making sure it happens. If you have a problem with that, well, deal with it." He said, not being nearly as polite as he had been. "Oh, and before you try to break the windows or the glass door, they're bullet-proofed. The aluminium oxynitide outer strike plate variety. Which at a guess, doesn't mean a whole lot to you, so let's just say it'll take a .50 calibre round and leave it at that, shall we?"
Rue's mother looked at him with a glare. "I suppose we don't have a choice." She muttered.
"No, not really." Loki responded. "So, let's start with some introductions. What should I call you?"
"You can call us Mr. and Mrs. Stern." She said, with a dark look in her eyes, as she and her husband sat across from Loki.
"Hehe... Stern, eh? Appropriate, I guess. Well, my name is Loki." He replied with a light smile.
"Loki? What kind of name is that?"
"It's my name, and I happen to like it." He said almost indignantly. He quickly relaxed however, looking at them. "So, I assume you know what I want to talk to you about?"
"I'm guessing it's something to do with what happened this morning." Mr. Stern said, his voice soft, almost soothing. Loki turned his gaze to him, his mind whirring rapidly. Whilst he had a very accurate mental image of the woman almost immediately after she entered (Slightly arrogant, quick tempered and set in her ways), her husband was an enigma to him. Judging from what he knew due to the fact he'd been listening when May spoke about Mr. Stern last night, he had a rough idea of some of his characteristics, as she implied that he was an understanding person, and his own soft way of speaking seemed to suggest a softer, gentler personality than most. However, disregarding all that, Loki could still tell that all that nice, soft nature was wrapped around a body that in a normal situation would snap him like a twig. But, this isn't a normal situation and I have a few advantages he doesn't.
"Well, yes. More specifically, it's about why she ran here. Do you know why?"
"Yes of course we do." Mrs. Stern interjected. "It was because we were disciplining her, and-"
"Don't lie to me, Mrs. Stern!" Loki cut her off with a malevolent hiss. Carrying on in a more conversational tone of voice, he said "It's altogether too obvious when you do. Your pupils are dilated massively, and the pulse in your neck went crazy." She seemed quite shocked by this assessment. "Now, let's try another way shall we? I'll tell you what she told me, and we'll see if that's the truth or not. Okay?" When he got no response, he smiled. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, she told me that you had an argument over something she told you – namely the fact she was in a relationship. You disagreed with her choice of partner, decided to have a go at her about it, and then, of all things, tried to forbid her from seeing her girlfriend. Of course she was going to run to someone she could trust, and apparently Ellen was the one she chose." He looked at them both accusingly. "But you know what bothers me most? It's the fact that your reason – Your only reason – for being against her relationship is that you don't think it's right for her to be with a girl?"
"Of course it's not right for her to be with a girl, it's unnatural-"
Loki cut her off again, this time raising his voice in anger. "Unnatural? Let me tell you this... The clothes on your back, the makeup you applied this morning, the god awful perfume you're wearing, the car you use to get from place to place, NONE OF IT IS NATURAL! But no-one cares about that, because they make life easier, or more comfortable, or happier even. Well, Angelica makes Rue happy, and vice versa. So if it makes them happy, is it wrong!?" Loki stood up and glared down at the two of them. "So now, unless you can apologise to Rue, and put aside your prejudices for the sake of your daughter's happiness, then I'm afraid you will be made to leave this property. Forcibly, if necessary."
At this, Mr. Stern stood up, and Loki knew that there was no way to avoid what was to come next. I've really got to learn to keep my emotions in check. As he thought this, Mr. Stern stood directly on front of him, using his extra height to look down on Loki. "Whilst I may not agree with her opinion on this subject, I cannot allow you to threaten my wife in this way." He said, and he raised his fist to punch Loki.
"That wasn't a threat, it was a promise." Loki said, allowing his unfettered, chorus-like voice to be heard. As the other to gasped, he pushed Mr. Stern back into his seat, and allowed his anger to seep out into the room. "This..." The room began to shake, the curtains closing and somehow plunging the room into absolute blackness. This wasn't to last, however, as the lights began to flicker. The TV went wild, randomly showing different, disjointed images that no one could possibly interpret (Though blood seemed to be a common factor), whilst it's speakers played the constant hiss of static, as did the music system. By far the scariest of events, however, was the way Loki's own form flickered with the light, changing between the form he normally wore and a new one, the figure of a dark, robed creature of about eight feet tall, with a hood up and blackness where a face should have been. It was in this form that he finished his sentence. "THIS IS A THREAT!" He roared, and the rooms other two occupants quivered in fear, as the walls cracked under the force of the roar. The lights went out for a second, and then the curtains opened and, all of a sudden, everything around them had all gone back to normal, and Loki was smiling at the two of them. "Am I understood?" They both nodded, too scared out of their wits to say anything else. "Good. And, just so you know, no-one else in the world knows that happened, partly because when that door locked, this room became a pocket dimension, so nothing in here affected the outside world. Always be prepared, as they say." He sat back down in his seat. "Now, I believe you will have no problem in Rue being in a relationship with Angelica, and will support her in any way she needs. Do I make myself clear?"
The two of them nodded their heads, unable to disagree with him after what he had just done. The bit about parallel universes baffled them, but when you've just witnessed someone turn into a colossal wraith-like being whilst making shit happen around him, you generally stop caring about the how's and the why's, and your focus becomes doing as you're told.
Loki got up and the other two followed his lead, the door clicking unlocked as he got close. Pushing the door open, he led them up the stairs to the landing to where Ellen and Viola had been kissing only moments earlier. The two of them were slipping into Ellen's room, blushing furiously, as they walked up the last step. Loki paused for a moment before knocking on the door to the room Rue and Angie were in. He heard a very quiet gasp and the sound of some hasty movement, and then Rue opened the door. "Hey, Loki- oh. It's you two." She said, her voice becoming flat and emotionless the moment she saw them.
"Rue... We... We're sorry. We shouldn't have done that. I hope you can forgive us." Her mother said, and Loki turned away as he saw Rue grinning.
"You really mean that!?"
"Yes." Her father replied earnestly.
"Well in that case, there's somebody I'd like you to meet." As Loki walked into Ellen's room, the last words he heard from Rue were. "Mum, dad... this is Angelica..."
Ellen watched as Loki walked in. "Everything okay with those guys?" She said.
"Yep, and it only took a little direction and some friendly encouragement." He replied, but he realised from her smirk that she didn't buy it.
"Friendly encouragement?" She arched her eyebrow at him.
"Yeah... well... if an eight foot wraith counts as friendly encouragement that is..." He muttered. As she giggled, he cracked a smile. "Okay, you got me, I terrorised them into it. Anyway, I've got work to do, so I'll see you later. And Ellen, as your responsible older brother, I expressly forbid anything more than hugs or the occasional kiss with Viola. In other words, don't get caught." He laughed out loud as he shut the door behind himself.
"Umm... ho-how did he know about us already?" Viola said?
"Don't even ask." Said Ellen.
A/N: Well, there we have it, my latest chapter of this fine story. I'm really liking the way this shaping up. The next chapter will be the last, unless I decide that it's too long and needs to be split down. However, considering it's going to be pretty much just fluff about Viola and Ellen's first date, I doubt that.
If any of you are Ib fan's, I just started writing an Ib/Wreck it Ralph crossover, for which I have the first chapter uploaded. (Yes, that was shameless advertising of my own fanfics...)
Until the Morrow,
JJ4622, Over and Out.