Chapter II: Play like an Italian Bulldozer - Friday Morning/Lunchtime


AN:

Hey there, Fan-fic-folks!

Wasn't planning on finishing this soon, but through a series of contrived circumstances I ended up rewatching Nanny McPhee and I got a weird burst of inspiration for this story and managed to first-draft a whole bunch of it, so I figured I'd put in some work and try push this one. Seems like it's gonna be around 7 chapters in total.

Thanks for reading and, as always, please review.


What in the fuck.

I know. Did we just pass over to the Mirror Universe?

Maybe. Pinch me.

That's for dreams, dumbass.

It might work for alternate realities too, you don't know! Come on, pinch me!

Max promptly throws the wimpiest punch with all the force she can manage. I glare playfully back at her - Pinch, Max! I said Pinch!

"Are you two playing or what?" Sarah holds up a few cards, ready to deal us in.

"What?"

She blinks, shrugs. "Alright then. Watch and learn, losers." She begins dealing cards out at a staggering pace, the little white... uh, cards, just flying through the air. Every vegas cardshark would be drooling in desperation to learn that trick.

Some veneer of responsibility veers back into Max's brain and she steps forward. Not entirely sure how responsible joining in with the gambling is, but hey. "Actually, we'd love to play."

All three of them look at her for that one.

Then Sarah simply shrugs and deals us in. We skitter forward and take the other two seats. I watch the deal, then tilt my head. "I do have one question before we start though."

"Shoot." Kate says, watching Sarah shuffle with a focused intensity that fuckin' worries me. Like, dude. Counting cards, much?

I pause, trying to get my head around what exactly I wanted to know, and- "What the hell?"

Oookaay. Huh. Not quite what I meant to say, but... honestly, yeah. What the hell. A little ripple of laughter flows through the sisters, and Kate shakes her head. "You saw how they were." There was no question of who she was referring to. "We have to be the good little children when they're here, so we tend to... let loose, when they're not looking."

"When the cat's away, the mice will play." Lynn quips. Kate nods earnestly.

Huh. Honestly, I get that. I always felt more... me when Step-douche wasn't around. Lynn slams her hand down on the table. "Alright! Enough yakking! Let's play!"


God, the stress in her back is unreal. I rub Max's shoulders again as she stares intensely at Sarah. It'd be harder to get knots out of a fucking tree. "Come on Maxie! Sting like a butterfly, fly like a bee!"

She ignores me, focusing down on her cards, then back to Sarah. Fucking hell. The girl looks completely relaxed. Hell, that smug little grin showed nothing but confidence. Max's eyes narrow. "Call."

"I see your call, and raise you twenty." Sarah tosses in a few of the sweets we'd been using as tokens. The little pile of confectionary goodness in the centre of the table was pretty high now. "What are you gonna do about that, huh?"

Max stares at her, then down at her cards, then back to Sarah. Fucking hell.

"I call."

Without a word, Kate reaches in and flips the last centre card. Undamning the river, or whatever you call it. Max's eyes fall the moment she spots it, and I can see Sarah's grin turn just a little predatory. Creepy as fuck.

"Well, shit." I couldn't help the slow exhale. Sorry Maxie.

Max gives a small half-smile and throws her cards in, face-up. "Fold."

Sarah's eyes flick down over Max's cards and then she shows her own. The other two sisters let out a raucous "ooooh!" - like, proper playground shit.

That little shit. She was bluffing!

"Yeah, yeah. Just enjoy it, kids. We'll kick your asses next time."

Max suddenly looks down at her watch. "Oh shoot," aww. "The Food!" She looks up at the Marshes, eyes all wide and cute and anime. "Sorry, I'll go start cooking now."

With that random recollection, Max dashes out of the room and down to the kitchen. The moment the door closes behind her, the three Marshes turn to me like Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Perfectly in sync, too. Creeps. For three kids, they're surprisingly fucking intimidating. Pretty sure Kate's, like, a year or two younger than me and Maxie and everything. Though she dresses like a grandma and I never actually asked so shit, what do I know?

Still perfectly in sync, they start to chant - "Chloe and Maxine sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

I immediately go red. "It's Max. Never Maxine." I reply, almost automatically, interrupting their little singsong shit as soon as possible. Little... B-I-T-C-H-es. "And shut the fuck up."

"OOoooooh. It's Max, ne-ever Max-ine!" They squee, the fuckers. They laugh together, the mad cackles of a movie villain in their big showstopping evil moment of triumph.

I stand up, looming over them like the giant elder person they would have to respect. I was cool, I was collected, I had a fancy tie. They would fear me. Or at least fucking listen.

Nope. My frail house of cards exploded like the White House in eighteen-eighty whatever.

They chuckle and chortle again, all eying me with terrifyingly knowing expressions. It feels like Frodo hiding under the Eye of Sauron, only worse because this Sauron had six eyes and three taunting smirks. And I didn't have an Elf Cloak to hide under.

So, I retreat out of there, their little laughs following me out and down the stairs.

Sometimes, cowardice was the best part of valor.