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thethingsverse · 9 years

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Reception

Another one that popped into my head during the commute--Peter and Rose's reception from the POV of Ruby (and Elias, sort of).Thanks, bus!

When Peter Carlislehad invited Elias McCoy–and Ruby, of course–to the post-elopement reception Jackie Tyler was throwing, Elias had mused to her about just how stuffy an affair it would be. Ruby was looking forward to the people-watching and celebrity-spotting aspect of it; she also knew that Jackie Tyler could throw one heck of a shindig. Elias, however, hadn’t seemed so sure, expressing concern about how Very High Society the party might be. Ruby, briefly taken aback by Elias’s surprising insecurity, reassured him immediately. “Elias, you can charm even the most truculent suspects into singing for you. I think you’ll be just fine in a room full of interesting people.” Elias hadn’t seemed convinced, even after talking through his fears of being out of his depth, but ee still accepted the invitation. There was simply no way the McCoy’s would not be there for Elias’s partner and friends. And so it was that Ruby found herself wearing the most expensive dress she’d bought in years, escorted by a formally-clad Elias. She could still count on one hand the number of times she’d seen him in a kilt, and she couldn’t help sneaking appreciative glances at her husband as they walked towards the large marquee set up behind the Tyler Mansion.

Although they’d been t the mansion a few times before as guests to informal family gatherings and even the odd lawn party, this was their first time one of Jackie Tyler’s famed parties. It still seemed a bit strange, though, to be at the society event of the year. Ruby felt a flutter of nervousness at the realization, and realized Elias’s arm was tense under her hand.

“Y’allright, Eli?” Ruby tugged him to a stop on the path, looking up at him in the fading light.

“I’m fine, Rue.” He gave her a smile, then a quick peck on the lips, before tucking her hand back into the crook of his elbow. “Now let’s see what entertainment the night has to offer.”

They were sat at a table near the front of the room; even more surprising, the table was in amongst those bearing the label “Honoured Guests”. They joined Rose’s colleagues from Torchwood, and another couple near to her age who smiled as they sat down. It took very little time for Elias’s charming persona to kick into gear, and she had soon learned the couple was comprised of Peter’s former partner from Kendal and his wife. It was hard to miss Elias’s delight at being sat next to the man and Ruby shook her head as the two men settled into discussion, happily swapping tales of Peter’s more outrageous behaviour.

Elias would be entertained for hours, so it would be up to her to entertain herself. Ruby had taken the opportunity to go find a drink at one of the small bars lining the side of the tent, taking care to grab a whiskey, neat, for Elias in addition to her Metropolitan. Elias gave her a quick smile after she handed his drink to him, and Ruby slid her finger across his shoulders as she returned to her seat. Mickey and Jake were always entertaining, as were Susan and James, and Pennington’s wife Anna was lovely, if a bit too sweet for Ruby’s taste. Between the five of them conversation flowed easily, and it seemed like almost no time had passed at all before Mickey excused himself.

“Have to go let the guests of honour know they’re on. Back in a tick.”

Ruby glanced at her now-empty glass, considering it might be time for another drink. Fortunately the catering staff chose that time to appear, champagne flutes being set out on the table before being filled for the impending toast. Elias used the break to shift his attention back to her, turning his body so he could slide his arm across her chair back.

“Enjoying yourself, Mrs. McCoy?”

“By and large. You having fun, Mr. McCoy?”

“Oh, the grief I’ll be able to give Peter when he returns to work.” Elias had a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and Ruby chuckled.

Her reply was forestalled by the arrival of Peter and Rose, Peter looking like a deer in headlights while Rose beamed. They really were a stunning couple, both of them radiating happiness, and Ruby felt a pang of envy as she took Elias’s hand with a sigh. He glanced down at her, his brow furrowing as he sensed something off with Ruby, then gave her hand a gentle squeeze before returning his attention to the happy couple.

“To my daughter Rose and her husband, Peter. We couldn’t be happier.” Pete Tyler raised his champagne flute in toast, a grin on his face.

“Hear, hear!” Ruby joined in the chorus from the crowd before taking a sip of the golden liquid she’d been given. She almost laughed as she watched Peter take a large gulp from his own flute before turning to Rose.

The first kiss the newly-married couple shared in front of the crowd was rather more genteel than she’d expected. Ruby watched as Rose whispered something to Peter afterwards, and couldn’t help but smile when Peter then swooped in to give his wife a proper kiss. Elias let out a wolf-whistle at that, and the entire crowd erupted into cheers.

“Nice to see Peter can put on a show when there’s a crowd, too.”

“He knows how to play to a crowd, when he’s not overthinking things.” Elias tugged her hand, pulling over for a quick kiss before they sat.

Dinner was delicious, the drinks continued to flow freely, and it was no time at all until the floor was cleared for dancing. Elias had once again draped his arm over her chair back as they watched Peter and Rose dance together, his eyes scanning the crowd rather than his partner; Ruby was content to simply watch her husband, enjoying having the rare quiet moment to simply observe him. He caught her watching him, his eyes glinting in the dim lighting as he watched her, in turn.

As the song came to an end, he leaned over to her. “Care to dance?”

“With the right partner, always.”

They danced together for a long while before finally taking a break. While Elias went for drinks, she made her way to where Rose and Peter were standing, finally working her way through the small crowd of well-wishers to greet her friends.

“Ruby!” Peter’s smile still took her by surprise, even after years of knowing him, and she grinned as he gave her a hug. Rose was beaming, as well, giving her a tight hug while whispering “Thank you for coming.” Elias appeared with drinks at that point, and the four of them stood together for a while as the crowd continued to move around them. Elias was unable to avoid ribbing Peter about having to be social; Peter then got the better of Elias by asking Ruby to dance. She grinned, teasing him even as he led her to the dance floor, delighted to have a chance to speak with the man she considered a friend as much as her husband’s partner.

“Remember when you asked why Rose was with me?” Peter grinned, guiding Ruby through the dance.

She looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. “I’ve asked you that a dozen times, Peter.”

He laughed—she had. “It was right after you mentioned that the word ‘toddler’ had been used to describe me.”

The penny dropped–it had been in Glasgow, when Peter had first worked with Elias. “Ah. I think I might remember that one.” Peter had been particularly trying that morning, and it had been clear to her Elias was done humoring Peter’s moods. She’d followed him out to his car, and proceeded to suggest that the only reason Rose was with Peter was because he was a good shag.

He leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially, “It’s true.” He straightened, grinning, taking obvious delight in watching Ruby as she blushed scarlet, before bursting into laughter.

Ruby could only join him, delighted that he’d relaxed enough to tease her in the middle of a dance floor. He truly had come a long way since that morning in Glasgow.

Peter and Rose cut their cake a bit later; and it was not long after that that the two vanished, leaving the revelers to continue the party. Elias had found some more people to socialize with, sharing friends or relatives in common; Ruby was exhausted, her feet killing her after dancing in high heels for half the night. She’d taken a seat at her dinner table, planning to people-watch, but after a time the people and the music and the heat of the marquee all became too much–she wanted some quiet and some cool air. Elias had vanished by this point, so she slid her shoes off and made her way towards one of the tent flaps.

She emerged into the delicious cool of the night to find she wasn’t the only one who’d escaped–Pete Tyler was standing just off to the side, his eyes closed and his head tilted back. She was prepared to leave him be, as he was clearly enjoying his brief moment of peace, but his eyes opened as she walked past. She gave him a rueful smile. “It’s a lovely party–just need a bit of a break.”

He smiled in response. “Understandable. You remember how to get to the lake? We still have some chairs out there. There’s path lighting, you’ll be safe from going for a swim.”

“I do–thanks.”

He nodded, then returned to his silent contemplation.

Ruby felt herself relax as she moved further away from the party, the grass cool and soft against her feet. The sound of frogs and crickets eventually grew louder than that of the music from the party, the path winding around a copse of trees before depositing her at the shore of the lake. She was delighted to find all of the chairs empty, and settled into one with a contented sigh. She’d had fun, had enjoyed the people-watching and seeing her friends happy. But she felt like she hadn’t had any quiet time with Elias–not just that night, but in what felt like an age. They were both kept busy with work, and it seemed that unless Peter and Rose invited them out, the two of them simply didn’t go out for meals any more. Or hiking, or even neighborhood walks. They’d fallen into a routine, and what had once seemed extraordinary–waking up with Elias, eating with him, making love to him, just being with him–now seemed almost…mundane.

Ruby tilted her head back, gazing at the night sky. There was very little light pollution, in spite of the garden path lights and the large house behind her, and she idly wondered whose decision that had been. As her eyes continued to adjust she was able to pick out more of the stars above, and she relaxed even more.

She’d never spoken with Elias when she was in the field–she hadn’t even known him at that point of her life–but she still associated clear nights like this with their chats over the radio. He’d been so poetic as he told her about what he was seeing as they spoke; whether he’d meant to or not that side of him had lain the foundation for her falling in love with him. She couldn’t remember the last time Elias had spoken to her like that. They still loved each other, she knew that unequivocally–she just wished some of the things from when they first fell in love were still a part of their routine.

In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d even bothered tilting her head back and looking at the sky simply to appreciate its beauty. She wondered when Elias had last taken the time to pause and take in the beauty of the world around him–and a small part of her wondered why he didn’t talk to her like he had, all those many years ago.

“Hallo, Juliet.”

Ruby had been so wrapped up in her thoughts and stargazing she’d totally missed Elias’s approach. She stayed where she was, slid down now in the chair as she stared at the sky, and replied, “Hello, Charlie.”

Elias walked over, gazing at her briefly before sitting down next to her. She heard him shift a bit before settling and going quiet. The frogs and crickets continued to sing, their music providing a soothing backdrop as she once more let her mind wander.

“I always think of you when I look at the stars,” Elias said, softly, some amount of time later. “I would always sit and stargaze after we spoke–probably ascribing a bit more meaning to what you said than you intended, but still. The stars, and you–they’re permanently linked in my mind.”

“I always think of you when I see them,” Ruby admitted. She paused a beat, then continued, “But I feel like I don’t see them enough.”

Elias was quiet for a few moments, then ventured, “I miss our talks.” She heard him sigh, then add, “Not that we lack for conversation now, mind. It just seems…”

“Different.”

“Aye.”

“I keep thinking I’m romanticizing those conversations.”

“You didn’t even like me at that point.” Elias’s tone was wry.

“I was intrigued by you.” He snorted. “I was. You were so evocative, and it was unique. I loved it, even if I maybe didn’t give you the credit you deserved beyond that.”

“Hm.”

“Fifteen years, though–why should I miss our conversations from back then?” Ruby turned her head, and was surprised to find Elias had stretched out on the grass.

“It was simpler, I suspect. Limited expectations.”

“Are they so burdensome now?” She felt a flash of temper, which must have made it into her voice.

“No, Ruby. Back then we could make each other who we wanted them to be. You could be a brunette–” he paused for her inevitable snort–“While I could be a paragon of manly virtue, as I believe you’ve said you expected me to be.”

“A soldier-poet,” she corrected, her ruffled feathers soothed.

“A soldier-poet, then.” Elias returned his gaze to the sky, the light from the garden path weakly illuminating his profile.

“Why don’t we talk like that anymore?” Ruby broke the silence a few minutes later.

“I don’t know. Life, I suppose. Work. Busy busy.”

“We got old.”

“Speak for yourself, madame.”

Ruby snorted. “Says the old man.” She could see Elias’s lips quirk in reply.

“My mum keeps reminding me that a good marriage is work. Care and feeding, taking time to do things.” Elias was gazing at her again and, noting her surprise, added, “Every time we talk. We can’t always discuss the gossip from the village–there’s not so many people as that.”

Ruby did laugh at that. Elias reached for her, wiggling his hand; she moved from the chair to the grass, lying beside him.

“So…date night?” She snuggled against him, and was rewarded by his sliding an arm under her shoulders.

“Something like, I suppose. Exploring again, maybe.”

“Like when I forced you to learn your way around London.”

“Perhaps some nicer trips than that.”

“You never let me have fun.”

“That, my dear Juliet, is a lie.”

“My Charlie, so very mean to me.”

“Your husband is a terrible man.” “No, he’s not.” Ruby propped herself up so she could look Elias in the eye. “My husband may be many things–charming, insufferable, infuriating–but he’s a good man.”

Elias reached up to brush her hair behind her ear, his fingers ghosting down her cheek. He looked about to speak, then pulled her down for a gentle kiss instead. “Thank you,” he whispered as she pulled back.

“For what?” Ruby could see his eyes shining in the weak light, and was at a loss. “It’s nothing but the truth.”

“For giving me another chance, back in the beginning. For letting me love you. For marrying me. I’m a lucky beggar.”

“I’d say we’re both lucky.” Ruby snuggled back into his embrace. “But I don’t want to take you for granted any more. Date night adventure thingies.”

“Aye.” She’d planned to propose some ideas for their date nights, to suggest a place or two she’d been thinking of exploring on her own, but instead she fell asleep in Elias’s warm embrace. He roused her long enough to make it back to the house and make their farewells, before bundling her into the car for the drive home to their flat. As she leaned against the b-post, her eyes already drooping as Elias drove down the gravel drive, she felt more content than she had in a long while.

#elias and ruby #ruby quarles #thingsverse #elias mccoy

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075583504771qian-blog · 6 years

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#3dprinting #thingsverse #buddha https://www.instagram.com/p/BmKjDBWgf69/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=veeoo73y7zwd

#3dprinting #thingsverse #buddha

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thethingsverse · 9 years

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Ficlet: Caernarfon

Inspired by some idle musing on the commute this morning: What kind of adventures did Ruby have before she met her Charlie? Wildly un-beta’d and un-cross-referenced within the Thingsverse.

“Aren’t you glad we explored the city?” Ruby tossed over her shoulder as she legged it down still another narrow, twisting alley.

“Yeah, we can debate this later, Quarles.” Aaron was next to her, as calm as a person could be when they were trying to avoid being captured by a hostile country’s police force.

It was supposed to be a relatively easy trip: get into Caernarfon posing as foreign tourists, meet with their contact from Iceland, get out. And it had gone well, too, at least for the first 16 or so hours of their visit. This last hour, however, was threatening to more than balance things out. Getting in had been easy and they’d even had time to tour for a bit, flattening their accents out to play a happy American couple on holiday. Aaron had complained at the time, Ruby dragging him down practically every street within the city walls, enjoying putting together the puzzle of the town’s layout, and she’d laughed at his lack of curiosity. He’d been a bit more willing to join her on the tour of the castle ruins, the towers still dominating the sky in spite of the rest of the structure practically falling to pieces.

The meeting itself had gone well, too, the contact arriving on time, sharing the information they’d come to collect, and even recommending a place for a bite to eat later that evening. Not that Ruby or Aaron would be in town at that point—their extraction was set for just after sunset, a mile off from where they’d been dropped in the first place.

Throughout their explorations she’d paid attention, though, looking for someone following them, or for anything that simply felt wrong. She hadn’t noticed a thing, which is why it came as a bit of a shock when they suddenly found themselves followed by a pair of officers from the Heddlu. She and Aaron had tried to play it off by remaining casual—but had finally had to give up the pretense when the pair was joined by a quartet of men clearly from the Byddin Cymru. With barely a nod to each other, she and Aaron had implemented their emergency plan, ducking down alleys and through shops, hoping to lose their pursuers in spite of being outnumbered. At some point Aaron had managed to send out a message that they’d need pickup about an hour sooner than planned; she was busy making sure they didn’t get lost in the rabbit warren of old streets, trying to shift their pursuit further and further north to where they had a car hidden.

She might have hated the physical training she’d had to go through before being allowed to join the team, but she was becoming incredibly grateful for it as they continued work to evade capture, now being a bit less obvious—well, as much as possible given her red hair and Aaron’s height—as they moved.

In spite of their efforts one of the army men had managed to follow their escape. It was as they finally reached the car that he caught up to them, his weapon drawn as he barked at them in thickly-accented English. They both turned, hands in the air; Ruby’s mind was racing as she assessed their options for escape. Capture wasn’t an option—they’d all heard tales of what the Welsh did to their military prisoners, and of course it would be even worse give they were more spies than military at that point. Ruby felt she’d lived a fairly interesting life in her twenty years, but she had no interest in seeing things end so soon.

Luck was with them: their adversary took one look at her before dismissing her, shifting his attention to Aaron. Ruby had never been so thankful for casual sexism in her life. She’d joined a team as a means to an end, techies being required to experience fieldwork before being let loose on the radios, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t paid sharp attention to the fight training they’d been given. Now she had only to wait until Aaron could gain the entire focus of the Welshman before taking action. Ruby was relatively confident in her ability to take the man on in hand-to-hand combat—after all, Aaron was well over two meters tall, and she’d been able to take him down once—but she had no desire to encounter a hidden knife while doing so. She could do this, had been trained to do exactly this in fact. She just needed to channel the adrenaline racing through her.

She focused on the man standing in front of them, trying to calm her own racing heart as she assessed her opponent. Medium height, medium build, probably about ten years older than her. Plenty of spots to hide a spare blade, and possibly even another firearm. Not a man to be taken lightly, but all she had to do was be good enough to catch him by surprise—to make sure he shifted enough that any discharge from his weapon would miss both her and Aaron.

She could do this.

Her opportunity presented itself sooner than she might have liked, but exigent circumstances meant she didn’t have the luxury of dictating the when—just the how. The man turned enough that he wouldn’t see her out of his peripheral vision, and she struck. He was startled enough that the gun clattered out of his hands, but it soon became apparent he wasn’t chosen for his job because of his skills with firearms. Even with Aaron joining the fight it became a near thing, and only by getting a clear shot at his groin with her pointed boots allowed them to make their escape. Even so Aaron had been injured, the knife she’d known was concealed on their opponent finding its mark in Aaron’s side. Ruby floored it out of the parking lot, trusting her partner to take care of himself as she drove them to their extraction point.

“Left here,” Aaron hissed through clenched teeth, his hand pressed against his wound.

She turned the wheel, the tyres squealing as she took the corner at speed. “How bad is it?” She glanced over at the passenger seat, trying to assess how much blood he was losing and how much time she really had.

“Just a flesh wound. It’ll leave a mark, shouldn’t kill me. Next right.”

Ruby let out the breath she’d been holding, and returned her attention to driving. She glanced at the rearview mirror as often as the road in front of her, and it felt like an eternity before they reached the small beach outside of the city.

“How long?” She kept the car in drive as they waited, primed to make another escape if they were discovered. Her left leg was bouncing rapidly, a byproduct of the adrenaline still in her system.

Aaron commed the small radio he had on under his shirt, listening intently to the earpiece for the response. “Just a few minutes.”

Her leg kept bouncing as they waited, earning an annoyed glare from Aaron. She ignored it, her eyes scanning the area around them. While they were surrounded on two sides by trees, they had the water in front of them, and the road to the right. It wasn’t ideal, but hopefully there simply hadn’t been enough time for the military to scramble. She wanted to snort at the sloppiness of it—had the Welsh really thought they’d be that easy to take down? More to the point, just who had the Welsh thought Ruby and Aaron represented? Best not to find out the answer to that question, she decided, her eyes catching movement on the water before them.

It was a relief to see the approaching boat was their eagerly-awaited ride, and it was only a matter of minutes before she and Aaron were safely on board, their legs wet from the race through the shallows. She was still jittery, still scanning their surroundings; Aaron, who had much more experience in these things, seemed far more relaxed, even allowing himself to give her a small smile.

“Not badly done, Quarles. Especially for a techie.”

Ruby didn’t really agree—there were surely indicators she’d missed, warning signs that they’d been marked—but she accepted his praise all the same. “Thanks. Didn’t do too badly yourself, old man.”

She relaxed, finally, and fell asleep before the boat reached the Eirelann Sea.

#elias and ruby #ruby quarles #thingsverse

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thethingsverse · 9 years

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Ficlet: Entrapment

Thanks to @ginamak for the prompt: I like the idea of Elias's manipulative nature getting him into trouble. I like it even more if, say, he's wearing a wire, and Ruby is on the other end and can hear it all. Can he hear her? Dunno.

Ruby Quarles once more found herself sitting at a desk on a snowy winter night, listening while another detective team worked the field. She tipped a half-smile at the thought that at least this time she knew Elias was part of that team, and she actually had the chance to talk in his ear while he worked; the smile slipped as she recalled this was no lark, but rather Elias very specifically going in to extract information and, if possible, a confession from a suspect. It was Elias's first time wearing the wire,and Ruby was been concerned--she'd done it once, and found it both exhilarating and terrifying, the fear of tripping up mixed in with a sense of raw power. He'd brushed off her concern when he saw her at lunch that afternoon, giving her his most charming smile before stealing a kiss from his wife.

"I'll be fine. I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that--it's the other bloke I'm worried about."

"Don't be."

She'd hummed non-committally, Elias's smile doing more to set her on edge than ease her fears. He'd mellowed since he retired from the military, it was true, but sometimes the shadow of the man she'd first met reappeared. In the military, that cockiness was vital to his success; in the civilian side, it could undermine hard work faster than she cared to think.

Ruby was pulled from her thoughts by the soft sound of Elias' voice. "Y'there, Quarles?"

"Here, McCoy. You're loud and clear. How do you copy?"

"Same. I'm coming up on the restaurant now."

The line went silent, the sound of Elias's shirt brushing against the wire the only noise as he presumably strode towards where he was to meet the suspect. Ruby did one last check of her supplies, making sure both of her pens were writing, that her pad of paper was at hand, and the clock on her desk matched the time on her watch. She jotted a quick note at the top of the pad of paper, marking the time of Elias's comms check, then settled in to listen.

The conversation between Elias and Waverly, their suspect, was one of the more boring ones she'd heard, at least to start: desultory chit-chat shifting over into a laddish discussion of snooker--she almost snorted at that--and an earnest discussion of the most exotic food either of them had tried as they each attempted to out-macho the other. It finally appeared Elias had established his bona fides with their target, however, and conversation finally took a turn towards the topic the Met was most interested in.

Ruby paused in her note-taking, frowning as she listened. Elias was talking far more than he ought for such a mission, relying on his charm and cocksuredness to carry him through. She understood that sometimes alpha-maleing it was necessary, but he was coming awfully close to entrapment. She tapped the pen against her lips, weighing whether to speak up or not.

It was Elias dancing around an offer of illegal services that finally drove Ruby to speak.

"McCoy," she hissed into the mic, not wanting to startle him with a shout but needing to get his attention. She was rewarded with the sound of him coughing, and used the time to organize her thoughts--they were, after all, being recorded, so she needed to be circumspect. Berating him properly could wait until they were at home. "He has to make the offer to you. Period." She grit the words out, hoping Elias would hear the strain in her voice and understand he was perilously close to derailing months of work.

Ruby could hear the tinkling of a spoon in a mug, and then a pause; she could only assume Elias was drinking something as a way to buy himself time to think. She held her breath, hoping his silver tongue would get him out of the jam he'd got himself into.

She let out a slow sigh as she heard Elias speak again, this time a question to their quarry about something only tangentially related. He was resetting the conversation, and going to try at it again. Now she had to hope that their mark wasn't terribly clever--or, she thought ruefully, was even cockier than her husband.

It took another hour--of Elias now being self-deprecating, of him playing the eager listener to the suspect--but they finally got a good confession that she was fairly confident could stand up in court. Her suspicions were confirmed when Ephraim popped his head in, giving her a thumbs up and the sign to tell Elias to get out.

Ruby waited for a pause before speaking again. "McCoy, good info, you're clear."

He somehow managed to start his next sentence with an "Gotcha", and it was only another half-hour before he could be heard whistling, walking out of the restaurant.

"Just checking that I'm not being followed." His whisper was almost covered by the sound of his clothes against the mic, his movements sounding unhurried. "Looks like he's gone the other way, but we'll just be sure."

"Copy that."

There was silence for a few minutes, a bit more rustling, and then Elias's voice once more. "I'm hailing a taxi, will have it take me to Charing Cross."

"Direct. Check in with your DI when you return."

"Understood. McCoy out."

Ruby listened as Elias caught the taxi, as he chatted with the driver, and even as he walked down past Charing Cross towards the office. It wasn't until she heard his DI through the wire that she turned the machine off, removing her headphones and focusing on her report. She found herself almost shaking with fury, now Elias was back safe. His idiocy not only could have blown their case--never mind that if he'd really messed up, their mark could have turned violent. She wasn't sure she'd be able to face him without losing her temper and giving him a piece of her mind, and she spent an extra ten minutes after finishing her report focusing breathing exercises to calm herself down.

By the time Ruby walked downstairs to pass the paperwork off to Ephraim she thought she might—might—be able to face her husband with equanimity. Both desks were vacant, and she derived some small satisfaction from the hope that Elias’s partner was providing a lesson in Avoiding Entrapment 101. Her report now left on Ephraim’s desk, Ruby jotted a quick note for Elias, then made her way to find a snack from the vending machine before heading back to her desk.

~ - ~

Elias was sat at Wen’s desk when she returned, his feet propped on the desk in an attempt at insouciance. His eyes, however, gave him away—weary, wary even, not moving from her as she approached. She sat with a sigh, finally moving to mirror Elias’s posture as she opened the packet of Twiglets.

The silence between them was heavy, Elias continuing to watch her as she slowly snacked, her eyes gazing evenly at him in return. She refused to speak first, knowing it would give Elias the advantage; after his stupidity, she had no great desire to show mercy to him professionally, no matter how much she adored him personally.

He finally broke. “Fine, ye win. I’m sorry, Ruby.”

She raised her eyebrows, munching on one of her last Twiglets.

“Ephraim was…not pleased when I returned. And I suspect neither are you.”

She took a sip of water from her bottle, glanced into the nearly-empty packet of snacks, and then slowly looked back at her husband. “I’d say that’s an accurate assessment, yes.”

Elias pursed his lips, then dropped his feet to the floor. “I wanted to get him.”

“And Ephraim and I and everyone else who worked on this didn’t?” She balled the cellophane packet up, the noise seeming unnaturally loud amongst the empty desks.

Elias ran a hand over his face, his beard coming in dark after a long day at work. “No, it’s—I just…”

“You didn’t think and, you arrogant sod, you figured ‘Oh, right, I used to do this back on the team, this will surely work.’ And you got cocky and lost sight of what you were meant to do, and you almost screwed us all out of months of work. That about capture it?” It took some effort but she kept her voice level as she spoke, her feet still on the desk. Her hands, however, were balled into fists on her lap.

Ruby could see Elias fight to keep his temper in check, his jaw tight as he looked first at her, then down at his hands. She finally kicked her feet off her desk, leaning forward as she spoke once more. “Elias.” She waited, her arms on her desk, until Elias finally looked up at her. “I was not disappointed. You know better—you’re far smarter than resorting to that.”

His jaw relaxed, his eyes now showing sadness. She stretched her arm across, a peace offering; he reached up, clasping her hand in both of his as he shifted focus to where he held her.

“But worse than the powerlessness of listening it was the worry of what might happen if Waverly suddenly realized who you were.”

“I can take care—“

“Of yourself, yes, you’ve told me that repeatedly, thank you for dismissing my concerns.”

His eyes jerked up to meet hers, some of the defensiveness back. “I’m not dismissing your worries, Ruby. I wouldn’t.”

She raised her eyebrows once more.

He gazed back at her, then sighed. “Not intentionally. Which, I realize, doesn’t make it better. I’m sorry.”

She turned her hand over, lacing her fingers with his left hand. “I’ll spare you the rest of my lecture on the idiocy of entrapment. I trust Ephraim covered most of it anyway.”

“Aye.” Elias suddenly looked bone-weary, and Ruby gave his hand a quick squeeze before standing up.

“Then c’mon, let’s go home. I’ll quiz you about police procedure once we’ve gone to bed.” She grinned as he suddenly smiled up at her, standing to take her hand before they headed for the door.

#elias and ruby #fanfic #thingsverse #elias mccoy #ruby quarles

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