song_tra_bong | (no subject)

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Mary Anne is pretty sure she's found the right world. That knowledge isn't as comforting as she'd thought it would be.

The trail leads her to a hotel, where she almost drops the ball. The description of the man sounds like Ramon, but the presence of two kids throw her. She almost lets it go.

Almost.

But then she figures the guy could be mistaken, or maybe it's part of Ramon's cover, or maybe...

She follows the lead.

Ramon (she's assuming it's Ramon) did a good job of covering his tracks. But there are still things to point the way: someone cleaned the cabin, stocked it with food. Even false names on rental paperwork are names, and they're names she's seen before.

(Spain, France, Switzerland)

She doesn't think she's assuming any more.

She rents a motorcycle, an offroad number with chunky tires and an engine that growls like a bear. She rides it most of the way up the mountain, before parking it and hiding it off the side of the road. She continues the rest of the distance on foot.

There's a gun in the small of her back, money and ammo in the bag at her hip; knives in all the usual places. She thinks she's right, but it's important to be prepared.

She steps up onto the porch, careful not to let the boards creak, then knocks on the door.

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"Didn't know you had a daughter," she says, taking another sip.

Then, with a bit of a smirk. "And I doubt you need me around to make you feel that way."

'Yeah, one.'

He has a drink and smirks back.

'Difference between me and other men is that I can still get the young girls.'

Its not like he's going to waste all that leching for nothing.

She laughs again.

"No doubt, người yêu. No doubt."

'Now you sound like you're humouring me.'

He feigns offense for about a second, then drops it.

'Are you going to stay a few days? Seems stupid to have spent all this time looking for me and just stay a few hours.'

"Humor you? Never."

She nods. "I'll stick around as long as I'm not bugging you."

Ramon gives her a strange look.

'Why would you be bugging me?'

She hasn't bugged him in a long time. Well, not in the way she means anyway. He laughs.

'Besides, you can cook. The boys are useless at it.'

"Dude, you're living on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. Anybody could be bugging you."

She bites back laughter of her own. "Ah, the truth comes out. You're keeping me around so you don't starve."

'Not living,' he corrects, easily. 'Its not permanent, just business.'

He nods.

'Well, of course. Why, did you think I had dishonourable intentions?'
Fuck yeah, I really think I do

Business that involves his sons? She's not touching that yet.

"Never,
do I hope you do?
I just know you're gonna make sure you're taken care of."

'I'm not stupid.'

In this case, he's actually thinking more of the boys - he hasn't been eating much for a while but he knows they'll complain like motherfuckers if they don't get fed regularly. He looks out of the window.
Of course you do. You wouldn't be here otherwise.
'They'll be back soon, it gets dark pretty quickly up here. Unless they're trying to make a run for it. Get yourself something if you like, sounds like you've had quite a trip.'

"I'll make something in a minute; 'm gonna enjoy being a lazy bum for a bit longer," she replies.

After a sip of coffee, she wonders, "Your boys know how to hotwire?"

He snorts.

'I doubt it. Can't imagine they get lessons on that at their school and I've never taught them. Hector might have I guess - why?'

"Got a bike parked about halfway down, just off the trail," she explains.

"I got the keys, but..." She shrugs. "Figured I'd ask."

'They couldn't find their asses with both hands and a map.'

He has another drink and thinks about it.

'Fuck 'em. If they find it and know what to do with it, they'll get lost once it gets dark anyway. Not a problem.'

Mary Anne debates making a parenting joke, decides against it.

"How long you been up here?"

Wise choice.

'Couple of weeks. They're slow work. We can go and get your bike if you want and bring it up. Save you having to walk back down later.'

Besides, he doesn't wnat to be sitting around in here. He gets restless.

They--the boys are the business.

"Sure."

She tosses back the last of her whiskey-coffee and stands up.

It wouldn't occur to him that that wasn't obvious - would anyone really believe he was up here with them just because he wanted to spend time with them? Surely not.

He takes another shot of whiskey for the road, grabs his keys and heads out to his SUV. One side of the vehicle is scratched all to hell. There's a coat on the passenger seat and he hands it to her.

'Here. It'll be pretty cold soon.'

She adds the car to to her mental list of things not to ask about.

"Thanks," she says, slipping the coat on and hopping into the passenger seat. The sleeves are long enough on her to cover her hands, but it's comfortable.

He nods once and guns the engine, pulling off fast enough to make the wheels spin. Another thing she probably doesn't want to consider is how much he's drank today.

'Yell if you see them. How far down's your bike?'

At least he can't kill her, right?

"Not too far, rode it more than halfway up. Pulled it just off the road on the right hand side--left, for us."

'OK.'

He stays quiet then because its occurred to him that he just asked her to stay for a few days. And in all the years he's known her, he can't think of one time when they've spent a night under the same roof together before. Not that it means anything, of course, it's just...something he's thinking about.

And then he's smirking because after a minute or two of driving at breakneck speed down the very steep hill, he can see two figures running up it. Dusk has come on rapidly and it's a bit more than chilly when he slows up and rolls the window down.

'If you don't get in before we get back, forget about dinner.'

The window rolls back up and he turns up the heating a notch.

'Exercise'll do them good,' he tells Mary Anne.

"Hunger's a good motivator," she says, tone light and neutral.

She squints down the hill, then points at a smudge of color just off the road.. "Slow down a bit, think that's it over there."

He swings the car over to the left and stops.

'Race you back up.'

She grins, bright and fierce in the failing light.

"You're on. Race starts when my engine does."

Not that she's expecting him to hold to that, but she figures it can't hurt to try. She's out of the car before he can protest, door slamming shut behind her and vanishes into the brush.