Post by Jack Trove on Dec 27, 2007 17:52:16 GMT
Christmas Eve, 5.30 p.m.
It'd taken a hell of a long time to finally get there, but now, in the cool damp darkness of Christmas Eve, Jack was back in London.
As the long, black limo pulled up smoothly outside the underground, Jack watched it almost shyly, his bag held loosely in his hand. Suddenly, his grubby T-shirt and mis-matched tracksuit felt like a criminal offense. That car stank of quality- stank of money and stank of the pompous flashiness that came as a package deal with his Dad. As Jack stepped up the steps, and back into the bustling London street; he couldn’t have felt more out of place.
That is, until the door swung open; and Mal’s voice called out to him.
“Hey, little brother, are you getting in or not?”
Jack felt a wave of relief- something like the best bloody adrenaline rush he’d had in a long time- and followed that familiar voice into the comfortable warmth of the limo.
This one was new- and unfamiliar. The old driver in the front seat smiled at him awkwardly as Jack slid in; his old liver-spotted hands rigidly glued to the wheel. The seats were a creamy colour; set out in an oval pattern, and then, at the very back, there was another row of seats, just behind it.
In it, a young girl of maybe 18 or so was snoring lightly; her dark curls falling over her face. She lay awkwardly; legs exposed and a sneaky black bra strap sliding down her shoulder. She was sprawled across the seat, looking completely and totally zoned out. A telltale bottle of scotch was clutched in her hand. Jack’s eyes were drawn to her; and train tracks her drying mascara made down her cheeks. Mal sat, quite comfortably, in the seat just in front of her, and he grinned toothily at Jack as he got up and moved around the oval area to join him.
“Little brother.”
“Hi, Mal,” Jack said awkwardly, still staring at the girl.
Mal grinned. “God almighty he still calls me that! D’you hear this, Ken?”
Mechanically, the old man in the front seat gave a low, dry chuckle. “Yes, Master Trove. Very good, sir.”
“Brilliant,” Mal said, and reaching forward, tugged Jack's bag loose and tossed it backwards at the girl. It hit her with a dull thud, but she merely groaned, and rolled over so that her back was to them.
Jack now looked at his brother, taking in his appearance. Mal looked… well, like Mal, he supposed. He still had that rugby physique. He still had those same blue eyes- even if they did seem unusually bright, and bloodshot. Light stubble was now beginning to creep forward, and although Mal’s hair was currently a mess, Jack could see it had been cut, and was looking miles better than it had before. And the clothes! A charcoal grey suit- complimented by a matching tie, although it had had been pulled loose. The top button was out, and Mal gave it a quick tug as he turned and he grinned at Jack.
“Alright, then, Ken, on you go.”
The limo started up, and with a smooth purr of the engine, it pulled out of its space, and began to move along through London. Jack smiled at the familiar landscape through the windows, happy to find himself in his brother's company. Merry Christmas? This was all he needed!
“Now, then,” Mal twisted in his seat, stretching as he did so. “Jacky boy- little brother! What d’you think of the girl?”
Jack blinked, taken aback. “Err…”
Mal chuckled. “Her- back there- the bloody sleeping beauty.”
What? “Oh!” Jack looked at her as she rolled over once more, scratching her nose. “She’s… well she’s…”
“A proper little English girl I disagree,” laughed Mal. “Vanessa- I think. She’s brilliant, isn’t she? Good legs- see ‘em? Are you looking, Jack?”
“Yeah, sure…” Jack glanced at them; long, lean and sprawled.
Mal nudged him. “Bit skinny, like. All girls are these days, thanks to the media. But she does the job. Works hard, ya’ know?” He cackled again- an unearthly, unfamiliar noise- digging his elbow in a little harder this time as he nudged him. “You catch my drift, little bro?”
“Oh,” Jack laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, um… wow. Lucky you.”
“Lucky her, you mean,” winked Mal, sighing, and leaning back. “So… what about you? Got anything good goin’ down?”
“Oh, yeah,” Jack sat up properly now too, grinning at him. “Her name’s Olivia; she’s got great legs too- red hair-”
Mal cackled again. “Ooh, hoo hoo- a red head? Fiery- got claws?”
“Er… yeah,” said Jack slowly, trying to settle into this strange way of talking to Mal. He forced his muscles to obey him- smiling toothily and falsely. “Oh, yeah, she's a real package deal- those hands go everywhere along with the legs-”
“Done her yet?”
Jack stopped, stunned. “What?”
Mal giggled delightedly now, reminiscent of a hyena. “You done her yet? You hearing this, Kenny boy?”
The dry chuckle came automatically. “Yes, sir. Very good, Master Trove.”
“Like… sex?”
“What the bloody hell else?” Mal grinned. “What else would you be going out with her for…?”
Jack shook himself slightly. Yeah- what the bloody hell else would he be going out with her for?! He sat up straighter again, like there was a pole holding him in place. “Any day now.”
“Nice,” Mal clapped him on the shoulder, then, pausing suddenly, he cocked his head. “She your first?”
Jack felt his heart sink slightly, but he snorted instead. “Yeah, right. I’m just about as holy as the Virgin Mary.”
Mal actually hooted this time- his laughter high-pitched and wobbly. And scary. Unnatural. Michael Jackson worthy. Jack felt unnerved, leaning back from his brother slightly. “Brilliant, little brother! Anyone else you got going?”
“Er… sure,” Jack grinned; trying to match his brother’s crooked smile, and flicking wildly through all the other girls he knew. “Nice little number- another redhead- Will-”
“Someone’s a sucker for gingers,” Mal laughed.
“Yeah,” Jack’s grin felt unsteady. “Yeah. I really am a sucker, alright.”
Mal sighed, recovering from his hysterical laughing fit, and relaxed now. “Man, I’ve been up all night. Vanessa here hardly let me sleep. But I wouldn’t have anyway. Had a bit of a smoke of the good stuff- not nicotine- you know," he chuckled, the elbow driving still harder into Jack's ribs. "Still recovering. Got some more though. Want some?”
“Maybe, later…” Jack said slowly, his eyes watching Mal’s fidgeting fingers warily. “Er… so how’s the folks?”
“Mum’s annoying, and Dad’s great,” Mal said, sitting up now and tugging his tie forward and shaking it at Jack. “Well what’s this, then? Go on, you can ask!”
“A tie?”
“A tie, he says!” Mal laughed again, “Oh, Kenny, if you was back here…”
“Wonderful, sir.”
“You got a fancy suit, then,” Jack sighed. “Well, how come?”
Mal’s smile faded, replaced by a sly wink. “Dad’s helped me get myself a job, and get myself a leg up in life…”
“But…” Jack said slowly, studying him hard. “But I thought you always swore you didn’t want anything to do with Dad’s business? I thought you said you didn’t want to work with the Trove banking network? You were gonna’ play for England!”
“Kid’s dreams, little brother, all kid’s dreams,” Mal smiled. “And money talks. How else d’you think I got that... er... lovely little lady back there?”
“Your good looks and charm?”
Mal took him seriously on that one. “Nah, little brother, you've got a lot to learn. Girls are vain. Vain and vapid- our mum’s a prime example of it. Money talks, little bro.”
“Can’t you just call me Jack like you usually do?”
“You got a problem?”
Something in Mal’s light tone felt ominous, and Jack shrank back from it, and submitted. “No.”
“That’s my little bro,” Mal said softly. “Know how much I’m getting paid then?”
“Go on.”
“Thirty grand a year,” Mal’s voice was just a scratchy whisper now. “Thirty grand for God’s sake! And me- only 20! I’m on my way up, little bro- with nothing more than a word from Dad and I’ve made it!”
“Ain’t you going to college like you said you would? You said you’d get a scholarship-”
“You don’t need no stinking scholarship with Sir Daniel Trove backing you!” Mal said incredulously, staring at Jack as though he was insane. “You’ve got the same deal coming up too you know, so don’t waste your time worrying about university and the like. Dad’s got us sorted.”
“Yeah?” frowned Jack. “I wanna be independent of Dad.”
“Oh, holy Jesus,” cackled Mal. “Kenny! Kenny, are you listening to this?”
“The young master is quite imaginative, sir.”
“Still chock full of them kid’s dreams,” smiled Mal, patronizingly, patting Jack’s arm. “Don’t you worry about it, Jacky boy. Dad’s gonna sort us out. When you’re older, you’ll understand.”
Jack grumbled, but his groan was drowned out by the girl in the back seat, Vanessa. She rolled over once more, crossing and uncrossing her legs as she scratched at her skirt, and the top half of her slid slowly to the ground of the car.
“Maybe I should fix up the girl…” Mal said thoughtfully, watching her.
Jack ignored Vanessa as best he could, trying to think of another, better topic. “You gonna play rugby with me when we get home, Mal?”
“Maybe,” Mal said lightly, looking back at him. “Yeah, why not? Maybe later, though. I’ve got to sort out Vanessa and send her back home before Danielle arrives…”
Jack gulped. “You’re cheating…?”
“We’re hardly serious, little bro,” Mal said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed Jack. “C’mon! What’s the matter with you? You’re so edgy… not like you used to be.”
“What was I like, then?”
“I don’t know!” exploded Mal, looking really angry for a moment. “You’re just not!”
“If I might interrupt, sir-”
“Shut up, Ken.”
“Indeed.”
“No, continue, Ken,” Jack snarled, leaning forward.
The old man seemed a bit put off by Jack’s growl; shrinking back from his young master like he was a wild animal. “Er… of course, sir. Your home is just a couple of blocks away now- we’re just reaching the countryside now.”
“Thanks,” Jack said roughly, leaning back again and looking at Mal, who was watching him stonily.
“How’s that school treating you, then?”
“Good,” Jack said gruffly. “S’all good.”
“You Head, yet?”
“What?” Jack jumped. “No! Madeleine’s Head of the Warriors.”
“Oh, god, a woman!” laughed Mal. “Great. How’d you let her get in power?”
“She’s a really good Head,” Jack said slowly. “Really, really good. I’ve a hell of a lot of respect for her.”
Mal stared at him incredulously. “Madeleine. Madeleine who? Do I know her?”
“Madeleine Baudelaire.”
Something strange passed over Mal’s face; and for a second, he looked just as grey as his suit. “Well, alright then, Jack. If you say she’s good, then I’m sure she’s good.”
Jack felt himself relax a little. “You called me Jack.”
“That’s your name, isn’t it?”
Jack smiled now, properly. “Have you been following the rugby this year? Ireland was a disappointment, wasn’t it, especially after how they’ve been other years?”
“Don’t complain,” laughed Mal. “Less competition for us. Mind, we were pretty wick.”
“We’re England.”
“Good, God you’re right- I should’ve joined.”
“You would’ve been amazing,” Jack said softly. And he meant that.
Mal tilted his head, smiling at him with a familiar affection. “Thanks, little brother.”
Little brother… Jack’s smile faded slightly. Where’d this new, patronizing name came from, anyway?
Where’d this new, patronizing Mal come from?
“I’m glad to have you home, little brother,” Mal said unexpectedly, as they turned the corner into the Trove estate. “Really. I missed you.”
Jack pressed his lips together. “Yeah, Mal. I missed you too.”
It'd taken a hell of a long time to finally get there, but now, in the cool damp darkness of Christmas Eve, Jack was back in London.
As the long, black limo pulled up smoothly outside the underground, Jack watched it almost shyly, his bag held loosely in his hand. Suddenly, his grubby T-shirt and mis-matched tracksuit felt like a criminal offense. That car stank of quality- stank of money and stank of the pompous flashiness that came as a package deal with his Dad. As Jack stepped up the steps, and back into the bustling London street; he couldn’t have felt more out of place.
That is, until the door swung open; and Mal’s voice called out to him.
“Hey, little brother, are you getting in or not?”
Jack felt a wave of relief- something like the best bloody adrenaline rush he’d had in a long time- and followed that familiar voice into the comfortable warmth of the limo.
This one was new- and unfamiliar. The old driver in the front seat smiled at him awkwardly as Jack slid in; his old liver-spotted hands rigidly glued to the wheel. The seats were a creamy colour; set out in an oval pattern, and then, at the very back, there was another row of seats, just behind it.
In it, a young girl of maybe 18 or so was snoring lightly; her dark curls falling over her face. She lay awkwardly; legs exposed and a sneaky black bra strap sliding down her shoulder. She was sprawled across the seat, looking completely and totally zoned out. A telltale bottle of scotch was clutched in her hand. Jack’s eyes were drawn to her; and train tracks her drying mascara made down her cheeks. Mal sat, quite comfortably, in the seat just in front of her, and he grinned toothily at Jack as he got up and moved around the oval area to join him.
“Little brother.”
“Hi, Mal,” Jack said awkwardly, still staring at the girl.
Mal grinned. “God almighty he still calls me that! D’you hear this, Ken?”
Mechanically, the old man in the front seat gave a low, dry chuckle. “Yes, Master Trove. Very good, sir.”
“Brilliant,” Mal said, and reaching forward, tugged Jack's bag loose and tossed it backwards at the girl. It hit her with a dull thud, but she merely groaned, and rolled over so that her back was to them.
Jack now looked at his brother, taking in his appearance. Mal looked… well, like Mal, he supposed. He still had that rugby physique. He still had those same blue eyes- even if they did seem unusually bright, and bloodshot. Light stubble was now beginning to creep forward, and although Mal’s hair was currently a mess, Jack could see it had been cut, and was looking miles better than it had before. And the clothes! A charcoal grey suit- complimented by a matching tie, although it had had been pulled loose. The top button was out, and Mal gave it a quick tug as he turned and he grinned at Jack.
“Alright, then, Ken, on you go.”
The limo started up, and with a smooth purr of the engine, it pulled out of its space, and began to move along through London. Jack smiled at the familiar landscape through the windows, happy to find himself in his brother's company. Merry Christmas? This was all he needed!
“Now, then,” Mal twisted in his seat, stretching as he did so. “Jacky boy- little brother! What d’you think of the girl?”
Jack blinked, taken aback. “Err…”
Mal chuckled. “Her- back there- the bloody sleeping beauty.”
What? “Oh!” Jack looked at her as she rolled over once more, scratching her nose. “She’s… well she’s…”
“A proper little English girl I disagree,” laughed Mal. “Vanessa- I think. She’s brilliant, isn’t she? Good legs- see ‘em? Are you looking, Jack?”
“Yeah, sure…” Jack glanced at them; long, lean and sprawled.
Mal nudged him. “Bit skinny, like. All girls are these days, thanks to the media. But she does the job. Works hard, ya’ know?” He cackled again- an unearthly, unfamiliar noise- digging his elbow in a little harder this time as he nudged him. “You catch my drift, little bro?”
“Oh,” Jack laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, um… wow. Lucky you.”
“Lucky her, you mean,” winked Mal, sighing, and leaning back. “So… what about you? Got anything good goin’ down?”
“Oh, yeah,” Jack sat up properly now too, grinning at him. “Her name’s Olivia; she’s got great legs too- red hair-”
Mal cackled again. “Ooh, hoo hoo- a red head? Fiery- got claws?”
“Er… yeah,” said Jack slowly, trying to settle into this strange way of talking to Mal. He forced his muscles to obey him- smiling toothily and falsely. “Oh, yeah, she's a real package deal- those hands go everywhere along with the legs-”
“Done her yet?”
Jack stopped, stunned. “What?”
Mal giggled delightedly now, reminiscent of a hyena. “You done her yet? You hearing this, Kenny boy?”
The dry chuckle came automatically. “Yes, sir. Very good, Master Trove.”
“Like… sex?”
“What the bloody hell else?” Mal grinned. “What else would you be going out with her for…?”
Jack shook himself slightly. Yeah- what the bloody hell else would he be going out with her for?! He sat up straighter again, like there was a pole holding him in place. “Any day now.”
“Nice,” Mal clapped him on the shoulder, then, pausing suddenly, he cocked his head. “She your first?”
Jack felt his heart sink slightly, but he snorted instead. “Yeah, right. I’m just about as holy as the Virgin Mary.”
Mal actually hooted this time- his laughter high-pitched and wobbly. And scary. Unnatural. Michael Jackson worthy. Jack felt unnerved, leaning back from his brother slightly. “Brilliant, little brother! Anyone else you got going?”
“Er… sure,” Jack grinned; trying to match his brother’s crooked smile, and flicking wildly through all the other girls he knew. “Nice little number- another redhead- Will-”
“Someone’s a sucker for gingers,” Mal laughed.
“Yeah,” Jack’s grin felt unsteady. “Yeah. I really am a sucker, alright.”
Mal sighed, recovering from his hysterical laughing fit, and relaxed now. “Man, I’ve been up all night. Vanessa here hardly let me sleep. But I wouldn’t have anyway. Had a bit of a smoke of the good stuff- not nicotine- you know," he chuckled, the elbow driving still harder into Jack's ribs. "Still recovering. Got some more though. Want some?”
“Maybe, later…” Jack said slowly, his eyes watching Mal’s fidgeting fingers warily. “Er… so how’s the folks?”
“Mum’s annoying, and Dad’s great,” Mal said, sitting up now and tugging his tie forward and shaking it at Jack. “Well what’s this, then? Go on, you can ask!”
“A tie?”
“A tie, he says!” Mal laughed again, “Oh, Kenny, if you was back here…”
“Wonderful, sir.”
“You got a fancy suit, then,” Jack sighed. “Well, how come?”
Mal’s smile faded, replaced by a sly wink. “Dad’s helped me get myself a job, and get myself a leg up in life…”
“But…” Jack said slowly, studying him hard. “But I thought you always swore you didn’t want anything to do with Dad’s business? I thought you said you didn’t want to work with the Trove banking network? You were gonna’ play for England!”
“Kid’s dreams, little brother, all kid’s dreams,” Mal smiled. “And money talks. How else d’you think I got that... er... lovely little lady back there?”
“Your good looks and charm?”
Mal took him seriously on that one. “Nah, little brother, you've got a lot to learn. Girls are vain. Vain and vapid- our mum’s a prime example of it. Money talks, little bro.”
“Can’t you just call me Jack like you usually do?”
“You got a problem?”
Something in Mal’s light tone felt ominous, and Jack shrank back from it, and submitted. “No.”
“That’s my little bro,” Mal said softly. “Know how much I’m getting paid then?”
“Go on.”
“Thirty grand a year,” Mal’s voice was just a scratchy whisper now. “Thirty grand for God’s sake! And me- only 20! I’m on my way up, little bro- with nothing more than a word from Dad and I’ve made it!”
“Ain’t you going to college like you said you would? You said you’d get a scholarship-”
“You don’t need no stinking scholarship with Sir Daniel Trove backing you!” Mal said incredulously, staring at Jack as though he was insane. “You’ve got the same deal coming up too you know, so don’t waste your time worrying about university and the like. Dad’s got us sorted.”
“Yeah?” frowned Jack. “I wanna be independent of Dad.”
“Oh, holy Jesus,” cackled Mal. “Kenny! Kenny, are you listening to this?”
“The young master is quite imaginative, sir.”
“Still chock full of them kid’s dreams,” smiled Mal, patronizingly, patting Jack’s arm. “Don’t you worry about it, Jacky boy. Dad’s gonna sort us out. When you’re older, you’ll understand.”
Jack grumbled, but his groan was drowned out by the girl in the back seat, Vanessa. She rolled over once more, crossing and uncrossing her legs as she scratched at her skirt, and the top half of her slid slowly to the ground of the car.
“Maybe I should fix up the girl…” Mal said thoughtfully, watching her.
Jack ignored Vanessa as best he could, trying to think of another, better topic. “You gonna play rugby with me when we get home, Mal?”
“Maybe,” Mal said lightly, looking back at him. “Yeah, why not? Maybe later, though. I’ve got to sort out Vanessa and send her back home before Danielle arrives…”
Jack gulped. “You’re cheating…?”
“We’re hardly serious, little bro,” Mal said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed Jack. “C’mon! What’s the matter with you? You’re so edgy… not like you used to be.”
“What was I like, then?”
“I don’t know!” exploded Mal, looking really angry for a moment. “You’re just not!”
“If I might interrupt, sir-”
“Shut up, Ken.”
“Indeed.”
“No, continue, Ken,” Jack snarled, leaning forward.
The old man seemed a bit put off by Jack’s growl; shrinking back from his young master like he was a wild animal. “Er… of course, sir. Your home is just a couple of blocks away now- we’re just reaching the countryside now.”
“Thanks,” Jack said roughly, leaning back again and looking at Mal, who was watching him stonily.
“How’s that school treating you, then?”
“Good,” Jack said gruffly. “S’all good.”
“You Head, yet?”
“What?” Jack jumped. “No! Madeleine’s Head of the Warriors.”
“Oh, god, a woman!” laughed Mal. “Great. How’d you let her get in power?”
“She’s a really good Head,” Jack said slowly. “Really, really good. I’ve a hell of a lot of respect for her.”
Mal stared at him incredulously. “Madeleine. Madeleine who? Do I know her?”
“Madeleine Baudelaire.”
Something strange passed over Mal’s face; and for a second, he looked just as grey as his suit. “Well, alright then, Jack. If you say she’s good, then I’m sure she’s good.”
Jack felt himself relax a little. “You called me Jack.”
“That’s your name, isn’t it?”
Jack smiled now, properly. “Have you been following the rugby this year? Ireland was a disappointment, wasn’t it, especially after how they’ve been other years?”
“Don’t complain,” laughed Mal. “Less competition for us. Mind, we were pretty wick.”
“We’re England.”
“Good, God you’re right- I should’ve joined.”
“You would’ve been amazing,” Jack said softly. And he meant that.
Mal tilted his head, smiling at him with a familiar affection. “Thanks, little brother.”
Little brother… Jack’s smile faded slightly. Where’d this new, patronizing name came from, anyway?
Where’d this new, patronizing Mal come from?
“I’m glad to have you home, little brother,” Mal said unexpectedly, as they turned the corner into the Trove estate. “Really. I missed you.”
Jack pressed his lips together. “Yeah, Mal. I missed you too.”
