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intheheartTitle: Please
Rating: PG.
Summary: Zack and Felipe ask Summer to marry them.
AU: Regency
Notes: Memefill for SWL, who asked for "Join Me- Summer and the boys."
Miss Summer looked back and forth between them, her big eyes round with surprise, her mouth open a little. "You are..." she began, and stopped. "The two of you?"
"Yes," Felipe responded, because Zack's tongue was frozen in his mouth. Did they misjudge her? Her sister was like them, after all, but that meant nothing—perhaps Miss Kendall said nothing to Miss Summer of her preferences. It would have been wise of her not to, if she wasn't sure. "We are."
She lowered her eyes, looked down at her hands in her lap. "For how long?"
Felipe glanced at Zack, who was still frozen, and evidently decided that he'd be doing the talking for the moment. "Years," he said.
It had been eight years, to be precise, since they first met on the Peninsula. Miss Summer would still have been in the schoolroom, a girl of barely twelve. They were hardly more than children themselves, nineteen and twenty-one, boys playing at war.
They learned better, and far too fast. If Zack had his way, Miss Summer would never learn better.
It was that thought that let him find his tongue at last. "We wanted you to know that," he said, as steadily as he can, "before I offered for you formally. We didn't want this to... to start in lies."
When she looked at him then, her eyes were even wider than they were before, and there was a little flinch of hurt at the corner of her mouth. "Why would you do that?"
Zack exchanged a startled look with Felipe. "It... it isn't fair," he said, at last. And it wasn't fair, or wouldn't be fair, to marry her and let her go on thinking—besides, that wasn't what they wanted from her.
He was starting to think they wouldn't get any of what they wanted, because she looked as if she'd been gut-shot, hurt in her eyes and the corners of her mouth and trembling on her eyelashes. "You shouldn't do that," she said, and sweet Lord, were those tears? "You shouldn't... it's cruel."
"It's cruel to tell the truth?" he exclaimed, lost. Beside him, Felipe stiffened. "It's cruel to—"
"I thought you loved me," she whispered, lowering her gaze to her lap. "I thought you both—I thought you loved me."
Oh.
"Oh," Felipe echoed, and then he reached out to her, and drew back only a little when she flinched away. "Miss Summer, we do love you. That's the whole point."
She lifted her chin, and if the hurt was still shimmering in her eyes her cheeks were blazing red. "I will not be your hiding place," she said. "I will not. I understand that you need one, but I will not be used that way."
"My dear," Felipe started, but there was exasperation in his tone and Zack stepped on his foot. It wasn't that Felipe couldn't be charming when he put his mind to it—look at his treatment of Miss Summer, the past few months—but when he thought someone was balking for no reason he could go up in the boughs a bit, and Zack thought Miss Summer might be close to tears.
So he got a speaking look from Felipe, but he could handle that, and Miss Summer did not cry, only looked at them both with that deep hurt in her eyes.
That would not do at all.
"Miss Summer," he began, trying not to wring his hands in his lap. "I think there has been a misunderstanding. We don't want you as... as a foil, or a cover. We just... we want you."
"You don’t," she said, flatly. "No one does."
Ah. And that would be the problem. Felipe understood now, too, and he looked horrified.
At least he could begin to address it, now that he knew. "We don't need to hide," Zack said. He wanted to lean forward and put a hand on hers, but he judged it not yet time "If either of chooses never to marry—it's odder in me, of course, but my sister has a son, and he is my heir. I don't necessarily need another one. Felipe..." He hesitated, not sure how much he could tell, but Felipe broke in.
"I have no home," he said, baldly. "I was born in Portugal, but my family wants no more of me. It's only natural that an old friend from the war would give me a place to live. No one suspects anything of us, Miss Summer. We don't need to hide."
Her cheeks were very red now. "I don't understand. Why..."
Felipe was better at words of love, so Zack let him take the lead. "Because you are beautiful. Because you are kind, and generous with your time and your heart. Because you are..." He stopped, then muttered something in Portuguese that Zack didn't quite catch. "Because you are."
She shook her head, and closed those lovely eyes for a moment. "I'm strange," she says, quietly. "Even my family says it. I am strange and not very pretty and no one... no one ever said these things before."
"They should have," Zack said, quiet but fervent. "They should have said that every day of your life. You are..." He stopped, lost for words.
"We do not want you as a hiding place, or—or anything like that," Felipe added. "We want you as a wife. This is an invitation, Miss Summer, nothing more, and one we hope—very much that you will accept."
She looked at her lap still, but her cheeks had cooled from that hectic, fevered red. "I will... think on it," she answered, at last, and her voice sounded a little strange—thick, perhaps. "Please, will you give me until tomorrow?"
"Of course," Felipe said, and he rose immediately, went out of the room. Zack rose with him, but lingered, just a moment.
"Miss Summer," he said, quietly. "I think we would give you anything you asked."
She did not look up, but he knew she heard.
Rating: PG.
Summary: Zack and Felipe ask Summer to marry them.
AU: Regency
Notes: Memefill for SWL, who asked for "Join Me- Summer and the boys."
Miss Summer looked back and forth between them, her big eyes round with surprise, her mouth open a little. "You are..." she began, and stopped. "The two of you?"
"Yes," Felipe responded, because Zack's tongue was frozen in his mouth. Did they misjudge her? Her sister was like them, after all, but that meant nothing—perhaps Miss Kendall said nothing to Miss Summer of her preferences. It would have been wise of her not to, if she wasn't sure. "We are."
She lowered her eyes, looked down at her hands in her lap. "For how long?"
Felipe glanced at Zack, who was still frozen, and evidently decided that he'd be doing the talking for the moment. "Years," he said.
It had been eight years, to be precise, since they first met on the Peninsula. Miss Summer would still have been in the schoolroom, a girl of barely twelve. They were hardly more than children themselves, nineteen and twenty-one, boys playing at war.
They learned better, and far too fast. If Zack had his way, Miss Summer would never learn better.
It was that thought that let him find his tongue at last. "We wanted you to know that," he said, as steadily as he can, "before I offered for you formally. We didn't want this to... to start in lies."
When she looked at him then, her eyes were even wider than they were before, and there was a little flinch of hurt at the corner of her mouth. "Why would you do that?"
Zack exchanged a startled look with Felipe. "It... it isn't fair," he said, at last. And it wasn't fair, or wouldn't be fair, to marry her and let her go on thinking—besides, that wasn't what they wanted from her.
He was starting to think they wouldn't get any of what they wanted, because she looked as if she'd been gut-shot, hurt in her eyes and the corners of her mouth and trembling on her eyelashes. "You shouldn't do that," she said, and sweet Lord, were those tears? "You shouldn't... it's cruel."
"It's cruel to tell the truth?" he exclaimed, lost. Beside him, Felipe stiffened. "It's cruel to—"
"I thought you loved me," she whispered, lowering her gaze to her lap. "I thought you both—I thought you loved me."
Oh.
"Oh," Felipe echoed, and then he reached out to her, and drew back only a little when she flinched away. "Miss Summer, we do love you. That's the whole point."
She lifted her chin, and if the hurt was still shimmering in her eyes her cheeks were blazing red. "I will not be your hiding place," she said. "I will not. I understand that you need one, but I will not be used that way."
"My dear," Felipe started, but there was exasperation in his tone and Zack stepped on his foot. It wasn't that Felipe couldn't be charming when he put his mind to it—look at his treatment of Miss Summer, the past few months—but when he thought someone was balking for no reason he could go up in the boughs a bit, and Zack thought Miss Summer might be close to tears.
So he got a speaking look from Felipe, but he could handle that, and Miss Summer did not cry, only looked at them both with that deep hurt in her eyes.
That would not do at all.
"Miss Summer," he began, trying not to wring his hands in his lap. "I think there has been a misunderstanding. We don't want you as... as a foil, or a cover. We just... we want you."
"You don’t," she said, flatly. "No one does."
Ah. And that would be the problem. Felipe understood now, too, and he looked horrified.
At least he could begin to address it, now that he knew. "We don't need to hide," Zack said. He wanted to lean forward and put a hand on hers, but he judged it not yet time "If either of chooses never to marry—it's odder in me, of course, but my sister has a son, and he is my heir. I don't necessarily need another one. Felipe..." He hesitated, not sure how much he could tell, but Felipe broke in.
"I have no home," he said, baldly. "I was born in Portugal, but my family wants no more of me. It's only natural that an old friend from the war would give me a place to live. No one suspects anything of us, Miss Summer. We don't need to hide."
Her cheeks were very red now. "I don't understand. Why..."
Felipe was better at words of love, so Zack let him take the lead. "Because you are beautiful. Because you are kind, and generous with your time and your heart. Because you are..." He stopped, then muttered something in Portuguese that Zack didn't quite catch. "Because you are."
She shook her head, and closed those lovely eyes for a moment. "I'm strange," she says, quietly. "Even my family says it. I am strange and not very pretty and no one... no one ever said these things before."
"They should have," Zack said, quiet but fervent. "They should have said that every day of your life. You are..." He stopped, lost for words.
"We do not want you as a hiding place, or—or anything like that," Felipe added. "We want you as a wife. This is an invitation, Miss Summer, nothing more, and one we hope—very much that you will accept."
She looked at her lap still, but her cheeks had cooled from that hectic, fevered red. "I will... think on it," she answered, at last, and her voice sounded a little strange—thick, perhaps. "Please, will you give me until tomorrow?"
"Of course," Felipe said, and he rose immediately, went out of the room. Zack rose with him, but lingered, just a moment.
"Miss Summer," he said, quietly. "I think we would give you anything you asked."
She did not look up, but he knew she heard.
