I've Been Meaning To Put This Up
May. 17th, 2010 10:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickBetter do it now before I forget/run out of time again. Okay folks, it's Anna-Lived Miniverse time!
The AL Miniverse:
The First Act: Falling For You
The Second Act: Dress You Up
The Third Act: Ballroom Blitz
The Fourth Act: It's A Love Story
The Fifth Act: Crazy For You
The Sixth Act:
24. Bonfire – Pyromania
It was Susan who first noticed the disturbance. “Does anyone else hear that?” she asked, setting down her cup of tea.
The rest of the company frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t, Mrs. Liddell,” Victor admitted, putting down his own cup.
“Where’s it coming from, Susan?” Charles asked, glancing about.
“I think the front yard – listen.”
Everyone strained their ears. Sure enough, now they could hear, if faintly, the sounds of whooping and hollering, backed by a soft crackling. Charles shook his head with a scowl. “I think those hooligans from the university are back. If they’ve caused any damage to the house--”
The butler, Raymond, rushed in then. “Sir, I hate to interrupt your tea, but this is urgent,” he apologized hurriedly. “A group of boys have built a bonfire in the front garden!”
“What?!” Charles sprang to his feet and rushed to the front door. After a moment, the others followed.
A loud whoop greeted them as they made it to the front garden. A band of four boys were dancing around a large, crackling bonfire, cheering and throwing bits of scrap wood on it. Victor recognized one of them as Gordon Tannen, one of the usual troublemakers around Oxford. Of course, he thought, disgusted. Only he’d think of building a bonfire in some unsuspecting person’s yard.
“What’s all this about?” Charles demanded, glaring at the boys.
“Just celebrating Oxford’s latest rugby win, sir!” one called cheekily.
“In my front garden? This is the height of rudeness, you know!”
“You’ll ruin my flowers!” Susan added, glancing towards the beds with a fearful look.
“PUT IT OUT!”
Victor jumped, nearly scared out of his skin. Alice rushed past him, eyes wide with anger and horror. “Put it out!” she repeated, waving her arms wildly. “You can’t do this near a house! Someone might get hurt!”
The boys laughed derisively. “And you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, pretty Alice?” Gordon mocked, grabbing her hands and pulling her into the dance. “The sweet little thing fresh from Rutledge? I thought the mad liked fires!”
Alice pulled away from him roughly, eyes narrowing. “I’m not mad! Though I will be if you don’t put that blasted thing out right now!” she yelled, her voice rising to a near-hysterical shriek.
“Alice, don’t make a scene,” Susan cautioned, watching her niece with what looked like nervousness.
“Yeah – besides, who’s going to stop us?” Gordon said, grinning almost evilly at her.
“You – you despicable, grotesque, and smelly louts, I’ll--”
Victor grabbed her arm, restraining her as she prepared to make another charge at the boys. “Alice!” he gasped, shocked and worried. While the bonfire was certainly an eyesore and a nuisance, he didn’t think it warranted this kind of reaction.
Alice turned to face him. At first, rage filled her face. Then, abruptly, it softened into sorrow. “I – oh, I know I must look wild, but--” A few tears started trickling down her cheeks. “All I can think about is my parents. . . .”
Understanding dawned in Victor’s brain. Ohhh, of course, he thought, sympathy replacing shock. If my family had died in a fire, no doubt I wouldn’t like this sort of thing either. Oh, poor Alice. . . . Heedless of how improper it might be, he drew her into his arms, rubbing her back as she continued to cry. How I wish I could do something for you. . . .
Jeering laughter made him lift his head. The boys were watching them, looking quite amused by the tableau. “Prefer the mad ones then, Master Van Dort?” Gordon asked, snickering cruelly.
Looking at them, framed by the bonfire like little devils, Victor felt a sudden, white-hot rage fill him. Releasing Alice, he stepped forward, eyes narrowing and teeth gritted. “You heard her,” he growled. “PUT IT OUT NOW!”
Later, the group of boys – Gordon especially – would claim that it had all been a prank. They’d been planning to put out the fire from the start. They certainly hadn’t done it because they were afraid of Victor Van Dort of all people, oh no. . . .
-M2: Holy crap, fanonical "Victor is terrifying when he's mad" stuff?-
Yup. XD
-TTV: What on earth is a TANNEN doing in this fic? I don't want to have to deal with that family!-
Sorry, Victor, but the law of shoutouts supersedes all. I came up with this particular fic after some hard thinking. This was a tough prompt, as Alice, thanks to her history, isn't the sort to do a bonfire dance. When I came up with the Anna Lived miniverse, though, the idea of unruly students doing one in the Liddells' front garden came to me, and this resulted. As you can see, a member of a certain BTTF-antagonist family snuck his way in there. I've decided that, if this ever gets written out as proper fic, Gordon is going to be a major thorn in Victor's side.
-TTV: *facepalm*-
-M: *sympathetically pats back*-
It took me a bit to figure out where to place this particular incident -- I didn't know if this should be a tea before or after the ball where Victor and Alice admit their feelings. I finally decided on after because of the hug -- now that he's acknowledging he's romantically inclined toward her, Victor feels more comfortable giving out such displays of affection. If it had been before, he probably would have gone with the more proper comforting hand on the shoulder.
As for his outburst of temper -- though I tried to end it on a funny note, this is actually a really bad sign.
It means a certain someone is starting to make his presence known.
-HD: Oh, now why does this Victor have to go through that business with the King of Hearts?-
Because, any Victor who falls in love with Alice has to -- it's a side effect of Wonderland. Er, except the RP pair, of course. . . .
-RPD: Technically, you could call the King of Hearts poking your brain for a journal of his own a variation on that.-
At least then he's bugging me, not them. But yeah, AL-Victor is going to have his share of problems with the King of Hearts. He'll get past them, I promise you, but it's gonna be rather bumpy beforehand.
About the title -- it's from the Def Leppard song. I really couldn't think of anything else, and it seemed to fit, so. . . . *shrug*
Enjoy that, then -- I'm off to see other things.
The AL Miniverse:
The First Act: Falling For You
The Second Act: Dress You Up
The Third Act: Ballroom Blitz
The Fourth Act: It's A Love Story
The Fifth Act: Crazy For You
The Sixth Act:
24. Bonfire – Pyromania
It was Susan who first noticed the disturbance. “Does anyone else hear that?” she asked, setting down her cup of tea.
The rest of the company frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t, Mrs. Liddell,” Victor admitted, putting down his own cup.
“Where’s it coming from, Susan?” Charles asked, glancing about.
“I think the front yard – listen.”
Everyone strained their ears. Sure enough, now they could hear, if faintly, the sounds of whooping and hollering, backed by a soft crackling. Charles shook his head with a scowl. “I think those hooligans from the university are back. If they’ve caused any damage to the house--”
The butler, Raymond, rushed in then. “Sir, I hate to interrupt your tea, but this is urgent,” he apologized hurriedly. “A group of boys have built a bonfire in the front garden!”
“What?!” Charles sprang to his feet and rushed to the front door. After a moment, the others followed.
A loud whoop greeted them as they made it to the front garden. A band of four boys were dancing around a large, crackling bonfire, cheering and throwing bits of scrap wood on it. Victor recognized one of them as Gordon Tannen, one of the usual troublemakers around Oxford. Of course, he thought, disgusted. Only he’d think of building a bonfire in some unsuspecting person’s yard.
“What’s all this about?” Charles demanded, glaring at the boys.
“Just celebrating Oxford’s latest rugby win, sir!” one called cheekily.
“In my front garden? This is the height of rudeness, you know!”
“You’ll ruin my flowers!” Susan added, glancing towards the beds with a fearful look.
“PUT IT OUT!”
Victor jumped, nearly scared out of his skin. Alice rushed past him, eyes wide with anger and horror. “Put it out!” she repeated, waving her arms wildly. “You can’t do this near a house! Someone might get hurt!”
The boys laughed derisively. “And you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, pretty Alice?” Gordon mocked, grabbing her hands and pulling her into the dance. “The sweet little thing fresh from Rutledge? I thought the mad liked fires!”
Alice pulled away from him roughly, eyes narrowing. “I’m not mad! Though I will be if you don’t put that blasted thing out right now!” she yelled, her voice rising to a near-hysterical shriek.
“Alice, don’t make a scene,” Susan cautioned, watching her niece with what looked like nervousness.
“Yeah – besides, who’s going to stop us?” Gordon said, grinning almost evilly at her.
“You – you despicable, grotesque, and smelly louts, I’ll--”
Victor grabbed her arm, restraining her as she prepared to make another charge at the boys. “Alice!” he gasped, shocked and worried. While the bonfire was certainly an eyesore and a nuisance, he didn’t think it warranted this kind of reaction.
Alice turned to face him. At first, rage filled her face. Then, abruptly, it softened into sorrow. “I – oh, I know I must look wild, but--” A few tears started trickling down her cheeks. “All I can think about is my parents. . . .”
Understanding dawned in Victor’s brain. Ohhh, of course, he thought, sympathy replacing shock. If my family had died in a fire, no doubt I wouldn’t like this sort of thing either. Oh, poor Alice. . . . Heedless of how improper it might be, he drew her into his arms, rubbing her back as she continued to cry. How I wish I could do something for you. . . .
Jeering laughter made him lift his head. The boys were watching them, looking quite amused by the tableau. “Prefer the mad ones then, Master Van Dort?” Gordon asked, snickering cruelly.
Looking at them, framed by the bonfire like little devils, Victor felt a sudden, white-hot rage fill him. Releasing Alice, he stepped forward, eyes narrowing and teeth gritted. “You heard her,” he growled. “PUT IT OUT NOW!”
Later, the group of boys – Gordon especially – would claim that it had all been a prank. They’d been planning to put out the fire from the start. They certainly hadn’t done it because they were afraid of Victor Van Dort of all people, oh no. . . .
-M2: Holy crap, fanonical "Victor is terrifying when he's mad" stuff?-
Yup. XD
-TTV: What on earth is a TANNEN doing in this fic? I don't want to have to deal with that family!-
Sorry, Victor, but the law of shoutouts supersedes all. I came up with this particular fic after some hard thinking. This was a tough prompt, as Alice, thanks to her history, isn't the sort to do a bonfire dance. When I came up with the Anna Lived miniverse, though, the idea of unruly students doing one in the Liddells' front garden came to me, and this resulted. As you can see, a member of a certain BTTF-antagonist family snuck his way in there. I've decided that, if this ever gets written out as proper fic, Gordon is going to be a major thorn in Victor's side.
-TTV: *facepalm*-
-M: *sympathetically pats back*-
It took me a bit to figure out where to place this particular incident -- I didn't know if this should be a tea before or after the ball where Victor and Alice admit their feelings. I finally decided on after because of the hug -- now that he's acknowledging he's romantically inclined toward her, Victor feels more comfortable giving out such displays of affection. If it had been before, he probably would have gone with the more proper comforting hand on the shoulder.
As for his outburst of temper -- though I tried to end it on a funny note, this is actually a really bad sign.
It means a certain someone is starting to make his presence known.
-HD: Oh, now why does this Victor have to go through that business with the King of Hearts?-
Because, any Victor who falls in love with Alice has to -- it's a side effect of Wonderland. Er, except the RP pair, of course. . . .
-RPD: Technically, you could call the King of Hearts poking your brain for a journal of his own a variation on that.-
At least then he's bugging me, not them. But yeah, AL-Victor is going to have his share of problems with the King of Hearts. He'll get past them, I promise you, but it's gonna be rather bumpy beforehand.
About the title -- it's from the Def Leppard song. I really couldn't think of anything else, and it seemed to fit, so. . . . *shrug*
Enjoy that, then -- I'm off to see other things.
