(no subject)

[fiery_ring]

Breakin' teeth down in, tent one
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won
I needed some satis-faction
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won

Around the baby it felt so bad,
I'd had enough of Fern,
She gave me a real ton of crap
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won.

She's robbed people of their, rations
She fought the law and the, law won
She fought the law and the, law won
She missed her baby and she, missed fun
She fought the law and the, law won
She fought the law and the, law won

Around the baby it felt so bad,
I'd had enough of Fern,
She gave me a real ton of crap
I fought the law and the, law won
I fought the law and the, law won.

In adjacent cells, with a typical barred door, Kate and Fern have been incarcerated. Fern has spent most of her incarceration so far sobbing loudly, but it hasn't got her any more than the bread and water Kate got.

There is one guard, who looks tired, and is sitting down the end of the corridor with a newspaper. There is a barred window in each cell, a non-lit fireplace near the guard, and a large barred window at the other end of the corridor.

Comments

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate is sitting with her head leaned back against the wall, quietly humming the tune she and Tommy danced to in an effort to drown Fern out.

She has to give it to her, she has exceptional resilience.

With a sigh loud enough to be heard in the adjacent cell, she switches tunes.


"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen / Nobody knows but Jesus ... "

[fiery_ring]

Fern sobs louder.

"Please let me out, my baby needs me."

[ikissdhimbck]

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen / Glory, Hallelujah!"

She rubs at her temple.


"Try knockin' your tin cup 'gainst the bars. I hear that helps."

[fiery_ring]

"Shut up." Fern snaps at her. "You know nothing about me."

[ikissdhimbck]

"You're right."

There's no malice to her voice, no sarcasm, no vitriol. She sounds tired, but other than that she's completely calm.

"I don't. I'd like t'understand how a woman your age can conscionably act the way y'have."

[fiery_ring]

Bitter laugh from Fern.

"I loved Will since we were little kids. Long before Carlotta came along. She was a bitch to him. He came home from leave in the forces, the only day off in months, and she wouldn't even have sex with him. She slapped him and told him she didn't even want children.

So we had a bunch of drinks, and I told him I'd never have treated him the way Carlotta did. He said he wanted a kid more than anything, because he didn't like the idea of dying in the war and the stables going to someone outside the family. We both got pretty wasted, one thing led to another...

He would have married me. He'd have to, for William, claim the first marriage wasn't consumated. Except then, the stupid bitch got pregnant. No evidence that kid is Will's, I might add, given her line of work was basically prostitution for information. That urchin looks nothing like Will."

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate bristles.

One ... Two ... Three ...

It isn't until the count of thirteen that she stops seeing red.




"If you love him so, d'you think extortion is really the way of goin' about winnin' his heart?"

[fiery_ring]

"It's nothing to do with extorsion." Fern says. "I can't bring up William on my own. Will had sex with me by his own choice. Said he was thankful that someone had always been there for him, even though he'd not always been grateful for it."

Fern wipes her wet cheeks and leans back on the bench.

"You wait until that blood test comes back. A lot of people are going to owe me a big apology for claiming I made the whole thing up. And while we're at it, I'll make sure they test the urchin. As soon as Will finds out Molly isn't his, and William is, that marriage will be over."

[ikissdhimbck]

Ever so calmly:

"Doesn't change the fact y'slept with a married man."

She gives that a moment to sink in, hoping it does sink in.

"Y'got your heart broken, Fern. There ain't nothin' right about that. But Will wasn't free t'give you his heart, an' if he didn't love Miss Carlotta then he wouldn't have gone through with today's ceremony. Wouldn't you rather he'd come t'you of his own volition, rather than goin' through this spectacle? Can y'be happy with a man who marries you out of a sense of duty, knowin' he's always gonna love someone else?"

[fiery_ring]

Fern sniffles for a few moments.

"He'd never have come to me. She poisoned him against me, took my place from the moment she came to our house.

You called me a whore, but it's at least as much Will's fault as mine. But nobody cares that he broke his vows, even Carlotta has just let it go. It isn't fair. Especially on William."

[ikissdhimbck]

"Y'can't help who y'fall in love with, Fern."

She turns her head, listening to the woman sniffle. She should know that better than anybody. The heart wants what it wants, and it manufactures its own poisons without need of another person.

She sighs.

"What I said wasn't very sportin'. I was angry on behalf of my friend. You're right; it takes two t'make a baby, an' if I'd been reactin' t'that then I'd have had a thing'r two t'say to Will as well. Hell, I still might, once I'm outta here. But what happened wasn't Carlotta's fault. She don't deserve t'be treated the way you treated her tonight jus' because she forgave Will, an' tried t'help with Li'l William while you was gone. You wanna talk 'bout what's not fair t'that little boy? Introducin' violence an' anger into his young life. That ain't fair."

She returns her gaze to the ceiling.

"You wanna be that boy's momma again? Then you best start actin' like one. An' stop treatin' him like a chess piece. I promise, y'do that an' Carlotta will be happy to acquiesce."

[fiery_ring]

"I will never forgive Carlotta for taking my child into a circus." Fern says petulantly. "You can't use a child as a freak show just because he happens to have albino skin. You know how I found out where William was? I saw the poster, tracked them down, and he was left playing in the mud with a bunch of other babies and just one of the other children watching."

She wipes her eyes.

"And she's not looking after Will properly either."

[ikissdhimbck]

"I hardly believe any of that's true. I saw a great number of performers today, an' none of the children were dressed t'participate. An' Carlotta flat out said she'd never use Li'l William like that when y'confronted her in the big top.

"She's a good girl. She an' Will have both been through a lot, but she'd never mistreat a soul."

Breakout

[fiery_ring]

When the summer sun has long since set, two shadowy figures and a monkey approach the outside of the police station.

"Keep your eyes and ears peeled." Carlotta whispers to Tommy, setting the monkey on her shoulder before shimmying quietly up the drainpipe. Once up, she tiptoes across the roof, lies flat, and carefully peers down through the high end corridor window.

"One guard, asleep. We need keys."

Re: Breakout

[gavin62truck]

Tommy soooo isn't made for sneaking.

Oh God, what'm I doin', what'm I doin', what'm I doin'--

Back pressed to the wall at the base of the drainpipe, he strains his eyes and ears in the darkness to make sure they haven't been heard or seen.

Hearing Carlotta's voice, he looks up and can just make out her form up on the roof. All the windows are barred, so there's no way of getting in through those. But there's a chimney stack on the other end of the roof.

Tommy waves at her and gestures toward it. "Try the chimney!" he hisses.

Re: Breakout

[fiery_ring]

"Okay. See if you can stand on something to keep an eye through that window."

Carlotta climbs up onto the chimney, trying to assess if she could get down it. Seeing as it looks a little tight, she sends the monkey down first. When he gets in, she starts to climb after him.

Re: Breakout

[gavin62truck]

Tommy is tall but the window is a good three or four feet above him. Luckily there's a barrel by the drainpipe, and he tips it over to roll it toward the window before setting it upright again. Climbing onto it, he peers in and can clearly see down the corridor, the rows of cells, and the guard sleeping near the fireplace.

Hmm. British police officers are unarmed. Tommy could probably take him if it came to it.

Re: Breakout

[fiery_ring]

The monkey peeps out from below the chimney.

"Get the keys." Carlotta whispers to him.

The monkey pads over to the guard, hops on the table, pulls apart a sandwich and removes a slice of cheese, which he brings to Tommy.

Re: Breakout

[gavin62truck]

......

"Uh. No. Keys. Not cheese. For opening locks. Like on a cage? You know what a cage is, don'tcha, you little-- monkey. Get the keys!"

Re: Breakout

[fiery_ring]

The monkey chatters a little. He's never been in a cage!

"Shh!" Carlotta hisses, as the guard grunts in his sleep.

She gets to the bottom of the chimney, and finds she can't quite get out. Darnit, sooty for nothing!

The monkey bounds around the room and presents Tommy with the guard's handcuffs, a pencil, and half an onion.

Re: Breakout

[gavin62truck]

Tommy anxiously glances around behind him, then back in through the window. Carlotta should've been able to get in by now-- unless she's stuck.

Shit.

"No!" he rasps at the monkey. "Keys! Try again! Hurry! Although these might come in handy..." And he takes the handcuffs and slips them into his pocket.

Re: Breakout

[fiery_ring]

The monkey eventually finds the keys, attached to the guard's belt.

Carlotta turns upside down in the chimney (with difficulty), gets here pocket knife out, and starts unscrewing the front of the fireplace from the inside.

Re: Breakout

[gavin62truck]

"Good boy!" he tells the monkey, grabbing the keys from him. "Now shh!"

He climbs down off the barrel, and making sure the coast is still clear, he darts around the building to a side door. The light from a nearby lamp is yellow and dim and not very useful in allowing Tommy to find the right key to the door, but after a few tries, he finally gets the lock to turn.

Quickly but cautiously, he pushes the door open, ducks inside the dark vestibule, and shuts it behind him. Creeping down a short hallway and turning a corner, he eventually finds the jail cells.

Re: Breakout

[ikissdhimbck]

Kate sleeps about as well here as she does on the trail. Back pressed to the wall, shoes still on her feet, and so lightly the littlest noise could wake her up.

Like the hiss of lowered voices, and the metallic churn of screws coming loose.

She lifts her head, listening for a few minutes, until a brown furry flash past the officer's desk has her vaulting from the bench. She hurriedly makes her way to the bars on cat's paw, trying to catch a gander down the corridor.

Re: Breakout

[fiery_ring]

"Try not to wake Fern!" Carlotta hisses, from her upside down position.