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rsadelleToday's theme is Eroica, and since it's a fairly recent thing for me, some of them are just as-yet-unposted snippets rather than actual fic I thought I might do more with.
These are in increasing order of Klaus/Dorian-ness. (Sort of. I debated with myself about the order of some of them. This, for instance, was eventually going to be more Klaus/Dorian than the next thing I'm posting, although it might not look that way from the outside.)
Even when Klaus yelled at the local police and threatened his Alphabets with Alaska, the child never seemed afraid or uneasy with him.
Of course, that did mean he could follow Klaus around without the man trying to send him away.
It was a pleasure to watch the man work, even when he was yelling.
Or at least it was a pleasure - until there was a blond woman hurtling toward Klaus. She was undoubtedly the child's mother, but for some reason she was shouting Klaus's name as well as "Inge," which must have been the child's name.
And then Dorian was positively shocked when the woman flung her arms around both Klaus and the child - and Klaus not only didn't push her away, he hugged her close for a moment.
"Are you hurt?" Klaus demanded.
"No, no, I'm fine. Inge?"
"She's fine." Klaus handed the child over to her.
"Thank God." The woman clutched Inge to her and put a familiar hand on Klaus' arm. "Are you all right?"
Dorian could've sworn that Klaus almost smiled at her, except that was ridiculous; Klaus didn't smile at women. Klaus didn't remove her arm, either, or seem to be in any particular hurry to get away from her. Just as he was about to demand an explanation, the woman noticed him. And smiled. Genuinely.
"This must be your Dorian."
Klaus glanced back at him and grudgingly introduced them. "This is Dorian Red, Earl of Gloria. Lord Gloria, this is Katerina, my wife, and our daughter Inge."
The automatic part of Dorian stepped forward to shake her hand. "So nice to meet you." Even if it was a lie.
"Honestly, Klaus," she said. "My wifely duties," she said to Dorian, clearly seeing his dismay, "ended when Inge was born. It's so nice to finally meet you."
"You owe me twenty Euro," Klaus said suddenly.
Katerina made a face. "You'll get it. We had a bet," she explained to Dorian. "I thought for sure you'd find out about us before anyone else."
At that, Klaus scowled. "You're coming to the Schloss.
Katerina all but rolled her eyes. "We're fine. I know you're going to leave guards anyway."
"They're not going to let you back in until tomorrow at least."
Katerina looked around him at all of the people still bustling around the building. "We at least need some of our things. I'm not sure I left anything at the Schloss, and I know anything Inge has there is too small."
Klaus nodded and shouted for A. "Pack a bag for Katerina and Inge," he ordered. "They'll need things for at least two days."
"I don't want to go to the Schloss," Inge whined from her mother's arms. "I want to stay here."
"Darling, you love the Schloss. We'll stay with Papa for a few days and then we'll come home."
Inge peered suspiciously at Klaus. "C'n I have the same room?"
Klaus really did smile at her. By this time, Dorian was too nonplussed for this to startle him any more.
"Of course you can. It's your room."
"What if I get scared?"
"Papa and I will be there."
"Okay." Inge settled back against her mother's shoulder.
"You'll come and stay with us too, won't you, Dorian?"
"Katerina," Klaus said quellingly.
"Klaus," she said, just as steely.
Klaus glared at her but didn't argue.
"You'll come," she said. "I'm sure Klaus has been dragging you around all day."
She was right, and Dorian didn't have a hotel or other accommodations lined up; he hadn't even known he'd end up in Bonn this evening.
"Thank you, Lady Eberbach."
"Katerina, please."
A came back then with a packed back, and in no time at all, Dorian found himself back in the passenger seat of Klaus's car with Katerina and Inge in the back seat.
He couldn't even begin to think of how to start a conversation.
Inge fell asleep somewhere along the way, and half woke when her mother lifted her out of the car.
"I'll take her up," Katerina said.
"No, Papa," Inge protested.
Katerina glanced at Klaus, who reached for Inge. "I'll take her."
Katerina handed her over. "I suspect Dorian could use a drink. We'll be in the study."
Dorian watched Klaus start up the stairs before following Katerina into the study. She poured a generous portion of gin into a glass and handed it to Dorian. She poured herself a glass of wine and took a seat on the couch across from Dorian.
"Have you got your head around it yet?"
"No." Her directness startled an honest answer out of him.
Katerina smiled at him over the rim of her wineglass. "His father introduced us seven years ago, at a party. I'd like to think he chose me. He does like blondes." She shrugged. "I suppose it's equally possible he was just tired of the pressure to get married." She looked curiously at Dorian. "Have you ever met his father?"
"No."
"Then you don't know what he's like." She sighed. "It's better now."
"So he knows," Dorian said slowly. "And the Alphabets didn't seem surprised."
"No," she said. "We couldn't keep it a complete secret; that would have defeated the point. I know," she said carefully, "how you feel about Klaus."
Dorian stiffened.
"He told me about you. I think he meant it as a warning. I'm not telling you this to hurt you," she assured him.
"Aren't you?" It came out sharp and bitter.
"No," she said. "I can imagine what this is like for you. At least I knew about you from the beginning."
There was a message in there that Dorian wasn't sure he could ask her about.
"We care about each other, but it's not true love. I don't even live here. Klaus only comes to me to visit Inge."
And there was another unexpected subject.
"Is he a good father?" he couldn't help asking.
Katerina shrugged. "He visits, and doesn't try to control every bit of our lives. Inge adores him, and he'll never say it, but I'm sure the feeling is mutual."
"I had no idea," Dorian murmured.
"No," she said. "I keep telling him--"
"Katerina," Klaus said from the door, and she stopped mid-sentence. He came into the room and went straight to the sideboard. He poured himself a drink and topped off Dorian's gin and Katerina's wine.
"I've just been telling Dorian a bit about us."
"Hmph." Klaus took a healthy swallow of brandy and sat next to his wife on the couch.
His wife. Dorian was still trying to wrap his head around that.
"Inge's settled in?" Katerina asked.
"Yes."
Katerina smiled. "I imagine she's so tired all you had to do was set her down."
Klaus smiled back at her. "Yes."
Katerina patted his knee. "I'm nearly that tired myself." She stood. "Dorian, it was so nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you at breakfast." She took her nearly-full wine glass with her.
Dorian waited until he was fairly sure she was out of earshot before speaking. "Your wife?" he asked. "You've been married for years, and you never told me? I would have thought that would be the perfect way for you to try to get rid of me."
Klaus looked suddenly tired. "If you didn't know, you couldn't tell anyone about them. And you wouldn't interfere."
"Who did you think I would tell?"
"Anyone can break under torture. They are my family. I will protect them."
Dorian tossed back the last of his gin. "I think I'd like to go to sleep now. If you'll show me to my room."
"Certainly." Klaus took him upstairs and showed him into a suite. "I'm next door. Inge and Katerina are down the hall. Ring for the servants if you need anything."
Dorian nodded automatically. "Thank you." Klaus left, and then he was left alone.
These are in increasing order of Klaus/Dorian-ness. (Sort of. I debated with myself about the order of some of them. This, for instance, was eventually going to be more Klaus/Dorian than the next thing I'm posting, although it might not look that way from the outside.)
Even when Klaus yelled at the local police and threatened his Alphabets with Alaska, the child never seemed afraid or uneasy with him.
Of course, that did mean he could follow Klaus around without the man trying to send him away.
It was a pleasure to watch the man work, even when he was yelling.
Or at least it was a pleasure - until there was a blond woman hurtling toward Klaus. She was undoubtedly the child's mother, but for some reason she was shouting Klaus's name as well as "Inge," which must have been the child's name.
And then Dorian was positively shocked when the woman flung her arms around both Klaus and the child - and Klaus not only didn't push her away, he hugged her close for a moment.
"Are you hurt?" Klaus demanded.
"No, no, I'm fine. Inge?"
"She's fine." Klaus handed the child over to her.
"Thank God." The woman clutched Inge to her and put a familiar hand on Klaus' arm. "Are you all right?"
Dorian could've sworn that Klaus almost smiled at her, except that was ridiculous; Klaus didn't smile at women. Klaus didn't remove her arm, either, or seem to be in any particular hurry to get away from her. Just as he was about to demand an explanation, the woman noticed him. And smiled. Genuinely.
"This must be your Dorian."
Klaus glanced back at him and grudgingly introduced them. "This is Dorian Red, Earl of Gloria. Lord Gloria, this is Katerina, my wife, and our daughter Inge."
The automatic part of Dorian stepped forward to shake her hand. "So nice to meet you." Even if it was a lie.
"Honestly, Klaus," she said. "My wifely duties," she said to Dorian, clearly seeing his dismay, "ended when Inge was born. It's so nice to finally meet you."
"You owe me twenty Euro," Klaus said suddenly.
Katerina made a face. "You'll get it. We had a bet," she explained to Dorian. "I thought for sure you'd find out about us before anyone else."
At that, Klaus scowled. "You're coming to the Schloss.
Katerina all but rolled her eyes. "We're fine. I know you're going to leave guards anyway."
"They're not going to let you back in until tomorrow at least."
Katerina looked around him at all of the people still bustling around the building. "We at least need some of our things. I'm not sure I left anything at the Schloss, and I know anything Inge has there is too small."
Klaus nodded and shouted for A. "Pack a bag for Katerina and Inge," he ordered. "They'll need things for at least two days."
"I don't want to go to the Schloss," Inge whined from her mother's arms. "I want to stay here."
"Darling, you love the Schloss. We'll stay with Papa for a few days and then we'll come home."
Inge peered suspiciously at Klaus. "C'n I have the same room?"
Klaus really did smile at her. By this time, Dorian was too nonplussed for this to startle him any more.
"Of course you can. It's your room."
"What if I get scared?"
"Papa and I will be there."
"Okay." Inge settled back against her mother's shoulder.
"You'll come and stay with us too, won't you, Dorian?"
"Katerina," Klaus said quellingly.
"Klaus," she said, just as steely.
Klaus glared at her but didn't argue.
"You'll come," she said. "I'm sure Klaus has been dragging you around all day."
She was right, and Dorian didn't have a hotel or other accommodations lined up; he hadn't even known he'd end up in Bonn this evening.
"Thank you, Lady Eberbach."
"Katerina, please."
A came back then with a packed back, and in no time at all, Dorian found himself back in the passenger seat of Klaus's car with Katerina and Inge in the back seat.
He couldn't even begin to think of how to start a conversation.
Inge fell asleep somewhere along the way, and half woke when her mother lifted her out of the car.
"I'll take her up," Katerina said.
"No, Papa," Inge protested.
Katerina glanced at Klaus, who reached for Inge. "I'll take her."
Katerina handed her over. "I suspect Dorian could use a drink. We'll be in the study."
Dorian watched Klaus start up the stairs before following Katerina into the study. She poured a generous portion of gin into a glass and handed it to Dorian. She poured herself a glass of wine and took a seat on the couch across from Dorian.
"Have you got your head around it yet?"
"No." Her directness startled an honest answer out of him.
Katerina smiled at him over the rim of her wineglass. "His father introduced us seven years ago, at a party. I'd like to think he chose me. He does like blondes." She shrugged. "I suppose it's equally possible he was just tired of the pressure to get married." She looked curiously at Dorian. "Have you ever met his father?"
"No."
"Then you don't know what he's like." She sighed. "It's better now."
"So he knows," Dorian said slowly. "And the Alphabets didn't seem surprised."
"No," she said. "We couldn't keep it a complete secret; that would have defeated the point. I know," she said carefully, "how you feel about Klaus."
Dorian stiffened.
"He told me about you. I think he meant it as a warning. I'm not telling you this to hurt you," she assured him.
"Aren't you?" It came out sharp and bitter.
"No," she said. "I can imagine what this is like for you. At least I knew about you from the beginning."
There was a message in there that Dorian wasn't sure he could ask her about.
"We care about each other, but it's not true love. I don't even live here. Klaus only comes to me to visit Inge."
And there was another unexpected subject.
"Is he a good father?" he couldn't help asking.
Katerina shrugged. "He visits, and doesn't try to control every bit of our lives. Inge adores him, and he'll never say it, but I'm sure the feeling is mutual."
"I had no idea," Dorian murmured.
"No," she said. "I keep telling him--"
"Katerina," Klaus said from the door, and she stopped mid-sentence. He came into the room and went straight to the sideboard. He poured himself a drink and topped off Dorian's gin and Katerina's wine.
"I've just been telling Dorian a bit about us."
"Hmph." Klaus took a healthy swallow of brandy and sat next to his wife on the couch.
His wife. Dorian was still trying to wrap his head around that.
"Inge's settled in?" Katerina asked.
"Yes."
Katerina smiled. "I imagine she's so tired all you had to do was set her down."
Klaus smiled back at her. "Yes."
Katerina patted his knee. "I'm nearly that tired myself." She stood. "Dorian, it was so nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll see you at breakfast." She took her nearly-full wine glass with her.
Dorian waited until he was fairly sure she was out of earshot before speaking. "Your wife?" he asked. "You've been married for years, and you never told me? I would have thought that would be the perfect way for you to try to get rid of me."
Klaus looked suddenly tired. "If you didn't know, you couldn't tell anyone about them. And you wouldn't interfere."
"Who did you think I would tell?"
"Anyone can break under torture. They are my family. I will protect them."
Dorian tossed back the last of his gin. "I think I'd like to go to sleep now. If you'll show me to my room."
"Certainly." Klaus took him upstairs and showed him into a suite. "I'm next door. Inge and Katerina are down the hall. Ring for the servants if you need anything."
Dorian nodded automatically. "Thank you." Klaus left, and then he was left alone.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-09 09:17 am (UTC)I think I like Katerine in this one, but I really, really, really hate Klaus in this one...
Poor Dorian T^T
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 03:24 am (UTC)