Work Text:
Ratigan stared at an old grandfather clock that stood against the wall while he sat a table across it. Looking at the hands of the clock, the sound of it's ticking filling the silence of the room and he groans at the sight of the time. He pulls out his pocket watch to even check if the time is correct. 'Nearly midnight', he thought to himself.
Ratigan was waiting.. for a response.
A response that took almost a whole year to get back to. He'd been writing to Basil and been seeing him when the streets of Baker's were quiet and asleep. But the visits stopped abruptly when the detective took a major case. This isn't the first time for it to happen. If anything, Ratigan was used to it. But after a year of Basil working on the case, Ratigan was beginning to lose his patience.
He was almost through until yesterday, when he finally got a response from him.
Instead of Ratigan sending off his henchman to receive a letter from Basil once a week as usual. He sends him off once every month now. The henchman would come with nothing or at times Mrs. Judson answers the door to tell him that 'he isn't home right now'. The henchman came back yesterday with a letter that had a spot of ink splattered on the envelope. When Ratigan asked who was the one that gave him the messy letter, he shrugged and said the inside of the home was too dark to see who was on the other side of the door. He sent him away and he tore open the letter with desperation. The letter felt like it was covered in ink but then scraped off as if they tried to clean up the mess.
It read,
'Ratigan, it's been a while since I've written back but I can assure you that I will be visiting tonight with a very important message you must know. If I am unable to make it I'll be sending a different letter. Wait at our usual time tomorrow and I'll soon show.
Yours truly,
Basil.'
As his eyes glanced over the paper, his hand slowly made it's way over his heart. How he's missed his detective. His anticipation on seeing him again drove him over the edge of his cold heart into warmth.
So he waited.
Waiting and ticking.
Ticking.
Tapping.
His fingers tapped on the table in the rhythm of the ticking of his pocket watch.
All he could think, think about him and think about what he would tell him. He reminisced about his past visits with Basil, the both of them talking about stories before their truce. Conversations would change to certain activities with each other that would lead Basil not leaving home until the next morning. Though sometimes these conversations would get serious when Basil would talk about his 'habit' (as he calls it).
He understands the mouse's addiction problem and didn't judge him, if anything he understood his reasoning for it. Then the conversation would lead to Ratigan's anger issues. He didn't deny he had issues but he did brush over the fact he was untrustworthy when it comes to love and was riddled with jealously. He would bury these emotions deep and wouldn't bring them out around Basil.
Today was the day this jealously unleashed faster than a house fire.
Ratigan stopped tapping when he heard his henchman came in, "Sir?"
"This better be good."
He gulped as he stepped in, taking a small letter from his pocket. "From Basil, sir." The message was shaking in his hand. Ratigan stood from his seat, dropping his watch and lurched over to snatch it from his hands.
"You may go for the night." He waved him away.
"Thank you, sir." He shut the door behind him.
Ratigan looked down at the small letter in his large gloved hands.
'He couldn't make it..'
He didn't notice now that the envelope was getting crumpled in his shaking fists. Then, he settled when he realized this letter wasn't from Basil. This letter was too small to be sent by him and the envelope was a light color in the candle light. This looks like a letter that was sent by a child. Ratigan shed one glove off to use his claw to open up the envelope. He began to read.
'Ratigan, Basil had asked me to write to you saying that he stepped out for the evening for he has taken another case. I'm waiting for him to get back to tell me whatever he wants to inform you on. He did tell me he sends his regards for tonight.
From,
Olivia Flaversham'
What..
What is this? Basil asked for the pest to send regards for him. She..
The clock chimed midnight.
Ratigan stared at the letter with disbelief. He didn't know what to make of it. He was confused, but was also.. aggravated? Many thoughts ran through his head at this moment. Basil picked up another case after he concluded the other one. This recent case could have involved the little girl. Why does he feel there was something off about this?
That's when Ratigan's mind clicked to let the jealously seep into his emotions.
Was she an alibi? Oh how could Basil get this sweet little girl to lie?
This made his blood boil and his face twisted angrily. His thoughts about Basil were changing with negativity flooded into his memories. He heard the letter rip in his hands, crumbling it and threw it to the floor to step on it with the bottom of his shoe. He seethed with anger as he stared at the flame of the candle light. His claws tore through his gloves and dug into the table in front of him and his thoughts wouldn't stop feeding the anger that boiled in him.
They repeated, 'He kept you waiting.'
They all spoke, 'Can't you see? He left you.'
He wanted them to stop. His hand moved under the table and he gripped hard at the edge of it. He boiled over.
"STOP!" He yelled as he flipped the table onto it's side to the floor, knocking off the candle light from taking perch. The flame died when it hit the floor. The table knocked over the grand father clock and it shattered across the floor.
The ticking stopped.
Ratigan was puffing with frustration and all he could think about was Basil's whining and crying...
and sighing.
He straighten out his hair with the palm of his hand when some strands where out of place. He looked over the chaos he had made in the room then his eyes viewed over to the time that stopped on the clock.
It's still midnight.
Ratigan made his way over to the coat rack near the door, grabbing his cape, opening the door and rushing out. He left with a chill running down his spine that went straight to his core.
Basil walked into his home with his hand desperately trying to cover his head from the pouring rain. "Mister Basil!" Olivia ran over to him and hugged him tightly.
"Olivia, it's midnight. You should be in bed." The detective said, concern on his face for the restless child. "I know but I was waiting for you, I wanted to know the progress you've made on my father."
Basil laid his hand on her head, "Don't worry Olivia, we'll find him soon again." He picked her up and walked over to the stairs.
Olivia was in his arms and she felt safe, though she felt guilty. Guilty that she did something that she felt like wasn't supposed to do. Should she tell Basil what she did? Or does she keep quiet and allow him to suffer from it because it was her fault.
Basil opened the door to the room next to Dawson's quietly and went to lay Olivia down onto the bed. "No more staying up for tonight, you need your rest." Basil pulled the blankets over her small frame and tucked her in. He turned and was about to step out.
"Basil.. I need to tell you something."
He looked over his shoulder to her, "What's wrong?"
"Earlier, Mr. Dawnson and Mrs. Judson went to bed and when I did the same. I had sneaked out of my room to wait for you but.. half and hour later someone was at the door."
Basil's eyes had slightly gone wide. "Did you answer the door?"
"Yes I did but-"
"You know you aren't supposed to whenever I'm gone, why didn't ask Dawnson to answer it?"
"He was sleeping and it was eleven at night.."
Basil was in silence. For once in his life he was afraid for the answer to his question. "Who was it and what did they want?"
"He said he was on of Ratigan's henchman. He asked a letter from you or for you to go with him, I told him that you weren't home but he said that if you weren't you said were to send a letter in regards to it. So.. I wrote the letter."
Basil's breath hitched and nearly shuddered. Knowing that he wasn't going to make it back tonight, he had a letter already written his regards hidden away in a drawer that only Dawson knew of its location. Dawson was supposed to answer the door. What has she done..
"I'm sorry, Basil. I really am."
Basil took deep breaths to settle himself down, "it's alright, Olivia. You didn't know and I'm going to fix this. Just-"
There was a knock at the door.
Basil's eyes darted towards the clock on the wall, he gulped when he saw the time. "Just stay here and go to bed, Olivia."
He left the room in a rush and shut the door quietly behind him.
Stepping down the stairs and quickly made his way towards the door. He calmed himself down, breathing in and out again before opening the door.
"Hello, Ratigan."
"Basil. Charmed to see you answer for once."
Olivia had followed Basil out the door, trying not to be seen by him as she looked down at the scene before her.
He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Listen, the letter that was sent to you wasn't sent by me. It was-"
He stopped him in the middle of his sentence.
"You asked that little pest of a girl to write it for you. I know, she made that clear."
"No, the letter she sent wasn't the one I was going to-"
Ratigan interrupted him again, "Did she lie for you? So you wouldn't have to face me later?"
"No, let me finish. What is going on with you? You're not like this, you'd understand this wasn't my intention. I wasn't the one who wrote it. It wasn't the letter I was going to send to you."
Ratigan's eye twitches at his response. "Why am I like this? I have a good enough reason for it, Basil. You leave for almost a whole year for a case, which I do understand but then having a child cover up a lie for you and being an alibi is another thing. Where's the letter then, Basil? Where is it?"
Olivia's eyes widened at the large rat's outburst, she didn't mean for her letter to cause a reaction like this.
Before Basil could get the letter, he stopped in his tracks to reprocess the sentence again. "An alibi..?"
He turned his head back to the rat in front of him.
"You think I'm seeing someone else?" He said with a sorrowful expression. He took a step forward towards him and laid a hand on his chest. He felt a faint heart beat.
"I would never. You know this means more than a truce between us."
Ratigan's heart would have melted but his hyperactive imagination told him otherwise. He grabbed Basil's hand and dropped it down, letting it fall back down to Basil's side.
"I know you wouldn't. But then again, lying to me was something I didn't expect you to do either and yet here we are."
"Padraic, please. Just read the letter I was supposed to send to you. It would explain so much."
Basil walked back to his desk, opening up a drawer to bring out the letter. He held it out and Ratigan walked over to take it out of his hands.
He opened it slowly and his eyes moved across the paper.
Olivia watched, she was built up with fear as her glances moved to Basil then to Ratigan.
Ratigan put the paper back into the envelope.
"I'm going, Basil."
"What?"
He turned his back to him and started to walk out as he put the letter into his pocket.
"Padraic wait!"
Olivia ran down the stairs to the large rat and pulled the end of his cape.
"Mister Ratigan."
He looked over at the small child.
"I don't know about the relationship you have with Mister Basil but please, don't let it fall because of my fault. I didn't mean for this to happen."
"Olivia.." Basil wanted to reach out to her but Ratigan turned around.
"This doesn't involve you. I.." He looked up into Basil's eyes. "I just need to think."
Olivia let go of his cape and Ratigan walked out.
She looked over to Basil. "Are you going to be okay?"
His eyes blinked twice like was taken out of reality for that moment and his blank stare moved down to Olivia. He sighed softly. "Yes, I'm going to be fine. He just needs a couple of days to collect himself but that's the least of my concerns right now. I need to work on finding your father first and then some sleep." She walked over to him and took his hand. "You've had a long day already. Let's sleep so you can wake early in the morning." Basil nodded his head. Olivia led him to his room as he followed her.
He wanted to push the lie in the back of his head about Padraic being the least of his concerns.
At least it's over now.
Ratigan walked along the sides of the streets while the rain had stopped pouring around him. He put his hand in his pocket to reach out for the letter again and he read the words carefully.
'Padraic, I know I haven't been seeing you as much but the case I went to work on was a serious one. This was a case about your missing body after the fall from the clock. I knew this case would come soon. As much as I was aware I shouldn't have done this, I was trying to cover up your tracks. I didn't want any leads to you and wanted to confirm you were dead so the police would give up on finding your body. As well as all your henchman that was left. After the months passed I had finally gotten them off your trail and they left the case unsolved. Although now, Olivia came to me again to tell me her father was missing once more. This may push my visits back more but I can assure you that I will come see you soon. Understand that even if I don't see you as much I still love you. I always will. I will see you soon, Padraic.
Love,
Basil.'
Ratigan folded the paper up and stuck it into his breast pocket, right next to his heart.