Chapter Text
Tossing my back across the entryway to my apartment, I had really mixed feelings about this new year, for a couple of reasons really. First, and if you ask me the biggest source of that, is my mother being the new Dean of the academy, however, the second could be just as bad. Crossing into the living room, I flip on the TV and see my face on the screen beside a picture from that night with my boobs blurred out, and me hanging upside down on a stripper pole. Frowning a little, I’m reminded of the fact that my Dad chose to enter the race for the big chair, and since that happened, well, it took all over five minutes for that picture to get out there, and me being hounded for comments.
I refuse to be shamed for it.
Flipping to another channel, I see the interview I gave, where I owned it, gave it context, but ultimately said, “If you don’t want to see that, then don’t look for it. I’m not going to apologize for it, just to try and win over someone I don’t know, who likely wouldn’t like me anyway.”
The funny thing was, after that interview came out, my Dad’s poll numbers went up, with young voters. However, now I’ve got news reporters and less than reputable ‘reporters’ hanging around outside my apartment, trying to ambush me whenever they get a chance. At least on campus, they are going to have a hell of a time attempting anything.
Putting my arms up and stretching I take in the quiet, I missed Will, but really, I couldn’t make him stay with me, not if he didn’t want to. But that doesn’t stop this place from feeling lonely now, knowing it’s just me in here this year. A knock on my door got my attention and I spun around to go to the door and see who it was, tapping the screen by the door, I see it come to life and I smile at seeing the familiar grey-haired beauty on the other side of the door. Opening it up I greet her with a smile and tight hug, “Hey Fleur!”
When the embrace ended she leaned in and kissed my cheeks before smiling at me and greeting me, “Salut Julia! How are you?”
I shrug and turn from my door, leaving it open as an invitation for her to come in as I say, “I’m okay you?”
“I am,” she pauses and I look over my shoulder to see her shrug as she adds, “Okay, for the most part.”
“Rough internship?” I ask as I go to the kitchen and open a bottle of tequila and start to pour some shots.
To my surprise, she does both shots and answers, “Oui.”
Raising an eyebrow I pour two more shots and she downs them both in short order, prompting me to fill the glasses again. Just as she reaches for them I say, “Hang on, I need to catch up!” With a roll of her rose-colored eyes I down them both and poured another two, that was when I noticed it, she didn’t have her engagement ring on. Tilting my head to the side, I ask, “What happened?”
She sighs and places her forehead against the kitchen island and sighs, “It turned out, he liked boys, and I refused to be in a relationship like that.”
Okay, that sucks.
Going into my freezer, I grab some frozen tacos, toss them in the microwave and tell her, “Okay, some food to chase these shots, then ice cream and you are going to unload on me.”
Fleur pushes herself up a little to fold her arms so that she can rest her chin on them as she moans, “If he liked both, I could deal, but to come home after serving with the Jean Bart’s fleet and catch him in bed with a young man…”
“That doesn’t mean that he’s only into dudes.” I point out.
“Oui, but when I asked him about it, he confirmed that he finds girls repulsive and wishes nothing to do with us.” She sighs.
That was when it hit me, at the same time as the microwave started to beep and I ask, “Hang on, you were with Jean Bart?”
She nods and sighs, “Oui, I am sure you heard about the trouble in the Med over the summer, non?”
I rub the back of my head and sigh, “Yeah, I was there for it.”
“You were?” She asks in surprise.
I bob my head up and down as I say, “Yeah, I issued an in-person warning to Vittorio Veneto and fired the warning shots on the fleet that was held up just south of Toulon.”
“Ah, then we just missed one another by a matter of days then.” She says while sitting up as I take out the tacos and slip her a couple of them. She takes a bite of one and then asks me, “Aside from being all over the news, what of your summer?”
I move to sit beside her and poke my tacos as I say, “So, crazy stuff happened, I met my great-grandmother.”
She gives me a sideways look and asks, “I thought you said she died when your grandfather was little?”
I take a bite of my first taco and shake my head, then pour a shot for each of us and say, “Turns out she is kansen.”
Fleur gives me a sideways look and says, “That should not be possible, Kansen have been around less than eighty years.”
I shake my head and say before taking my shot, “Not grandma. She’s been around since seventeen-seventeen.”
Fleur blinks at me a couple of times, her jaw moving up and down a couple of times before she blurts out, “Oh mon Dieu!”
“That’s one way to put it.” I sigh and pop the taco into my mouth before adding, “Then I get my Dad running for office.”
Fleur nods, then takes out her phone and skips to polls, and shows me the numbers as she says, “Oui, and you seem to be the key to why he is doing so well. After those images went public, and you took your stance with them, his numbers have only gone up.”
I nod and eat my second taco before saying, “Yeah, but the election is only a few months away, so who knows.”
Fleur puts her hands on the island and stands up as she says, “Oui. But for now, I want to watch something spicy, and forget about my love life problems.”
I smirk and get up, then stop to grab a couple of pints of ice cream out of the freezer, toss her one, and start to follow to the living room as I say, “Same here.”
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Stepping outside of my apartment door the next morning, I’m greeted by Fleur and a brown paper bag, and she grins at me while bouncing the bag as she asks, “Skipped eating?”
I laugh and take the bag as I say to her, “And miss your cooking?” Opening it up, I see a breakfast croissant with bacon, cheese, and egg on it, and it’s still warm! Taking a bite of it, I feel all the tension in my body relax, I’m really not sure why I’m nervous for this year, it’s the last year and Sam made sure I’d get started on applications to various fleets.
The ride in the elevator was quiet, I could tell we both had things on our minds, but right now I needed to sideline it as I was about to face a wall of reporters and ‘reporters’. With the doors to the ground floor opening, sure enough, there were cameras pointing in our direction. Sighing inwardly, I did my best to ignore them, but just as we stepped outside, a man came up in a postal uniform and asked, “Are one of you,” he pauses to look at a parcel before adding, “Maine?”
Fleur, bless her heart, moved quickly to put herself between me and this guy as she says, “I can take that.”
The guy hands her a parcel that didn’t look super heavy or big for that matter, he then takes out a scanning device, reads the barcode on it, then turns it for Fleur as he says, “Sign here, please.” With a quick flourish, she put a signature on the pad and we continued on our way.
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Once we were far enough away, she handed me the parcel asking, “Do you know anyone in Taranto?”
Looking at the package I tilt my head to the side as I thought about that and said, “I met a couple of Sardegna Empire ships there.”
Fleur smirked and then made a motion with her hands she said, “Well, open it!”
Rolling my eyes and making a big show of it, I use a fingernail to cut the tape open and fold back the opening. Reaching in, I take out some soft silky fabric and unfold it, my cheeks get hot; it’s a green silk teddy! Stuffing it into my back as fast as I can, while Fleur’s eyes went wide, I drop the box and as it’s falling to the ground, a preserved red rose falls out as well as a letter. The letter lands face up between me and Fleur, my eyes processing what is written on it:
Bella,
A gift for you. Something to remember your time in the Mediterranean.
Littorio.
Fleur starts to snicker before giving me a sly grin and teasing, “I think you’ve got an admirer.”
Bending over, I pick up the letter and flower then shrug as I tease her right back, “At least she gave me a flower, too bad you didn’t get one.”
Fleur adjusts her uniform jacket after shrugging as she tells me, “I am not sure, I would want one from Littorio.”
“Something wrong with it?” I ask and sniff the rose, apparently, it still smelt like a rose.
“Non, but there are rumors that she,” Fleur pauses, clearly looking for a way to say something before finally saying, “is known for finding someone for conquest then moving on to the next in short order.”
Touching the red petals I smile at the flower and say, “Maybe it could be fun, I’ve got time.”
Fleur looks concerned for a moment then warns me, “If that is what you want to do, just be careful.”
Tucking the letter and rose away I place an arm around her shoulders and declare, “I will, now, what do you think we’re in for this year?”
She shakes her head and sighs, “I do not know, but it should be interesting, non?”
I nod as I say, “That’s for sure!”
From up ahead, I spot a familiar shape and brown hair in a tight bun with red eyes as she shouts and waves at us, “Julie! Fleur!”
“Right on time.” Fleur laughs.
And I call out, “What are you waiting for Emily? Get over here!”
It’s nice to have friends, friends I can count on, no matter what is coming my way, I’ll meet it head-on.
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