View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Delaney Hammond, Sr., does not know that he is going to be arrested. It is not hard to find his flight, learn that the chauffeur can also fly the tiny family airplane and will be bringing the boss directly to Forks's little airport to save transit time, and be there to meet them at the airport with a pair of uniforms.
So Charlie does all that.
"Delaney Hammond, you are under arrest," Charlie says, while Joshua puts on cuffs and Terry makes sure the chauffeur isn't going to interfere. "You have the right to remain silent..." The Miranda rights just pour out, like they're all one word; Charlie doesn't really think about them. He doesn't even skip the part about how this ridiculously rich person could be provided a public defender if he cannot afford one.
+ Show First Post
self_composed
self_composed
"Shall I also tell him something about why?" Bella asks.
[You know, there's probably enough in the notebooks to get her for neglect or failure to report or something. I don't think anyone's going to arrest her without your say-so, but if you feel like it...]
[You know, there's probably enough in the notebooks to get her for neglect or failure to report or something. I don't think anyone's going to arrest her without your say-so, but if you feel like it...]
edgeofyourseat
[I don't,] he says. [It's not like she did anything.]
"If you want to," says Judith.
"If you want to," says Judith.
self_composed
"Well," Bella says. "I would, but I don't yet know why."
[Up to you.]
[Up to you.]
edgeofyourseat
"That makes two of us," she says wryly.
[Yeah, I don't really give a shit. Why, is she being an asshole to you or something?]
[Yeah, I don't really give a shit. Why, is she being an asshole to you or something?]
self_composed
"Bye." Bella hangs up.
[She doesn't seem to know any better than you do. You could wait ten minutes, delair, and call her, if you're curious.]
[She doesn't seem to know any better than you do. You could wait ten minutes, delair, and call her, if you're curious.]
edgeofyourseat
[...yeah,] says Alice. [Yeah. I think I'll do that.]
Judith hangs up the phone, gazes at or possibly through it for a brief moment, and then leaves without a word.
Judith hangs up the phone, gazes at or possibly through it for a brief moment, and then leaves without a word.
self_composed
Charlie slides the phone back into place and silently watches her go.
He decides to call Hilary and let her know what's going on, in case there are repercussions she'll have to deal with.
He decides to call Hilary and let her know what's going on, in case there are repercussions she'll have to deal with.
edgeofyourseat
Time passes.
About an hour later, Alice brainphones Bella. He sounds deeply, deeply confused and vaguely unsettled.
[My mom is hugging me and I don't know what to do.]
About an hour later, Alice brainphones Bella. He sounds deeply, deeply confused and vaguely unsettled.
[My mom is hugging me and I don't know what to do.]
self_composed
Bella returns to reading him; she'd stopped to work on some trig, which, even since she pentagoned math, requires a fair amount of working memory to handle. [...Hug her back?] she suggests. [Tell her to back off? Whatever you wanna do.]
edgeofyourseat
He is standing in the front hall of his house. His mom is in fact hugging him, and is also crying. He feels instinctively suspicious of her motives, but on a conscious level he is pretty sure there's no reason to be. As far as he can tell, she really is just overwhelmed by emotion.
Tentatively, he pats her on the back.
Tentatively, he pats her on the back.
edgeofyourseat
[Uh...]
He called her. She asked if he was all right, if he'd heard the news, if he was going to come home. She sounded somewhere between triumphant and distraught.
He did, in fact, come home.
And then... this happened.
Also, she is no longer wearing her wedding and engagement rings. Alice can't help thinking that is a really good sign.
He called her. She asked if he was all right, if he'd heard the news, if he was going to come home. She sounded somewhere between triumphant and distraught.
He did, in fact, come home.
And then... this happened.
Also, she is no longer wearing her wedding and engagement rings. Alice can't help thinking that is a really good sign.
self_composed
[...This is weird,] Bella opines. [She can't claim she didn't know what was going on and this is a sudden burst of sympathy, so I don't know what could be happening in her mind.]
edgeofyourseat
[She used to hug me and cry like this when I was a kid,] he recalls. [It was kind of a phase. She stopped, though. I don't even know if this is related.]
And needless to say, Judith herself is not a font of useful and coherent information right now.
And needless to say, Judith herself is not a font of useful and coherent information right now.
edgeofyourseat
[She stopped when I was twelve.]
She's winding down a little on the tears now, and smoothing her hand down over his hair repeatedly, although she has to reach up some distance to do it.
It's... okay. Still a little confusing, but okay.
She's winding down a little on the tears now, and smoothing her hand down over his hair repeatedly, although she has to reach up some distance to do it.
It's... okay. Still a little confusing, but okay.
self_composed
[Right.] Bella has no other input on the subject, but she leaves the read on out of inertia and goes back to designing a hypothetical telekinesis power in all its tiny and important details.
edgeofyourseat
Eventually, Alice gets his mother to sit down. At the foot of the stairs, but she's sitting.
"Oh, ick," she says with a tremulous smile, "look what I did to your shirt."
"It'll wash," he assures her. "Seriously though, what's up with you?"
She looks down at her unadorned left hand and sniffles again.
"I'm afraid I've been a terrible mother," she says.
"...Yeah, kinda," says Alice. "But hey, you're nowhere near as bad as Dad, so good for you?"
Judith snorts despite herself. "I don't know where you got that sense of humour," she says. "It certainly wasn't from your father."
"Oh, ick," she says with a tremulous smile, "look what I did to your shirt."
"It'll wash," he assures her. "Seriously though, what's up with you?"
She looks down at her unadorned left hand and sniffles again.
"I'm afraid I've been a terrible mother," she says.
"...Yeah, kinda," says Alice. "But hey, you're nowhere near as bad as Dad, so good for you?"
Judith snorts despite herself. "I don't know where you got that sense of humour," she says. "It certainly wasn't from your father."
self_composed
[Do either of your parents have senses of humor? Besides, not all traits are inherited,] comments Bella.
edgeofyourseat
[Mom at least laughs once in a while,] he volunteers.
After a moment's silence, his mother sighs and twists her hands in her lap. "I never knew he was going to be like that," she says helplessly. "And once I found out... it sounds so inadequate, but I didn't know what to do about him."
"And now somebody else did it for ya and you're cutting the bastard loose?" Alice fills in.
She bursts into fresh tears and nods repeatedly.
He hesitates for a moment, and then hugs her.
After a moment's silence, his mother sighs and twists her hands in her lap. "I never knew he was going to be like that," she says helplessly. "And once I found out... it sounds so inadequate, but I didn't know what to do about him."
"And now somebody else did it for ya and you're cutting the bastard loose?" Alice fills in.
She bursts into fresh tears and nods repeatedly.
He hesitates for a moment, and then hugs her.
self_composed
Aww. It's like she doesn't even know that not going to the police could put her in jail if anyone involved had a grudge against her.
[What do your and her finances look like, after the divorce is through?] Bella asks.
[What do your and her finances look like, after the divorce is through?] Bella asks.