Thirty-Five Bells: [Voice/Action]

[simplestgift]

[Archie is going to head into All Passions today, in desperate need of a dress uniform. When things are slow at work tonight, he'll speak a message.]

Is there anyone in the village who could perform a wedding? A priest or other official? I'm...getting married.

[He sounds a tad stunned about it, too. Even if it's been over a month since this was decided.]

Comments

[simplestgift]

Jack?

[He hesitates.]

Good god.

[He sounds mildly horrified.]

[herotypical]

...He did one on that sea draft. Or so I hear. Gave a speech and everything. I'm...I'm probably lucky I wasn't there.

[ ... ] You know, I think he's once impersonated a priest. Now -- James. He's grim enough to be a clergyman. But then there's the whole awkward part where Eliz--

Hmm! Maybe there's a Justice of the Peace skulking around somewhere.

[simplestgift]

Where Elizabeth...?

[He caught that, Buffy.]

[herotypical]

And him...and he...

[ died for her. ]

Were you planning on inviting him?

[simplestgift]

Of course. He was the first to know.

[herotypical]

You told him first?!

[ she still thinks they're talking about james. she's horrified. and feels awfully sorry for the admiral. ]

[simplestgift]

Yes, we told him first. [Thinking they're still talking about Jack.] Together.

[herotypical]

That's a bit...

Cruel.

[simplestgift]

What? Why?

[herotypical]

Kinda like rubbing his face in it. That's why. I mean...if I were in his boots?

[ a soft intake of breath. like a cautious hiss. ]

[simplestgift]

But he has you. Or...did.

[He's heard things about Buffy and the General. And Jack and Adele. From the trees, though, so.]

[herotypical]

As a friend. [ the fact that anyone might question her and jack at the moment is so far from her mind that even this does not raise an alarm. ] Not as a consoloation prize. Or as a therapist. Seriously. I don't even know if he's over her, even.

[ ... ]

I should have filtered that, shouldn't I?

[filtered 95%]

[simplestgift]

But he's completely smitten with you!

[filtered 95%]

[herotypical]

Oh, God. I hope not. That'd be awk--

[ okay. NOW she's suspicious. ]

Archie. Archie -- hon. I'm talking about James. Norrington. N-not Jack.

[ although -- she thinks with a twinge -- there was that apparently proposal. and doesn't that still just twist in her gut like a knife. ]

[filtered 95%]

[simplestgift]

...Ah.

[Oh crap.]

[filtered 95%]

[herotypical]

And that, I think, is the sound of me having opened my big mouth.

You didn't know? [ although buffy would be hard-pressed to articulate exactly what there was to know. james had once felt very strongly for the woman -- if not still. and, certainly, it seemed as though liz held him in good esteem.

but other hints had made it look not nearly so simple. ]

[filtered 95%]

[simplestgift]

I...no, I-I never knew. God. [Just...give him a second. Wow. WOW.]

[filtered 95%]

[herotypical]

I'm saddled with a serial proposer. You've got the serial proposee.