Work Text:
Well.
"Next week? Let me check my calendar."
This is familiar.
"Adrienne. No phone calls during dinner."
All that's missing now is Dad, making some disparaging comment.
"Why not? It's not as if we're going to be talking about anything important."
"These French fries kind of suck."
Yup. Just another regular family dinner.
The only thing that's different is the uniforms, and the fact that we don't get table service.
Although given their prices, I guess you get what you pay for.
[two weeks ago]
"So you're a mind-reading mutant freak, huh?" Cordelia said. "Cool."
...
"You don't seem shocked. Or particularly surprised."
...
Cordelia shrugged. "Hey. What younger sister doesn't grow up thinking her big sisters are mutant freaks? I guess I'm just one of the rare and few who were actually right."
...
"It doesn't bother you at all?"
...
"Nope. Only thing that bothers me is that you're a stuck-up bitch. But I guess it's too late to do anything about that, even if you wanted to, which you probably don't. And Adrienne's worse, anyway."
"This isn't about Adrienne. This is about Christian."
Cordelia shrugged again. "Can't say I particularly care about him, either. But, sure, I guess. I mean, he's family, right? Even if he's crazy."
"He's not crazy, Cordelia. He tried to kill himself, and then Father had him committed. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right, and I intend to fix it."
"Bit late, but fine. Whatever. I'm in. Just don't expect me to do anything useful. Unless you need some drugs. Do you need some drugs, Em?"
...
"Em? What's with that weird face you keep making? Bad taco for lunch? Just kidding. You probably don't even eat those."
"It's nothing."
Why can't I read your mind? Are you like me? CAN YOU HEAR ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU LIKE THIS?
...
Ugh. Just forget it.
[one week ago]
Maybe it's just because we're family. I mean, I can't read Adrienne, either.
"You were always far closer to Christian than I was," Adrienne said, toying with her phone.
"He's still your brother."
Adrienne smiled. Her suit looked very expensive. "I'd say that he was the black sheep of the family, but really, I wonder if there were any white sheep in our family."
"It wouldn't look very good for you if word got out that your younger brother who happens to be gay is locked up in a mental institution somewhere."
"Wouldn't it? Well, I suppose that all depends on who you're talking to. I know some people who might actually be impressed. There might even be a promotion in it for me."
"Adrienne ... "
"Oh, Emma." Adrienne smirked and drank the last of her coffee. "Appealing to my non-existent sisterly instincts and switching to blackmail when that doesn't work? Father would be so proud. I wonder if I should give him a call."
"You don't know where he is. Nobody knows where he is."
"Perhaps. But to answer your question: fine. I'll help. After all, it never hurts to have someone owe you, and you will owe me for this, won't you, Emma? Oh, and Christian as well, of course, although I doubt I'll ever be able to collect. For a Frost, he's really rather a disappointment, isn't he?"
He told me I should have let him die. That he didn't want to live anymore.
"Not to me."
[present]
... stupid toy and after all that nagging ...
... all right if it's Diet Coke, right?
... don't pay me enough to ...
"The easiest thing to do, I imagine, would simply be to have him declared sane," Adrienne said.
"Is he, though?" Cordelia grabbed her milkshake.
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
"You mean that we could pay someone."
Adrienne shrugged. She hadn't touched her coffee, or her burger, or anything else in front of her, other than her cellphone. "Money makes the world go 'round, as they say."
"In, like, your grandmother's time."
"No."
"No?" A perfect eyebrow arched. "Are we going to do something illegal, then?"
"We're going to do the right thing. What we should have done a long time ago."
"Kill Father? I thought you said nobody knew where he was? And anyway, given that he made you his heir, I hardly see what's in it for me. Or how this is supposed to help Christian, for that matter."
"Should we really be talking about this here? There's a couple of cops two tables over."
"We're going to get him out of there. And then we're going to make sure nobody has any excuse to put him in a place like that ever again."
"Fratricide, then?"
"Adrienne!"
"Just a joke, dear. Where's your sense of humor?"
[a month ago]
"Christian?"
gonnakillyougonnakillyougonnakillyougonnakillyou
"He's been like this for some time now, Ms ... ?"
"Frost."
"We think it might mean that he has finally begun the process of recovery. Now, it might be a very lengthy process, but you should still consider this a good sign."
Keep paying my salary, won't you? You rich, stuck-up folks are all alike. Making your problems go away by throwing money at them. No idea what real problems are.
"That is excellent news."
GONNAKILLALLOFYOU
"Are you quite all right, Ms Frost?"
[present]
"I'm thinking of a number in between 0 and a million."
"Well, that went better than expected. Rather a piece of cake, wasn't it? Emma?"
"My head hurts."
[six months ago]
"It's really not so bad here," Christian said.
You should have let me die.
"Is that really true?"
Why couldn't you have let me die?
"Some of the nurses are pretty cute, you know? And it's quiet. No one telling me what to do, or how I screwed up this time. It's kind of a relief."
"I'm going to get you out of here. I promise."
"Well. I guess it might be nice to have a change of scenery. And some new clothes."
You're always so selfish, Em.
[present]
"Adrienne said she had a meeting." Cordelia leaned against the wall, next to the closed door.
There were no sounds coming from inside. Not anymore.
"I guess he really is nuts, huh? Wonder how that's going to play in the media."
"You don't care about the media."
Cordelia patted her pockets, locating a package of bubble gum. "I sometimes care that Adrienne cares. Picturing her face when she sees stuff on the news. Better than anything they show on Comedy Central. But hey, sorry things didn't work out the way you wanted them to, I guess."
"There's not going to be anything in the media about Christian."
"You gonna perform some sort of mutant mind-whammy on him? Can I watch?"
"As far as anyone except the three of us is concerned, Christian Frost is dead."
See, Chris? I gave you what you wanted after all. Is that enough?
Cordelia blew a pink bubble. "Huh."
"And yes, I am going to heal his mind. I'm going to make everything all right again."
I need you to tell me it's enough. That you forgive me.
The bubble popped. "Maybe you should check on your own sanity first, before worrying about someone else's. Sounds to me like you might need it even more than him."
"You have no idea, Cordelia. No idea how powerful I am."
The door was still closed, the room still quiet.
"Scared? I didn't think you had it in you anymore."
"I'm not scared."
"Bullshit. C'mon, what do you think he's going to do? You saw how scrawny he was, right? Like they hardly ever fed him at all. Hey, there's an idea, maybe we could order some pizza. It's about dinner time, anyway. We'll unlock the door, let him come out on his own terms. How's that?"
"Are you scared?"
"You can read my mind, right? So what, you're just asking to be polite?"
"I'm going in there."
"Fine," Cordelia said. "Let's do this."
The door opened.
[four months later]
... never even listen when I'm talking to you anymore ...
... so sexy I just want to ...
... experience in the fast food industry, they said, well ...
"I feel like I should know you. Have we met?"
"No. I'm here with my sisters - over there."
Cordelia waved. Adrienne glared at her cellphone.
"Sorry. Not trying to hit on you or anything sleazy like that, I swear."
"I believe you."
"See that hunk over there? Matt. My boyfriend."
"I'm very happy for you."
"Uh, thanks. Are you sure we've never met?"
"Very sure."