unconsciousness would be an undesirable outcome

[self_composed]

On Sunday, Bella drives to the movie theater with Angela in tow, and her car breaks on the way home from Angela's house. She calls a tow truck, and calls her dad, and she goes home in the cop car and her station wagon goes on vacation to the mechanic.

On Monday, Charlie drives Bella to school.

As she's been discharged from the car and Charlie pulls away, a van driven by a panicking teenager screams out of nowhere towards Bella.

Making wishes is easy.

It is not automatic. It is not instantaneous.

The van creams Bella, good and proper.

Comments

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yes I do."

[self_composed]

"Spiffy." Bella assigns him to fetch her ingredients and measuring cups and the like from the relevant cupboards, and she turns on the oven and starts taking the chicken out of the packaging.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice cheerfully fetches all the things he is tasked to fetch.

"So apparently," he says after a little while, "if we're a 1950s married couple, I'm the wife."

This seems to please him inordinately.

[self_composed]

"Meh, I didn't barge in wearing a suit from work and shout that I was home," Bella points out. "Besides, I cook too, I was just tired." She mixes capers into the sauce for the chicken and lets it sit, and then dredges the pieces in flour. "Lucky you I bought extra chicken - I decided to start leaving leftovers more to make up for how often I'm having dinner at yours of late. Charlie manages - I mean, he didn't starve to death during some non-summer season before I moved here for good - but it's really not pretty."

[edgeofyourseat]

"I can bring lunch when I come over tomorrow," he offers. "I can bring cake."

[self_composed]

"Oooh, cake," says Bella, grinning. "Yes please." She pops the chicken in the oven and continues work on the sauce, adding teaspoonsful of various spices.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Will do," he says brightly. "Need any more stuff grabbed?"

[self_composed]

"Uh..." She consults her mental recipe. "Pepper, and may as well get the turner out of the cooking utensil drawer now. Then we're all set until..." - she sets the timer on the oven - "the chicken comes out."

[edgeofyourseat]

"'Kay!"

He grabs the requisite stuff.

[self_composed]

Bella peppers the sauce and strategically locates the turner, just as Charlie walks in.

"Hullo, Bells." He glances at Alice. "Laney."

"Hi, Dad," Bella says happily. "We made chicken."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Hi," says Alice.

He is less nervous and awkward around Charlie now, but he is still nervous and awkward.

[self_composed]

"Mm," says Charlie. He looks at the oven timer while he shuts the door behind him. He pointedly hangs up his gun, eyes on Alice, and says, "Chicken's always good."

[edgeofyourseat]

...Alice grins and bites his lip, accumulating triangles for a few seconds, because it is so hard not to flirt a little.

[self_composed]

Charlie decides to pass the time between now and chicken readiness in watching some manner of sporting event on TV.

Bella mouths, Really? at Alice.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice shrugs and makes a helplessly apologetic face.

[self_composed]

My dad! Bella mouths in exasperation, and then she says aloud, "Well, this'll be a while, let's go hang out upstairs."

"Keep the door open," Charlie calls over the TV.

The point of this when they have been in the house alone together for several hours already is lost on Bella, but she says, "Okay, Dad."

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice rolls his eyes and gets up to go upstairs.

[self_composed]

"I'm sort of hoping to set him up with Hilary," Bella confesses in a low voice, once they're up in her room and can barely hear the TV.

[edgeofyourseat]

"That's adorable," Alice murmurs back.

[self_composed]

Bella nods happily. "Not sure how to go about it though. I mean, they've already met."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Also, Hilary likes girls," Alice volunteers. "She might be bi, though."

[self_composed]

"Oh. Well, that's potentially inconvenient," sighs Bella. "And potentially not. How do you know?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"I told her about Freddie; she said she had much the same reaction to Pat Benatar."

[self_composed]

Bella snickers. "Okay. I'm not gonna count Charlie out yet, if that's all."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yeah, that's fair."