Coal
They were all sitting down to breakfast and it had all been lovely and quiet, for a short while but then Anne and Marian had decided to venture into topics they didn’t agree on and their usual quarrelling had begun.
Captain Lister sighed into his porridge and Aunt Anne shared a tired look with Ann who massaged her temples with her fingertips - it was too early for this; besides she hadn’t felt great all morning with her back giving her pain. But the two sisters seemed to take no notice of the other’s around the table that all displayed their discomfort and annoyance at their bickering. And if they did, they clearly didn’t care about that – both too stubborn to stand down a fight.
Ann knew that it wasn’t likely to subside until one of them left the table. But Ann eyed her wife, hoping her gaze would burn in her neck, and will her to stop taunting Marian to continue the argument – sometimes Anne was too stubborn for her own good and such a tease! – And when it came to teasing and taunting Marian, it was never amusing. Hardly ever anyways. Especially not at fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, Ann thought annoyed glaring at the side of Anne’s face.
Ann startled, dropping her fork as both of them raised their voices, shouting at each other. A growl escaped Ann, not that they heard her – their cries were too loud.
“You are doing it again! Running over everyone! - Just like you did, when you decided to sink the bloody coal pits!” Marian cried annoyed and Anne groaned at her sister, dragging her hand over her face before pointing at Marian infuriated,
“The coal pits were and is a great investment. We will make a good sizable profit from it!”
“That’s not the point, Anne! You just rule with no care for anyone else. No matter that we live here too!” Marian replied even more angered than before, and Ann thought she had a point. But she’d never say that out loud, well, maybe if she was alone with Anne and trying to win an argument. Because Anne had gambled Shibden – without telling anyone. She had gambled their safety and home without allowing them a say in it. Obviously, she had done it with only good intent but… still, and she had all but lost it - Ann couldn’t help a sigh of relief at that thought– it was a good thing, Marian didn’t know just how close Anne had been to lose Shibden. Otherwise, Ann, Aunt Anne and Captain Lister might’ve needed to try and stop Marian from strangling Anne to death. Ann scowled at Anne again – she could strangle her a little bit right now for being such a pain this morning. However, she was called from those thoughts by Captain Lister as he slammed his spoon against the bowl.
“Coal is a nasty business.” Captain Lister muttered still staring into his porridge and Marian’s eyes darted to him and she pointed her hand at him,
“Yes! Thank you, father.”
“But the chief is right. It was a bloody good investment.” Captain Lister continued, with a brief look between both his daughters, and Anne smirked at Marian who rolled her eyes.
“There.” Anne marked far too pleased, but Marian refused to let it settle,
“No! Because you’ve got to learn to listen to other people, and to be kinder. Not everyone has to live life according to y-your whims all the time! We were left a right to live here too.”
“Marian, it’s getting rather annoying, this obsessive behaviour of yours. It always comes back to the fact that uncle left Shibden to me and not you. And we all know why he did.” Anne said slowly, repeating what she had said a million times before, making Marian if possible, more angry with her.
“You are… you are such a… a God damn you, Anne! The only good about that coal is that it makes for a splendid Christmas gift for you – you - nit-picker!” Marian growled, throwing her napkin on the table with force, leaving the room in a flair of dramatics. Meanwhile Anne sat completely calm at the table, watching as her sister left, before turning to the table once more, raising an eyebrow,
“Did she just call me a nit-picker?”
“Anne… I thought we’d agreed that you wouldn’t tease Marian so.” Aunt Anne murmured, slowly getting up, Anne sighed,
“I wasn’t but she… she says the stupidest things. I don’t know where she gets it all from.”
“Anne dear, try and be a bit kinder and a tad more cheerful for the season, or coal might well do for you.” Aunt Anne gave her a serious look, one of the mothering kinds, before leaving the room to go find and talk to Marian. Her father left with a huff, having put up with enough for one meal and Anne put her hand down on the table with some force turning her dark eyes to Ann, quirking her eyebrow,
“Hm?”
“Well… I suppose it’s true.” Ann mumbled tiredly and Anne gasped, she couldn’t believe her ears,
“What do you mean? I’m always cheery and kind.”
“Of course, you are dearest…” Ann patronised her, taking a sip from her cup, barely looking at her wife. She had just ruined a perfectly good breakfast despite knowing that Ann didn’t even want to come down in the first place because of the pain that came with her ‘cousin’.
“Wha-, I am!” Anne argued, looking at Ann disgruntled, and Ann rolled her eyes but little, still not looking at her,
“Mm, and I am sure everyone would agree you were.”
“You are being sarcastic, and I have to say that I’m hurt!” Anne crossed her arms dryly, and Ann couldn’t help but laugh at her for acting like such a child, and she placed a warm hand on Anne’s knee,
“You know I love you, Anne, because of all your passion – but sometimes that makes you a little ill-tempered and mean.”
“It’s a good thing you are such a pretty creature, and that I love you endlessly or I might’ve said things now.” Anne told her sharply and Ann looked at her, nodding mock-serious,
“I’m sure you would. Something about how you aren’t, in a way that said you definitely were.”
“Are you feeling better, Adney?” Anne wondered the tiniest bit amused, and Ann tucked her lip under her teeth, looking adorable,
“Well you are with me, aren’t you?”
Anne grabbed her by the chin gently, eying her face closely, a small smile playing her lips,
“Are you trying to suck up to me, Walker?”
“Is it working?” Ann smirked, raising her eyebrows,
“Hm...” Anne mused, pretending to ponder it, to tease Ann, however the blonde was intent on making her case, and seeing as no one was in the room, she ran her warm hand along Anne’s skirt, placing it higher up on Anne’s thigh, surprising the woman who tensed. Ann ran small circles just there, not breaking eye contact with her wife, wearing a small flirtatious smile. Anne bit down on her tongue not to let any indecent sound escape her, her eyes closing, making Ann laugh at her,
“So. I win?”
“What?” Anne opened her eyes, her mind still slightly distracted by the fingers that were dangerously close to where she’d rather fancied, they’d be.
“Our spat. I won.”
“We didn’t have a spat.” Anne protested with a frown.
“Mm, well I would argue we did indeed have one, and now I’ve won it.” Ann persisted and Anne raised her distracting hand from her thigh, pressing a kiss to the back of it,
“You didn’t win, and you better get used to it. I stand by what I said – I am always cheery.”
“Oh, I think you are the one who has to get used to losing… that and to stop looking at your ridiculous pocket-watch all the time!”
“It isn’t ridiculous! It is a perfectly sound thing to keep track of time! It’s not illegal!” Anne shouted offended, throwing Ann’s hand from her but Ann didn’t mind, she merely offered Anne a cheeky grin,
“Oh I thought… correct me if I’m wrong, Anne… but weren’t you always cheery?”
“You tricked me – not fair!”
Ann’s laugh bubbled up when Anne stuck her tongue out at her, it felt so good to just laugh after the terrible night and morning she’d had and even Anne couldn’t resist laughter escaping her– not when her wife had the most contagious laughter she’d heard.
Ann couldn’t help, once she’d calmed down a bit, but stare at Anne’s brilliantly intelligent face, glancing at the full soft, pink lips. Anne grinned as she noticed it and leant down to graze her lips, melting into a lovely and tender kiss. Anne broke them apart before anyone saw them and with a smirk she said,
“With those kinds of ugly tricks, I think you deserve nothing but coal for Christmas, Adney.”
“You know… I just realised something.” Ann mumbled in thought, looking very much like she was just saying whatever had just come to mind, Anne confused, and intrigued by what that might be asked;
“What? Tell me.”
“Well, I just… you know, thinking about who deserves coal for Christmas, Christopher came to mind…”
Anne scoffed, interrupting Ann,
“Obviously.”
“Yes well, it’s a bit… it doesn’t work with him, does it? If you gave him coal because he has been stealing your coal… now that’s just giving him more coal…”
“Well yes… not that I was of a mind to give him anything, anyway.” Anne chortled amused,
“But if you wanted to punish him for all his wrongs – just tell his mother, and he will never hear the end of it.” Anne smirked making the blonde laugh,
“Does she know? About the whole business with the coal, I mean.”
“Mm… I might’ve told her last year to lure him here.”
“To yell at him for stealing your coal?” Ann wondered and Anne nodded, shrugging her shoulder,
“Well that, and to yell at him for humiliating my sister in the middle of the bank. I wouldn’t let him get away with insulting my sister, especially not when I was the one, he was trying to get at. Marian might be annoying and all that but only I own the privilege of picking on her, if anyone else has a go – well then, I’ll beat them blue.”
“Aw, you are just the softest, and sweetest person underneath it all, hm Pony?!” Ann teased and Anne kissed her quickly on the lips looking mischievous,
“Repeat that disgusting slander again, and there will be consequences!”
“Oh, It’s too bad you don’t scare me, Lister.” Ann retorted smugly and Anne shook her head at her, touching her nose with hers in a very loving manner, laughing,
“Coal. Your stocking will be full of coal!”