Fires banked down.

[sunshine_queen]

From yahtzee63 's AFI challenge.

 

"You've got fires banked down in you, hearth-fires and holocausts." -- The Philadelphia Story

 

 

Simon Walker appreciates a good woman.

 

His idea of "good" was hardly being well-behaved, or kind, or loving; his idea involved being a fast-draw, a good fuck, and a pretty face, but standards are standards.

 

Julia Thorne is not a good woman. She is the best woman, in every sense, and he might just love her.

 

She's cool to the touch and smooth under his palm, indifferently sipping at iced vodka. They had argued, and then they'd made up, and now Julia's playing coy.

 

Simon knows that he loves apathy. Had she been fawning, or easily won, he'd have lost interest long ago. Come now, love, he might say in a teasing tone, no ice queens tonight. They breed them in this country, I can get them a dime a dozen.

 

You like them cold, she’d reply, go find yourself a snow bunny. Or several, if you’d like.

 

Oh, you hurt me, Jules. Leave you?

 

She would roll her eyes, as she always does when he’s melodramatic, and push him away.

 

Instead he says, “Why the gloom, babe? You could cut steel with those eyes.”

 

“Cut a lot more than that,” she says absently, and she sips reflexively. She’s thinking about their job, he can tell. She looks at her glass. “It’s clear,” she says, “And it numbs. Like we do to ourselves so we can do our work. Vodka in the blood.”

 

“Liquid fire,” he counters. “Gives you courage, makes your blood hot.”

 

She smiles at him, acerbically biting, “You always say I’m cold, cold as ice. Don’t you remember?”

 

He does, and she is, but he smiles widely for the sake of argument, “Nonsense. You've got fires banked down in you, hearth-fires and holocausts."

 

“Holocausts,” she says distantly, “Slaughters and sacrifices. In me.”

 

He wonders if she’ll get up and leave now, if he managed to touch a nerve sensitive enough to be stung when so many are dead. Instead she looks up and smiles slowly, widely, ferally. “Really, Simon. You flatter me.”

Comments

[non-horation.livejournal.com]

Like I told you on IM, nice job. I never really cared for Simon, he seemed so slimy and gross, but it's interesting to see the way he sees Julia, and the idea that maybe he loved her. In his own way.

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

Exactly. In his own way.

'Cause she ain't no hollaback girl.

[miladygrey.livejournal.com]

Surfed over from yahtzee63, and WOW. Sharp-edged and perfect, and oh Simon, if you only knew...

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

I've only written Simon once before... I'm glad you liked it!

And, oh, Simon, indeed.

[dollsome.livejournal.com]

Oh, Madi, that's gorgeous. Beautifully written, and there was something strangely melancholy about Simon being so taken with a woman who doesn't even exist.

“Holocausts,” she says distantly, “Slaughters and sacrifices. In me.”

That line in particular was really striking; a vivid reminder that this is Sydney, disguised, and just . . . guh.

You're too good.

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

I <3 Simon.

hol·o·caust
n.
Great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life, especially by fire.

Holocaust The genocide of European Jews and others by the Nazis during World War II: “Israel emerged from the Holocaust and is defined in relation to that catastrophe” (Emanuel Litvinoff).
A massive slaughter:“an important document in the so-far sketchy annals of the Cambodian holocaust” (Rod Nordland).
A sacrificial offering that is consumed entirely by flames.


God bless dictionary.com

[yahtzee63.livejournal.com]

Love it! This is probably my favorite take on Simon and Julia that I've seen.

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. That's surprising. Thanks!

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

VERY good! I love the idea that S&J's smuttiness and violence had a sharper, smarter side that could foster dialogue like this. Thank you!

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it! I hate thinking of Simon and Julia's... whatever... as one dimensional. Mostly because I loved Simon. And you KNOW Simon had a mouth on him.

Ah, beautiful, witty, violent people.

[thepodsquad.livejournal.com]

*spazzes* Oh, how I've missed Jusi fics. How I've missed them. But this is just all kinds of shiny and fabulous and rough. *sighs*


Wonderful job, dollbaby. *hugs*

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

I loooove JuSi. And thanks for saying "rough." Because hee.

*huggles*

[allthingsholy.livejournal.com]

That ending is maybe the most perfect that I've ever read, and I love that it's Julia. I've really been thinking about doing a Julia/Syd thing, but I'm passing the torch onto you, I think. This in particular--“Holocausts,” she says distantly, “Slaughters and sacrifices. In me.”--just about gutted me. So, you know...good on you for that.

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

Dude, that the quote I used gave me the word 'holocaust' was sheer luck. I dictionary.com'ed it and the rest just came. It was a gift.

I still am fascinated by the Syd/Julia dynamic. I wish more than anything they'd continue that.

[nicblue0707.livejournal.com]

I just love, love, LOVE the ending:

“Holocausts,” she says distantly, “Slaughters and sacrifices. In me.”.

I love the way that the line can be read - that the phrase "In me" can be read - as meaning that Sydney is made up of slaughters and sacrifices, but also that she has the capacity to perform those actions.

Brilliant. An amazing and unique take on Simon and Julia.

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

Boy, was it lucky that I'm a nerd that needs definitions. That you delved so deeply into such a small fic really means a lot to me. Thanks for reading!

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is excellent--few things that I love better than fleshing out a character we've only seen an intriguing but short glimpse of; your Simon here *is* the sly rogue we've seen on screen, but he also has a silver tongue and some standards. & ;-)

Lovely job--great idea, excellent execution, and your dialogue is to die for!

[sunshine-queen.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love Simon more than words can say. I want him to show up again just to raise some hell for fun. And JuSi is all about witty dialogue and smut.