Sat, May 19 2012
| TITLE: | To Relax After A Long Day |
|---|---|
| AUTHOR: | Moishouki |
| CATEGORY/TYPE: | Jammie Workshop, Humor |
| RATING/WARNINGS: | PG, Gen |
| MAIN CHARACTERS: | |
| DESCRIPTION: | Missing Scene Workshop Entry |
| STATUS: | Complete |
Phileas had had what he thought had to be about the worst day of all his life. Yes, possibly it was really that, even worse than the days he'd spent following on Rebecca's heels trying to see that she didn't walk too close to the edge, with her will so focused on the mission rather than its perils that her temper was sharper than ever. Each time she would think that he was to try to stop her, when in reality he was only trying to protect her life.
Just now he thought that even that would have been less exhausting than all that he had gone through since the morning. First he'd had to deal a bit with a frustrated Rebecca after her bad night laying in the bathtub; next he'd gotten into an argument with his host at the breakfast – and the intense and challenging training that had come next had been true torture. Phileas would have been happy if things have stopped there, but no such luck – he'd had to go horseback riding on a mad horse, and while he had successfully come back to the hacienda without a broken bone it had cost him a lot of sore muscles as well as a rumpled ego.
When the Muriettas had offered him a meal and suggested that he refresh himself there before going back to the hotel, Phileas had declined, saying than his wife would be worried if he was away too long. In fact, the idea of nice warm bath, a long nap and a good hot meal was too appealing for him that do that in the house of people that he didn't know. In a none of those things would be as good as they would be at home, or even on board the Aurora with Passepartout cooking instead of Mrs. Betty. At least at the hotel a man could go straight from one thing to the next without too much delay between the bath and the meal or the nap.
Phileas stretched his sore neck at the thought, riding the brown horse that the Murrietas had loaned him through the lengthening shadows of sunset to his hotel, grateful that the brown was less wild than the black fury they had made him ride as introduction to Zorro's horse. The day had been a long one, and Phileas was happy to be finally back at the hotel.
Phileas stopped his horse and climbed down with less grace than he would have ordinarily displayed. A boy working at the stables come to him and agreed to take care of the borrowed horse for the tired man. Phileas searched the pockets of his suit for money, and found enough to pay the boy with a generous tip for his trouble, as well. Stretching his sore body once again as if to convince himself that he really could make it to his hotel room Phileas went in. Once inside, he was greeted by the landlord who gave him his salutations and said only -- smiling -- that Mrs. Fogg was already upstairs. Phileas bowed slightly and walked his way up to the second floor. Putting his hand to the handle of the door Phileas paused for a small moment to curse himself, in silence, for ever having agreed to share it. How he would have enjoyed having that room to himself. With Rebecca here, it was going to be so awkward and uncomfortable to get Passepartout's help for his bath. "Never mind!" he told himself; but he thought he heard his conscience yell "Hypocrite!" in response. =You know perfectly well that a rub-down on the sore muscles is the only thing that will really help you to feel better, and enable you get up in a better state tomorrow morning.= Phileas sighed; there were the bruises from the falls, too, and they ached as well as his muscles did. A glass or so of whiskey would help him to forget that before going to sleep.
Phileas turned the handle and walked in the room to find Rebecca undressing herself to change wearing only her drawers and camisole, which she was about to take off. Phileas turned his back to her hastily to preserve her privacy. "Oh! I'm sorry!" he said, looking at the closed door. Rebecca giggled a bit at his actions, "There is nothing here that you not have already seen, you know."
Phileas cleared his throat but didn't move to face her. "That's quite all right, only tell me when you're decent again."
Rather than doing that, Rebecca walked to him and took his hand, making him turn. When he did she raised her hand to stroke his cheek. "You look exhausted, what have you been doing that's tired you out so?"
Phileas kept his eyes above her shoulders. "Ride around under the sun and look at a part of the land to be sold," he said, not lying, but not telling the whole truth before he added "Several of those very lands are already occupied by families and farms."
Rebecca didn't comment on what he had said. "Come sit here while I finish changing, and next we will see to your needs. Did you eat?"
Phileas sat, turning his attention to the bottle that had been left on the table and pouring himself a glass. "No, but even though I'm famished all I really want to do is to get some hot water and clean up a bit before I go to sleep."
Smiling, Rebecca finished changing into her nightclothes. "I'll take care of that for you." She grabbed her robe and walked to the water closet, and next Phileas was sure he heard her talk with the two men in the other room where the two rooms connected through the shared water closet between them. Rebecca came back a small moment later as Phileas was ridding himself of his tie and jacket. "Passepartout will ask for a bath to be drawn for you, and he will get you a late meal as well."
Phileas looked at her with a smile finally on his tired face. "Excellent!" he said with a real enthusiasm; her words sounded really good to his ears. Rebecca smiled and knelt in front of him. "Let me help you with your boots." she said, and took the items off his person as he was unbuttoning his waistcoat.
A few minutes later, the hot water was brought to the room, and the bath quickly made ready for Phileas' use. Phileas got up when the hotel maid announced that the bath was prepared, and walked to the water closet with the hopes of getting his manservant to assist him. He was in the small room and ready to knock at the other bedroom's door when a hand came down on his shoulder from behind, a hand with a clear mind to help him to take off his waistcoat. Phileas lets the hand make off with his waistcoat as a familiar voice come from behind him.
"Let me help you. Passepartout is probably downstairs getting you a meal, and Jules is surely asleep by now."
Phileas turned to look at Rebecca, who put her hand to undo the button of his shirt. She had undone the second one from the top when Phileas put his hands over hers to stop her, clearing his throat. "Hmm! I would prefer you not to get any ideas . . . I really don't feel up for anything else than a bath, a meal and a night of sleep . . ."
Rebecca smiled and put a finger on his lips. "I don't have any ideas and I want only to help you. Really, I do."
With a smile again on his tired face Phileas let her undo his shirt-buttons as he rid himself of his suspenders. Rebecca took his shirt but left him to finish undressing himself while she made sure that there were towels, washcloths, and soap. Once he was undressed he stepped into the hot--but wonderfully comfortable--water of the bath. The action reminded him of his sore muscles and bruises, but the hot water had already begun to work its magic on Phileas' sore body. Phileas sank more deep into the water--with his shoulders and back against the back of the bathtub and his knees out of the water-- with sounds of satisfaction. "Oh, yes!"
Rebecca smiled to see the gentleman she had known for so long sit in the bathtub with his arms behind his head and his eyes closed. Rebecca left him alone while he relaxed in enjoying the soaking. Phileas moved in the water as well he could with his height in the bathtub, and succeeded in getting each part of his body washed by the hot water either by sitting in the water or by splashing the part to be washed, careful to avoid letting the glued false side-burns run away with the water. That done, he once again sat quietly to enjoy the hot water, his eyes closed, almost falling asleep under the influence of the good feeling of the hot bath.
A giggle reminded him of where he was, and he looked at the woman standing in the entrance of the room. "Ah! Rebecca, there you are."
Rebecca came closer with the washcloth in one hand and the soap in the other. "There, I believe the water must be cooling down by now. If you wash here and sleep in the bed it works much better, Phileas."
Phileas looked at the things she had in her hands. "What the hell do you plan to do with that?" he asked, unsure of the answer but thinking after having said it that the evidence he saw was not very reassuring.
Rebecca lifted her eyebrows. "Help you to wash, Phileas, it seems rather evident. That is, if you want my help, of course. And do not worry, I will not step over the limits you place on me."
Sighing, Phileas said only "Well… If you insist… You can wash my backside… So long as you stop before the part that I, ah, am sitting on …"
Hiding her amusement Rebecca said "Well, it will be hard to wash that without you moving, but if you do move, then it isn't what you're sitting on."
Phileas looked at her with a dark gaze. "Damn it, Rebecca! Do not play with the words; you know perfectly well what I said you! And I want what I said."
Rebecca smiled and gestured for him to move forward with a nod of her head. When he did it was with a sigh, as if at the loss of his moment of relaxation; but as she worked on him, Phileas seemed happy enough with her rubbing his back and shoulders with the washcloth and soap. He sighed again, but with contentment this time, seeming to enjoy her touch. As he made no move to stop her Rebecca washed a good deal further than he might have intended. His eyes were closed again; she moved him gently back to lay against the back of the tub and started to wash the front of his shoulders and chest, stopping at his belly to scrub his arms as they rested on the edge of the tub.
Phileas had not looked at her since she had begun her work; he seemed to be asleep. Seizing her opportunity Rebecca moved closer to put a kiss on his lips. First the kiss was one-way only, so Rebecca made a second try that slowly brought Phileas out of his relaxed stupor to participate in a fully shared kiss. His eyes opened as Rebecca broke that kiss slowly and smoothly to look at him from close up. "You seem to be really enjoying your bath. Do you care to finish it? Unless you want to give me permission to go farther."
Phileas thought for a moment. "You could wash my feet and legs. I will manage the remaining," he said, with the need for sleep written in his eyes.
Rebecca nodded, and pushed him gently to lay back again in the bath and bring his feet out of the water one at time so that she could tend to him he had asked. When she finished she offered him the washcloth and the soap. "There. I'll let you alone to finish up while I get your nightshirt and whatever else you need."
Phileas smiled briefly. "Only the nightshirt. And please open the bed."
Rebecca smiled back. "I will even ready your pillow," she said, and kissed him once again before going to the bedroom for what was asked.
The supper tray that Passepartout had brought for his master was waiting on the table. Rebecca sat on the bed to give Phileas time to finish before she walked next back in the water closet. "So are you ready to step out now?"
Phileas agreed, and got up to step out of the bathtub onto a towel put on the floor. Rebecca used another, longer towel to put around him and rub him thoroughly dry, messaging his shoulders at the same time. Phileas enjoyed that as well. "Thanks," he said once dry; at that Rebecca kissed him again, taking the towel away and holding the nightshirt for him. "It was a pleasure to be of help." Putting on the comfortable garment Phileas looked back at the tub full of tepid water; Rebecca took his hand.
"I will handle that. Now you get a bite to eat if you want, before you go sleep."
Phileas grimaced a bit at the mention of food. "No, thank you. Breakfast will be better tomorrow, or later in the night, if I awake."
Rebecca agreed with him, and walked with him to his side of the bed to tuck him in. "Good night…" she heard coming from him after she placed the blanket over him. "Good night, Phileas," she whispered, as he was quickly sound asleep.
There would be questions to be asked in the morning about the bruises that she had seen on him while she'd washed him in his bath, but there was no need for that now. She watched him a moment before walking back into the water closet to put things to rights before going to sleep herself.
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