Fred/Rachel - Garage negotiations (backdated)

[x-eidolon.livejournal.com]

Rachel attempts to convince Fred to let her borrow a car.

Or: What went down before Rachel decided to steal help herself to a set of wheels to take into town. At least she tried asking first.

Fred cursed under his breath some as he accidentally stripped an old bolt mounted inside his precious Bel-Air. Reaching in with his bare hand, Fred gave a small tug and the bolt quickly spun off into his hand. While he loved working on one of his babies, sometimes the minutia of Car Repair could get...frustrating.

Tossing the useless hunk of metal into the nearby trashcan, Fred took a swig off of his Red Bull and turned the volume up on the small Goldstar TV/VCR Unit he'd saved from the garbage months ago. 'Devil's Dynamite' softly blared it's nonsensical plot across the quiet garage as Fred consulted his heavily thumbed Haynes Manual. Between the movie and the book, he didn't hear the door open and shut...

Rachel stopped briefly inside the door, taking in the strangely familiar sight of the large hulk of a mutant tinkering around with a hunk of metal on four wheels. A slow smile curled the corner of her lips as she glanced briefly at what barely passed for a television set, the various pin-ups of Really Strange Chicks on the walls and the random scrunched up cans of beer on the floor.

It seemed that regardless of what universe she was in, some things simply did not change.

“Excuse me,” she called, when she finally wiped the amusement from her expression and it became obvious that good old reliable jackass Freddy was not going to notice her presence. “Hi.”

Fred looked up from lighting his cigarette, and his brow came down as he tried to place the face of the girl moseying into his own little world. Not being able to place a name to all the faces around the Mansion was sometimes embarrassing, but Fred could hardly be held at fault with all the new people that were coming in recently. "Uh, hi, Mrs...?"

Green eyes narrowed at Fred as Rachel debated the consequences of hitting the man with a telekinetic blast. Well, it was not like it should have the necessary effect on him.

“That’s, Miss to you, you great lu—Mr. Dukes.” The redhead crossed her arms in front of her, with a mildly annoyed glare. “I’m here to borrow a car. Please.”

Fred drew up his nearly seven foot frame in front of Rachel, cocking his eyebrow at the shorter girl. As displeased as he appeared, he wore a small grin, "Miss it is. An' it's Fred tah you. An Ah ain't seen yah before, so why exactly should yah be borrowin' a car...?"

“Mistah Fred,” Rachel agreed, a glint in her eyes as she pronounced her words with deliberate care. “I’mma guest of the Prof’s. M’going out ter run an errand. I could walk, but then I’d get back next week.”

Fred gave a small nod, but frowned a little, "Yeah, walkin' can suck, but Ah gotta say, guest or not...it ain't like Ah've ever met yah before...yah got permission from Mr. Scott or Dr. Jean or anythin...?"

“Why’d I need permission?” She arched a brow at the man, amusement welling up at his politeness – polite for Fred, in any case – and deference to authority. “M’not a student and the Prof isn’t confinin’ me to the school. C’mon, Mistah Freddy. M’not askin’ to take one of your babies on a racin’ trip. Just one of them less important rides for a sedate drive into town.”

Besides, the glint in her verdant eyes said that she’d steal one if she had to. Right from under his nose.

"You'll have tah forgive me," Fred blew smoke away from direction of the conversation, casting a glance at one of the older sedans he'd been working on before looking back to Rachel, "But yah look young enough tah take a Big Wheel. Yah got a license?"

“Yep.” Not technically, no. “And m’eighteen. But I’ll take tha’ compliment.”

Fred planted his cigarette in his mouth, and started using his free hand to list off talking point on fingers, "So, just so Ah'm clear: You're a guest of Professor X's, yah totally have a legit license, fer real, and yah are just goin out for a...sedate drive tah town, yah said...?" Fred wiped the grease from his hands on an old rag, "Yah know, mosta the guest of the Professor...they're old enough tah have more degrees than Ah could spell..."

“An’ ah have betta things ter do than spend mah time cooped up in a classroom,” she countered with a sweet smile. “But yeh got everythin’ else righ’. M’from… Muir, if it makes a difference ter ya. Intel personnel an’ all.” Now Rachel was just bullshitting, but Fred didn’t need to know that.

Fred smiled. He'd spent some time at Muir, once for longer than he'd like. He'd never seen her before...Fred grinned and pulled a matching set of keys from the rack near the worktable, "Tell yah what: let me see that licence, and I got an old AMC hatchback outside with your name on it."

“Don’t have it,” the redhead said, wrinkling her nose. “Is one of ‘em errands m’sposed ter get done in town. Stuff ‘appened an’ I turned up ‘ere without any clothes – much less mah driver’s license. But c’mon. I’ll bring yeh on a test drive an’ everythin’.”

Fred's lopsided grin moved around his cigarette as he placed the old AMC keys back on the rack, "Iffen you think Ah'm gonna ride with you tah get yah license, then Ah look more foolish than Ah thought Ah did. But if yah want a ride inta town tah get one or other errands, then Ah'd be happy tah give you a ride there..."

“Well I gotta agree tha’ you do look a wee bit foolish. But I know better ‘an to judge ya based on tha’.” She really did. “Unfortunately, mah errands are need ter know only. Tha’s fine. I’ll walk.”

The redhead shot him a grin that spoke of far less disappointment than it should have, considering that she had not gotten her way – a clear sign that something was up, if a person knew her well enough.