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May. 30th, 2014 07:08 pm"A what?!" Fran asks, incredulously.
"A cannibal." Guppy says, rather sheepishly. He can't lie to her on something so big, and he can see how shocked she is. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let Fry go anywhere near him, it's my fault for having the Bar in our lives..."
"You can stop that one right there." Fran says, firmly. "I know as well as you do that the Bar picks you up whether you like it or not, and the same with Fry, and neither of us would be here without it." Though he can see she's shaken, she takes a deep breath. "So what are we going to do?"
"I've told Mike, Simon and Teja." Guppy says. "I need to question Fry. Tactfully. And not just about physical harm. It sounds like Dr Lecter has been psychologically hurting people in Milliways."
"No shit, it certainly explains that business with Javert." Fran's eyes harden. "We'd better get Fry in."
She goes to the door and opens it, to discover that Fry is standing with his ear to it, as is Coral. Brooke, who hadn't really understood what the older two were doing, topples in.
"Did I give you permission to eavesdrop?" Fran asks, folding her arms.
"No." Fry says, with a rather guilty expression.
"Fry, come inside. Coral and Brooke, go and play with Grandpa." Fran says, steering the two girls away from the door. "And if I catch any of you eavesdropping again, there will be trouble."
"What's going on?" Fry asks. Guppy feels rather reassured by this; if he was listening in, he hasn't understood it.
"Fry... I need to ask you some questions." Guppy squats to his level. "Has Dr Lecter ever hurt you?"
"No." Fry says, at once.
"Has he ever scared or threatened you?"
"No."
"Has he ever said anything mean, anything that made you feel bad?"
"No." Fry says. "What's going on?"
"We think Dr Lecter may be a bad man, in his world." Fran says, squatting on Fry's other side. "Daddy has told Mikey and Teja, and Security will investigate and find out. For now, you mustn't talk to Dr Lecter on your own. If he approaches you, you have to find Dad or a safe person - Teja or Enzo or Gene would do. Dr Lecter is not a safe person now."
"Dr Lecter is my friend." Fry says. "He gave me a book."
"If he's innocent, you can go back to seeing him." Fran says. "If he's a bad man, then you can't trust him."
"You told me there isn't such thing as a bad man." Fry says, looking back at Guppy. "Only a man or lady who does good and bad things."
Guppy blinks at him. Of course, Fry has a point, but...
"Well you're right, Fry." Fran says. "But you must promise that until this is sorted out, you stay away from him. Promise?"
"I promise." Fry says, after a moment.
"And you're not to tell anyone that Dr Lecter may be a bad man either." Guppy says. "In case it's not true. That would be spreading a lie." And could make you a target.
"If they ask me I won't say." Fry says, nodding.
"Good boy. Now Daddy and I need to have a chat about grown up stuff, so go back into the living room please and don't let me catch you eavesdropping again."
Fry goes back into the living room.
"See?" Fran says. "He's not hurt you, and he's not hurt Fry. Bring him down."
Guppy hugs her. She's more trembly than she looks.
"Are you okay?" he asks gently, stroking her hair.
"A little bit terrified." she whispers.
In the living room, Fry flops down on the sofa. Grandpa is busy watching the football. Coral and Brooke are playing with wooden bricks - Coral stacking them into little houses for a wooden dog, and Brooke building them up to knock down.
"Grandpa?" Fry asks. "What's a cannanball?"
"A cannonball?" Grandpa looks over at him. "It's one of them little black things you shoot out a cannon."
"I don't think it can be that, he's a man." Fry says.
"Oh, well you can have a human cannonball." Grandpa says. "In the circus, like."
"Why don't his legs fall off?" Fry asks.
"I reckon it's a special cannon." Grandpa says.
"Oh." Fry says. "Are circus people bad?"
"Well, some of them are." Grandpa says, considering. "But I expect a lot of them aren't." he adds, fairly.
Then he springs up in excitement, as Holby United score a goal, and Fry leads his thoughts elsewhere.
"A cannibal." Guppy says, rather sheepishly. He can't lie to her on something so big, and he can see how shocked she is. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let Fry go anywhere near him, it's my fault for having the Bar in our lives..."
"You can stop that one right there." Fran says, firmly. "I know as well as you do that the Bar picks you up whether you like it or not, and the same with Fry, and neither of us would be here without it." Though he can see she's shaken, she takes a deep breath. "So what are we going to do?"
"I've told Mike, Simon and Teja." Guppy says. "I need to question Fry. Tactfully. And not just about physical harm. It sounds like Dr Lecter has been psychologically hurting people in Milliways."
"No shit, it certainly explains that business with Javert." Fran's eyes harden. "We'd better get Fry in."
She goes to the door and opens it, to discover that Fry is standing with his ear to it, as is Coral. Brooke, who hadn't really understood what the older two were doing, topples in.
"Did I give you permission to eavesdrop?" Fran asks, folding her arms.
"No." Fry says, with a rather guilty expression.
"Fry, come inside. Coral and Brooke, go and play with Grandpa." Fran says, steering the two girls away from the door. "And if I catch any of you eavesdropping again, there will be trouble."
"What's going on?" Fry asks. Guppy feels rather reassured by this; if he was listening in, he hasn't understood it.
"Fry... I need to ask you some questions." Guppy squats to his level. "Has Dr Lecter ever hurt you?"
"No." Fry says, at once.
"Has he ever scared or threatened you?"
"No."
"Has he ever said anything mean, anything that made you feel bad?"
"No." Fry says. "What's going on?"
"We think Dr Lecter may be a bad man, in his world." Fran says, squatting on Fry's other side. "Daddy has told Mikey and Teja, and Security will investigate and find out. For now, you mustn't talk to Dr Lecter on your own. If he approaches you, you have to find Dad or a safe person - Teja or Enzo or Gene would do. Dr Lecter is not a safe person now."
"Dr Lecter is my friend." Fry says. "He gave me a book."
"If he's innocent, you can go back to seeing him." Fran says. "If he's a bad man, then you can't trust him."
"You told me there isn't such thing as a bad man." Fry says, looking back at Guppy. "Only a man or lady who does good and bad things."
Guppy blinks at him. Of course, Fry has a point, but...
"Well you're right, Fry." Fran says. "But you must promise that until this is sorted out, you stay away from him. Promise?"
"I promise." Fry says, after a moment.
"And you're not to tell anyone that Dr Lecter may be a bad man either." Guppy says. "In case it's not true. That would be spreading a lie." And could make you a target.
"If they ask me I won't say." Fry says, nodding.
"Good boy. Now Daddy and I need to have a chat about grown up stuff, so go back into the living room please and don't let me catch you eavesdropping again."
Fry goes back into the living room.
"See?" Fran says. "He's not hurt you, and he's not hurt Fry. Bring him down."
Guppy hugs her. She's more trembly than she looks.
"Are you okay?" he asks gently, stroking her hair.
"A little bit terrified." she whispers.
In the living room, Fry flops down on the sofa. Grandpa is busy watching the football. Coral and Brooke are playing with wooden bricks - Coral stacking them into little houses for a wooden dog, and Brooke building them up to knock down.
"Grandpa?" Fry asks. "What's a cannanball?"
"A cannonball?" Grandpa looks over at him. "It's one of them little black things you shoot out a cannon."
"I don't think it can be that, he's a man." Fry says.
"Oh, well you can have a human cannonball." Grandpa says. "In the circus, like."
"Why don't his legs fall off?" Fry asks.
"I reckon it's a special cannon." Grandpa says.
"Oh." Fry says. "Are circus people bad?"
"Well, some of them are." Grandpa says, considering. "But I expect a lot of them aren't." he adds, fairly.
Then he springs up in excitement, as Holby United score a goal, and Fry leads his thoughts elsewhere.
