[November 9th] [The Rockford Files-related] Chronicles of a Friendship, 9

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Title: Chronicles of a Friendship, scene 9
Day/Theme: November 9th - Unwavering Emotions
Series: The Rockford Files (using characters from The Queen of Peru episode)
Character/Pairing: Ginger Townsend, Lou Trevino
Rating: PG-13/T

Shifting gears; a stand-alone piece.


By Lucky_Ladybug

Lou’s heart was in turmoil as he ran through the darkened streets. Thanks to the cruel acts of their latest enemies, he didn’t know whether to call for Ginger or not. It might only send the man into far worse madness and anguish.

From what Mike had told him in stunned horror, he and Ginger had both been held hostage by a group of strange and unsavory people. Then they had been rescued by a man who was a dead ringer for Lou. Of course, both Ginger and Mike had thought it was.

They had followed him out and he had led them down the darkened streets for several blocks before suddenly turning and attacking Ginger to the ground, telling him that everything was over and that he was leaving to go back to New York. He hated Ginger, had hated him ever since he had shot Mike, and had stayed with him and even rescued him only to make his pain all the worse when the truth was revealed.

When Ginger had tried to get up, his eyes filled with unspeakable pain and confusion, he had been kicked back down and hit twice with a shovel. Mike had run forward, trying to stop the utter cruelty, and had been knocked unconscious and left dumped behind a stack of crates when the wicked man had departed.

He had been alone when he had come to. He was sure that Ginger was roaming the city somewhere, stumbling about, bruised and bleeding from the outrageous assault.

“I knew it wasn’t you as soon as he went after Ginger,” Mike had told Lou frantically, “but I don’t know what Ginger thought.”

Lou couldn’t believe Ginger would really believe such a thing. And it didn’t seem that the imposter would have abducted him. But then . . . why had he left?

Lou knew that Ginger had said that he would enact vengeance on anyone who betrayed his trust, and indeed, that had certainly happened in the past with Mike and Donny Waugh. Even though Ginger had only been trying to make them stop when he had fired and hit Mike, he had admitted that perhaps he had wanted to hit them and make them suffer—even if not seriously. He had not meant to kill either of them.

But Ginger never thought clearly whenever he tipped into one of his fits of rage. If the imposter’s act had been convincing enough, it was conceivable that Ginger was too crushed to realize the truth. Lou didn’t know what would happen when he found Ginger, or if he could even convince Ginger of what had really happened, but he was praying he could, if it was necessary.

Maybe it wouldn’t be.

Suddenly a gun clicked and Ginger stepped out of the shadows, right into Lou’s path. His eyes were wild.

“Now I’ve caught up with you,” he snarled.

Lou held still, even though his stomach was turning. “Ginger, wait,” he begged. “Please.” The sight of Ginger looking so murderously at him was more horrible than Lou had even imagined it would be. They had shattered his best friend. And now . . . was Ginger even his best friend anymore? Or was this something that couldn’t be repaired?

“Why should I wait?” Ginger retorted. “You, you’re impersonating Lou.”

Lou rocked back. “I’m . . . what?!”

“You thought you could trick me,” Ginger growled. “Well, you were wrong! Lou would never betray me. He doesn’t hate me and he never will. Nor would he ever injure his brother. What have you done with him?!”

Lou’s shoulders slumped in amazed relief and a bit of guilt. He should never have worried, even for a split-second. Although he might still be in danger, he felt that now he could handle it. They had not succeeded in turning Ginger against him. This proved they couldn’t.

“Oh, Ginger. . . .” He gestured at himself. “Look, it’s me! I’m not the guy who hit you with that rotten shovel and conked Mike.”

Ginger gripped the gun tighter. “Can you prove that?”

“Of course I can prove it,” Lou answered. He took a step forward. “We’ve been best friends for twenty years. We’d do anything we could to save each other.”

“What’s something only the real Lou would know?” Ginger demanded.

Lou considered the question. “One time we got held hostage by a couple of shadow people,” he said, shivering at the memory. “You tried to fight them off to save me when you found me ice-cold from being touched by them. You ended up cold yourself; worse, because you plowed right into the thing. You collapsed all delirious after we sent them away, talking about me being cold. I kept you warm for the rest of the night, trying to make sure you’d be okay.”

“One of the spirits could have told you about all that,” Ginger said.

“Yeah, but would they know what happened after they left?” Lou pointed out. “Ginger, it’s okay. You can relax. It’s really me.”

Ginger still clutched the gun, his eyes wild and filled with pain and hurt. But Lou was getting through; he could see it in the conflict in Ginger’s eyes. Lou stepped closer to the gun, seeing it jerking in Ginger’s trembling hand.

“You can put the gun down, Ginger. I won’t try to take it away from you or get the better of you when you don’t have it.”

“Of course you won’t, if you’re Lou.” Ginger continued to keep the weapon raised, but his hand was still shaking.

“Look at me, Ginger,” Lou pleaded. “You can tell it’s me from my eyes, can’t you? The same way you could tell when I was being controlled by that demon?”

Ginger had already been searching Lou’s eyes. At last he lowered his hand, slipping the gun into his pocket. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I can tell.” His anger faded, leaving behind a tired, bruised man.

Lou tried to smile, shakily. “I wasn’t sure what kind of a state you’d be in when I found you,” he said. “You told me you’d go after anybody who betrayed your trust with a vengeance.”

“I know I did,” Ginger replied. “But when it came to you, I knew you’d never betray me.”

Now Lou’s smile became firmer. “I’m glad.” Guilt flashed in his eyes again. “I really believed that, but I still wondered, especially when you walked out holding that piece. I shouldn’t have thought . . .”

“Knowing what I said, and knowing what a violent chap I can be when I’ve reached the limit of my endurance, what else could you have thought?” Ginger returned. “You knew that would get to me, just as that imposter did. It’s my own fault; my temper betrays me.” He scowled.

“Anyone would be broken up if someone tried to do something like that to them,” Lou said kindly, insistently.

“But not everyone reacts to loss and betrayal in such a way that it even makes their only friend worry for his well-being. That is inexcusable.” Ginger looked to Lou with genuine regret in his eyes. “You’re the last person I would ever want to hurt. Please, forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Lou insisted. “The blame’s on this creepy imposter.”

Ginger fell silent a moment, considering Lou’s words. “Is Michael alright?” he asked at last. “He tried to protect me. When he was hit over the head, I got up to fight. Somehow I wrenched the shovel away from your imposter and attempted to go after him with it.” He sneered. “And even though he had already hurt me and I surely wouldn’t have been much of a challenge, he was too afraid to stay and fight. He ran.

“I made certain that Michael wasn’t seriously hurt before I went after him. I would have stayed until Michael came to his senses, if it wasn’t that I was afraid you might have been harmed. I couldn’t let him get away without knowing.”

Lou nodded. “Mike’s fine. He was just worried about what you might be doing.”

“Ring him and let him know we’re both alright,” Ginger directed.

Lou was very willing to do so. Although Ginger didn’t usually correct Mike’s erroneous impressions of him, he absolutely hated when Mike or anyone else thought that he didn’t care about Lou or would bring some injury to him. Lou wanted to make sure Mike knew as soon as possible that he was in no danger.

“Hey, Mike,” Lou greeted when he heard his brother’s mumbled Hello. “Are you still okay?”

“Sure, Lou,” Mike said. “Did you find Ginger?”

“Yeah. Everything’s okay, Mike. He knew that wasn’t me. I just had to convince him that I was me and not the fake.”

Mike breathed a sigh of relief. “I was so worried.”

“I kind of was, but I shouldn’t have been,” Lou said. “I really knew Ginger wouldn’t believe it if he was in his right mind. I just . . . wasn’t sure whether he’d completely lost it or not.” He looked at Ginger with regret as he spoke.

Ginger looked back, steadily. He didn’t blame Lou.

“You should know that he only left you because he thought I might’ve been hurt and that guy knew where I was,” Lou said. “He made sure you’d be okay before he ran off.”

Mike was silent. “I didn’t know. Thanks for telling me, Lou.”

“Sure. We’re coming back now.” Lou hung up and looked to Ginger.

“I could have simply tried to ring you, but they took my phone,” Ginger said in irritation.

“That figures,” Lou sighed. “That creep that was playing me was probably working with them.”

“I imagine so.” Ginger tried to reach and rub at his back, but it only aggravated the pain from the shovel all the more. He grimaced, letting his hand drop.

“Hey, you must’ve been hurt pretty bad,” Lou frowned in concern and anger.

“I’m alright, just bruised,” Ginger retorted. “Michael was probably hurt worse than I was.”

“I left a doctor with him,” Lou said. “You should probably get checked out too.”

“You know, they don’t even wrap damaged ribs anymore,” Ginger said. “They just prescribe a painkiller and send you on your way.”

“What about your back?” Lou worried.

“He hit me right here.” Ginger indicated the edge of his back. “Nowhere near my spine. But . . .” He sighed. “If you think an examination will help, then alright.”

“I think it’d be better, in this case,” Lou said. He laid a hand between Ginger’s shoulder blades and tried to steer him in the direction from whence they had both come.

Ginger went willingly. “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire staff at the hospital knows our names and can recognize us by sight.”

Lou had to weakly chuckle at that. “Maybe they do. Worse, maybe they’ve alerted all the other hospitals in the area to watch out for two crazy guys who always seem to be getting themselves hurt.”

“And the police stations have been alerted to beware of new enemies the two barmy chaps have been collecting.” Ginger spoke completely dryly and deadpan.

Lou laughed. “Yeah.”

“They had better be caught.” Ginger’s tone had changed. Now it was a block of ice. “I don’t want that imposter roaming the streets.”

Lou shivered, both from the thought and from Ginger’s tone. “Me either,” he said. “Well, we’ll just have to be on guard for them. I’ve got a few things I’d like to tell that double of mine.”

“Including a pop in the face, I hope.”

Lou smirked. “Especially that.”

He sobered. “Ginger . . . did you ever believe that guy was me, even for a minute?”

Ginger looked away, considering the question. “For a split-second, perhaps, when he first stopped walking and said it was over and he was leaving. I couldn’t imagine what he was talking about. But as soon as he spun about and knocked me to the ground, I knew he wasn’t you. You would never do that to me. And when he tried to say that he had hated me ever since I shot Michael, it was almost laughable. You are not the type of person who could fake the complete forgiveness and the love you’ve shown me after that happened.”

“Mike said that when you were trying to get up, you looked up at the guy like . . . like he was me,” Lou said, quietly.

“When he looked like you, it would have been impossible to have not thought about what it would be like if he had been you and I had been betrayed by you. But no. By that point, I knew he wasn’t you.” Ginger spoke without hesitation and with complete conviction.

“What if I was being possessed again?” Lou suddenly wondered in concern.

“I thought of that,” Ginger assured him. “I didn’t see the Devil in his eyes, only human evil.” He placed a hand over the gun in his pocket. “But I wouldn’t have shot him, just in case. I was only going to threaten him.”

Lou relaxed. “That’s good.” Quieter he said, “You were more in control of yourself tonight than either Mike or I thought you’d be.”

“Truthfully, I didn’t know how I was going to react at first, either,” Ginger admitted. “I’m relieved you weren’t possessed, but I’m glad I had the presence of mind to at least consider the possibility. I never would have forgiven myself if I had shot you.”

“I know.” Lou fell silent again, still feeling guilty that he had ever wondered about Ginger’s control—or the lack of it. He had really believed in Ginger, but had been unable to entirely refrain from worrying that the blow the imposter had tried to deal him was too much for Ginger to handle.

“Ginger,” he said at last. “I’m sorry.”

“I told you, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Ginger frowned. “If I wasn’t such a wild card, you wouldn’t have been concerned. And perhaps that wretch hoped to damage you as well as I. By feeling so heartsick over the matter, you may be playing into his hands.”

Lou sighed. That was logical. “I can’t help how I feel, though.”

Ginger laid a hand on his shoulder. “I know. And I’m still not terribly happy with myself, either. But we’ll get past all of it.”

Finally the ghost of a smile flashed across Lou’s lips. That was something he believed. “Yeah,” he agreed. “We will.”

It was strange. He had been sure that he would need to comfort Ginger, that he might even have a terrible time doing so.

Instead, Ginger was comforting him.

But then again, maybe it wasn’t so strange.

After all, Ginger had once told Mike that one of the secrets to their friendship was that each was willing and able to comfort the other, when needed.

And Lou knew it was true.