It was official. Gabrielle was not going to ever have a place in the kitchen. She saw the look she got while obscurely cutting some celery. She didn’t have any idea what she was doing and felt odd about it but at least it made her not think about Stuart.
Oh here we go. The knife slipped a bit catching the edge of her finger, but thing god nothing deep. Gabrielle looked down and saw it bleeding and quickly stuck it under the sink. Astrid’s mother tutted and fussed over her in good nature. Giving her an band aid and sitting her on a stool and then going back to work.
“Danke” Gabrielle muttered. She pouted, unconsciously imitating Paul as she sat nursing her finger.
Frau Kirchhirr sighed and shook her head “You my dear Gabrielle” she said in German “Had better find a husband who can cook” she gave her a grin and a wink “Or a very rich one so you can hire a cook”
Gabrielle chuckled despite herself. That was more encouraging then anything her Aunties or George or Paul’s said for that matter about her help in the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with you girl! Honestly Eleanor, this daughter of yours is less help then a man! She’ll never marry a decent bloke if she doesn’t mend her ways.” God. She told George. He laughed for about an hour. That wasn’t encouraging either and further propelled thoughts of dying a lonely virgin.
Oh wait. She wasn’t a virgin anymore. A small smile crept upon her lips thinking about it. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t die alone. Uhgh
“Gabrielle” Frau Kirchhirr snapped her out of her reverie “Could you hand me that spoon?”
“Ja” She nodded and grabbed the big wooden spoon off the table when someone knocked on the kitchen door. “Oh, I’ll get it” she said. Astrid’s mum gave her a funny look since it was in English so she repeated it in German on her way to the door.
George was standing there. Decked out in leather as usual. His hands jabbed in his pockets and his hair over his eyes. Obviously he’d raked it all over to make a big show out of how long it was.
“You have to help me” he said seriously “I can’t see we’re I’m bloody going”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and hit him with the spoon. “Don’t be daft!” she stood aside so he could walk in.
He grinned, it looked funny since she couldn’t see his eyes. “Come ‘ead. Is Astrid here? I need hr to cut this fucking mop off”
“Oh” Gabrielle reached up and brushed it back a bit. “I like it. You should all get it and match”
His eye grew large “Are you mad!”
“Why not. The girls seem to like it”
He moved to hit her but she got out of the way giggling and handing the spoon to Frau Kirchhirr. The old woman smiled slyly and told her to have fun. Gabrielle blinked for a minute. Have fun? Oh god. Yes very funny. Old German women had dirty minds. It was no use trying to correct her about George so Gabrielle just smiled and led him out of the Kitchen.
“What
D she say” he asked as she drug him by the hand
Gabrielle turned to look at him and rolled her eyes “Have fun. D’you know what I mean”
George sneered “It’s really weird how everyone thinks that”
“I know. Just ignore it” she stopped in the middle of the hallway “I guess we’re the only two people in the world who will ever understand us”
George nodded severely “We just have to except it. You’re my best mate. I know how I feel about you. Nothing else matters”
Gabrielle grinned “Aww, I think you’ve gone soft in the head”
“That’s fine.” he shrugged “Astrid’s not here?”
“No” she sighed, thinking about Stu. “They’ve gone out for the night. Erm.. Want to sleep?”
George shook his head “I took some uppers. I’m fine till tomorrow. Sides, I slept last night”
“Kay” Gabrielle crossed her arms and leaned against one of the hallway‘s walls. “Then shouldn’t you go back?”
He gave her a sardonic look “Why would I do that, if I could be here”
She shrugged “Dunno. When was the last time you got laid?’
“Today” he grinned
“Oh. Well. Isn’t there some lovely lady of the night who need yopu. Or you know” she grinned “There’s always your mates”
George hit her playfully on the shoulder “Daft cow”
She fluttered her eyelashes at him and started for her bedroom “Why whatever d’you mean Georgie”
George rolled his eyes “You know what I mean.” they reached her room at the top of the stair and George made for the big rickety bed. He fell backwards on it and sighed while Gabrielle fluttered else where in the room.
“Gab?”
“What?” she hovered over him briefly and then shuffled through one of her drawers.
He grabbed her hand fro her attention “Something bothering you?”
She wrinkled her nose “I’m fine. You’re on drugs”
He laughed “I know. Gear innit. Ah… will you cut me mop then?” George sat up and looked at her, she shoveled her hair out of his eyes and gave her as charming a smile as he could manage.
Gabrielle groaned “Christ, I can hardly cut vegetables, let alone hair”
“Oh come on. How hard could it be, you saw Astrid do it”
“I have no idea how to start!” she exclaimed and sat down on the bed next to him “I’ll take yer bloody ear of, I will”
“Try” he urged her
She sat down next to him and shifted her hands through George’s hair. It was thick and dark and grew quickly like her own. Astrid had cut it about an inch below his eyes, maybe with the hope that he would push it out of his eyes. It was a bit longer and more layered in the back, and parted down the middle.
Gabrielle giggled and a thought came to her “I think you’re doing it wrong George”
He furrowed his brow “what d’you mean?”
Gabrielle parted his hair and it all fell to the sides. She brushed it back and tucked it behind his ears. Then holding back the urge to laugh she sighed “I have an idea”
“What?” he repeated “What’s it doing?”
Gabrielle laughed “Erm. Well, you see Stu’s hair is sort of thin, and yours is thick. D’you know what I mean”
“Sort of” he gave her a warily look
“right” she continued “So this isn’t real a fringe, it’s more of. Uh. Well, it’s like Jurgans”
George wrinkled his nose and felt his own hair “You mean, it’s supposed to be like this? Ugh. Fix it.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you. I can’t cut yer bloody hair. I’ll do more harm then good”
“Most likely,” he countered “But then I’ll be able to see at least”
Gabby sighed “George” she whined
“Gab” he imitated her
She sighed again and stood up to go get scissors out of a desk drawer. “If you look deformed” she warned him. Sitting back down “You can’t blame me”
George gave her a cheek grin “Yer an artist, you know how to make it look”
“Uh huh” she nodded, and set the scissors in her lap while pulling all of the supposed fringe down over his eyes. “Kay, ready”
George set his mouth and nodded.
“Don’t nod” she advised him lifting the scissors and preparing to just chop the whole thing when as if by a burst of inspiration, she had an idea “Ooh!” She squealed and pulled the scissors back.
George blinked. He would have jumped but that would have been fatal. “What?” he asked, trying to look at her.
“I had an idea!” she exclaimed
“Oh?”
She nodded and raked his hair down again. “Don’t move. This will be good”
“Oh?” he said again
She pulled some of his hair out of the way and smiled “Trust me”
The corner of George’s mouth twitched into a smile “I do”
Gabrielle nodded and started cutting. She took a bit off the middle of the giant flat fringe. It fell away and she brushed it off the front of his shirt. Then she cut it so it sloped sideways and even it out on both sides. George groaned “Thank god” he laughed “I can see”
“Yeah” she nodded “And there’s still a lot there too”
“Is that it?” George asked, reaching up to feel it
She shook her head “No, I want to fix the back too son”
George raised his eyebrows “Confident about your abilities now Gallagher?”
“Hah” she said dryly “well you can’t have it all flat and long in the back and shorter and poufy in the front”
“Poufy?” he asked
“Well, volumized…ish… it’s not plastered to your forehead any more”
George sighed “Oh”
“Right, well.” she felt the back of his head “I guess I’m going to ruin Astrid’s masterpiece here”
“It needs to be done” George said solemnly “For my sanity”
Gabby giggled “Sure” she laughed and George swirled around so she could cut the back. It long from the parted middle, just past his ears. And then unlike Klaus who had it shaved under there George had it just thicker, about an inch out.
“Please Mother Mary may this not look horrible” she said raising her scissors
“Amen” George added
Snip. A large chunk of George’s hair fell into her lap. She continued cutting. Going at it from different angels and genially surprised when it actually…. Looked relatively good.
“How is it?” he asked
“Not bad”
“Not good?”
“Fuck off George, I’m an artist remember”
“Oh I forgot”
They snickered for a bit and then she finished. “Ok” she sighed.
George ran his hands through it “Oh, it’s kind of still long…”
“It’s good though” she said encouragingly
“Ok… I’m sure it’ll be fine after… a while”
Gabrielle groaned “Don’t tell me that George. You said it…” she trailed off seeing his shoulders shake with silent laughter “George! Are you taking the piss, Harrison?”
“Oh, no” he turned around and shook his head “How is it. Good, yeah?”
Gabby rolled her eyes and hugged him “Looks fine”
“Can I have food?”
And upon entering the family room stopped short as Astrid opened th front door
“Oh Gabrielle” she sighed, a tired expression on her face.
The momentary joy Gabrielle felt suddenly left her and she returned to reality.
“Can you help me bring-” she caught sight of George over Gabrielle’s shoulder and tried to plaster a happy smile on her face “Oh hullo George, what happened to your hair?”
“Er…” he looked at Gabrielle “What d’you mean…”
Astrid gave a very forced laugh and shook her head “Did Gabrielle do that? It looks better. I was going to fix it soon.”
George blanched “You were going to let me bloody walk around with it like that, you mean?”
Gabrielle giggled uneasily “She’s just having you on George.” Pause, she shared a look with Astrid “Wanna go to the Kaiserkeller? I’m dying to get a drink in me…”
Astrid nodded “Yes. I’ve just go to go bring some groceries in”
“Oh I’ll help you” George smiled winningly
“No! It’s fine, I’ve got it, Georgie”
“she’s got it George” said Gabrielle grabbing his arm and leading him towards the kitchen so they could go out the back door.
George pulled away from her and crossed his arms “What’s going on?” he asked
Gabrielle sighed” Nothing”
He shot her a look “You’re lying. You can’t lie. It’s impossible” Then, as if a thought struck him “Where’s Stu?”
When Astrid and Gabrielle didn’t say anything George sighed “What’s going on” he asked softly
Stuart pulled himself into the room then. He looked at George. “Hey mate” he said, trying to keep his counterince normal. It would tale more then that to make George think he was fine. Stu’s pallor was quite pale, his hair was flattened back with sweat and he was visible shaking a bit. Astrid put her arm around him, her lips tight.
“Oh god Stu” George said, he shook his head “yer sick?”
Stu shook his head “Just a headache, is all”
George raked his hand through his newly coifed hair “You don’t want John to know you’re ill… not right,” he corrected himself
Stuart nodded “Could you not tell the lads. I don’t want them to think I’m kicking the bucket… cause I’m not. You know, I’m just not good as of now. But I’m on the mend! And you lot don’t need to add this. It’s bad enough as it is, without worrying yerself to bits”
George nodded “I’ll keep me gob shut” he said
“Stu” Gabrielle said “What’d the doctors say”
Stuart reached into his jacket pocket and shook a thing pf pills “Gave me morphine” Gabrielle and George’s eyes must have gone wide because he laughed softly “Derivative of Morphine, we’ll say. Besides, this is Germany”
Gabrielle nodded “Why don’t’ you come lay down. Frau Kirchhirr made you lot a nice dinner”
Stuart nodded and Astrid helped him to sit down.
George looked over at Gabrielle and they exchanged a look.