Chapter Text
This time will be better, both the Williams parents think as they sit around the table to discuss the consequences of Ferrari’s actions, again. This time they have Ron there to support their accusations and Britta is sat across the table too. They would both support them. After last time, Claire doesn’t see how Ferrari can get away with this. Of course, neither Rob nor Claire were actually there when it happened, but they have to make the case on behalf of the kids and they are not going to let this get swept away again.
Britta squirms, uncomfortably, when Claire looks over at her.
“It’ll be ok,” Maurizio, beside her, murmurs.
Britta gulps and nods. She knows that. She has to do what she has to do for the boys.
“Right then,” Whiting says, sitting down between the two parties. It doesn’t fill Rob with much confidence. He’d been the one to settle on the punishment for the last offence and Rob’s hope of getting a proper punishment this time goes down the drain. They’ve probably punished the kids more strictly than what Ferrari will get. “What actually happened?”
“They – the Ferraris – kidnapped my children,” Ron begins, having not already figured out how this is going to go. “They kidnapped and tortured Jenson and Fernando and did the same to one of their own.”
“They broke the contract which we “agreed” upon at the last meeting,” Claire says. She knows she’s treading on thin ice, with Fernando telling Kimi what happened, but the Finn must have had reason to think something was going on.
“I think you will find it was Alonso who broke the contract,” Maurizio says. “He told Kimi what happened last year, and I believe that was against the confidentiality clause he signed.”
Their fucking confidentiality clauses…
It’s true and everyone at the table knows it. It’s down to Claire, Rob, Ron, and Britta to make sure that it doesn’t matter, though.
“We’ve reason to believe Ferrari were conducting the experiments before Fernando spoke to Kimi,” Claire says before Whiting can reply. “Britta?”
They all turn to Britta, who shifts uncomfortably in the hard back chair again. She needs to do this. She needs to protect the boys.
“Yes?”
“Tell them what happened?” Claire hisses. They’ve already agreed what she’s going to say. Claire had been speaking with her over the phone talking her through how things should go. Whiting won’t be able to do anything, bribed or not, if Britta’s on their side.
“Nothing happened,” Britta says.
“You came to see us,” Claire urges, but she already knows what’s going on. She’d been sure Britta was on their side. All through the build up to the meeting, Britta has been telling them she’s on their side, but it’s written all over Maurizio’s face what’s happened.
Britta shakes her head. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Britta, please,” Claire says again. She knows she’s begging now, but if it works, she doesn’t even care.
“I’ve no reason to believe either of my boys were in trouble,” Britta says, calmly. She can’t look Claire in the eye though, which makes Claire angrier than the lies alone.
“You came us to try to get us to tell you what happened before,” Rob says. “You knew there was something going on or you thought there was anyway.”
“I do not know what you are talking about,” Britta says, coldly. Under the table, her hands are shaking and she hopes she can keep the fear off of her face. She knows those sat across the table know what’s going on. She just needs Whiting to believe her. “Can we get on with this? Please.”
“He doesn’t seriously believe them, does he?” Ron snaps as soon as they escape the meeting room.
Claire sinks onto one of the benches outside the room, glaring at Rob as if this is his fault. He hadn’t been sure Claire’s plan would work but had, perhaps wisely, kept his mouth shut.
“He can’t believe them.”
“He can and he has,” Rob says, falling into the seat beside Claire. She looks exhausted but, when he tries to put his arm over her shoulders, she flinches away and Rob decides it’s best to leave her to it. “Look, it was unlikely we were going to get anywhere. Ferrari probably bribed him. The same thing happened last time.”
It’s the exact same as what happened last time, with the kids having to sign all new documents to make sure nobody hears about Ferrari’s dirty little secret. They can only hope that this time Ferrari stick to end of the deal.
“They could have died,” Ron says.
“That doesn’t matter to them,” Rob mutters, slightly annoyed at the fact that Ron doesn’t seem to think they understand. He doesn’t want to go over this again and again. He just wants to put this behind them now, finally.
The door opens again and Whiting, Maurizio, and Britta emerge. The men are deep in discussion, hurrying down another corridor to settle whatever they’re talking about. It’s probably the bribe, Rob reasons.
“Bitch.”
Rob jumps away from Claire as she stands, then realises, slightly too late, what she’s about to do. Claire launches at Britta, closely followed by Rob trying to pull her off of the blonde.
“Claire,” Rob snaps. “This isn’t going to help.”
“Bitch,” Claire spits again once she’s pushed Rob away. She doesn’t go for Britta, who is pushing herself up from the floor, again though. “Are you insane? Or have they gotten inside your head again? Need to get Susie to remind you what fucking happened?”
“You would have done the same,” Britta snaps. She should really go back to the rental car and wait for Maurizio to finish whatever he’s doing there, but she doesn’t move.
“Yeah but I don’t think I would,” Claire snaps.
“I am doing what I have to do so that Kimi and Sebastian are safe,” Britta hisses. If she goes along with this, then Maurizio and the others won’t touch either of her boys, and that’s all she wants. She knows they’ll probably go off and find some other power possessor and, no, that isn’t ideal to her, but it’s going to have to do. If it protects Kimi and Sebastian, she doesn’t care.
“We can keep them safe,” Claire says. “We could have kept everyone safe.”
“It’s done now,” Britta snaps, marching out of the building. They can think what they like, but she did what they would have done and if they say otherwise they’re lying.
Jean-Eric has discovered he’s the best at hide and seek. Or one of the best. Bruno and Mathew are a little bit better than him, but he doesn’t mind that much. He’s almost always last, even though he doesn’t know the House as well as the other boys that live there. Charles – who is absolutely rubbish – says that’s because he’s so quiet, and he’s probably right.
Jean-Eric bites back a giggle as the seeker goes right past the spot that he and Dan are hiding in for the third time.
He hasn’t been here long but he already knows he’s going to like it here. It isn’t with Dan, but it feels much better than anywhere else he’s been and-
Jean-Eric shuffles back a little when another person comes into the room he’s hiding in. He doesn’t know how many people have been found, but he’s been hiding for ages and he’s pretty sure they’ll give up soon.
- and he likes it here. It would be better if a family came and found him and took him off to live with Dan, but Mathew says that doesn’t happen very often.
“Do you know where Jean-Eric is?”
It’s Bruno. Jean-Eric bites his lip harder to try to stop himself from laughing because he’s sure he has to be last by now.
“Playing hide and seek,” Charles, who’s seeking, says.
“There’s someone who wants to see him,” Bruno says.
“What?” Jean-Eric asks, stumbling out of the cupboard he’s hiding in, bringing most of Charles’ toys out with him and trying not to trip over any of them. “Is it Susie? Or Dan?”
Charles is staring at him in awe, making a note that this is the best hiding place and he should try there next time.
“No,” Bruno says, grinning at the look on Charles’ face. “No, it’s a family. They say they want to see if you fit with them.”
“A family?” Jean-Eric asks.
“That’s not fair,” Charles says, sticking out his bottom lip and folding his arms. “He can’t be best at hide and seek and get to go off with a family.”
“Maybe they want him because he’s good at hide and seek,” Bruno suggests, unable to stop himself laughing at the thoughtful look on the younger boy’s face. “Come on, Jean-Eric. They’re waiting down in the office. They want to see if there’s a connection.”
He holds out his hand for Jean-Eric to take. Holding Dan close to him, Jean-Eric follows Bruno out of the room whilst Charles goes to tell the other that the round of hide and seek is over.
In the office, there’s a man and a woman who Jean-Eric is sure he’s seen at the assessments. Bruno shows Jean-Eric inside, then says he’s “just going to go and see if he can find someone to sort things out” and disappears again.
The man smiles at him, warmly, and Jean-Eric grins back in return.
“I’m Maurizio, and this is Britta,” the man says. “You must be Jev.”