vigorli

Title: All the King's Horses 2/?: Sean Patrick Baker
Author: Rainweaver13
Pairing: Viggo/Orlando
Summary: Being gay is nothing easy for two men in the small-town South of the late '80s.

Rating/Warnings: The story begins PG but is likely to go just about anywhere. AU. Some het content, not explicit. Real-life angst.
Disclaimer: This is complete fiction. The characters in this story are being "played" by certain real actors, but that's the only connection with reality. None of the characters is meant to be a real person.

A/N: Viggo as V. Michael Delany, aka Dr. D, middle school principal and sometime junior college English teacher; Sean Bean as Sean Baker, car salesman and horseman; Orlando as James Orlando Kennedy, newspaper reporter. Feedback would really be appreciated on this one, since it's a far cry from Breathing Room and Growing Room.

Sean

"Maddy, don't forget that note for your math teacher," Miranda was calling up the stairs as Sean Baker shoved his way in the back door and began peeling off clothes in the mudroom. The tantalizing aromas of coffee and bacon made his stomach curl in on itself and he chuckled at the abrupt miniature earthquake of two children thundering down the stairs.

"Hi, sweetheart." Miranda stuck her head around the mudroom door with a smile. "Decent for the kids?"

"Yep. Be right out." Sean finished stepping out of the muddy coverall and tossed it into a corner hamper. The boots went on the step outside, since the rain had stopped about an hour ago. He bent over a tall trash can and ruffled the dust and straw from his shaggy blond hair, then padded sockfooted and jean-clad into the kitchen just as the kids burst in for their lunches.

Maddy, at 10, was a near duplicate of her mother, all delicate bone structure and strawberry blonde waves. Seven-year-old Patrick had more of his father's squarish face and blonde hair, but they both shared their dad's deep green eyes. Miranda, long hair caught in a thick braid, got lunches squared away and made sure all necessary signed papers were in the right backpacks. Meantime Sean claimed his paternal privilege of interfering with the smooth operation of the household by tickling Patrick and tweaking Maddy's curls while teasing her about boyfriends.

The honk of the school bus horn interrupted and sent the kids pelting for the door. Sean dropped a kiss on Maddy's forehead and Miranda gave Patrick a hug, then Sean slid his arm around his wife and they stood in the doorway for a moment, watching the kids run out the drive to climb on the bus.

"They're good kids, I think," Miranda said, leaning her head comfortably against Sean's shoulder. She said something along those lines most mornings, and Sean knew by the small private smile on her face that she meant it.

"Good mother," he said. "Raising them right."

"Good dad, too." She looked up at him and smiled. "Your breakfast's ready. Thought you weren't gonna make it in in time for the bus."

"Lady Anne foaled last night." He gave her a squeeze and a quick kiss. "Colt. Bay with socks. Healthy and strong. Had to put in a little extra time."

"That's great!" She uncovered his kept-warm breakfast and set it on the table, then poured his coffee. "I'll take her a carrot or two later."

"Sure. Spoil the horses," he groused mildly, digging into the food.

Miranda just grinned at him and started cleaning up the kids' breakfast dishes, such as they were. "Don't forget I've got a lunch meeting at the church today. Should be back by two at the latest."

"Didn't you just meet a couple days ago?"

"We're meeting three times a week now. Remember? I told you?" She kept her back to him.

"Oh... right." He chuckled, a bit uneasy for some reason. "Just don't go gettin' all holy roller on me now," he teased carefully. She may have chuckled, or maybe that was just the gurgle of water going down the drain. "Okay. Well ... you remember Michael's coming over for supper tonight, right?"

"I remember."

Miranda's response was light and easy, but Sean watched her back as he finished the rest of his breakfast and sat drinking his coffee. For some reason, despite their eleven years together, Miranda had never become comfortable around Michael, who was Sean's cousin and best friend. Sometimes, in the past few years, it even seemed to be getting worse, although Sean couldn't begin to think of any reason why it should. Miranda had seemed to fit in well to Sean's world when she came with him to this small Southern town. She was from a small town herself, although one in the Midwest. She hadn't made a lot of close friends at first, but Sean's family had taken her in and he hadn't thought she was lacking for anything. At least when she found this new church, she'd found something to be excited about, and Sean was glad for that.

He still wished she could warm up to Michael, though. Mike could be an odd duck at times, but he was generally pretty likeable.

"Sean?"

He blinked up at Miranda, unaware he'd become so lost in thought, then glanced at the clock. "Oh shit! I gotta rush." Shoving up from the table he gave Miranda a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, sugar."

As he hustled down the hallway to grab a quick shower and dress for work, he missed the slight expression of distaste that colored Miranda's lovely face momentarily.