"Ooh, yes, tea and soup would be the perfect solution."
Klaus squeezes Allison's shoulder, but he doesn't look at her face. He can't. He know the moment he sees her that his resolve will break, and he's grateful, in a way, that it's Claire who's answered the phone. This conversation can't go on forever, after all, even if neither of them want to stop hearing the soft, sweet voice of the girl on the other side.
If they don't stop Vanya, save Vanya, the world might end and that little voice will be silenced forever.
"Oh, but Claire-bear, she wanted me to tell you just how much she loves you though. Remember the big, wide ocean we saw at Mr. Tony's house? She loves you ten times more than that. What?" He pauses, listening to the other line, and laughs softly, a sorrow in the sound. "Yes, a million, you're right. I'm old, remember, my brain forgets big numbers. Be nice to me or I'll send your Uncle Ben to punish you."
What a threat, he knows, and he laughs a little. "But listen, hm? Get real close to the phone for a second, hm? Hold it extra tight to your ear." He pulls the phone away from his face and turns, pressing the receiver to Allison's chest, and for the first time he looks up at her. Calling might have been a mistake, he realizes, might have brought his sister to pieces when she was already falling apart at the seams from the attack.
But he holds the phone there, over her heart, for a few seconds before he draws back. "Did you hear that? Did you know a heartbeat says a million-million more things than words can say? And your mommy's heartbeat says your name over and over again, which just means we gotta get back there faster, so she can hug you and kiss you and put you in a good old time out for staying up past your bed time. But don't worry, when she has her back turned, I'll sneak you out, pinky promise."
He reaches the hand from her shoulder to tug Allison closer, arm wrapping round her back. "So when you go to bed tonight, make sure your heart says your mommy's name, because we'll be back before you know it. When hearts say names like that, it makes us invincible. Means nothing in the whole wide world will ever tear our family apart. Because you've got your mommy. You've got your daddy. You've got Uncle Ben. You've got me. You have so many names to say you might want to be careful, your heart might grow wings and run off with your favorite stuffed unicorn. I still think it's only pretending to be a doll. It's a real live unicorn when you're not looking."
He lets out a little breath and leans his head against Allison's.
"And if your mommy's voice worked, she'd say I love you, Claire, so, so much. All the way to the moon and back. And you make sure to tell your daddy that, too, hm? But don't you worry. Uncle Klaus will have mommy patched up in a pinch and we'll be on our way back to you soon. I promise, Claire. The biggest pinky promise of all time." And he doesn't know if he's making the promise to Claire or to Allison, or to himself.
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Klaus squeezes Allison's shoulder, but he doesn't look at her face. He can't. He know the moment he sees her that his resolve will break, and he's grateful, in a way, that it's Claire who's answered the phone. This conversation can't go on forever, after all, even if neither of them want to stop hearing the soft, sweet voice of the girl on the other side.
If they don't stop Vanya, save Vanya, the world might end and that little voice will be silenced forever.
"Oh, but Claire-bear, she wanted me to tell you just how much she loves you though. Remember the big, wide ocean we saw at Mr. Tony's house? She loves you ten times more than that. What?" He pauses, listening to the other line, and laughs softly, a sorrow in the sound. "Yes, a million, you're right. I'm old, remember, my brain forgets big numbers. Be nice to me or I'll send your Uncle Ben to punish you."
What a threat, he knows, and he laughs a little. "But listen, hm? Get real close to the phone for a second, hm? Hold it extra tight to your ear." He pulls the phone away from his face and turns, pressing the receiver to Allison's chest, and for the first time he looks up at her. Calling might have been a mistake, he realizes, might have brought his sister to pieces when she was already falling apart at the seams from the attack.
But he holds the phone there, over her heart, for a few seconds before he draws back. "Did you hear that? Did you know a heartbeat says a million-million more things than words can say? And your mommy's heartbeat says your name over and over again, which just means we gotta get back there faster, so she can hug you and kiss you and put you in a good old time out for staying up past your bed time. But don't worry, when she has her back turned, I'll sneak you out, pinky promise."
He reaches the hand from her shoulder to tug Allison closer, arm wrapping round her back. "So when you go to bed tonight, make sure your heart says your mommy's name, because we'll be back before you know it. When hearts say names like that, it makes us invincible. Means nothing in the whole wide world will ever tear our family apart. Because you've got your mommy. You've got your daddy. You've got Uncle Ben. You've got me. You have so many names to say you might want to be careful, your heart might grow wings and run off with your favorite stuffed unicorn. I still think it's only pretending to be a doll. It's a real live unicorn when you're not looking."
He lets out a little breath and leans his head against Allison's.
"And if your mommy's voice worked, she'd say I love you, Claire, so, so much. All the way to the moon and back. And you make sure to tell your daddy that, too, hm? But don't you worry. Uncle Klaus will have mommy patched up in a pinch and we'll be on our way back to you soon. I promise, Claire. The biggest pinky promise of all time." And he doesn't know if he's making the promise to Claire or to Allison, or to himself.