You Suit Me . . . ~Chapter One
// Rabbi Milligan (Patrick Milligan) x *OC
*AU second daughter of Donatello Fadda
Summary: After the ‘double cross’ that ended the Yiddles family, Rabbi Milligan is taken in by Donatello Fadda and grows up with the Fadda family. While living in the Fadda household, Rabbi is befriended by Donatello Fadda’s youngest daughter, Noemi Fadda (AU OC). A romantic relationship develops.
Warnings: Some mentions of blood and gore
Note: Somewhat follows the progression of the show (Fargo, Season Four) but will take a hard AU turn eventually. Essentially, a ‘secretly dating’ troupe!
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A quick visit with Loy Cannon, that’s what Rabbi had said and yet, Noemi Fadda waited with an apron tied around her waist in the Fadda family dinning room long after her father and the others were meant to return.
It was Sunday dinner and all guests—save for her mother and herself—were running late.
Her mother, Chianna Fadda, had resigned from waiting and took to her bedroom with a glass of wine. From Noemi’s speculation, Chianna Fadda did that a lot these days. Noemi suspected it had something to do with her youngest brother, Zirominu—or “Zero”—being sent to live with the Cannon family. Noemi considered her mother to be handling the separation from her son a lot better than she could have handled it. Noemi imagined carrying a baby for nine months, many sleepless nights and early mornings, raising a child, feeding it, watching it grow into a precious little boy and then, her father simply plucking that child from existence in your family home. Where does the love go? Noemi felt a sinking feeling in her chest whenever she thought about her baby brother and his current predicament—being forced to live with strangers all these months.
A pleasant distraction arrives in the form of someone entering through the back door near the kitchen. Rising from her seat, Noemi leaves the dinning room to go towards the clatter of the screen door. She finds Rabbi Milligan and “Satchel”—Loy Cannon’s youngest son—arriving home.
“Where were you?” Noemi exclaims. “Dinner is cold, mama’s upset!” Noemi looks towards the ceiling with her hands spread out. Though she gripes, no one hears. Rabbi Milligan is midway through instructing Satchel to go to his room and wait for him while he talks with Noemi alone.
The situation looked very serious. Any qualms Noemi possessed for being stood-up on a dinner she spent the majority of the day preparing flee when she watches Satchel leave and Rabbi look to her very gravely.
“What?” Noemi asks.
Though Rabbi feels the need for it, he refrains from touching her.
Instead, Rabbi gestures Noemi to come near him with a slow flit of his hand.
“We have ta’ talk,” gravelly voice to match that look he gave her.
Noemi approaches Rabbi as he pulls out a chair for her at a small two seater-table in the Fadda family kitchen. Taking the seat across from her, Rabbi rests his arms on the table as he begins, “there’s been’a accident.”
“What happened?” A hitch of concern in Noemi’s voice as she sits with Rabbi. The fear—the anxiety she felt made her feel like doing anything but sit. Her father traveled with quite the entourage of men and yet, only Satchel and Rabbi returned home. She squirms in her chair as Rabbi slowly licks his lips and prepares to tell her more.
“Your brother is fine, as is everyone else, but your father’s been admitted to the public hospital; he’s lost a’lot of blood, but ee’s stable. The doctor is keepin’ him a few days for observation.”
Noemi looks neither relieved or nor alarmed to hear all of this from Rabbi Milligan. Perplexity is her sole expression in the Irishman’s eyes.
“What kind of accident was dad in?” Noemi presses him. Hearing a statement like, ‘your father had lost a lot of blood,’ is no news to easily digest.
“Ah, yea.” Taking a breath to gather his words, “the car was at ‘n intersection near the school, some boys were playin’ with toy guns, one of them must’ve been a pellet gun.” Rabbi’s eyes shift from Noemi to his hands on the table, uneasy with the task of notifying the family of his boss and keeper. “The gun went off, hit your father in the backseat, ‘ee has a neck wound but ee’is being treated for it, like I said.”
Filled in at last, Noemi does not know how to respond to the news of her father’s ‘accident’.
While Noemi sits in a stunned silence, Rabbi finally does what he wanted to do before. He reaches across the table and collects Noemi’s hand; a rare move for him, considering his place beneath her in the household. “Would you be needin’ assistance in tellin’ your mother?”
Noemi Fadda had been preparing her family’s meals since she was old enough to turn on the stove all by herself. With cooking, came lots of cleaning and caring for the house, a role expected of her, especially as she was not yet married and out of the house like her sister, Naneeda. Noemi’s hand felt very cold and dry in Rabbi’s warm grasp.
Swallowing quietly to reanimate herself, lost in her thoughts as she was, Noemi straightens up in her seat, a kind of quiet excitement and exhilaration hits her when Rabbi—or ‘Patrick’—had taken her hand and held it.
Shaking her head, Noemi assures, “no, I can tell her.”
As Rabbi lets go of Noemi’s hand, Noemi rises from the table and takes a step past Rabbi when suddenly she stops and turns back to him.
Impulsiveness possesses her like a soft and lonely ghost as the young woman eases down onto Rabbi Milligan’s lap, sitting on him as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do.
Alarmed but resisting futilely, Rabbi wears a look of concern as he gathers Noemi’s slight shoulders in his hands and looks into his secret lover’s eyes, preparing to turn her away. He whispers an urgent reminder of their boundaries, “Nomi—“
Nomi—that was his nickname for her, something that started back when they were kids.
“—no one is here,” the young woman interjects in an urgent whisper and smiles as she wraps her arms around his neck. Tilting her head, Noemi Fadda kisses Rabbi Milligan.
The pair shares a romantic moment that soon melds to one of desperate comfort. They stole them, every chance they could get.
Rarely with a instant where it was just them two, Rabbi buries his face in the crook of Noemi’s neck as they embrace one another and hold each other for what feels like a blessed eternity, though it was only a few cherished seconds.
Patrick Milligan hugs Noemi like he has never been hugged before and maybe he hasn’t—not before her, at least.
Reality brings Noemi Fadda pushing herself back to her feet, straightening her dress and her apron.
Before she can leave the room, Rabbi gently catches her by the wrist. Carefully, he unknots the apron ties at the small of his lover’s back.
“Thank you,” Noemi whispers in elated gratitude, watching him from over her shoulder.
