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Truth in the Dales because DURRELLS / ACGAS CROSSOVER

YES TO THE FUCKING PLEASE

I have many, many thoughts around these two shows (and we should absolutely have a post-war Durrells reunion series, please thank you).

This fic sees Louisa, Margot and Gerry on holiday in the Dales. And Louisa and Audrey have a lot in common...

In the short walk across the square, Louisa learns that Audrey’s home is Skeldale House, that she’s the housekeeper for the veterinary practice there. She folds that information away for later – could Gerry train to be a vet, perhaps?

They go in the back door. “Morning surgery,” Audrey explains, “the hall will be crowded with all sorts of animals.”

They go in, and they’re in a big kitchen and it’s so familiar it takes Louisa’s breath away. The wide space, the central table, the number of chairs around it, the sense that all these spaces will be filled imminently. This is what she had in Corfu, what she’s missed ever since.

“Sit down,” Audrey offers. “I’ll put the kettle on.”

Louisa drops her bags gratefully, slides into one of the chairs while Audrey bustles around.

“Aunty Audrey!” A small child clutching a little cardboard box runs into the kitchen and stops short at the sight of her. “Who are you?” he asks curiously.

Audrey turns to him. “This is Mrs Durrell,” she says, “a new friend of mine.”

“Hello,” the child says. “I’m Jimmy. Do you want to see some animal poo?” The box is thrust under her nose before she can reply. There is, indeed, some sort of animal dropping inside it.

“How lovely, Jimmy,” she says, with all the same enthusiasm she’s had for Gerry’s finds over the years.

Audrey puts the tea things on the table and smiles. “You almost said that like you meant it,” she says, and pushes Jimmy gently into a chair.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” It comes out ruefully, wistfully, and Audrey raises an eyebrow. “Gerry, my youngest,” she explains, “is animal mad. The things he’s collected over the years. He had a zoo, our last months in Corfu.”

Little Jimmy’s eyes light up. “A zoo!” He turns to Audrey. “Aunty Audrey, could I-”

“Don’t even think about it,” Audrey says sternly, and passes him a biscuit. “Here you go. I’m not really his aunt,” she explains belatedly to Louisa. “I’m his godmother.” Louisa nods in understanding, and wonders if anybody will ever call her aunty. Audrey’s eyes are alight with curiosity. “A real zoo?” she asks. “What sort of animals?”

“All the animals he could get his hands on,” Louisa says with a laugh. “He bred otters, we had owls and snakes and pelicans and flamingos…”

Little Jimmy’s eyes are practically popping out of his head and Audrey looks barely less astounded.

“It sounds like a different world,” she says.

“It is.” There’s a lump in her throat now. “It was.”

#in a later part the astounding resemblance between leslie and tristan #louisa has a lot to say to audrey about letting love slip between her fingers #i should come back to this #the durrells #all creatures great and small #my fic