Title: The Garden Trail
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee, OCs.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: On vacation in England, Dee and Ryo have a wonderful afternoon wandering around people’s gardens and meeting the locals.
Word Count: 853
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 421: Trail.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.




GARDEN TRAIL TODAY the handmade sign read, with a big arrow pointing down a narrow street. Dee and Ryo had only stopped in the quaint little village to get coffee and a mid-afternoon snack, but the sign made them curious.

“Wonder what that’s all about,” Dee said.

“Why don’t we find out? It does say it’s today.”

“Unless it was yesterday, and somebody forgot to take the sign down.”

“We won’t know unless we ask,” Ryo pointed out, and seeing a group of people heading in the direction the arrow was pointing, he approached them. “Excuse me, we’re tourists but we saw the sign for the garden trail, and we were wondering… Is it something that has to be booked in advance?”

“Bless you, no.” The elderly woman he’d spoken to smiled. “Everyone’s welcome to join in.”

“What exactly is a garden trail?” Dee asked.

“Well, it’s where people open their gardens to the public, so anyone can walk around and enjoy them. There’s a small admission fee for each garden, because it’s to raise money for charity, and there’ll be stalls selling all kinds of things from plants to homemade cakes and preserves, maybe some handcrafted items too.”

“Well, I’m all for homemade cakes.” Dee grinned. “Just point me in the right direction!”

“Is there a map or something to show which gardens are open?” As always, Ryo took the practical approach.

“Oh yes.” The woman beamed at him. “Here, why don’t you have mine? I do the trail every year, and it’s mostly the same houses.” She dug in her purse and produced a printed programme. “That way you won’t get lost. I’m Ruth Meadows, by the way, and this is my husband, Alan. We moved down here eight years ago, after Alan retired.”

“I used to work for the metropolitan police in London,” Alan said proudly, offering his hand.

“He always has to tell everyone that,” Ruth chuckled.

“Randy Maclean,” Ryo said, shaking Alan’s hand, then Ruth’s. “My partner, Dee Laytner. We’re actually on the force ourselves, detectives back in New York.”

“What a coincidence!” Ruth squeezed Ryo’s hand. “You’re not carrying guns, are you?”

“Not on vacation,” Ryo assured her. “We’re not licenced to carry over here.” Dee hadn’t been happy about leaving his gun at home, but Ryo had insisted, since they were going to be travelling around rather than staying in one place.

“That’s good. I think being around guns would make me nervous,” Ruth admitted.

“I never had to use one in all my years on the job,” Alan said. “I don’t envy you.”

“It’s not as bad as the TV shows make out. A lot of cops never have to draw their weapons.”

“Enough talk about work,” Dee cut in. “Where’re the cakes?”

That made everyone laugh, and the two tourists found themselves swept up in Ruth and Alan’s group, being asked endless questions about how long they’d be in England, and how they were enjoying their vacation.

The gardens along the trail were beautiful, full of flowering plants, trees, and shrubs. Ryo wished he could have bought plants or seeds to take home with him, but he knew such things would never be permitted through customs. The cakes and preserves were another matter; those could easily be eaten before their flight home, so they bought a selection for themselves and insisted on treating their new friends as well.

They found seats beneath a shady tree in one garden where they ate freshly baked scones, still warm from the oven, and drank homemade lemonade. In other gardens they browsed the craft stalls and bought gifts for their friends back home, and they chatted with everyone they met, surprised by how friendly and welcoming everybody was. Time slipped by without them hardly noticing it.

As they left the last garden on the trail and headed back towards their car, laden with bags, Ruth and Alan invited them to dinner at one of the local pubs, which they happily accepted. It had been such an enjoyable afternoon, and their new friends were such good company, none of them wanted it to end.

At the end of the evening, they exchanged addresses and phone numbers before parting company, promising to stay in touch. Then they said their goodbyes, and Dee and Ryo made their way to a guest house down the street where they’d been able to get a room for the night.

“I’m glad we decided to stop here,” Ryo said as he sat on the end of the bed taking his shoes off.

“Me too.” Dee sprawled untidily beside him. “Wish we could’a bought some of those cakes to take home with us though.”

“We’re here for two more weeks; they wouldn’t have kept. Anyway, I got most of the recipes, and the names of the plants I liked, just in case I ever have a garden to grow then in.”

“Next best thing, I guess,” Dee agreed. “Plus, we met some really cool people, and donated to charity.”

“Mm.” Ryo crawled up the bed and kissed his lover. “It really has been a perfect day.”


The End