"Show-off," Samantha Byrne muttered before she lost her balance, falling onto the unforgiving ice for the hundredth time. A smug Damon Baird cruised over gracefully, coming to a halt, showering the brunette with a mist of ice shavings.
"Need a hand?" He asked, looking far too pleased with himself.
Sam snorted indignantly and picked herself up without the mechanics help. Baird shrugged, and then took off in a flash, racing around the circumference of the pond. Sam dusted off her knees and the seat of her jeans as she watched him, the snow getting caught in her dark hair as she stood with a pout on her face. She didn't like seeing the sarcastic blonde having this much fun. Just as she was going to inch forward, he was at her side again, skating slow circles around her.
"You're not going to get anywhere moving like that," he said with a snarky grin that made Sam ill.
"Who made you a bloody expert?" Sam snapped; eyes fixed on the skates wobbling beneath her.
"Well, I'm not the one falling on my ass every two seconds," Baird quipped, that ridiculous smirk never leaving his face.
"Piss off," Sam shot back. She wasn't in any mood for Baird right now. The lower halves of her legs were soaked and freezing and her face was red with the cold. She had wanted to give up an hour ago, but not with this cocky bastard here to watch.
"Hang on, Sam baby! I'm coming!" Augustus Cole called from a distance behind the two, panting as he fell to the ground with a thud. Sam cringed as she felt the ground shutter. Each time the massive gear fell, she braced herself, waiting for the ice to give way beneath them all. But Baird had assured them that the pond was solid when he tested it earlier, so she took his word for it. He always seemed to be right about these sorts of things anyway.
"Give it up, man!" Jace Stratton called to his friend with a laugh as the ex-thrashball player stood up, dusting himself off. His face was lit with a grin as he met the young gear's gaze.
"The Cole Train don't give up that easy! I'm getting' the hang on this!"
Jace just shook his head and poured another cup of coffee from his thermos for himself and Clayton Carmine, who was seated beside him on an old bench in view of their friends. The two had tried their luck at skating, but called it quits in less then an hour. Their attempts had left them with nothing but damp clothes and bruised egos, so they were more then content to sip hot coffee and watch the others.
They spied Marcus Fenix cruising steadily across the ice, a good distance from the others, with Anya Stroud's arm wrapped tightly around his own. The soft-spoken blonde had persuaded him to join her and the others after Baird had handed each of them a pair of lace-ups, the blades freshly sharpened and gleaming. They had been at it all day and after a couple of close calls, had gotten pretty good. Anya slipped for a moment before her companion practically scooped her up in his arms, steadying her petite body as she looked into his gorgeous blue eyes with a smile. She said something inaudible to the others watching from the far side of the pond, and the two men could have sworn they saw the perpetually grumpy gear smile back.
"Damon, give the lady a hand, will you? I'll be there in a minute," Cole called, desperately trying to regain his footing on the slippery surface.
"Nah, she's doing great! She doesn't need-" Baird began before Sam fell with a thud. He looked down to see her eyes shut tight, jaw clenched as she motioned to rub her knee, but caught herself once she saw Baird looking her over. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, or ammunition for more one-liners. Baird studied her for a moment with a look on his face that Sam could have mistaken for tenderness.
"Here" he put his gloved hand out with more sincerity this time.
Sam stared at him for a second as if she were trying to figure out why the hell he cared. Her ears were red, but Baird couldn't tell if it was the cold or if she was embarrassed. He decided on both and motioned for her to get up.
"Just don't punch me," he added under his breath with a tiny grin, his back conveniently turned towards the others.
Sam rolled her eyes and gripped her mitten-ed hand around his as he helped her to her feet. She groaned a bit as she regained her footing, unable to fight the urge to rub her bruised kneecap.
"You ok?" Baird asked.
Was that concern in his voice? Sam straightened up immediately, throwing her shoulders back a bit.
"Yeah, all good."
Baird nodded and cleared his throat, doing his best not to sound like a know-it-all as he corrected Sam's skating techniques. By the look on the tanned woman's face, he wasn't doing a very good job of it.
"Look, keep your feet straight like this…Yeah good. Now, just…bend your knees a little, that's it…One step at a time."
Despite his normally grouchy attitude, Damon Baird was a surprisingly patient teacher. He seemed to enjoy passing on knowledge, whatever the topic of study. After a couple more stumbles, Sam's skating steadily improved. A small smile flickered across her face as she glided over the ice, much steadier then before. Baird's eyes gleamed with pride as he watched his reluctant student move towards him.
"See? Told you it's easy," he said, all smug again. Only this time, Sam was smiling.
"Yeah, thanks blondie." She gave his arm a good-hearted punch. "That's for being a bastard about it."
"Well, if you didn't suck so much, I wouldn't have had to tease you," Baird responded matter-of-factly.
Sam scoffed as the blonde ran over a small chunk of ice, causing him to stumble around for a bit before standing straight again as if no one had noticed. No one had, except Sam, who was laughing now.
"Alright, shut up. At least that was my first time."
But Sam couldn't stop laughing. Her giggling fit ended abruptly however when she realized she was losing her balance. Before she could fall, Baird came to her rescue, catching her in his strong arms. She looked into his powder blue eyes as he gazed back into hers. For a brief moment, they couldn't take their eyes off each other. Sam studied Baird's face; his cheeks were rosy, the tip of his nose red with the chilly air. Bits of his soft blonde hair were peaking out from underneath his home-made knitted beanie.
Sam huddled deeper into her worn suede coat as she gave her companion an appreciative, though a bit self-conscious smile. This seemed to break Baird out of his trance, and he quickly straightened the female gear up. Sam tucked her arm through his and Baird stiffened for a moment as Cole, who had apparently caught sight of their moment together, shot him an approving glance. He glared at his friend, before looking over at Sam, her eyebrows raised with that playful grin on the edge of her lips. Baird did his best to ignore her expression and casually assisted her around the frozen pond.
The two had to stop short for a moment, Baird tugging Sam out of Cole's path as he whizzed by. Apparently, he was getting the hang on it until- Oof! The massive gear plopped into a huge snow drift at the edge of their "ice rink," all but burying himself in the soft white dust, save for his skates; the tips of the blades pointing straight up.
Yeah, maybe not.
He got up with a booming laugh, earning him some cheers and applause from Jace and Carmine, who had nearly spilled their drinks as they watched him fall. Cole was solid as a rock on the battlefield; always steady and light on his feet, so seeing him this clumsy was not only unusual, but strangely entertaining.
Cole brushed the snow off his broad frame before bowing extravagantly, his signature grin still plastered across his face. He was having a blast too.
Anya and Marcus had witnessed the scene and were standing still on the ice now, still arm-in-arm.
"You alright Gus?" Marcus asked in his typical gravelly tone; his scarred face slightly lit up with a half-smile. Anya had her face buried in the sleeve of her companion's fleece pull-over, unable to control her laughter.
"Never been better, baby! All thanks to Baird" He shot his best friend a smile and a thumbs up, gesturing to his skates before working his way across the pond, much slower this time. Baird grinned back at Cole then shook his head as he gently pulled Sam along.
"Where did you find all these anyway, blondie?" Sam asked, pointing to her feet.
"They were in one of the supply closets with some other outdoorsy stuff; badminton, croquet, lawn chairs, that kind of thing. Figured I'd put em' to good use."
The mechanic's eyes scanned the area, focusing on his friends enjoying themselves in the snow. Cole was sitting with the guys now, looking a little more then exhausted as he waved to the pair, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. Marcus and Anya had resumed skating, but had slowed their pace and were chatting completely care-free, looking happier then they had in years.
They skated in silence for a few minutes, taking everything in. The snow was still falling softly, keeping the ground covered in sparkling white. The unexpected storm had turned the entire island into a winter wonderland instead of a tropical paradise, and everyone was glad for the change, especially Baird. He was starting to hate the hot weather anyway. He smiled ruefully, his expression slightly melancholy.
"What is it?" Sam asked. There was a hint of concern in her tone.
Baird did his best to erase the look on his face, but his eyes couldn't conceal his thoughts. Sam waited for him to respond as he looked down at his feet, watching the sharp blades on his worn skates cut grooves into the ice.
"Reminds me of when I was a kid…" He mumbled.
Sam regretted her question at once. Baird's childhood was always a touchy topic, so now she wanted to tell him to forget it, but he continued, much to the brunette's surprise.
"There was a small pond close to where I lived, and when it was cold enough, I used to go out and skate every chance I got."
Well, that explains why he's so good at it, Sam thought to herself. His smile faded as he remembered his past, and the female gear squeezed his arm, trying to comfort him. The fact that they were having this conversation was absurd enough, so Baird opening up to her about his childhood, of all topics, was a miracle in it's self. Sam listened intently as he spoke, expecting him to close up again at any second.
"It was just nice to get away, you know? I mean, even I had to go out sometime." He laughed softly in spite of himself.
"It was a great way to blow off some steam. And for once, no one seemed bothered I was doing something I loved." The slight smile disappeared from his lips as old, familiar daggers twisted in his side. That anger that he tried so hard to hide away seemed to flicker like flames in his eyes as he remembered the ones who stifled his interests in the past. "I guess they were just happy I was out of their way…" He added in a near whisper. He clenched his jaw, and Sam figured that was all he was willing to say.
As she spied the broken look in Baird's eyes, Sam felt instantly sorry for him. Sure, he was probably the biggest pain in the ass she'd ever met, but in the rare moments when he was able to express himself, she was reminded that underneath his hardened exterior he was just a shy little kid who'd had his feelings hurt. She knew, deep down, he cared about his friends with all his heart, even if he'd never admit it.
Sam smiled genuinely at the blonde-haired gear, doing her best to make him feel better.
"This was really sweet of you, Baird" she said, speaking softly. "This was…I mean, I think the others are having a good time."
Baird looked surprised at her for a moment, before shrugging casually, trying to brush off just how much her words meant to him. She sighed inwardly as his face lit up a tiny bit.
"Well, you know…I just…thought it'd be fun."
Sam pretended to look shocked when Baird said "fun" and he elbowed her playfully, carefully keeping his balance on the slippery ice.
"Oh come on, you don't think I know how to have a good time?"
Sam thought that over before replying with a laugh. "Not really…"
Baird smiled an impish smile, and then took off with lightning speed, racing around the circumference of the large pond, dragging a screaming Samantha Byrne with him. He whizzed across the ice, going as fast as he could as she held on for dear life.
"Oh my God! Baird, stop!" she squealed between gasps, closing her eyes and gripping his arm tighter as he made the turn past Marcus and Anya.
"You jackass, you're going to get us killed! Look out!" She screamed with a laugh as they wiped out, the soft snow at the edge of the pond breaking their fall.
"You idiot! What was that for?!" Sam was trying really hard to sound angry as she gulped for air. Baird was on his back, laughing harder then she'd ever heard. He was covered in snow, and she was right on top of him.
"Oh my God…you should have…heard yourself," he struggled to speak as he caught his breath, each exhale puffing a cloud of steam in the brisk winter air.
"You could have warned me!" She replied, unable to hold in her laughter now. Baird shook his head, still chuckling.
"Take it back," he said, panting as he looked into her eyes. Sam pursed her lips.
"Can't hear you Byrne, speak up please."
"Oh, alright, I take it back. That was pretty fun…" she said, her voice low. Baird looked satisfied with her response and smiled radiantly at her.
Sam laid against his warm body for a moment, breathing heavily through her nose, the adrenaline still making her hands a bit shaky as she looked him over. He looked ridiculous but oddly sweet in his snow-covered hat, which was sitting lopsided on his head. Sam straightened it, trying to break the silence.
"Are you going knit one for me?" She asked playfully, gently dusting the snow off his face.
"I don't know, I'm really backed up with orders right now," he responded sarcastically. That was typical for Baird; he would say anything to avoid expressing how he really felt. Sam just rolled her eyes and reluctantly got up. They shared a look before Anya and Marcus skated towards them.
"Are you guys ok?" Anya puffed, looking half concerned as she huddled close to her love, who looked confused and down-right disgusted at the whole scene. He would never get used to Baird smiling, much less laughing like a small child. It just didn't seem right.
"Oh they're fine, I'm sure," He grunted as he looked at Anya, who was shivering a bit.
"Come on, lets get some coffee before they drink it all." Marcus gestured to Cole and the others, who were talking and laughing amongst each other. Anya looked at Sam and smiled with a look on her face that said "You've got some explaining to do," before letting Marcus lead her to the other side of the pond, leaving Baird and Sam standing alone.
"Come on, I could use some coffee too," Sam said finally. The ends of her hair were dripping wet, and her jacket was caked with snow. Baird's winter gear wasn't in any better shape, so the idea of a hot drink sounded pretty good. He took Sam's hand and started to help her across the pond, but Baird noticed she wasn't depending on him as much as before.
"You're doing great," he said as she skated a few inches ahead of him, completely steady. She turned to face him, forcing Baird to stop in his tracks.
"Thanks for the help," she said, not even pretending to look self-conscious. Baird nodded and smiled at her.
"Same time tomorrow then? I still need some practice." She said smiling back. Baird seemed hesitant before responding.
"Um, ok. Sure."
Sam grinned wickedly. "It's a date then…" she said, turning away. Baird's face went from dumbfounded to mock-aggravation in two seconds flat.
"You did that on purpose," he called after her, pretending to sound frustrated.
"Looking forward to it, blondie!" Sam's laughter filled the air as he raced her to the edge of the pond. The two joined the others for coffee indoors, where they sat around the large fireplace in the hotel lobby. As Sam huddled close to him, trying to warm up, Baird couldn't deny the fact that he was too.