Though the morning bustle of the vital Zanga village woke Isabella
rather early, she stayed in her bed with her eyes closed for long
afterward. She'd woken up only once during the night when her father had
left her to sleep by herself. Despite her lack of knowledge of the previous
night's events, she had a bad feeling her mother wouldn't be there when she
woke up. So she told herself she wouldn't wake up. The longer she was
asleep, the longer she delayed reality. And that was all her life was about
anymore, delaying reality.
Reality, however, did not want to be delayed. This morning reality was in the form of Layton Malone.
"Good morning, sunshine," he greeted, stepping into her small shack with a bright morning smile on his handsome face. His cheeriness stretched into his merry blue eyes and he infected Isabella with his glance.
"'Morning to you, too, Mr. Malone," she yawned, trying to sit up without knocking her injured knee.
"How are you doing?"
"My mood has been considerably brightened by your presence," she smiled.
He took a seat at the foot of her bed and shyly handed her a single orchid flower.
"Thank you," she blushed.
"Just trying to make your day better," he tried to shrug it off.
"You're very sweet, Layton," she kissed his cheek and stood. "I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry, Isabella," Layton commented, standing as well.
Rolling her eyes, Isabella started to walk out of the shack. She still had a limp, though she was moving better on her own now and refused any help.
"Isabella!" Cobi cried when he spotted her. Reaching her, he embraced her warmly. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Pretty good," Isabella smiled, returning his embrace, flower still in hand.
Letting her go, Jacobi glanced at the orchid, then to Layton, but said nothing. "Are you hungry?"
"Always," Bella laughed.
"Then by all means, let's go."
He let Isabella walk a few paces in front of him as he walked right next to Layton.
"What are you doing?" he asked, a bit of territorial-ness in voice.
Layton gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"The orchid."
"What about it?" Layton played innocent.
"You know how I feel about her. We're best friends, you and I, we don't need to be competing over a girl."
"She's not just ANY girl, Cobi. She's our best friend. And you aren't the only one who has feelings for her," Layton said lowly. "She's not a prize to be fought over."
Cobi muttered in Zanga under his breath. "We'll just let her decide, then."
"May the best man win," Layton breathed angrily, speeding up his pace to talk to Isabella with the Zanga prince close at his heels.
*~*~*
During the course of breakfast, Isabella failed to notice the tension between her two best friends. The rest of the group, which included Nathan in Isabella's lap, the Malones, Challenger and John, however, noticed.
Half way through breakfast, Finn entered the clearing and pulled Layton aside.
"Gabrielle is outside the city gates and she's coming in," Finn said quietly enough so no one else heard.
"What is she doing here?" Layton asked, glancing to Isabella as she whispered something in Nathaniel's ear to make him giggle.
"It doesn't matter now. But since Marguerite is gone Isabella's going to be angry, very angry. With that sword strapped to her hip, Gabrielle may lose her head."
"Is that such a bad thing?" Layton snorted.
"Layton..." Finn warned, "Yes, it is. We can't have Isabella being a murderer."
"So what do I do?"
"I don't know. If she goes for her sword, distract her," Finn murmured urgently.
"How?"
Before Finn could respond, a very angry Gabrielle stormed into the clearing.
"I see you've been abandoned again, Lady Roxton," Gabrielle sneered, looking around at the group around her.
As Finn had predicted, Isabella's hand fell to her sword as a natural reflex as she stood to face the offender.
Nathaniel scrambled off of the ground and stood at Bella's side, glancing back and forth between the two. Then the poor boy began to cry and Layton's little sister took him by the hand, lead him away, and cuddled him in a corner.
In that time, Layton hurried to Isabella's side in case she made any further move to draw her weapon.
"No smart response, Isabella? No witty repartee?" Gabrielle pressed, trying to get a response from her. Her eyes were glazed, her strawberry blonde hair a mess, and her voice a tad bit slurred.
Everyone else around the circle stood as well, unsure of what to do.
"Nathaniel, sweetie, come to Mum," she mumbled on.
Nathan whimpered in confusion and burrowed into Jane.
Isabella's eyes flashed and the sword began to pull from its sheath. That's when Layton intervened in the first way that came to mind.
He took a step in front of her, blocking her view of Gabrielle, gently took her face in his hand and kissed her, surprising the entire village and causing Finn to comment, "Creative."
Taking advantage of her distraction, Layton took the sword from her grasp and let it fall beside them.
He pulled away reluctantly, his blue eyes barely glistening with joyful, embarrassed tears.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear.
"Whoever said boys don't cry?" Isabella whispered back to him with a slight smile on her face, burying her face in his shirt, since he was three- quarters of a head taller than she was. And then she cried. Through it all she had shed very little amount of tears and now the whole reservoir spilled over and onto Layton's shirt.
The rest of the group was shocked. Cobi's face was angry, brooding as he took a step away from them. Roxton nudged Malone with a grin. Finn and Veronica exchanged somewhat confused, somewhat amused smiles. Nathan poked his head from Jane's arms and shared a giggle with her. Gabrielle cried out angrily and turned to walk away. Two Zanga warriors grabbed her by the arms and stopped her.
"Lord Roxton, what do you want us to do with her?"
~*~*~*~
Okay, so I'm a M/R shipper, but I just LOVE Layton and Isabella. That is no guarantee they'll immediately end up together though. You guys should know my now I don't do anything IMMEDIATELY. *wink* Review! The more reviews, the faster I write the next chapter.
Reality, however, did not want to be delayed. This morning reality was in the form of Layton Malone.
"Good morning, sunshine," he greeted, stepping into her small shack with a bright morning smile on his handsome face. His cheeriness stretched into his merry blue eyes and he infected Isabella with his glance.
"'Morning to you, too, Mr. Malone," she yawned, trying to sit up without knocking her injured knee.
"How are you doing?"
"My mood has been considerably brightened by your presence," she smiled.
He took a seat at the foot of her bed and shyly handed her a single orchid flower.
"Thank you," she blushed.
"Just trying to make your day better," he tried to shrug it off.
"You're very sweet, Layton," she kissed his cheek and stood. "I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry, Isabella," Layton commented, standing as well.
Rolling her eyes, Isabella started to walk out of the shack. She still had a limp, though she was moving better on her own now and refused any help.
"Isabella!" Cobi cried when he spotted her. Reaching her, he embraced her warmly. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Pretty good," Isabella smiled, returning his embrace, flower still in hand.
Letting her go, Jacobi glanced at the orchid, then to Layton, but said nothing. "Are you hungry?"
"Always," Bella laughed.
"Then by all means, let's go."
He let Isabella walk a few paces in front of him as he walked right next to Layton.
"What are you doing?" he asked, a bit of territorial-ness in voice.
Layton gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"The orchid."
"What about it?" Layton played innocent.
"You know how I feel about her. We're best friends, you and I, we don't need to be competing over a girl."
"She's not just ANY girl, Cobi. She's our best friend. And you aren't the only one who has feelings for her," Layton said lowly. "She's not a prize to be fought over."
Cobi muttered in Zanga under his breath. "We'll just let her decide, then."
"May the best man win," Layton breathed angrily, speeding up his pace to talk to Isabella with the Zanga prince close at his heels.
*~*~*
During the course of breakfast, Isabella failed to notice the tension between her two best friends. The rest of the group, which included Nathan in Isabella's lap, the Malones, Challenger and John, however, noticed.
Half way through breakfast, Finn entered the clearing and pulled Layton aside.
"Gabrielle is outside the city gates and she's coming in," Finn said quietly enough so no one else heard.
"What is she doing here?" Layton asked, glancing to Isabella as she whispered something in Nathaniel's ear to make him giggle.
"It doesn't matter now. But since Marguerite is gone Isabella's going to be angry, very angry. With that sword strapped to her hip, Gabrielle may lose her head."
"Is that such a bad thing?" Layton snorted.
"Layton..." Finn warned, "Yes, it is. We can't have Isabella being a murderer."
"So what do I do?"
"I don't know. If she goes for her sword, distract her," Finn murmured urgently.
"How?"
Before Finn could respond, a very angry Gabrielle stormed into the clearing.
"I see you've been abandoned again, Lady Roxton," Gabrielle sneered, looking around at the group around her.
As Finn had predicted, Isabella's hand fell to her sword as a natural reflex as she stood to face the offender.
Nathaniel scrambled off of the ground and stood at Bella's side, glancing back and forth between the two. Then the poor boy began to cry and Layton's little sister took him by the hand, lead him away, and cuddled him in a corner.
In that time, Layton hurried to Isabella's side in case she made any further move to draw her weapon.
"No smart response, Isabella? No witty repartee?" Gabrielle pressed, trying to get a response from her. Her eyes were glazed, her strawberry blonde hair a mess, and her voice a tad bit slurred.
Everyone else around the circle stood as well, unsure of what to do.
"Nathaniel, sweetie, come to Mum," she mumbled on.
Nathan whimpered in confusion and burrowed into Jane.
Isabella's eyes flashed and the sword began to pull from its sheath. That's when Layton intervened in the first way that came to mind.
He took a step in front of her, blocking her view of Gabrielle, gently took her face in his hand and kissed her, surprising the entire village and causing Finn to comment, "Creative."
Taking advantage of her distraction, Layton took the sword from her grasp and let it fall beside them.
He pulled away reluctantly, his blue eyes barely glistening with joyful, embarrassed tears.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear.
"Whoever said boys don't cry?" Isabella whispered back to him with a slight smile on her face, burying her face in his shirt, since he was three- quarters of a head taller than she was. And then she cried. Through it all she had shed very little amount of tears and now the whole reservoir spilled over and onto Layton's shirt.
The rest of the group was shocked. Cobi's face was angry, brooding as he took a step away from them. Roxton nudged Malone with a grin. Finn and Veronica exchanged somewhat confused, somewhat amused smiles. Nathan poked his head from Jane's arms and shared a giggle with her. Gabrielle cried out angrily and turned to walk away. Two Zanga warriors grabbed her by the arms and stopped her.
"Lord Roxton, what do you want us to do with her?"
~*~*~*~
Okay, so I'm a M/R shipper, but I just LOVE Layton and Isabella. That is no guarantee they'll immediately end up together though. You guys should know my now I don't do anything IMMEDIATELY. *wink* Review! The more reviews, the faster I write the next chapter.
