With her over night bag packed, Faithe headed out of her dorm room, ready
for the Manhattan weekend that she had been anticipating for what seemed
like forever. She and Orlando had decided to meet up at the train station -
it would look a little less suspicious that way. If they happened to spot
other students there, it would be easier to look as if they weren't
together than if they were seen leaving the school with overnight bags.
It was a Friday, and they were scheduled to return Sunday morning. She had sent Orlando a small letter to him that morning explaining the sleeping arrangements for the weekend. As she had suspected, the Plaza put them in a double penthouse. Satisfied that the arrangement was probably the best, and most entertaining, Faithe's excitement had only grown. The two most important guys in her life were finally going to meet, Orlando was going to get his comet, and Faithe would finally get to see her 'baby girl' for the first time in a few months.
Walking along the platform, Faithe had already gotten her bag checked. Finding Platform 8, she climbed into compartment and stowed her stuff. Making her way back to the opening, she stood on the steps by the open door, her dark eyes scanning the mass of people for the familiar brilliant blue eyes that belong to none other than Orlando Lorenz.
Walking through the doors to the train station, Orlando Lorenz had to readjust himself to city life. Loud, roaring, boisterous throngs of people were all he could see as his eyes darted around the place. He had lived in Manhattan once, only for a month, but, that had been quite awhile ago, and, since then, he had forgotten about how, well... rude one had to be if they were to get anywhere.
Sighing to himself, he flung his small bag of clothes and such over his shoulder and began slowly elbowing his way through the crowds. Pausing to pull of his ticket, in order to know which platform to go to, he was shoved by a rather large, burly latino man, whose vocabularly was rather colorful.
Welcome to Manhattan... Still, the trip wasn't going to be entirely like that. And, even if it was, having Faithe by his side the whole time, he probably wouldn't even care.
Glancing around, he found the "Platform 8" marker and headed off towards it. Finally arriving, his brilliant blue eyes darted around in search of Faithe. Meeting the gaze of her brilliant brown eyes, his characteristic boyish grin took over his face and he walked towards her.
"Well, well, well," he said, "Fancy seeing you here, Miss Cunningham."
Reaching his reach hand towards her, he brought her hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss upon it.
Her eyes lit up as she saw Orlando walking towards her, her lips spreading into a wide, welcoming smile. Blushing as she felt his warm lips on her hand, her smile changed into a coy expression, a small blush sprinkling her cheeks. "Why, Mr. Lorenz, I do declare! Aren't we quite the gentleman!" Speaking in a thick, 'Georgia peach' Southern accent, she brought her free hand up to her cheek. Laughing, she squeezed his hand and bent down to kiss him on the cheek.
"Come on, Prince Charming, I already put my stuff in our compartment." Giving his hand one last squeeze before letting go, she turned to walk up the rest of the stairs, opening the door to their compartment. Plopping down on the bench seat, she offered him a flirtatious smile. "Ready for our 45 minute train ride?" Joking with him, she grinned. It was true though; they were only going from the outskirts of Manhatten into the heart of the city.
This is going to be the best weekend of my life...
Smiling genuinely at Faithe's adorable southern accent, Orlando tipped an invisible hat before following her up the stairs and down the corridor to their compartment.
"If you insist, m'lady..."
After closing the door behind him, Orlando flung his small shoulderbag onto the floor in a corner of the room and sat down next to Faithe. Wrapping his arm around her, he gently guided her head to his shoulder.
"45 minutes alone in a room with you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows mischievously. Chuckling, he shook his head and smiled at her.
"I've been waiting all week long for this," he said. "An entire weekend with you, finally meeting Jake, and getting to see your 'baby'... Couldn't be happier."
"Mmm...I know you and Jake are going to get along. I just hope you have the energy for Kaytlin.She takes to people very quickly, and I'll know she'll absolutely fall in love with you." Kaytlin was, indeed, a very energetic child, and quite the little stage star. Snuggling into his body, Faithe closed her eyes as her head rested against his shoulder. "If I ever have children, and a daughter, I wouldn't mind her turningout remarkably like Kaytlin. She's always been such a great little girl."
Sliding her hand over his chest, she trailed her hand down to his stomach, dragging her index finger down to his side. Poking him in the side, she looked up at him and grinned, her brown eyes finding his blue eyes. "You mean I'm stuck with you alone for 45 minutes?" Faking a resentful sigh, she crossed her arms. "Life just isn't fair."
Breaking into a grin, she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Only 45? That isn't fair at all!" Sticking her tongue out, she tweaked his nose with her index finger.
Hearing Faithe talking about having children was a little strange, yet nice, in a sense. And the way she spoke of Kaytlin brought a broad grin to Orlando's face. It was obvious how much she cared for the little girl.
"I'm sure I'll love her just as much as you do."
As her hand passed over his chest, he felt that familiar feeling of contentness ripple through him. A sincere smile crossed his face as he ran his hand up and down her arm, gently pulling her closer to him.
"Don't worry," he replied, kissing the top of her head.
"There's so much that can be done in 2,700 seconds," he whispered, using the rarely utilized lower register of his voice. A mischievous glint shone in his brilliant blue eyes as he turned his head to look into her dark ones.
"Dork." The words were blunt, simple, and the smile on Faithe's face completely gave away that it was said in complete jest. Laughing softly, she shook her head. "You are such a math dork, my dear." Winking, she ran her index finger over his bottom lipsoftly. Though she was in complete tease mode, her stomach had flip flopped at the sound of his voice.
A visible shiver ran through her body as she returned the mischevious grin. Poking him lightly in his side, she raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? And what's that? Play four highley stratagized games of dominoes?" Grinning, she ran her finger lightly over the cartalidge of his ear, making her touch light as a feather. Faithe could be such a tease...when she wanted to be.
Indeed Faithe could be a tease, but so could Orlando. Of course, he rarely showed the playful side of his personality; there were always too many people around- too many prying eyes that would judge him for it. But, here, with Faithe as the only witness, it was different- he was completely comfortable with her.
As her finger passed over his lower lip, the man had bend his head ever-so- slightly and kissed it, allowing the right side of his mouth to momentarily twitch upward in a sort of smirk before returning to its contented position. Of course, the satisfied smirk-ish expression returned to his face as he watched the shiver ripple through her body.
Adorable. There was simply no other word.
"Mmmm.not quite," he replied in a deep whisper.
Surreptitiously reaching up, he removed her hand from his ear and placed it upon his face before stroking her face with his own hand, all in complete, transfixing silence as his eyes locked into hers, mind you. Gently lifting her head off his chest for a moment, his lips touched her forehead and then her lips, firmly kissing her.
Pulling back, he relinquished her face and shrugged, breaking the intensity of the moment.
"Of course, if you'd rather play dominoes." he said, resuming his normal vocal dynamic and octave.
Smiling as he moved her hand, Faithe stroked his cheek bone lightly with her thumb. Practically melting at his low whisper, her look of adoration for the man in front of her played in her eyes. You are too perfect.
A surprised squeal came out of her mouth when he kissed her, but it only lasted a partial of a second. Relishing the feeling that she felt in her stomach, and more importantly, her heart, Faithe reached down and squeezed his hand affectionately.
Sticking out her bottom lip in a pout, the eighteen year old made tears well up in her brown eyes. Quivering her bottom lip, she drooped her posture, looking up at him with 'puppy dog eyes.' "If that's the way you want it..." Her voice came out sulky and in a soft purring whisper.
Puppy-dog eyes, her pouting lip, the way her back sank into the seat. It was all too endearing. Suppressing his understandable urge to chuckle at how irresistibly cute Faithe was, Orlando's brilliant blue eyes stared into hers for a moment and the smirk on his lips gradually faded away into a nonchalant expression as he shrugged.
Casually draping an arm around her shoulders, an odd smile appeared upon his lips. It was almost a smirk, but, then again, there was a certain look to it that could be interpreted as content. Gently pulling her a little closer to him, a small yawn escaped his lips, despite it being early evening.
"Actually," he replied, retaining that indecipherable smile, "That'd be nice. "
His voice, too, was unreadable, and, complemented by that perplexing smile, it was difficult to tell whether the man was furthering their little game of "hard-to-get" or being genuine.
"We can save that sort of thing for tonight," he added, augmenting the confusion of the moment. It was difficult to tell exactly what he meant by the words "that sort of thing", not to mention whether or not he was joking or not. He had spoken so confidently, almost like that of a college boy who knew he'd be "getting some" that evening. Then again, the man speaking was Orlando Corvello Lorenz. One couldn't be too sure what he meant.
She continued to quiver her lip slightly as he looked at her, only ceasing when he wrapped his arm around her. Resting her head against his chest, Faithe closed her eyes without a second thought about it. This was nice. All these feelings of contentment, adoration, affection, and absolutey felicity were still new to Faithe, and every day brought a new turn. Everytime Orlando's arms were around her, every hug the two shared, she felt a protection that she had never felt before.
Hearing his last comment, Faithe grinned and shook her head. As she started to open her mouth to respond, a loud voice interupted her:
"Attention all passengers: We will be arriving at Platform 12 in an estimated 20 minutes."
Opening her eyes, she tilted her head up, sticking her tongue out at him. "What? Play dominoes?" Sticking her tongue out at him again, she touched the the bottom of his jaw with the tip of her tongue. "When we get there, we'll have to take a cab to the theater. Jake and Kaytlin live in the apartment upstairs, but they will probably be downstairs rehearsing. We can check in with them, and then I'll steal his car and we can drive over to the hotel. It's only a few blocks away. If that's all right with you?"
"Of course play dominoes," Orlando replied, not missing a bit, "What else?"
Grinning a bit and winking at her, he was momentarily caught off guard as her tongue teased his chin ((I presume that's what you meant by "bottom of his jaw")). Not that that was a problem, of course; he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Nodding as she explained the agenda to him, a smile crept onto the man's face. He was still having a hard time believing that he was really on a train, headed to Manhattan to spend an entire weekend with the woman he'd grown so fond of. Meeting her family, seeing the city, officially patenting his very own comet. his excitement level was through the roof.
"Stealing a car, Faithe?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow curiously, "I wouldn't have picked you out as a bad girl. Of course, whatever you'd like to do is all right with me, though. 'dear'."
Grinning at his gest, she shrugged innocently, "Eh...stealing cars is a time old hobby in New York." Winking, she stuck the tip of her tongue out, wrinkling her nose as she did so. "I love driving his car. It's a 6 speed 1965 Boss 429 Mustang." Purring at the thought of the car, a dreamy expression crossed over her face. Giggling, she turned her brown eyes towards his striking blue eyes, "My brother and I rebuilt her almost from the ground up. He bought her from an old junkyard when he was sixteen, and he started working on it. Pretty soon, I jumped in and started helping him with it."
Shaking her head at her own amusement, she reached up and curled a strand of his hair around her finger lightly. "Have you decided what you're going to name your comet?" Faithe was almost willing to bet that she had been almost more excited about Orlando's discovery than Orlando himself. The whole ordeal had increased her thirst to be an astronomer all the more, but Faithe knew better than to dwell on that dream anymore. Her parents had stripped her of any hope she may have held within her of following up on her passion.
Not having grown-up in a muggle community, Orlando failed to understand the importance of cards and such technologies. Until he had been able to apparate, the man had merely walked everywhere, or, if the journey was particularly long, had traveled by broomstick. Cars were unnecessary and they failed to apay him in any way. Responding with a simple annuent, Orlando merely smiled. Though he didn't get the "big deal" about driving or the fact that the car was a '65 'stang, he found himself most amused by the mental image of Faithe helping this infamous brother of hers rebuild a car.
Leaning his head into her hand as her finger wound itself around his hair, his smile widened. Actually, he hadn't thought about naming the comet at all. Between teaching his classes and daydreaming about this weekend, he hadn't had too much time to wonder about something so seemingly superfluous. But, now that she mentioned it, his head inclined curiously and his eyes glazed over pensively. Truly, he still wanted to immortalize Faithe forever and name it after her, but he knew that she wouldn't ever let him, and that her reasons were entirely justifiable. Still, this comet would live forever, and its name had to be something worthy of such infamy.
"Actually, I haven't." he replied, half-dazed. "Any ideas?"
Keeping her hand where it was, Faithe reached up with her other hand, stroking his cheek gently as she shook her head. "This is your thing. Name it what you want. Just make sure that it's something that has meaning for you. This isn't a small deal Orlando, and you deserve it to mean more than the world to you."
Sitting there staring at him, her brown eyes became lost in his sparkling blue eyes. A warm, soft smile spread over her lips, "I want a picture of you." The comment was random, yes, but it was true.
"Attention passengers: We will reach our destination in 5 minutes."
She looked up at the speaker as the voice announced their arrival approaching. Looking back at him, she kissed him lightly on the nose, winking mischeviously at him. "Better start getting our stuff together."
Leaning into her hand, a coy yet knowing beam altered the man's pleasant mien. He had known that she would say something of the sort. Something selfless, genuine and completely sincere. exactly the right words to say. It was just how she was. and Orlando adored her for it.
As they sat there, lost in each other's eyes, an idea came to him, and, in an instant, he knew exactly what he wanted to embody forever in the name of his comet.
"Stife de la foi," he whispered quietly, tone radiating the fact that that word was to be the name of his comet.
Took a little by surprise at Faithe's random comment, Orlando just shook his head and grinned. "I'm not too photogenic," he replied with a laugh.
Having their moment disrupted by the loudspeaker, Orlando shrugged and turned his head back to Faithe just in time for her lips to caress his nose. Rolling his eyes at her, he stood up and walked over to the corner of the compartment to pick up his lone bag. Flinging it over himself so the strap crossed over his chest, he shrugged again and smiled back at her.
"Done and done, dearest."
Smiling her infamous half smile at his photogenic comment, she merely shook her head. "Don't say that, sweetie. I'm sure it's not true." Grinning, she stuck the tip of her tongue out at him, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief.
Standing up after him, she reached up and opened the overhead compartment. Running her hand through her hair, she reached into the front pocket of her bag and pulled out a ponytail holder. Flipping her head upside down, she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. Grabbing her dufle bag, she threw it over her shoulder with ease.
The time for the train to reach the station finally arrived. Stepping out into the busy station, she took Orlando's hand, dodging silently in between busy New Yorkers. Reaching the busy sidewalk, Faithe's eyes darted at the traffic, catching sight of a yellow cab. Stepping partly in the street, she waved the cab driver down. Looking up at Orlando, she grinned excitedly as the cab slowed and stopped in front of the two. "Your cab, m'dear."
As Faithe drug him along behind her, Orlando was caught a tad off-guard and his feet caught underneath him for a moment, nearly causing him to trip. Regaining his balance, he began moving his feet in sync with hers as she guided him in and out of the crowds. Finding it slightly odd that, although he was the one who had lived a year in the city, she was the one guiding him, he merely shrugged inwardly.
Watching as the cab slowed in front of the two, and that familiar smell of "city" filled his nostrils, the man recalled exactly how much he hated the city. Despite the charm its bustling held, there was just so much more about the outskirts that he found delightful. Still, he was there with Faithe, and seeing that excited grin upon her face made it all worthwhile.
"Thank you, milady," he replied with a smile, opening the door. Holding it open for her, he chivalrously offered her his arm and waited until she entered the cab before sliding in next to her and gently closing the door.
Halfway curstying before she sat in the taxi, Faithe winked at him adoringly. Why couldn't I have met you sooner? Telling the driver the address to the theater, the young woman leaned back in her seat. She'd always had nightmares about taxi cab drivers, therefore, she never rode in cabs alone.
Riding in silence, she snuggled into Orlando, closing her eyes as she listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. "Mmmm...I could get used to having you around." Tilting her head up at him, she smiled warmly at him. Grinning, she winked at him again, "You're hired." Laughing softly, she reached up and twisted a strand of his hair lightly.
Despite the traffic, the ride wasn't very long and they had soon reached the theater. Stepping out, retrieving the bags, and paying the cabby, Faithe looked up at the tall brick building with the massive sign that said "Royal Broaway Theater."Sighing, a small smile played at the corner of her lips. Not because she was at the theater, but because she had missed Jake and Kaytlin so much.
Walking inside the front door, she heard the orchestra from the lobby, signifying that there was a rehearsal. Faithe felt nervous all of a sudden. Her two favorite guys were about to meet each other, and she felt jittery. She knew the two would get along, but...This feels weird.
"Ready?"
Smiling as she snuggled into him, Orlando casually draped his arm around her back, toying lightly with her hair as they rode. A small laugh escaped his lips at her jest, and he shook his head, grinning.
"You'd better get used to me," he replied, "'cause I'm not going anywhere."
As the silence returned, at least for a short while, Orlando's mind began to wander. What if he and Jake didn't get along? What if something just didn't gel? A plethora of scenarios flooded his head, and he began absentmindedly gnawing on his tongue- which one might note as his most prominent nervous habit.
Deep in thought, Orlando didn't really notice as Faithe exited and tied up things with the cabby. Yet, after a moment he felt the absence of a body beneath his arm and jolted back to reality. Scrambling out of the cab, he took the bags from Faithe with a bit of a mock bow.
Turning his head to face the theatre, he followed her inside and, instantly, his ears were graced with the euphonious sounds of the pit orchestra. Smiling at Faithe, he nodded.
"Sure."
I'm not going anywhere. The words echoed inside her head after he had said them. Though they had been simple, they had been so heartwarming, Now they stood in the lobby. Taking a deeo breath, Faithe looked around the familiar place. Posters from past productions were stratigically placed around the room. More than half included Faithe and Jake, and even one with Faithe and Kaytlin onstage. There was a teaser poster from a dance production that starred Faithe when she was ten.
Shaking her head, she walked into the auditorium through one of the double doors. Squinting, she looked towards the stage, trying to place a face with a voice. However, the tenor voice was quite familiar. It was Eddie. Continuing to walk, she stopped midway, crossing her arms as she looked intently at the stage. He needs to step back about two feet. The lighting does not look right that close to the front of the stage. Once again shaking her head, Faithe looked around to see if she could find Jake. Before she had had much of a chance, a small girl's voice rang out... and quite loudly at that.
"AUNT BELL! AUNT BELL!" Before Faithe had a chance to even see where the voice was coming from, a small figure had halfway tackled her and was now clutching onto her legs. Reaching down, she lifted Kaytlin who wrapped her arms around Faithe's neck. Lifting her head, she looked up at Faithe and leaned her head in, the two rubbing their noses together just like the gnomes did in David and the Gnomes. Their 'secret' kiss. Laughing silently, she looked at Orlando and winked. Looking up at Faithe, the girl got an ecstatic expression on her face, "Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat?" Kaytlin asked, practically jumping up and down in Faithe's arms.
"Hmmm...You have had six cups of sugar this morning?" Winking, she watched as the little girl stuck her tongue out, her nose wrinkling as she did so. Faithe had noticed over the past year how little habits that she had had began rubbing off on Kaytlin. Shaking her head, a small grin spread over the little girl's face. "Daddy wanted to send you a letter, but I wouldn't let him. I wanted to tell you myself." As Kaytling nodded excitedly, Faithe smiled warmly at the little girl's outgoing attitude and overall exuberant countenance. "I get to play little Cosette in 'less miserabibles." Faithe couldn't contain the laughter at the way Kaytlin pronounced the famous musical's title.
Gasping loudly, Faithe raised both her eyebrows. "That's awesome Kayte! You know I played little Cosette when I was your age." Reaching up, she tweaked the little girl's nose lightly. "Uh huh! I know! That's what daddy said!" Looking around, Kaytlin's eyebrows furrowed together thoughtfull as her dark brown eyes carried a determined stare. Kaytlin looked a lot like Faithe had when she was younger, and Faithe had looked like her grandmother. Her eyes settled on Orlando, a curious look coming over her face.
"Who are you?"
Hesitantly trailing Faithe into the auditorium, Orlando's eyes wandered about. Preferring the silent solitude of the heavens, he had never been much of a dramatic person and, thus, the aspect of drama was new to him. The lights, the action... All of it was a bit overwhelming. And then there was Kaytlin.
Dear Lord...
The resemblance between Faithe and Kaytlin was striking. So much so, in fact, that the suitcases Orlando had held in his hands fell to the floor the moment he saw her. True, they weren't twins, but the man had always had a sense about these things. And it wasn't only the physical resemblance between the two that astonished him.
Brilliant blue eyes watched in a sort of awe as Faithe interacted with the tiny girl, and his jaw dropped slightly. The way she talked to Kaytlin, acted towards her... everything about Faithe was perfect. Perhaps some of the man's admiration came from the fact that his own mother hadn't exactly been the Queen of Kindness. In fact, the woman had had about as much compassion as a rock.
Meeting the small child's gaze, a broad, boyish grin swept over Orlando's face as he gradually let his knees collapse beneath him and knelt upon the ground. Flitting his eyes to Faithe for a moment, they seems to communication his emotions more perfecty than any words ever could.
"Orlando," he answered, not really sure as to what to tell her about who he was in relation to Faithe, reverting his attention to Kaytlin, "It's great to finally meet you, Kaytlin. Faithe's told me so much about you..."
Faithe raised her eyebrow slightly as the suitcases fell to the ground, but couldn't hide the smile as she watched Kaytlin stare at him curiously. Kaytlin stepped to within a foot of him, staring at him quite intently. Had Faithe been on the other side of that stare, she probably would have been rather nervous. However, she smiled as she watched that characteristic goofy smile of Orlando's.
Kaytlin's face finally broke into a smile. Reaching down, she lifted a small silver chain that hung around her neck. Pulling the charm towards the center, she held it in front of Orlando's face, the smile still on her face. "Aunt Bell gave this to me. She said it's the Northern Star. I know which one that is in the sky. It's the brightesded one. When sailors get lost, that's the one they use to get home to their childrens." Nodding knowingly, Kaytlin let the small star fall back down. ((Okay, I'm picturing the star charm from The Patriot that was around the necklace Gibson gave the chick.))
Faithe chuckled. "I'm guilty. I've already started corrupting the child." Grinning, she looked up past Orlando at a figure walking towards the group. A wide smile spread across her face as Jake came walking up.
"Izzy!" Jake's soft tenor voice managed to carry over the rehearsal that was still taking place. Reaching his sister,the two hugged, and Jake picked Faithe up, spinning her around. Squealing slightly, Faithe couldn't help but laugh as he put back down. Reaching up, she ruffled his hair as she stuck her tongue out. "How's my baby sister doing?" Pinching her cheeks, Jake used his dramatic baby talk voice. Slapping him lightly in the shoulder, Faithe wrinkled her nose at him. "She's about to kick your butt!"
"Daddydaddydaddy!" Kaytlin jumped up and down as she pointed at Orlando. "This is 'lando!" Jake looked down with an amused expression at his daughter. Raising his eyebrow, he looked back at Faithe. "You realize this child has been asking me every five minutes for the last twenty four hours when you were coming?" Looking over at Orlando, a welcoming smile spread over his face. Sticking out his hand, he nodded, "It's great to finally meet the famous astronomy teacher. Congratulations on your comet! That's amazing."
Kaytlin looked up at everybody standing above her, blinking with an expressionless face on her face. Looking back at Orlando, she tilted her head slightly, "Are you Aunt Bell's boyfriend?"
For that moment while Kaytlin's eyes scrutinized him, Orlando found his breath caught in his chest. Everything seems to ride on the outcome of this first impression. What if the young girl didn't like him? How would he ever make it through the weekend then? Thankfully, though, the plaguing thoughts died out as the girl's stare was broken by a smile.
Smiling back at the small girl, Orlando nodded as she showed him the brilliant necklace ((that I still don't know how it looks... Never seen that movie. lol)). It took him a moment to figure out why the girl kept referring to Faithe as "Bell", then it clicked. Recalling that first day in class, he remembered that Faithe was her middle name and that Isabelle was her first. Now it made sense.
Glancing up at Faithe, Orlando bit his lip and shook his head. Indeed she was already "corrupting" the girl. Then again, was it really so wrong to have a passion for something so beautiful?
Hearing a voice exclaim the word "Izzy!", the man's brilliant blue eyes darted in that direction. Watching the two siblings reunite, a small laugh escaped his lips. Jake was certainly everything Faithe had told him he was. It was nice to finally have a face to put with all the stories.
Standing up, Orlando took Jake's hand in his own and shook it before releasing it, nodding in acknowledgement of his comment.
"Thanks. It is quite amazing indeed," he replied, "Orlando Lorenz, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jake, I presume."
Things were going quite well, he thought, a small, content smile appearing upon his face. Yet the serenity of the moment was broken by the young girl's question.
Wow... this is certainly awkward.
The smile dropped from Orlando's face and his eyes flitted to Faithe's, radiating near panic. He wasn't sure how to answer that, exactly. For one, he hadn't exactly ever paused to classify his and Faithe's relationship. Then, Jake had just identified him as Faithe's astronomy teacher. If he confirmed the girl's suspicion, that certainly couldn't bode well for him in Jake's eyes. If the role's were reversed, Orlando was sure that he would punch the professor who was dating his younger sister.
What a delicate quandary indeed...
Then again, Jake had to already know. He didn't seem like the dense type. Why would a girl's Astronomy professor accompany her to Manhattan if there wasn't anything going on? It's not like the two had been close friends while he had been a student or anything. Then again, he hadn't a clue what Faithe had told Jake already or what she wanted to keep secret.
"Um..."
It wasn't often the man was at a loss for words or an explaination of anything. He could explain nuclear fusion, astrophysics and the mathematics behind quasars, but he couldn't seem to come up with an intelligible reply to such a simple question.
Faithe placed her hand over her mouth as she tried stifle her giggle that was trying its hardest to escape. Crossing her arms, she bit her bottom lip, but her smile was still quite obvious. Jake, on the other hand, didn't even try to hide the laugh. Noting the look of panic on Orlando's face, he forced a cough out, allowing his laughter to die down. Getting that mischevious glint in her eye, Faithe tilted her head, casting a look of adoration and a look that said I'm about to do something mean to you. Walking over to her brother, she slid her arm through his and started tugging him towards the stage.
"Come on Jake dear, why don't we leave Orlando to the inquries of your daughter while I talk to you." Winking at Jake, she stuck her tongue out at Orlando. Of course Jake knew. He was her best friend, and she his. They told each other pretty much everything that happened in their lives. Jake looked uncertain for a moment, but at the look on Faithe's face, grinned and nodded.
Practically skipping, Faithe headed down the aisle, Jake in tow. Slowing to a walk, she pulled her arm from his and glued her eyes to the stage. Eddie was still up there, but had noticed her by now. Jake leaned over the bar to talk to the orchestra conductor briefly.
"All right, lunch break! See you guys in an hour!" Jake raised his voice loud enough for the rest of the orchestra and the stage bodies to hear. Eddie took his mic off and walked down the stairs, a wide smile on his face.
"Isabelle!" Reaching out, he pulled her in a tight hug...a little too tight for Faithe's comfort. Pulling back, she returned the smile. Eddie had once confided in Jake that he had a bit of a thing for Faithe, which Jake had relayed to her. Ever since then, there had been an edge towards him from her, but she never showed it.
Kaytlin looked at Orlando curiously, blinking as she tilted her head. "Are ya? Huhhuhhuh?" Grabbing his hand, she started pulling on his arm in an attempt to pull him towards the others. "You hafta meet Uncle Eddie! I have a black cat named Tippy. I named him Tippy acause the tip of his tongue is white." Nodding, she tried her hardest to pull the full grown man.
As the two siblings cracked up, Orlando's face grew warm with a brilliant blush. Letting out an incredulous gasp, he just stared at Faithe for a moment before blinking several times, trying to be sure that he had actually comprehended the moment correctly. As she pulled Jake in the opposite direction, his jaw dropped slightly and he shook his head. No way she's leaving me alone with the inquisitive little girl...
But she was. Not that he minded so much, at least she had left him with someone he could talk to. And at least the awkwardness had passed. Seeing Jake grin, he knew that the man already knew. How exactly he felt about it, however, Orlando still wasn't sure. He seemed to be alright with it; he hadn't beat him to a bloody pulp... yet. Jake didn't seem like the type of guy to do such a thing, but the thought still lingered in Orlando's mind. After all, he was older than both Faithe and Jake...
Shifting his gaze, his eyes never left her body as she and Jake sauntered down to the stage. Intently staring at the man whose embrace of his Faithe was a little too intimate for his own personal comfort, Orlando failed to hear Kaytlin's incessant prodding. Orlando had never really been the jealous type, but, even as far away as he was, his divination talents led him to believe that Faithe wasn't exactly comfortable with the man either. Something about the way she held herself with him wasn't right.
"Yeah," he replied slowly, answering Kaytlin's question at last, more to claim Faithe as his than to answer her question., "I'm her boyfriend," he added, more confidently and defiantly.
Letting the small girl pull him, Orlando slowly followed her towards the stage, making a mental note to learn more about this "Eddie" character, who he presumed was the man who had hugged Faithe... and making another one to ask Faithe why everyone at the theatre called her Isabelle.
"Alright, alright," he chuckled, breaking his pensiveness and quickening his pace a bit as he made his way towards the stage.
Flitting his eyes around, his mind wandered, wondering what sort of life these theatre folk led. Yet his thoughts were disrupted when they reached the row in which Faithe stood.
Partially to prove something and partially because he was just being flirty, Orlando dropped Kaytlin's hand and came up behind Faithe. Sliding an arm around her waist, he pulled her a little towards him to lie his chin on her shoulder.
"Quite a little tabloid reporter Jake's got there," he whispered into her ear with a grin. "Hope you didn't mind me exaggerating about our relationship a bit..."
Pulling his head back and stepping to the side of Faithe ((provided that there's room in the row)), but not letting his arm move from her waist, Orlando nodded in acknowledgement of Eddie's presence.
"Orlando Lorenz," he announced, extending a hand
"When did you get in Izzy?" Eddie smiled at her, tilting his head slightly. Faithe hated it when he called her that. It was one thing when Jake did it, he was her brother. Her body had tensed up at Eddie's presence, and she was holding herself rather stifly.
"Not too long ago. Actually, we can't stay too long. We have to go check in at the hotel, but we'll be back later tonight." Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, Faithe watched his eyebrow raise in curiosity. Breaking her eye contact with Eddie, she looked up at the stage, "The set looks great. It's great to know things are going so well." Clearing her throat, she looked up at Jake with a rather pointed expression. Catching the hint, he smiled.
"Did Kayte tell you that she's playing little Cosette?" Grinning, he looked back briefly at the little girl, checking to see how Orlando was fairing. Turning his attention back on Faithe, he smiled as she nodded.
"Yes, she did. She's really excited about it." Laughing slightly, she shook her head, trying to shake off the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. It would probably go away if Eddie wasn't staring at her so intently. That and the conversation of Les Misérables around Eddie always made her feel uncomfortable.
"Well, the stage isn't the same without you Isabelle. I hope you know that." Finally speaking, Eddie nodded in agreement with his own comment. Forcing a smile, Faithe gave him a look of gratitude.
Before she could say anything, she felt the familiar feel of Orlando's arm around her waist. Feeling her body relax against his, she turned her head slightly and gave him a warm, very welcoming smile. Laughing quietly, she winked at him, sticking the tip of her tongue out at him.
"Aww...you poor baby." Whispering back, she looked up at Jake and grinned. Kaytlin came around and started to pull on Faithe's shirt. Looking down, she smiled at the little girl extending her arms. Picking her up, she hoisted the girl onto her hip. As Orlando extended his hand, Faithe looked up at Eddie's face, noting that look of...competition?
"Eddie Polazzo." There was a stiffness in his voice that Faithe had never heard before, which surprised her. As he stuck out his hand, Eddie shook his hand a bit tighter than he normally would anybody else. Looking at Jake, Faithe raised her eyebrow.
"Guess what Uncle Eddie?" Kaytlin grinned excitedly, as if she were about to expose some secret. "'lando is Aunt Belle's boyfriend." Practically whispering the word 'boyfriend,' Kaytlin dissolved into giggles.
Eddie forced a smile and nodded, "Nice to know Isabelle finally got her head out of those books." Umm...ouch? Faithe narrowed her eyes at Eddie. That was a rather bitter comment, not something he usually threw her way. Noticing the glare he was receiving, Eddie gave her a smile of gest. "I didn't mean it like that Izzy, you know that!" Winking, he reached out and tweaked her nose, "I've never known you to be the type that would be in any sort of a relationship."
Faithe forced a smile and nodded. Stepping a bit closer to Orlando, Faithe looked at Kaytlin who was busy fiddling with the silver chain that hung around Faithe's neck. Laughing silently at the look of utmost concentration on the girl's face, Faithe reached up and brushed a few strands of hair out of Kayte's face.
"Well, I only have an hour. I should be off for lunch." Eddie cleared his throat and broke the silence. Nodding at Orlando and Jake, and winking at Faithe and Kaytlin, he was gone. Exhaling deeply, Faithe turned the two remaining.
"Jake, I need to steal the car for a few. I don't feel like taking the subway with our bags." She was obviously bothered by what had just happened, but when it came to being uncomfortable around people, Faithe was infamous for being so introverted.
Smiling as he felt Faithe melt into him, Orlando gave her a flirtatious wink back. The way her rigid spine had relaxed just then confirmed his earlier suspicion that this "Eddie" character made her uncomfortable.
As Faithe shifted against him and Kaytlin was lifted up onto her hip, Orlando gave the tiny girl a grin before looking back at Eddie. Noting the serious-ish look upon the other man's face, a sort of satisfied smirk made a futile effort to show itself on Orlando's face. Yeah, that's right, punk, she's ma Foi, not yours...
"Nice to meet you," he remarked affably, shaking the man's and matching the intensity of his grasp, silently vying with him.
A small, barely noticable blush, crept into his cheeks at Kayte's comment and he laughed warmly, rolling his eyes ever-so-slightly in the young girl's direction. Uncharacteristically, just to rub his being with Faithe in "Eddie"'s face, he leaned over and planted a gentle peck on Faithe's cheek.
"Sure am, Kaytlin," he replied with a grin that deflected any reason for anyone to suspect he had done that for any other reason than affection.
His jovial mien faltered slightly at Eddie's comment, almost so much that his eyes glared at the man, matching Faithe's. Unlike Faithe's though, his look didn't completely vanish after the man had tweaked her nose. Instead, it softened into one of those unreadable looks.
Glad she had stepped closer to him, Orlando tightened his arm around her waist and waved Eddie off pleasantly, watching as the other man walked away, glad that he was gone. He had made Faithe uncomfortable, and that didn't exactly score him points in Orlando's book.
Flitting his glance towards Faithe as she spoke to Jake, his eyes radiated his concern. He would have said something there, but figured it would be best to wait until they were in the car... alone. Instead the words went unsaid, though his eyes conveyed their meaning.
"Yeah," Orlando added with a laugh, "I should probably go retrieve our bags... Seeing as they're still lying back in the main hall where I dropped them."
Faithe had a weird feeling inside of her. There was no other way to describe it. There was something about the way that Orlando was acting that just did not seem like him. Shaking off the feeling, she grinned at Orlando's comment about the bags. "Eh, don't worry about it right now. We can grab them on the way out." Kaytlin looked up all of a sudden, looking around at everybody.
"I hafta go potty." Her announcement was rather loud, but she tilted her head silently asking who was going to take her. Giggling, Faithe looked at the little girl, absentmindedly running her hand through the little girl's dark hair.
"I will sweetie." Looking at the two men, she grinned. "We'll be right back." Walking back up the aisle, Faithe made her way with Kaytlin to the bathroom.
Jake watched the two walk off, smiling as he shook his head. Looking back at Orlando, he grinned, "Sorry about leaving you with her, it was all Izzy's idea." Chuckling, he shook his head again, "Have you learned yet how hard it is to say no to her?"
Making a small annuent in response to Faithe's comment, Orlando mellowed out. Eddie was gone, and things were good again. Seeing Kaytlin's head snap up, his face got a quizzical look upon it, then a jovial one, laughing at the girl's candidness. There was something about youth that was so. blissful. Kaytlin still carried with her ignorance, openness, all of those other admirable traits that people lost as they grew older.
Watching the couple walk off into the sunset, so to speak, Orlando's eyes glazed over with a sort of admiration, not only for Kaytlin's innocence, but for Faithe as well. The way she took care of Kayte never ceased to bring a beam to the man's face. Brought out of yet another thoughtful trance, he looked up at Jake, listening to the man's words.
"Not a problem," he replied, grinning as he recalled the awkward situation of a few minutes earlier. "I figured as much.
"Yeah, sure have," he agreed, referring to Jake's latter comment, "Beautiful little girl you've got. She's precious."
Jake followed his gaze, nodding silently. "It amazes me how much she looks like Isabelle when she was her age. Of course, Izzy got her looks from our grandmother, and Kayte likewise. I hardly ever get to see my daughter when Izzy's in town. I swear, I think Kaytlin has an addiction to her." Looking back at Orlando, he offered a smile.
"As for Eddie, ignore him. He's always a little on edge when it comes to the prospect of Belle having any interest in anybody." Furrowing his eyebrow slightly, a thoughtful expression crossed his face, "Though he did have a point." Grinning, he chuckled quietly, "She has an amazing sense of intuition, and for her trust somebody in that area..." Trailing he off, he shook his head as his grin widened, "If she trusts you, then so do I. That's all I've got to say."
Offering a mischevious grin, "And if you hurt her, you better watch your back." Chuckling, he winked to show he was, indeed, just joking.
*****
"How are you coming along Kayte?" Faithe tapped on the stall door gently, inquiring to make sure she hadn't gotten stuck in the toilet....again.
"I'm great!" Hearing the toilet flush, Faithe stepped back to allow Kayte to get out of the stall. The girl walked out, her dress tucked into her underwear. Stifling laughter, Faithe reached down and untucked the dress, "Don't forget to wash your hands."
Watching as Kaytlin carefully poured soap into her hand, a small smile formed on Faithe's lips. Will I ever have children? Kaytlin turned off the water and walked over to the paper towel dispenser. Of course, the dispenser was a good foot and a half above Kaytlin. Laughing as she watched the girl try to jump for a paper towel, Faithe walked over and lifted her up. "There you go sweets."
Reverting his attention to Jake, Orlando listened as the man spoke; nodding as he described Kayte and Faithe's relationship, and chuckling a little at Jake's taking note of his own reaction to that sly "Eddie" character (who, one might add, had been filed under the heading "scumbag" in Orlando's mind).
Listening intently to each word Jake spoke, Orlando's light-hearted demeanor transformed to a focused one. It seemed, from Jake's words, that this "Eddie" character was indeed a creep. 10 points to Orlando, his intuition had proved itself again.
Blushing slightly as Jake made his own mention of intuition, regarding Faithe's trust in Orlando. He was right, though, and Orlando himself knew that it took a lot for someone like her to trust anyone, ((Warning: cheesy line ahead)) especially with something as fragile as her heart.
Grinning back at Jake, Orlando shook his head.
"Don't worry," he replied, changing the tone of the conversation from joking back to serious, "If I ever hurt her, I'd make sure that I didn't have a back left to watch."
Haunting as it may have been, the last statement was true. If he ever did anything to hurt Faithe, Orlando didn't think he could live with himself. She was goddess, and he a mere mortal.
"You think Kayte fell in?" he asked with a laugh, reverting to a more upbeat and slightly less morbid subject.
Jake looked content, as if he had heard exactly what he wanted. He trusted Faithe's decisions about people, but there was still that protectiveness he felt about her. She was his little sister, and he had seen her hurt enough times that he didn't care to see it again. Laughing at his comment, he shook rubbed his eyes, "Don't jinx her. She did fall in once. They were in the bathroom for a good 15 minutes. Bell walked out laughing with a wet Kaytlin attached to her hand."
Chuckling, he looked up the aisle in time to see Faithe and Kaytlin walked back down, hand in hand. Kaytlin was swinging her hand back and forth, a contented happy smile of a five year old with no worries on her face. "I feel better now!" Grinning, she looked from Orlando to Jake to Faithe back to Orlando. Faithe was always amazed at Kayte's openness to strangers. She herself had always been leniant towards meeting new people.
Sliding her arm around Orlando's Faithe smiled at him, "Are you ready?" Holding out her other hand to Jake, she waited until she felt the cold keys in her hands. Grinning mischeviously, she looked at Jake, almost laughing at his goofy sorrowful look he gave Orlando.
"Man, I hope I see you alive again. Bell is a speed demon in that car." Faithe gasped, an innocent smile playing on her lips.
"Am not!" Sticking her tongue out at him, she looked back up at Orlando, "He's bein' mean to me." Sticking her bottom lip out, she pouted. Chuckling, Jake reached out and poked her in her side, "Get outta here! Don't forget, we're eating in about two hours."
Cachinnating at the mental image of the young girl falling into the toilet and Faithe emerging from the restroom with a soaking child, Orlando's face radiated his amusement. Shaking his head, he gestured down the walkway at the pair with a grin.
"Naw, they're good," he remarked, "And Kayte looks pretty dry."
Simpering at Kaytlin's incessant innocent charm, Orlando's eyes flitted from Kayte's back to Faithe's as if to say "how adorable." He hadn't exactly had a lot of contact with children. Being the baby of the family, and never being too into dealing with kids, aside from the teenagers he had student-taught while in Maine, Kaytlin was pretty much his first experience with children, and it showed.
He wasn't exactly sure how to speak with the young girl, as one may have noted. Sure, he found her endearing, and could share a smile or laugh with her, but as far as actually talking to her, he was clueless. Had he felt a little more comfortable, it's feasible that he may have joshed around with her a little more, as Faithe did, but he had just met the girl.
Still, there was something about her that he sincerely appreciated, prompting the thought of having children of his own into his head. Of course, that thought was promptly knocked out as he felt Faithe's arm entangle itself with his own. Smiling at her, the sympathetic look Jake was casting upon him caught the corner of his eye, inciting his gaze to focus on Jake and an eyebrow to raise inquisitively.
"Eh, if I don't, it was great to meet you before I die, Jake," Orlando replied with persiflage in his voice, punctuating the jest with a wink.
Sliding his arm out of hers and, instead, grabbing her hand, Orlando gradually began to lead Faithe towards the exit. Once they had reached the end of the row, he stopped suddenly. Turning around, he grinned and waved good-bye to Kaytlin, then reverted his attention to Faithe.
"Lead the way, ma Foi, I haven't a clue where the car is."
Scoffing at them both, Faithe slapped Orlando lightly on the shoulder for his comment. "You two are horrible..." Pretending to sulk, she allowed herself to be pulled by Orlando. Kaytlin looked around, tears welling up in her brown eyes. "Nooo! You can't leave!" The small girl whimpered as she looked around.
Jake chuckled as he picked his daughter up, "They'll be back sweetie." When Orlando turned and waved, Kaytlin raised her small hand and waved back.
Leading the way out a side door in the lobby, bag over shoulder, Faithe stopped in front of the fire engine red Mustang. Grinning excitedly, she opened the passenger side door first before opening her door. Throwing her bag in the back, she slid in and fastened her seatbelt. Sticking the key in the ignition, a shiver ran down Faithe's spine as the familiar sound of the deep, loud engine cut through the silence. Hitting the button on the driveway door opener, Faithe watched in the rearview mirror to see when she was safe to pull out.
Grinning at Orlando, she shifted into reverse and pulled out, finally shifting into first gear. Heading down the back street, Faithe shifted gears like a pro, relishing the feel of the deep vibrations underneath her. Looking over at Orlando for a moment, she smiled before returning her gaze to the road.
"I knew they'd love you."
Following Faithe out to the car, Orlando couldn't seem to shake the vision of Kaytlin waving at him out of his mind. It was almost haunting in a sense, yet, in another, completely wonderful. The tiny girl liked him. That was good, and, more than that, Jake and him seemed to get along well, too.
When Faithe stopping in front of the Mustang and her face became contorted with that grin, Orlando rolled his eyes.
"It's only a car, Faithe," he declared with a teasing sigh.
That whole growning up in a wizarding community on the sea had really been quite detrimental to Orlando's masculine car fetish-ness. Aside from the few months he had lived in Manhattan with Demeter, he had never so much as seen a car. And, of course, the man had never ever driven one. Frankly, he never saw the need. Walking or riding his broomstick was good enough for him.
Hesitantly sliding into the car, he flung his shoulderbag into the backseat ((presuming that this 'stang has one)) and coped a squat in the passenger's chair. Raising an eyebrow at Faithe's intrigue, Orlando shook his head and laughed good-naturedly as she relished the feeling of driving.
Returning the smile she gave him, Orlando blushed slightly.
"Eh, we aim to please," he replied modestly, "It was nice. I'm glad I met them. Jake's great, and Kaytlin, in spite of her blunt curiosity, is absolutely precious. I must say, though, she did catch me a bit off guard with that first question. And then you just left me to fend for myself..."
Chuckling, he shook his head and grinned.
"She's adorable, though. Not like that 'Eddie' character..."
At the mention of Eddie's name, Orlando's vocal inflection instantly turned cold and a little bit bitter.
"What's his story?"
Wrinkling her nose at his comment about the car, Faithe had only shaken her head. As she drove, she couldn't help but laugh at his comment. "Blunt would be the word to use, yes. I will never forget the time we were having a dress rehearsel, and a reporter and photographer from the New York Times was there. She stops in the middle of our duet and announces into her microphone that she had to go take a...How did she put it? 'I hafta take a dookey.' I was laughing for fifteen solid minutes before I could do anything about it."
Smirking innocently at his other comment, she got an innocent look on her face that plainly said 'I'm guilty.' Giggling, "Awwww. I must say, you handled it well. What did you tell her?" The smile on her face faded away pretty quickly at the mention of Eddie. Not really wanting to talk about it, Faithe allowed the awkward silence to fill the car for a good five minutes before saying anything.
"He grew up around my family. Jake is the closest friend he has." Turning a corner, Faithe allowed the silence to fill in the car once again. She knew perfectly well that wasn't what Orlando was asking about. The whole deal with Eddie wasn't something she had ever really had to talk about. Those who needed to know about it, knew about it. At the same time, Faithe knew if she could trust anybody, Orlando was that man. Sighing, she pulled into a large parking lot, following it around to an upper level. Parking, she turned the car off and sat there, staring at the steering wheel.
"I always saw him as an older brother, and a sister was the last thing in the world he saw me as. He's been trying to take me out on a date since I was 14, but I've just never been interested in dating before, especially him. It'd be like dating my brother, ya know?" Unbuckling her seatbelt, she turned to face him, resting her head against the head rest. ((wow..what a concept.)) Ignoring the strand of hair that fell across her face, she offered a half hearted smile. "Last year we put on our annual production of Les Misérables. I was Cosette and he was Marius. If you know the story then you know that they get married at the end, and weddings require a kiss. Well, we use a stage kiss where it looks like you're kissing, but you're not. Our mouths are on each other's cheek, and we turn out heads so it looks like we're kissing to the audience, but we really aren't. Well, he decided on our last performance night that the whole stage kissing thing just was not happening for him. So, when it came time for the wedding scene, he definitely did not do what we had rehearsed, knowing I couldn't really do anything about it." Shrugging, she reached back and grabbed her bag.
"It could have been worse, and I know it really wasn't that bad, but..." Shrugging again, she pulled the key from the ignition. "Ever since then, I just haven't felt too comfortable around him. No big deal." Opening her door, she stepped out, clicking the lock as she went. Walking around to the front of the car, she waited for Orlando to join her.
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips as Orlando imagined Kaytlin doing such a thing, which, given her nature, was entirely feasible.
"Oh, nuthin'," he answered with a devious smirk upon his face.
Noting how uncomfortable just a mention of that scumbag character had made her, Orlando was sorry he had brought that topic up. well, almost sorry. There was a sort of curiosity that had been sparked and, although he didn't want to bring up any sour memories, he couldn't help the fact that he wanted to know what had gone on with the man before him.
The eerily awkward silent that filled the car prompted the man to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He and Faithe had never really had one of those "awkward silences" before, and he certainly didn't want to make them a habit now. Glancing warily at her, he sighed quietly and shook his head. About to say something, his mouth opened, then closed when she spoke at last.
"He grew up around my family. Jake is the closest friend he has."
'Well,' Orlando thought, slightly bitterly, 'wasn't that informative.
It wasn't that he was resentful of her not telling him, it was merely the fact that he had thought they trusted each other enough to talk about anything together. After all, he had told her about his past with Demeter pretty much the night after they really "met". Then again, he hadn't told her the whole story, but she knew enough. Casting a cagey glance at her, he tilted his head, trying to meet her gaze with his sympathetic eyes.
Failing to do so, he just listened for a moment. Then, as she turned to face him, a small hint of a compassionate smile crossed his face. Of course, any hint of something representing happiness was absent from his face as she continued. His mind fast-forwarded to finish her story and a mixed look of disgust and shock took over his face as the sickening thought that Eddie may have violated the chaste young woman crossed his mind.
Thankfully, though, her story negated such, taking away a little of the tension that had come to make the man's entire body on edge. Though it hadn't been as intense as his mind had first thought it to be, the Eddie character was most certainly a violating scumbag.
As Faithe moved to exit the car, Orlando found himself unable to move. Lost in thought, he just sat there for a moment, with a blank, vacantly contemplative look upon his face. At the slam of the door, though, he jolted up and, grabbing his bag from the back, slowly opened his door and exited.
Walking around to the front of the car, the vacant expression remained on his face.God.I had no idea.'
Shaking his head, somewhat in disbelief, he bit his lip and wrapped his arms around Faithe, hugging her tightly against him. Lying his head upon her shoulder, his hand reached up to stroke her hair.
"I'm so sorry."
The words were nothing compared to the amount of guilt Orlando felt. Granted, he couldn't have done anything to prevent it, but the fact that he hadn't been there to stop someone from causing Faithe such pain bothered him.
Pulling back, but still keeping her in his embrace, Orlando's lips gently caressed Faithe's neck before his eyes rose to meet her gaze, full of concern.
"You alright, ma Foi?"
Feeling his arms wrap around her, Faithe snuggled into him, grateful that he was here with her. "I'm fine, really. I mean, there are worse things that could have been done offstage." Which was true; girls went through a lot worse nowadays. Offering him a small smile, she reached up and brushed an eyelash from his cheekbone, being as soft as she could. "I refuse to put myself in a situation where I'm alone with him. I just don't feel comfortable. I mean, he probably wouldn't do anything, but I'm not willing to risk it."
A small shiver ran through her when he kissed her neck as another small smile pulled at her lips. Running her index and middle finger through his hair, she toyed with a lock of his dark hair, an act that was becoming almost habitual to her. "What does 'ma Foi' mean? You've been using it a lot lately." Squeezing his hand, she intertwined her fingers in between his as she started walking towards the elevator to take them down to the first floor. Mashing the button on the little silver panel, the elevator door opened almost immediately. Surprised at their good luck, she stepped inside and hit the button for the first floor.
'Such wise words for one so young...' Orlando though, amazed at Faithe's ability to cope with something like that as though it were nothing. Granted, if he hadn't known the girl, he'd probably think she was exaggerating, but having met Eddie and knowing Faithe's character, he wouldn't put anything past that creep.
"C'est français, ma petite cherie," Orlando replied with a grin. His accent was marvelous- so much so that the words seemed to simply roll off his tongue. Awhile back, perhaps a year or so, he had taken Demeter to France and, during that summer, had become remarkably fluent in the French language.
Chuckling, he walked in sync with her towards the elevator, gently swinging their hands in time with their feet. Taking a step inside, he waited until the elevator's door had slid shut before speaking.
"Ma Foi," he repeated, smiling tugging at the corners of his lips, "is just a little nickname I've patented for you."
As the elevator door opened, Orlando grinned. Picking up Faithe's bags, he sauntered out of the elevator and into the lobby, turning around give Faithe another grin. It wasn't that he had anything against telling the girl, but the fun that could be had by letting her guess that intrigued him.
"You coming?"
Nodding slowly at his spurt of the French language, Faithe only grinned and nodded. "Right. To think, all I know is Latin." Grinning and winking, she wrinkled her nose up in playful gest. She knew a few phrases in French, but she seriously doubted the last thing he wanted to hear were the phrases 'I love you,' 'I adore you,' or 'good night.' Well, maybe the second one wouldn't completely freak him.
Checking and getting their keys, she declined the offer of the bellhop. Walking towards the hotel elevator, she pressed the button. After the door had slid open and shut behind them, she hit the button for the top floor. "They did put us in the penthouse. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a half bathroom, a kitchen, a minibar," furrowing her eyebrow, an amused expression came over her face, "And it still confuses me, but there's a hottub in a den type room. It looks out over the city. Of course, there is a wonderful balcony with a gorgeous view." Grinning, she stuck her tongue out at him.
Hearing the familiar ding as the doors parted once more, Faithe stepped out onto the carpeted hallway. Making a left turn, she walked to the door at the far end of the hallway, openeing the door. Stepping inside the positively massive room, Faithe dropped her bag by the couch, she herself collapsing onto the couch. "I don't want to move." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breathe, suddenly feeling very exhausted.
"Eh," Orlando replied, "Latin's what all the other romance languages came from. Français, español e italiano." he mused with a wink. He couldn't speak more than a word of the latter two, but his pronunciation of their names would have led one to believe otherwise. Surprised that she wasn't pressing him to tell her what her little nickname meant, an odd glance crossed the man's face. This wasn't any fun.
"It means 'my Faithe', by the way," he added casually. "Ma Foi, that is."
Trailing her back into the elevator, rather a different elevator, his face grew bright with excitement at the mention of how extravagant their room was. Though his family was well-off, they hadn't exactly ever shared their wealth with Orlando. Instead of having a nice room, he would sleep in the loft of the house, when he slept inside, that is. For the most part, he would sneak out and spend his nights upon the roof, gazing at the stars- his lone saviors in the night.
Following her as Faithe exited the elevator, he wound his way through the hallways. As she opened the door, the man's jaw dropped. Brilliant blue eyes took in the sight before them, accompanied by an incredulous gasp. Luxurious was the only word that came to mind.
Slowly entering the room, and placing his bag next to where Faithe had laid hers, he drifted over to the window, looking out.
The bright city lights made it impossible to see almost anything in the sky, save the bright sphere of Saturn in the spring sky. That was one of the reasons that Orlando had chosen to move away from the city; the lack of stars in the night sky. It was as though the city never slept, which, in fact, it didn't.
"You tired already?" he asked, turning back to face her. "It's not even eight o'clock," he added with a yawn, which he made a futile attempt to hide with his hand, "and there's way too much we've yet to do tonight before you can do to sleep."
Giggling at the nickname bit, Faithe opened her eyes, training them on his back. "I knew you'd tell me." Hopping up, she walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Resting her head on the side of his arm her brown eyes followed his out to the city. Faithe had always failed to decide whether she was a city girl or a country town girl. There was a bit of both in her, always had been, always would be.
She missed Mulberry in Texas so badly. Out in the middle of nowehere, population, less than a hundred. There were nights when she would sit on her grandpa's backporch and simply stare at the stars and planets. Occasionally she would pull out the telescope she had been given by her brother, but often times, she enjoyed to just sit back and watch them without an analyzing eye.
Sometimes though, being in a slow moving town drove her insane. Faithe didn't like to feel bored or stagnant, and that idle feeling found ways of creeping in while in the middle of nowhere. The city was always fast pace, always moving, and Faithe like that too. Everything fit.
"It's been a long day." Nudging him lightly with her chin at his yawn, she laughed softly. "We should probably hop in the shower." Pointing towards a bedroom to the left, "You can take that room if you want. There isn't any difference in them, except that one is mainly decorated in a light green and the other one is in mauve."
"Mmm?" Placing his hands atop hers, Orlando turned his head back for a moment to smile at Faithe, not sure if he'd heard her correctly.
"We?" he repeated, getting a deviously mischievous grin upon his face. Chuckling to himself, he shook his head, knowing Faithe to be much too innocent for that type of thing. That was more of the sort of thing Demeter would do.
Oops. Rule number one of relationships: don't compare your current to your ex.
Mentally scolding himself for that last though, he sighed and moved to turn away, planning on taking his bags into the room she had gestured to. Yet, as he head turned, his eyes caught a glimpse of the heavens, or rather, lack there of. The ardent astrophile in him was slightly disappointed at the lack of stars, yet it was that very same part of him that delighted in the few celestial phenomenons that had still been there to grace both Faithe and himself with their presence. Most notably, of course, his comet.
He had calculated its path several times over, enjoying each small equation in the gigantic math problem solely because the fact that he was performing those calculations reminded him of his accomplishment. And there it was, up in the sky, the icy ball of rock melting away and leaving a gorgeous tail of dust, gas and vapors in its path.
Orlando had originally planned on showing it to Faithe later, perhaps at the observatory the following night, mainly because he didn't think it was bright enough to shine through the city lights, but the moment seemed to good to pass up.
Taking one of her hands off his waist, he reached it out, pointing her fingertips toward the tiny spec in the sky.
"See that, Faithe?" he asked, "C'est ma 'stroi de la foi'." Though he had spoken the flowing words quickly, almost so they were unintelligible babblings, he was sure Faithe knew what he'd meant.
Rolling her eyes, she playfully shoved him, looking up in his eyes as he turned his head around. Sticking her tongue out, she couldn't resist the chance to take advantage of his turning his head. Standing on tip toe, she gently kissed him before he turned around. Feeling the warmth of his hand around hers, she followed his gaze up to the sky. An excited feeling rushed through her body.
Stepping to stand in front of him, she leaned up against him. Raising her eyebrow curiously, "Wha..huh?" Fast words in a different language. She knew it was his comet, of course, but whatever he had just said was completely oblivious to her. Staring at it, a contented expression came over her.
"That's your comet, Orlando. How does it feel to know that it's going to carry your name for the rest of eternity?" Laughing, she turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck loosely. "I am so proud of you," she repeated the phrase for the umpteenth time. "Nobody deserves this more than you, you know that?" Reaching up, she toyed with a strand of his hair softly, a look of adoration, respect, and admiration filling her eyes. "You deserve to be immortalized...especially with this."
Caught off guard by her kiss, Orlando's lips barely caught hers. The small moment they touched was enough, signified by the sparkle in the man's eyes as he winked at her.
Laying his head upon her shoulder as she leaned against him, he dropped her arm back down and wrapped his arms around her waist, pretty much putting them in the same position as before, in opposite places, however. Humbled by her words, a small blush warmed Orlando's cheeks.
"Oh, but it's not my name," he replied as she turned around and placed her arms around his neck. "I'm nothing special- nobody worth immortalizing with something so phenomenal as a comet as their name's embodiment, at least.
"'La Stroi de la Foi'," he repeated, slower this time. "Know what it means?"
Placing his hands around her back, he grinned as he whispered: "'Streak of Faith'."
About to object to his disagreement, she kept her mouth closed as he continued on. An incredulous look crossed her face as he repeated the words as she found herself getting lost in his voice. Feeling her cheeks turn a light shade of pink, she dropped her gaze down to his arms around her. Looking back up at him, she searched his face, her brown eyes finally meeting his sparkling blue eyes.
Offering a small, coy smile, "You are a streak of faith." Wincing slightly at the corny comment, she grinned nervously at him. "Faith is what brought you to me. Destiny and faith." Oh dear, Faith. You sound like a moron. Hey, what else is new? If I can't act like a moron in front of Orlando, who can I act like a moron in front of? Raising her eyebrow as if to say 'Yes, I know that was bad,' she shook her head.
Squeezing his hand, she looked back up at the comet, surprised that it was visible in the middle of the city. "We probably should start getting ready." Trying to make a quick exit from the completely idiotic feeling she had, Faithe walked over to the couch and grabed her bag.
Oh, the cheesiness.
Whether prompted by Faithe's corny comments or her own reaction to them, Orlando found it impossible to stop himself from laughing. Not laughing at her, mind you, but just laughing good-naturedly with amusement. Watching her gaze revert to the sky, his hands found their way to her warmly blushing cheeks, gently guiding her face back towards his, giving her a quick kiss before she could make her exit.
"Et tu est la mienne ((with "mienne" referring to his streak of faith))," he replied with a grin, knowing full well Faithe didn't speak enough French to comprehend it.
"And you are mine," he whispered, translating the phrase for her.
Laughing as she made her escape from the awkwardness, Orlando reluctantly followed her.
"So," he asked, throwing his bag over his shoulder, "where're we going for dinner? Am I going to have to wear a penguin suit, or will just jeans and t- shirt suffice?"
Making his way towards his room, he stopped at turned around at the door.
"And what about that whole us taking a shower?" he added with a smirk, emphasizing the "pluralness" of the word "us" as opposed to the "singularness" of the word "a", insinuating that only one shower was to be taken.
Faithe grinned as he started laughing...the laugh that she had grown to adore and cherish. "I know...that was bad. Really bad." Smiling warmly at the tingling sensation his lips left on hers, she winked. Laughing at his clothing attire inquiry, she nodded. "You can wear whatever you want sweetie. Jake is cooking in his apartment, it's not like we're going anywhere."
Feeling her cheeks turn pink, a coy smile spread over her lips. Laughing, she walked innocently towards the couch, setting her bag down calmly. Half running, half skipping, Faithe practically tackled Orlando. Throwing her arms around his neck, she stood up on tiptoes and kissed him fully. Pulling back, she stuck her tongue her tongue out at him, a flirtatious grin spread over her face. "J'adore." Turning, she skipped back to her bag, not looking back to see the look on his face.Closing the bedroom door behind her, Faithe could not wipe the smile off her face as she jumped in the shower.
Twenty minutes later, Faithe was drying off and getting dressed. Putting on a light yellow skirt with tiny blue flowers sprinkled across it, and a white tank top, Faithe still held the same smile on her face. How in the world did I get so lucky? After blow drying her hair, she grabbed her flip flops and stepped out of the room. Thanks to her shampoo and body wash, she now smelled like strawberries as opposed to a train.
"Whatever I want, eh?" Orlando replied. "So, if I wore one of your dresses, that wouldn't be a problem?" Laughing, he wrapped his arms around Faithe as she pretty much jumped into/onto him. Lifting her up a bit as he kissed her back, she seemed to bolt away the very moment he set her down. The French words echoed through his mind as that Orlando-ish grin took over his face.
"You little."
Finding himself a little stunned, Orlando just stood and watched as Faithe sauntered into the bathroom, and he heard the shower water begin to run. Shaking his head, he, too, reverted to the bathroom to get ready for dinner.
Being a guy, it didn't take him nearly as long. After a quick seven-minute shower, it only took him about five or so more minutes to clad himself in some khaki pants, a white undershirt and a rather nice looking black button- up shirt. And, as an added bonus, Orlando took a razor to his characteristic stubble, giving himself a clean-shaven face that almost made him look like a foreigner to himself. Without the likeness of a beard, his face looked very juvenile, making him look his age, if not younger.
Sighing, he redid the clasp on his watch's leather band and walked back into the main lobby area of their penthouse. Walking over to the window, he watched his comet for a few minutes more, until he heard the door of Faithe's room open.
Turning his head, the man sighed with awe, blinking his brilliant blue eyes.
"Tu est belle, ma Foi," he breathed, walking over and giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Mmm.." Smiling faintly as Orlando walked over to him, opened her eyes. Wow. "That shirt is incredibly flattering on you sweetie." Not that Orlando needed much flattery when it came to his appearance, or his personality. He was perfect how he was. Standing up, she ran her hand over his smooth chin.
"You have no hair. Did accidently use the wrong razor?" Laughing, she winked at him as she gently rubbed her thumb along his jawline. "Ready?" Picking up her purse, she grabbed the keys to the Mustang. Putting the plastic key card in one of the purse pockets, Faithe grabbed his hand and began walking towards the door, Orlando in tow.
Reaching the elevator, she stepped in, and within 10 minutes they were back in the car, on the way to Jake's. Starting the car up, that normal shiver she got from the sound of the massive engine ran through her body. "I sincerely hope that Kaytlin does not decide to share her food with you this evening." Grinning as she pulled out, Faithe cast him a warning look.
Faithe's compliment brought a soft rouge color to Orlando's cheeks. Thanking her with his eyes, rather than words, he smiled.
"We aim to please."
Raising his eyebrows, he shook his head.
"This is the thanks I get for trying to look nice?" he replied, taking her hand in his and wiping her fingers along his cheek. "Don't worry about it, Faithe, I'll have my nice conventional stumble back tomorrow morning."
Letting her take him by the hand, Orlando followed her out, shutting the door behind them with his foot.
Before plopping into the Mustang, the man's blue eyes cast a glance at the car, this time with a sort of new respect for the machine. Slowly but surely, the car was growing on him. Smiling, and nodding at the car with reverence, he plopped himself into the seat, glancing at Faithe with a raised eyebrow.
"Why's that?"
"Aww hunny," poking her bottom lip out as she spoke, "You look nice all the time." Grinning mischeviously as she drove, Faithe left him in a pondering silence for awhile. Turning a corner, Faithe slammed on the brakes as a car cut her off, coming within inches of her front bumper. Taking a deep breath, she shifted back into first, once again starting on her way. I hate New York traffic.
Feeling slightly shaky at the close call, Faithe hit another back road to avoid the traffic. "The last person Kayte met that she liked, and we had over to dinner, ended up with her spaghetti all over them." Looking over at him for a few seconds, a mischevious grin crossed her lips, "I think you and I have had enough flying food. What about you?"
Finally reaching the theater once more, she pulled into the garage. After the door had closed she opened the side door and instead of heading towards the lobby, took a side door that was almost hidden a corner. Taking Orlando's hand in hers, she started the trek up the stairs that could easily equal the distance of three floors. Reaching the door, she rapped on it before opening it, leading Orlando into a spacious, beautifully decorated apartment. "Home sweet home."
Ready to make a comment, Orlando was jolted into silence as Faithe slammed the brakes. The man's brilliant blue eyes widened with shock and a look of absolute terror contorted his pleasant face for a moment, which probably gave him quite a comical look. As aforementioned, Orlando hadn't had too much experience with cars. Even when he and Demeter had lived in Manhattan, the two hadn't really seen much purpose in wasting time sitting in traffic when they could get somewhere just as fast by walking.
After a moment, the man swallowed and began breathing again. Shooting a look at Faithe, he shook his head, gasping quietly.
"I'd ask if you were alright, but I think I'm more shook up about that than you are," he noted, breathing quickly still.
Riding in silence the rest of the way, one might note that Orlando's hand failed to cease clutching the door handle ((I assume there's something of the sort for him to cling to on the 'stang)) almost so hard his knuckles turned white. When at last they reached Jake's, he didn't hesitate the exit the car. As Faithe led him in and up the stairs, he took a quick look back at the car, no longer with a look of reverence, but more of a wary gaze.
At the top of the stairs, he diffidently peaked into the apartment. Wow. Theatre must be more profitable than I thought.
"Nice."
"I hate New York traffic. They're so rude. The cops use their sirens and lights just to get around traffic."
"Jake? Kayte?" Setting her purse down and tossing the keys on a nearby table, Faithe furrowed her eyebrow. It's too quiet...
"AUNT BELL!" The sudden loud squal of the little girl, Faithe didn't see her in time to prevent Kaytlin from burrowing into her. Loosing her balance slightly, a small cry emitted from her mouth as she fought to stay up on her two feet. Lifting the child quickly, she managed to keep from visitng the floor.
"Hey there sweets," laughing as she spoke, Faithe shot Orlando a surprised expression. Kaytlin leaned in, rubbing her nose against Faithe's as they had done earlier. "Where's your daddy?" Before Kayte could answer, Jake came in, wiping his hands on a towel. Offering a smile as Kayte wiggled out of her hands, she watched as the little girl ran towards Orlando. Laughing as she watched Kaytlin throw her arms around Orlando, she gave Jake a side hug.
"'lando, guess what? I lostded a tooth today after you left!" Opening her mouth, she pulled back her top lip, exposing a small hole where a canine used to be. Reachingn her arms up, she jumped up and down, signifying that she wanted to be held.
Indeed, the silence of the apartment was quite unnerving. Still unsettled due to the near deadly (in Orlando's opinion) car crash, Orlando's blue eyes shifted warily back and forth, darting across the room. As Kaytlin nearly tackled Faithe, a rather loud gasp escaped his lips and his hand reached out, snagging Faithe's arm as she fell.
Shaking his head and laughing when he realized it was none other than that adorable little girl, Orlando just grinned.
A little surprised when she came running towards him, Orlando shot Faithe a slightly awkward "what do I do?" glance before throwing caution to the wind and scooping the small girl up into his arms by placing one hand around her back and the other beneath her knees, just like he had done with Faithe on more than a few occasions.
"Wow, really?" Orlando replied, seemingly getting the hang of how to behave with young children as she spun her around in his arms. His head tilted inquisitively and he pretended to look into her mouth. "That's great, Kaytlin. You'll have to put it under your pillow tonight for the Tooth Fairy."
Laughing slightly as Orlando shot her a questioning look, Faithe nodded encouragingly. Tilting her head slightly, a thoughtful smile spread on her lips as she watched Orlando with Kaytlin. He looks so sweet with a child in his arms. He'll be a great father one day, if he ever has children. Talk about random thought. Standing up straight, she looked at Jake, grinning.
"What's for dinner Chef Cunningham?" Reaching out, she shoved him gently in his shoulder. Laughing, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Grinning, he balled his fist up and proceeded to give her a 'noogie.' Squealing, she pushed away from him, bawling up her first and punching him lightly in the arm. "Punk!"
Nodding, he winked. "We are having fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, and bread."
"Gracious me." Grinning, Faithe brought back her little 'Southern Georgia peach' accent,' "Talk about some Southern Style cookin' my dear." Winking, she turned her attention back on Orlando and Kaytlin.
Kaytlin nodded enthusiastically about the prospect of the Tooth Fairy. "Uh huh, yup! Last time she brought me five whole dollars!" As she spoked, her voice became all the more excited as she practically jumped in Orlando's arms. When she said the word 'five,' she held up five fingers. Looking at Faithe, she wriggled out of his arms and ran back to her.
"You hafta help me with my song tonight!" Grabbing her hand, Kayte made an attempt to pull her over to the CD player that undoubtedly held a CD of 'her' song. Grinning, Faithe reached down and picked her up.
"How about after dinner sweetie?" Poking out her bottom lip, Kayte nodded with a melodramatic pout on her face. "Aww...stick that lip out anymore and we can use it as a book case." Kaytlin gasped at the comment, and Faithe proceeded to mock her in nonmalicious gest.
Laughing, Jake shook his head, "Come on you guys, dinner is ready."
((Five days and this is the best I can come up with. Isn't that pathetic? lol))
Flitting an eye over towards Faithe while Kaytlin remained in his arms, Orlando's lip twitched upwards with mild amusement as Jake and her bantered. Not more than an instant later, however, did his attention revert to the sugar-high girl in his arms; feeling her scramble out of his grasp, he jolted a little, watching with a half-open mouth as she ran over towards Faithe.
Yet again, Orlando's face was overtaken by that mildly amused look. His brilliantly blue eyes closed slightly, but were not yet squinting, one eyebrow flattened out while the other was jerked upward, as though it was caught in a fishhook, the left side of his mouth was pulled into a half- smile while the other side remain inactive, and his neck was slightly tilted as he shook his head at the pair.
Hearing Jake, his head cocked a bit, then he meandered over towards the table. Chivalrously taking Faithe's hand in one of his own, he used his free hand to pull out a chair, and then gently swung her around (like one might do while swing-dancing. only slower) into the seat. Flashing her a glimpse of his cheesily adorable boyish grin, he sat down in the chair next to her.
"Dinner looks delectable, Jake," he remarked.
Smiling as he spun her around, Faithe took a seat, squeezing his hand affectionately before letting go. She was definately ready for a home cooked meal, especially Jake's cooking. He was definately the chef in the family, that was for sure.
****
An hour later, the four had reassembled in the spacious living room. After hearing fifteen minutes of Kayte's pleading for Faithe to sing with her, she finally threw her hands up in resignition. Although, she felt rather nervous singing in front of Orlando.
Picking up the CD player remote, she turned the power on while Kaytlin hopped into her lap. Jake grinned as he leaned forward in his chair, resting his head on his fists.
There is a castle on a cloud
I like to go there in my sleep
Aren't any floors for me to sweep
Not in my castle on a cloud...
Kaytlin's voice was soft and innocent, but she had a very impressive voice for a five year old. Faithe had consciously softened her tone to match the little girl's, but it was easy to tell that she had a powerful, melodious voice. As soon as the short piece had started, the last chords decrescendoed into silence as Faithe hit the power button.
Looking down, she avoided looking at Orlando, her face turning a soft shade of pink. Kayte jumped up, running over to Jake. Jumping into his arms, literally, Kayte wrapped her arms around her father's neck. Standing up, he he lifted the girl into his arms. "Alright sweetie, it's time for bed."
The smile on Kayte's face dropped as a sad, pouty expression crossed her face. Poking her lip out, she quivered it melodramatically, "Pwease let me stay up daddy." Looking up, Faithe's eyes widened in amusement as she chuckled at her niece.
"Where in the world did she learn that?!" Laughing as she stood up, Faithe shook her head. Jake's eyebrows raised in a look of playful accusation.
"Gee, Faithe, I don't know, Faithe, where in the world, Faithe, she would learn something like that." Winking, he added in an afterthought, "Faithe."
Gasping, she brought her hand up to her chest, "I have no idea what you are talking about." Sticking her tongue out, she dared to look at Orlando, casting a wink his way.
"Can Aunt Bell put me to bed?" Making a sniffling noise, she turned her big brown eyes on Faithe in a silent plea. Laughing, Faithe stood up and took the child from Jake, raising her up a few feet above her in the air. Bringing her back down, she wrapped her arms comfortably around the little girl.
"Of course I will. You two be good." Looking from one to the other, Faithe winked before walking into Kayte's bedroom.
In spite of the abundance of furniture, Orlando had opted for the more comfortable seat that was the carpet. After all, it just felt better. Reclining so that his back lay against a chair or couch, he was perfectly comfortable upon the floor. Smirking inadvertently, he gazed expectantly at her as Faithe pressed the play button and the euphonious works of Les Misérables flooded his ears.
Noticing that she had glanced down, a reverent smile took its place upon the man's face. Modesty was definitely a trait that the man respected. Then, as she sang, the respect blossomed into admiration, although that, too, is an understatement. Although he had never been exactly musical, Orlando could most certainly appreciate the woman's voice. Delicately powerful, and softly strong, it was, in a word, amazing. And, of course, the slight rouge in the young woman's cheeks, brought a broad grin to his face in place of the smile.
Amused by Kayte's juvinile antics, the man chuckled slightly, answering Faithe's wink with a nod of his own.
"Good-night, Kaytlin," Orlando called with a wave as he watched Faithe take Kayte away, "Don't forget to put that tooth under your pillow!"
Jake sat back down, crossing one leg over the other. "Those two...they are going to get in trouble one day." Grinning, his eyes scanned the room before settling on Orlando. Sitting in silence a few moments, Jake tapped his fingers on his knee. "You know, I don't think I have ever seen my sister this happy." Standing up, he chuckled, "I'm going to go make sure Eddie locked up before he left...if they've all left yet. Will you go make sure Izzy didn't fall asleep with Kayte?" Grinning again, she walked out of the room.
After making sure her tooth was securely under her pillow, Kaytlin finally relaxed under her yellow and white flowered comforter. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Faithe's eyes followed the girls out the window. Her bed was located less than a foot from the window sill. Smiling at the faint white spot moving across the open sky, she reached over and turned the lamp off.
"Will you sing me to sleep?" The girl's voice came out softly as a small yawn escaped her with her drooping eyes. Reaching out, Faithe gently stroked her hair back on her head, smiling adoringly at Kaytlin. Looking back out the window, Faithe began to sing "When You Wish Upon A Star" softly, but audibly. Kaytlin had drifted off in almost no time, but Faithe continued to sit there. Humming the song, she continued to stroke the girl's light brown hair. Her eyes had drifted back up to Orlando's comet, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Orlando's eyes wandered over Jake, and the man blushed slightly at the other's insinuation about himself and Faithe. That was good. The more he was around him, the more it seemed to Orlando that Jake wasn't reacting at all how himself would to his younger sister bringing her "boyfriend" up for the weekend. In fact, Jake was almost a little too okay with the whole situation, which unnerved Orlando a little bit, but, still, it was much preferred over the alternative. Eddie's name caused Orlando's eyebrows to furrow bitterly and a coldness to overtake his body, but only momentarily.
Nodding in response to Jake's request, Orlando pulled himself up and moseyed over to where Faithe had just been, hoping that, somehow, he'd find his way to Kayte's bedroom without trying every door there was in the small loft. And, of course, he did, by following the beautiful sirens' song that was Faithe's voice.
He didn't enter as she sang, but instead loitered casually just outside the door, looking in. Subconsciously, the image before his eyes was one of the mother of his child singing the small girl to sleep. Of course, he didn't quite realize that's what he was thinking as the smile tugged at the corner of his lips, pulling them into that characteristic grin.
Once the vocal melody had melted into a hummed tune, and Faithe's eyes reverted to the sky, the man silently crept into the room, taking great care not to disturb neither Faithe nor Kaytlin. Making his way around the bed, he sleathily came up behind Faithe, gently wrapping his arms around her neck and laying his head upon her shoulder as he stood.
Honestly, could he ask for anything more? His comet streaking across the nighttime sky, a beautiful, amazing woman in his arms. Perfection was attained.
"You're an angel," he whispered into her ear, slowly guiding her up, off the bed, so that she stood in front of him, facing the stars and leaning against his chest.
Lost in her own world, Faithe hadn't even had the slightest idea that Orlando was near her. When he wrapped his arms around her, a feeling of immediate serenity passed over her as a small, warm smile spread on her lips. Allowing herself to be lifted to her feet, she leaned against his body, her eyelids heavy with content. Keeping her eyes on the white star, her head tilted slightly as she relaxed against Orlando. Her breathing quickly beame in sync with his as her head very slightly rose and fell with his chest.
"You're the answer to every star I have ever wished on." Whispering softly, Faithe slid her hand into his, intertwining her fingers in his. This fits...everything about it fits. Smiling softly, her eyes still remained halfway closed as she peered at the comet. Turning around, she slipped her arms around his neck loosely, a faint smile on her face. Standing up tip toe, she kissed him lightly before resettling at her normal stature.
((Imagine feesable time slot here.))
A small noise caught Faithe's attention from the door. Turning her head to see the cause of it, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as her eyes fell on Eddie. Leaning against the doorframe, an unnerving grin was spread over Eddie's handsome face. His green eyes were narrowed slightly as he gazed around the room. Taking a swig from a bottle he held in his hand, he cleared his throat.
"Why's Kayte sleepin'? It's not that late." His words came out slightly slurred, and his voice was incredibly loud. So much for a peaceful evening.
Though her words could have come from a cheap Hollywood script, given their inflection and the setting they were proclaimed in, they radiated nothing but sincerity in Orlando's mind. To any other, they would have appeared cheesy and ludicrious, but, to Orlando, they weren't. He understood her, and she understood him. The two needed not bother themselves with superfluous words- verbosity wasn't even remotely necessary to convey what they felt, for the looks in their eyes told all.It most certainly did just... "fit".
Like the missing piece of a puzzle, Faithe's fingers entangled in his completed the man. Feeling her arms wind themselves around his neck gently, his stomach fluttered in anticipation of the kiss to come, and, when her lips did finally press against him, his own lips responded genuinely, matching her small passion with a light urgency as he wrapped his arms around her waist, momentarily lifting her off the ground. ((Run-on!!! Eep!)).
((Yeah, so this next part is that "feasible time slot" insertation...))
"Mmm..."
His only verbal response for awhile was a quiet moan. Instead of speaking, he let his eyes convey his message to the young woman before him. The brilliant blue spheres shone luminously in the dark room, glowing with a sense of unsurpassable joy, contentment and a mixture of more than a hundred other feelings. The answer to every wish he had ever made on a star, the embodiment of every trait he'd ever longed for, the person who made him want to be a better man... There she was in his arms. For one silent, pensive moment, Orlando's eyes glazed over in thought. Seven months was quite a long time, indeed, he thought to himself, unsure of his next remark for a moment.
Pulling his head back, his cocked it slightly, looking at her with a slightly inquisitive look upon his face. Moonlight waltzed upon her soft brown hair, and gave her skin a pristine glow. Unwrapping an arm from her waist, the man reached up an arm, stroking her cheek with the backside of his hand.
"Je t'aime, ma Foi," he whispered, a hint of a smile dancing onto his face. "I love you, Faithe."
((Insert time for Faithe's reply if you'd like, or just go onto the Eddie thing here))
Hearing a noise, Orlando's head lost all sappy thoughts as it snapped towards the door. Immediately, he went on the defensive. His smile hardened into a straightface, his eyebrows furrowed and his brilliant blue eyes turned cold with bitterness. He didn't like this "Eddie" character much... Gently, but quickly, he pushed Faithe behind him, towards the wall, and closer to the sleeping Kaytlin, as he hastily walked towards Eddie, stopping about seven feet in front of him. The light from the hall hit his face eerily, giving the normally amiable man a threatening look to him as he loomed at 6'1".
"Because five-year-olds go to sleep before ten o'clock at night," he replied matter-of-factly, staring down the drunken moron with an unfeeling glare as his hand felt its way into his pocket and his fingers wound themselves around the maplewood shaft of his wand. If Eddie was going to hurt Faithe or Kaytlin, even in the most minute of ways, it would be over Orlando's cold, dead body.
The words that had come out of his mouth were still dancing around in her mind. Did he just...That's cute Faithe, now you're imagining things. No, you weren't. He really just said that he loves you. Her heart had skipped a beat, or two as she felt slightly shakey.
Looking down at Kaytlin, Faithe let out a small sigh of relief to see that she was still sleeping. Noticing Orlando's hand slide into his pocket, a cold feeling settled over her. Eddie became absolutely insane with his magic when he was drunk, she'd seen it before. Stepping up quickly, having every desire to not let this get out of hand, Faithe placed her hand gently around Orlando's arm. Shaking her head, she gave him a pleading look. Turning back to Eddie, "Where's Jake?"
"Walking in circles downstairs looking for me." Eddie laughed loudly and crudely, taking another swig from the bottle. In one quick motion, he threw the bottle, grinning as it busted on the wall next to Kayte's bed. Screaming, the little girl woke up in tears, terrified at whatever had jarred her from her sleep. In a few quick steps, Faithe had covered the distance between herself and Kaytlin.
Sitting on the bed, Faithe gathered the crying five year old in her arms, "Shh...Kayte, it's alright." Talking softly, Faithe tried to calm her own shaking, oblivious to what was going on behind her.
"I'll shut her up..." Pushing past Orlando quickly, the grin on Eddie's face had been replaced by a scowl as he walked towards the bed. Letting go of Kaytlin, Faithe stood up, her eyes narrowed at him. There was no way on God's green earth she would let him ever touch Kayte. Taking his arm, she tried to pull him towards the living room, "Eddie, leave her alone. Let's go into the living room."
Had it been just about anybody else, Faithe would have pulled her wand on him, or let Orlando deal with him, but she knew how Eddie could be. He wouldn't forget this by the time he had sobered up, and she didn't have any desire to make him angrier than he had made himself... for Kayte's sake. Of course, Eddie didn't want to go into the living room. Grabbing the arm that she had wrapped around his, Eddie struck out, backhanding her before pushing her into Orlando.
"No! She needs to learn that she has no right to cry at everything." Glaring at Faithe, Eddie pulled his own wand out of his pocket, his eyebrows furrowing together in a pensive stare. Faithe tried to regain her balance as she stumbled into Orlando, her arms instinctively finding his. Turning her head quickly, her eyes widened in terror as he saw Eddie advancing on the crying Kaytlin.
And the plot thickened.
Since the dawn of time, the males have been the dominant sex in all species- always defending their loved ones by whatever ever means they could. Just as protect their prides by physically attacking any unwelcome visitor, humans, for the most part, follow suit. However, Orlando wasn't exactly in prime physical condition to grapple with Eddie, or anyone else for that matter. Even if he had, it wasn't his realm. What he lacked in physical stamina, though, the man more than compensated for in intelligence- particularly, wizardry.
Feeling Faithe's hand upon his sleeved arm, Orlando's eyes flitted to her momentarily, casting an inauspicious glare at her for bit. He could tell that she only wanted to protect Kaytlin, and he did as well, only, more than just that, he wanted to protect her. Magic was all he had on his side, other than sheer acumen, and he wasn't about to give it up. His erudition in the magical sphere was just about his only advantage against Eddie. Eyes uncharacteristically hardened with a bitterness found only in a ruthless soldier's face, Orlando merely stared at Faithe for a moment, refusing to relinquish his only tangible weapon against the force that was threatening both her and Kaytlin. Yet all that resistance melted at Faithe's pleading look, and his fingers loosened their grip around the wand, instead trying to gently, but sternly push her back. The effort was futile.
As Eddie's cackle rang out through the quiet room, Orlando could see Faithe tense up, knowing that his own body was doing the same. The other man's grin was positively evil- and his face held the most malicious expression that Orlando had ever seen. If he had been a religious man, surely he would have seen Satan in the contemptuous fire Eddie's eyes held.
He felt a jolt run through his body as the glass shattered on the wall. Exploding, its shards flew through the air, ornamenting the bedroom repugnantly. Instinctively, he nearly leapt towards Kaytlin, but Faithe was already there, cradling the child in her arms, though she herself was also quivering with fear. He moved to comfort her, only finding himself thrown up against the wall by Eddie.
By the time Orlando had regained his balance and the pain in his back had subsided to a mere throbbing, Eddie's hand and slapped Faithe's face, sending her into his arms as he struggled to get up, and he was steadily approaching Kaytlin, wand in hand.
The emotions that coursed through Orlando's veins in that moment were copious- too many too count: anger, frustration, fear, rage, guilt, and, above all, resentment. It was one thing for Eddie to assault him. The two were both men- equals- and though he didn't view women as weaker, his innate chivalrousness led him to the belief that women and children were not to be hit. It was like lighting a church afire while its parish was singing hymns- you just didn't do it. It was wrong and, above that, immoral.
His arms wrapped themselves around Faithe for a mere moment, letting her know that he was there, before he gave her a communicative look- one that apologized for his next action.
Leaning her against the other corner, away from Eddie, Orlando's hand reached into his pocket, summoning his wand into his fingertips and pointing it in Eddie's direction.
"Expellarimus."
Hoping that the simple spell worked, and that Eddie would be too drunk (or too stupid) to counter it in time, Orlando reached his arms around the man and picked Kayte up in his arms and quickly tossed her over to Faithe.
"Get her out of here," he enjoined her in a serious tone.
Urging her out of the room with a look as well as a slight tug on her arm, he reverted his attention to Eddie, still holding his wand in his hand, and ready for a duel.
((I bought Angel Eyes today! **squeal** ))
Faithe had been slightly unnerved by Orlando's less than pleasant glare he had given her, but none of that seemed to matter right now. As his arms wrapped themselves around her, she wanted nothing more than to stay in the protection of him, but she knew it wasn't possible. Watching him walk towards Eddie, her hand crept up to her throat, rubbing it nervously. Watching the spell hit him in the back hard, Faithe winced and looked away quickly for a moment before returning her stare.
Eddie turned in time to slightly deflect the spell, but not avoid it completely. Hitting the ground, a small groan escaped his mouth. Opening his eyes, he watched, slightly dizzy, as Kaytlin was handed off to Faithe. Glaring, he rolled over on his stomach, his hand reaching for his wand. Standing up, his eyes narrowed in an angry glare. "Yeah Faithe, get her out of here," in a mocking tone, he wiped his mouth, his eyes never leaving Orlando.
Picking Kaytlin up, Faithe held her tightly as the little girl wrapped her arms around her neck. Burying her head in Faithe's shoulder, she closed her eyes tightly. Putting a protective hand over the back of Kayte's head, she booked it towards the door. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was leave Orlando's side, but she knew she needed to get Kaytlin out of the room. Taking her to Jake's room, she sat down on the bed, cradling the five year old in her arms. Stroking her hair gently, she laid her down softly, pulling the covers up over her.
"Kayte, I'm going to be right back, okay?" Talking softly, she leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead softly. Sniffling, Kayte nodded as she burrowed down deeper into the blankets. Walking into the hallway, Faithe closed the door gently, walking anxiously back to Kayte's room.
Eddie had done nothing yet but stand there, trying to regain his balance. Entering the room, Faithe walked up behind Orlando and placed her hand gently on his back. Caught up in everything going on, she had completely dismissed the stinging in her cheek, but now she noticed the tingling sensation that was still there. Tugging on Orlando's sleeve, she gave him another pleading look, "Please, let's end this. He doesn't know what he's doing." Talking softly, Faithe rested her head against him lightly, her eyes never leaving Eddie.
"I know exactly what I'm doing," muttering resentfully, Eddie glared even harder at Faithe, mainly at the fact that she was showing so much affection towards Orlando. "And I know exactly what I'm going to do..." Taking a step forward, Eddie raised his arm, wand poised to attack. However as soon as he opened his mouth, a figure shot past Orlando and Faithe as Jake grabbed the hand that held the wand in it.
"Jake!" Calling out, Faithe took a step towards the two men, ready for an attempt to do something...anything.
((I watched it!!! *squeals* In other news, this is the most overdramatic soap-opera-ish plot I've ever been involved in... *insert overdramatic music here* I love it! lol))
Brilliant blue eyes looked on as the spell took its effect, knocking Eddie onto the ground, then darted to Faithe, watching her obey his command, picking up the tiny girl. Flitting his attention back to the man lying upon the ground, his fingers tightened around his wand in antipation of that to come as his eyes hardened to match the cold stare Eddie was giving him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Faithe scurrying out of the room with Kaytlin in her arms. The ground was evened now. With the woman and child safe outside of the door, it was one-on-one. Swallowing the fear that was creeping up his throat, Orlando took a step backwards and raised his wand up in front of his chest. En garde...
All the spells, incantations and charms that he had learned throughout his seven years of schooling, and twenty-one years as a wizard, seemed to have disappeared from his memory... at least all the spells which may have proved themselves useful. Then again, as the two men stood there, the moment held an eerie serenity. The serenity was fragile, though, like a tiny glass figure held in mid-air only by the thick tension that filled the air- so thick it was that one could cut it with a knife. Not daring to breathe, Orlando just stood there, threatening with his eyes, but not moving a muscle. If there were to be a duel, he wouldn't be the one to begin it.
Faithe's hand may have startled him had he not had the divination ability to know it was her. Some of the tension in his back released itself, but that was the only sign that he had noticed her presence. He couldn't just turn around and take her into his arms; doing so would put the both of them in danger. Eddie was truly insane, and there was no telling what he would do. His intimidating glare never wavered as Faithe tugged at his sleeve, or as she laid her head against him. End it? And how exactly was he supposed to do that?
Since the dawn of time, battles have always been fought by two parties: the right and the wrong; the aggressor and the defender. The right, the defender, is only fighting to save something, whereas the wrong, the aggressor, fights just to fight. The defender is fueled by a longing, a need to protect something, to preserve and to help; the aggressor is fueled only by a blinding, furious, passionate rage to gain something. He alone is the one who can decide to what extent the battle will pass, for it is he that will either cease or continue fighting. Orlando was the defender. There was nothing he could do to stop it.
His right arm found its way around Faithe's waist, gently pushing her completely behind his back, while his left remained poised, wand between his fingers. Gaze still unwavering, his hand ran up and down her back slowly, trying as best he could to calm her, and, more than that, to keep her behind him.
Eddie's words echoed through the man's head, and Orlando knew exactly what Eddie was going to do: "Avada Kedavra".It was amazing was jealousy could drive someone to. Verbal insults, physical abuse... murder. Gnawing nervously on his tongue, he raised his head defiantly- ready to counter anything the other man would throw at him. Before Eddie could utter a word though, a figure flew out of nowhere at him, preventing such: Jake.
Everything happened in a flash. Jake's hand grabbed Eddie's, deflecting the wand's aim and temporarily disorienting Eddie, Faithe jumped out from behind Orlando, stepping towards the action, and Orlando found himself simply stunned for an instant. The only thing he had the conscious to do in that moment was reach out and fling his hand around Faithe's waist once more, pulling her back to him. This time,, however, he didn't push her behind him; instead, he pulled her close to his chest, angling himself so that, though she was in front of him, she was directed towards the door, in the case that something should come to pass.
It's said that when one is faced with an overwhelmingly dangerous situation, their perception of time becomes skewed. Events pass slowly, and it may take an hour for someone's eyes to blink in their mind, yet only a fraction of a second in reality. Orlando was caught in that state of mind at the time- everything was in slow motion.
His eyes blinked as they moved from Faithe, to Eddie, and then to Jake; a breath escaped his parted lips; and then his head cocked. He glanced at the wand in his hand, and his mind flooded with the voice of old Mr. VanExienne, the man who had lived next to him as a child. Many nights had Orlando sat upon his roof, gazing at the stars, hearing VanExienne's voice carrying through the night's silence as he coached his midnight dueling club, telling them of the combinations of spells they should use to defend themselves, in a manner that made the wizardry seem like a dance. Though Orlando had never been one to enjoy the thought of dueling, he had always found himself listening to VanExienne's words, and, now, that curiosity had paid off. It was all drawn out for him, now, like one of those old dance mats, with the numbered feet. Nodding to himself, a surreal sense of confidence and calm flowed through him. He pointed the wand at Eddie, looking over Faithe's shoulder and casually brushing his cheek against her head.
" Expelliarmus," he said again, revisiting the spell chain he had tried to perform earlier. Seeing Jake's hand upon Eddie's, he cringed inwardly, hoping that the spell wouldn't hurt him too badly.
Once Eddie's wand was out of his grasp, Orlando uttered another word, summoning the abandoned wand to his right hand:
"Accio."
Now, what really needed to happen was for Orlando to cast a sobering spell on Eddie, but, to his knowledge, there wasn't anything of the sort. He did need to somehow immobilize Eddie, though. Maybe knocking him out? Well, that would have worked. had Orlando been the type to punch someone. Mentally sighing with frustration, he reluctantly continued on with the defensive tactic.
"Petrificus Totalus."
It was all he could do. Now it was up to Jake to deal with him.
The shock from dueling had overcome Orlando, now. Arm still around Faithe, his face became vacant. He had never done anything like that before, and, now, that there was a pause in the endless action, he found himself at a sort of loss for emotion, thought and words.
((And here concludes another overdramatic, soap-opera post brought to you by the one and only Lina))
((Answer me this though, when Catch started crying at the end, were you not seeing Orlando cry, rather than Catch?))
Trying her best to wriggle out of Orlando's grasp, a small squeal escaped her mouth as she struggled against his hold. Giving up, she whipped her head around, her eyes staring intently at the fray. Despite the comfort his arms normally brought her, watching her brother and Eddie, Faithe's shaking wouldn't cease.
Hearing Orlando's voice, Jake turned his head slightly. Dodging the spells, Jake crouched down, allowing the full force to hit Eddie. Closing his eyes as Eddie's body turned rigid, he took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Eddie had never gotten this far out of control, and he hated to see it every time it happened. Though he didn't agree with a lot of the man's mind sets about issues, like Faithe, Jake knew Eddie really wasn't a bad guy. He had only ever gotten drunk twice before, but both times he had turned into a rampaging lunatic.
Pulling away from Orlando, Faithe practically flew to Jake, wrapping her arms around him tightly. The weight of his sister caused him to fall the rest of the way down to the ground. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, Jake shot Orlando a look filled with gratitude and respect.
Pulling back slightly, he stood up, pulling Faithe with him. Turning his eyes on her, they narrowed slightly. Reaching up, he tilted her head slightly to the side, noticing the red spot about the size of a hand on her cheek. "Did he hit you?" Keeping her silence, Faithe simply looked up at him in a silent answer. Honestly, she had completely forgotten about it until Jake mentioned anything.
Her thoughts and emotions had been completely wrapped up in the 'here and now' of everything. She was angry at herself for bringing Orlando into all of this. She should have made sure Eddie wouldn't have come around.
"I'm going to take him to his apartment." Sighing, Jake turned towards the frozen image of Eddie. "I'll be back in about five minutes, if you wouldn't mind waiting here with Kaytlin." Nodding, Faithe looked at him with a rather apprehensive look. Squeezing one of his sister's hands, he gave her a reassuring look. "It'll be fine."
Watching Jake apparate with Eddie, Faithe let out one long breath, her body seeming to deflate as the air left her. Turning around, she looked at Orlando with an apologetic look. She didn't know what to say, or what to do, so she did nothing. Her body felt immobile, her mind numb from everything that had just happened. There were certain aspects of her life that she had wanted to keep in a closet, hidden from Orlando. Not because she didn't trust him, because Faithe knew she could trust him with anything, but because she simply didn't want to introduce him to the drama in her life.
((Completely))
Pensively vacant, ambiguous blue eyes held a blank look in them as they surveyed the wand still enclosed between his fingers. So entranced was he by the sight of something so powerful, that his arm didn't even offer the least bit of resistance as Faithe moved towards Jake. Never in his life had Orlando ever used a spell against another being before. To him, magic was a gift to use for good, and inflicting pain upon others definitely wasn't in the good book. Though he hadn't even hurt Eddie, his conscious still plagued him. He was lost. Like a soldier who had just killed his first enemy, Orlando felt a burst of pride in his accomplishment, but that pride was accompanied by guilt, remorse and shame. But, he reminded himself, as Jake's thankful gaze crept into his field of vision, everyone was safe because of him- Faithe was safe because of him- and that had to count for something.
Ever inane, his eyes looked on as Faithe held Jake tightly, as he pointed out the mark Eddie's malevolent hand had left upon her innocent cheek, and as Jake apparated out with Eddie. Though his face was empty, his mind was filled with thoughts, not about how the evening was ruined, but about how heinous and unfair it was for someone like Faithe, or Kaytlin, or Jake, to have to deal with something like this, and how right he had been about Eddie. Now the man was beginning to question the situation further, wondering what type of person, exactly, "Eddie" was, and, if he really was as bad as he seemed, how Jake could possibly work so closely with him?
Returning to reality, his eyes met those of Faithe's. How sorrowful those brown eyes of hers looked. Glancing up at her, his head cocked to the side, and he bit his lip. Just how anyone could hurt someone like Eddie had just hurt her was beyond him. Letting his Maplewood wand fall to the ground, he slowly took a few steps towards her, and, as he walked, eyes locked into hers, the vagueness of his gaze melted into empathy. Reaching up his hand, he ran his fingers gently across her cheek, feeling the burning sensation that remained there from Eddie's hand. His eyes cast themselves downward for a moment in regret, as though he should have been able to do something to stop Eddie from doing that, and then flitted back up to meet hers. Sliding both his hands around the back of her head, he gently kissed her forehead before laying his forehead against hers and letting out a small breath.
"It's over, ma Foi," he whispered, "You're alright, now."
Letting his hands go down her back, he pulled her into a close embrace, holding her tightly against his body, and laid her head upon his chest/shoulder. He would have liked to have stayed there forever, but there was more that had to be done.
"I'll be right back," he murmured, giving her one last squeeze before slithering out of the embrace and walking out of the room.
Glancing around, he saw a slightly open door, and walked someone intently towards it. Gently pushing it open, his eyes darted to the tiny Kaytlin, presumably still where Faithe had left her, on the bed.
"Hey," he said quietly, sitting down on the bed and scooping the girl tenderly into his lap with his arms, "Everything's okay now, Kayte."
Slowly, he slid off the bed, cradling the girl securely in his arms as he brought her back into her own bedroom. Casting a glance at Faithe, he moved to hand Kaytlin to her. They needed each other right then.
((That last bit was kinda god-modey.lemme know if I should change it or cut it out.))
Feeling his hand run across her cheek, Faithe closed her eyes, fighting the tears that had suddenly decided to try and come out. Opening her eyes as his forehead rested on hers, her brown eyes sought out Orlando's brilliant blue orbs. "I'm fine," whispering, she reached up and placed her hand on top of one of his. Feeling his arms wrap around her, Faithe allowed herself to be drawn into the sanctuary of his arms. Still shaking, she buried her head in his chest, her eyes closing once more. A small noise of protest escaped her as he pulled back, but she let him go.
Kaytlin was startled when Orlando walked in, but relaxed when he picked her up. Burying her head in his chest, just like Faithe had done, she reached up and wiped away a tear. Giving Orlando a look of gratitude, Faithe took Kayte in her arms, hugging her tightly. Wrapping her small arms around Faithe's neck, Kaytlin pulled her head back to look at her aunt.
"Where's Daddy?" Her voice coming out shakey and slightly pouty, Kayte continued to wipe tears away. Reaching up, Faithe smoothed her hair out of the girl's face, wiping a tear while she was at it. Walking towards the door, she motioned for Orlando to follow her.
"He's taking Eddie home. He'll be home soon." Walking back into Jake's room, she laid Kayte down on the bed, covering her up with the blanket. The mess that Eddie made would definitely need to be cleaned up before Kayte could go back in there. Laying down next to her, Faithe reached up and stroked the girl's dark brown hair gently, trying to ease her back to sleep.
Kayte snuggled up next to Faithe, burying her face into Faithe's shoulder. Turning her head slightly, she reached up her hand, squeezing Orlando's affectionately. Offering him a silent invitation to sit down, Faithe turned her gaze back to Kaytlin, who was mostly asleep.
((Insert feasible time here.))
Not too long afterwards, Jake walked quietly into the room. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, his eyes stared at Faithe and Kaytlin as he bit his bottom lip. Turning her eyes to her brother, Faithe gave him a reassuring look. Swalloweing hard, Jake looked down for a moment before looking back up, "Is she alright?"
Nodding silently, Faithe looked down at the now sleeping girl, afraid to breath too deeply for fear of waking her. Scooting closer to her, Jake laid a hand on Faithe's arm, "Are you alright?" Nodding again, she turned her body slightly, but not enough to disturb the girl.
"I'm fine. Just a little shaken up. That wasn't Eddie." Sighing, her eyes averted to Orlando. Standing, Jake laid a hand on Orlando's shoulder, "Before you two leave, will you come help me clean up the mess in Kayte's room?"
Walking down the hall, Jake closed the door as he flipped on the light switch. Turning to Orlando, his eyes held that same look of utmost gratitude. "Thank you...for everything you did tonight. I'm sorry you were brought into all of this Orlando. I don't know what would have happened had you not been here...I don't even want to think about it." Sticking out his hand, there was a meaningful expression of respect in his eyes, "Anytime you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Following Faithe into Jake's room in silence, Orlando took a seat next to her upon the bed, wrapping an arm around her and running his hand up and down her arm softly as his eyes bid a silent "good-night" to Kayte. The ordeal that the young girl had just gone through was much too intense for someone of such a young age. In fact, it was a little too much for someone of his own age.
Flitting his eyes up as Jake walked into the room, Orlando nodded his head in acknowledgement of his arrival. Silent as the siblings spoke, he reluctantly followed Jake into Kayte's room. His eyes surveyed the monstrosity's effects, and he let out a sigh. Quietly, he bent down and retrieved his abandoned wand, which lay cast upon the floor; the room would be fixed quicker with magic.
Hearing Jake begin to speak, he rose back up to his full height and nodded, shaking his head a bit. Modesty was always something that he had excelled at, namely because he saw no real reason to boast. Boasting brought fans, and all he desired was respect, which was brought on by simply being a respectable person. His cheeks grew warm with a slight blush at Jake's words, and he shook his head again.
"Don't be sorry," he replied, shaking Jake's hand strongly, "There's nothing that you're at fault for here.
"And don't thank me, either," he added with another nod of his head, "I didn't do anything worthy of gratitude."
"Swish-and-flick"ing his wand, while saying a quick spell, the room returned to its normal state. Or, at least, as close as magic could get it to such.
"Thank you, though," he replied after a moment, not wanting Jake to think he didn't appreciate the man's last remark. "That means a lot.
"I think I'm going to take Faithe back to the hotel now, though. Good night, Jake..."
Nodding once more, he retreated to Jake's bedroom and put his hands on the bed, leaning down to whisper into Faithe's ear.
"Let's get going..."
Gently lifting her arm off of Kaytlin, Orlando somehow slid his arms beneath her and rolled Faithe into his arms. Standing up, he bent down to kiss Kaytlin's forehead.
"Bonne nûit, ma petite cherie," he whispered, "Bon rêves..."
Holding Faithe close against him, he shut his eyes tightly, apparating them both back to their hotel room. Setting her down, gently, upon the ground, he held her tightly in his embrace once again, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I'm so sorry, Faithe..." he said quietly, as though he was somehow at fault for Eddie's behavior, "Are you alright? Truly, are you? Because I know I wouldn't be... What can I do to make things better?"
His voice held a childlike innocence to it, asking a hundred questions, and it was complemented by a pair of angel eyes, filled with nothing but sincere concern, gazing into her brown ones.
Allowing herself to be lifted into Orlando's arms, Faithe wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she buried her head in his neck, the familiar feeling of apparating causing her stomach to jolt slightly. Or maybe it was just nerves. Feeling her feet touch the ground, she opened her eyes to look in his. Shaking her head at his apologies, she held up her hand, placing her middle and index finger on his lips.
"Orlando, I'm fine, really." Talking softly, she placed her hand gently on his cheek, her hand moving up to his hair. Intertwining a small strand of hair in between her fingers, an action that was becoming almost habitual to her, Faithe kissed him lightly. "It scared me, because that's not how Eddie normally acts. He's never done anything even close to that, but I was more worried about Kaytlin."
Looking at him intently, her eyes peered intently into his. "This really shook you up, didn't it." It wasn't a question, or an accusation, only an understood fact. She had never seen the expression in the man's eyes that had been radiating back at the apartment. That emptiness. It scared her coming from him.
"No apologies. You couldn't have prevented what happened tonight Orlando." Her voice still soft, her hand slid back down to his cheek and slowly drifted to the back of his neck. Running her fingers lightly, her gaze never left his. "What happened?"
Leaning his cheek into her hand, Orlando's blue eyes shut themselves. There was something about Faithe's touch that calmed him- brought serenity to him. Re-opening his eyes after she had kissed him (though he had not returned it), his vacant stare returned as he listened to her speak.
Not how Eddie acts... hmph. Like hell... Anyone who would ever hit a woman or threaten a child deserved no excuses, no sympathy and no pity. Doing something like that wasn't ever a one-time thing, it was caused by something wrong with them internally. If Eddie would let himself act that way, then he was that way. It wasn't like a light switch or anything, that glowed warm until the circuit breaker was unexpectantly tripped. The malice that Eddie had shown was innate, and it terrified Orlando.
Though he felt her eyes staring into his, Orlando's eyes failed to yield any sort of response, though he did offer her a small nod as he swallowed. She couldn't possibly understand just how much Eddie's behavior had gotten to him. After all, she didn't know his past. She hadn't a clue what growing up was like for him. The sight of Eddie's evil grin, the sound of his booming, thunderous cackle, and the looming shadow he cast over Kaytlin's tiny, quiverring body had brought terrible flashbacks into the man's mind. Though they hadn't struck him then, they were beginning to haunt him at the moment. Free from immediate danger, his mind had begun wandering.
He turned his eyes away from her, not that it mattered, though, for, even when his eyes were facing hers, he was still distant. His arms fell loosely around her waist, losing the firm grip they had held upon her. His lips parted, and a small breath escaped them.
Lost in the past, Orlando didn't hear her words, only the voices of his parents yelling at him, telling him he was an embarassment to their family, that he would never amount to anything, and all sorts of other cruel things. Swallowing, he brought a hand up to his face, touching his cheek; he could almost feel his father's fist crashing into it, and almost hear the deafening crunch of the bone as it split in two.
Letting his hand drop, his fingers slowly slid off of his face, closing into a loose fist, which he placed upon his collarbone, which had been broken when he was nine, running his fingers across it. Hesitantly, he flitted his gaze back to Faithe, shaking his head. This was too much.
He opened his lips to say something, but no words came out, only a mournful, choking sort of gasp. Clearing his throat, he tried again, speaking nearly inaudibly.
"Nothing..."
If there was any one person in the world he could trust, it would have been Faithe. But, just as she didn't want him involved in certain parts of her life, he wanted to protect her from aspects of his own past, this being the most prominent one. In spite of that, one audible word escaped his lips.
"Everything..."
His eyes lit up for a moment, not with happiness, but with sorrow and reality.
"Hell..."
Breaking free from her embrace, he put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, the vacant expression returning once more, though tears now flooded his eyes. He walked towards the window, gazing out into the darkness with a face whose blankness matched that of the nighttime sky.
She felt unnerved as his arms slid away from her. This was not how Orlando normally acted. The lack of feeling and emotion in his blue eyes brought a tense feeling in her body that she wasn't used to feeling with him. Watching him touch his cheek and his coller bone, a cold chill settled over Faithe as his voice choked out.
Slightly shocked at his third choice of word, Faithe watched him walk to the window. Knowing she was on dangerous ground, she walked over to him, stepping in front of him. Reaching up, she averted his face to look at her own, her own eyes glazed over with tears. Of all people in this world, seeing Orlando in this state broke Faithe's heart more than anybody else. Stroking his cheek gently, her eyes searched his face for some sign other than vacancy. As one small tear fell, she reached up and wiped it away gently.
"Talk to me sweetheart. Please." Speaking softly, her voice was filled with pain; pain that was brought on by seeing the man that she loved more than life itself hurting. She would have given anything in the world to spare him the emotions he was feeling.
"What is it?" Almost whispering, Faithe reached down and took his hand with her other hand. Squeezing it tightly, she brought it up, laying it on her chest, over her heart. Covering his hand with hers, her gaze never faultered, never moved from his empty expression.
Feeling her fingertips gently waltz upon his face, Orlando's head tilted into her hand, and he closed his eyes, blinking back tears. He was causing her pain- the very thing he had tried to prevent her from experiencing not only earlier that evening, but since the day he had met her. Perhaps it was just part of his innate male dominance, but Orlando had always been someone like that- someone who wanted to protect everyone from all the bad things in the world- and now, here he was, causing pain to the woman he cared most about in the world.
Letting her take his hand in hers, his fingers entangled themselves with hers as she placed his hand over her heart, showing the slightest bit of gratitude in regards to her gesture. Closing his eyes, he sighed. He didn't want to cause her anymore grief, but, in some way, he needed to tell her. He hadn't told anyone before, not even Demeter. He hadn't trusted anyone so completely before, either, though.
"Hell," he repeated quietly, relinquishing his hand from her grasp and sinking to the ground, along the wall. The tears that had been welling in his eyes were now streaming down his face, and his speech was disrupted by quiet gasps.
"Seeing Eddie like that." he began, diverting his gaze to the window. Pausing, he shook his head, not liking the way he had begun the story.
"I've seen more things in my life than you could possibly imagine. You say that your relationship with your parents isn't a good one, but mine. It's worse."
No, that wasn't any good either. Clearing his throat, he struggled to prevent himself from crying, futilely, of course.
"Remember when you asked me why I became an astronomy professor and I dodged the question a few times before finally giving you an answer? Well, that wasn't the real answer." He paused, looking up at her for a moment before diverting his gaze and continuing.
"I became an astronomy professor because the stars were the only things in this world that offered me peace. Every night, when I was younger, I would lie out on the roof and stare up at the stars. Looking at them, the welts on my back wouldn't seem to burn so badly, and the blood coming out of my nose would kind of stop. Entranced by the heavens, my black eye wouldn't throb, and my broken jaw wouldn't ache."
By this point, the man had completely broken down, sobbing and choking on his tears.
"I wasn't like the rest of my family, and my father made sure I knew it."
There, it was done.
Pulling his knees up into his chest, Orlando buried his face in them, covering his eyes with his hands, looking like the little boy he had been so many years ago. He hadn't ever discussed his childhood with anyone, and, now, all that pent-up frustration, fear and emotion was exposed and released in the form of sobs and shaking.
Watching his body fall to the ground in a sitting position, Faithe had to fight every ounce of her being to keep herself from going to him. She didn't want to cause anything that might make him stop talking. Listening to his words, her eyes' tears spilled over her cheeks as her hand fidgeted with the star around her neck. Biting her bottom lip, Faithe's teary brown eyes remained on Orlando's crumpled figure on the floor.
As he balled up on the ground, Faithe couldn't stand it anymore. Walking to him quickly, she sat down next to him. Wrapping her arms around his trembling body, she pulled him towards her, cradling him as best as she could. "Honey..." Whispering, she wrapped her hand around his head, stroking his hair gently. Kissing the top of his head, she closed her eyes as two silent tears slipped down her cheek.
"You aren't alone, baby," Talking softly, she continued to hold him in a tight embrace, her hand still stroking his hair softly. Her heart was breaking at the sight of Orlando like this, but there was a strength inside of her that she had never felt before. They say that when a mother sees her child in danger, she has unsurpassable strength to make sure that child is safe. With every ounce of passion in her body, Faithe had gotten that strength to keep her emotions in tact, knowing it wouldn't do Orlando any good if she lost it as well.
The thought of somebody hurting him was almost inconceivable to her. "Look at me," swallowing hard, she reached down and lifted his chin slightly, forcing his eyes on her. He was such a beautiful person - he didn't deserve this.
"Orlando, you are an amazing person, a talented teacher, and a gifted astronomer." Speaking with some difficulty, the tears that were glazing over her brown eyes remained in her eyes, thankfully. "I can't imagine how much torment they put you through, and I'm not going to pretend that I do. I know what it's like to be shunned because you're different, but I've never been through anything to that degree." Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand across his cheek, wiping away the tears that had stained his cheeks, though she wasn't sure any of it would make a difference.
"You are the most extraordinary person I have ever met in my life, and if they couldn't, or wouldn't see that, then it's their loss. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment, least of all you. You were given trials and tribulations, and you overcame them and made a life for yourself that is worth something." Letting go of his chin, she slid her hand up to his other cheek, now cupping his face in both her hands. Her body was trembling, but she managed to keep her voice under control. Resting her forehead on his, she closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Opening her brown eyes, she searched his face.
"I can't say anything to wipe away your pain, Orlando, and chances are that pain is never going to go away. I would give the world to take this burden away from you." Finding it more and more difficult to keep her emotions in check, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "What they did wasn't your fault," recollecting that look of guilt she had seen on his face, Faithe spoke to him softly. "How Eddie acted tonight wasn't your fault...it was mine. Now I know why you were so adamant about protecting Kaytlin." Pulling back, she intertwined her fingers in his, pulling his hand to her chest. Wrapping her other hand around their hands, she held one of his hands in both of hers.
"I love you so much."
((Alright, alright...This post broke me. LOL I had it planned for the next night, but this seems to fit much more. ))
((Gah, I'm sobbing. That was beautiful, sweetie. In other news, now that I'm fully awake, I'd like to apologize for my last post's crappiness. I mean, seriously, way to downplay a crucial moment- I suck. Anyways, here's an attempt at redemption.))
Cowering in the fetal position, Orlando's sobs continued to rattle his full- grown body, transforming the strong, confident, and able man into a weak, scared, and powerless boy. That was the sort of effect fear could have on someone. Though the danger was no longer there, and would never be again, the trauma of the memories was too much for him to bear at the moment. Like a soldier with PTSD, the memories played their painful flashbacks on the movie screen in his mind, haunting him with visions of his mother's disappointed face as she would furrow her eyebrows and cross her arms over her chest, waiting impatiently for him to get inside after a day at school. He'd hurry up the rest of the stairway, stumbling upon the top step and tumbling onto the ground, backpack spilling over the porch. He'd apologize and quickly gather his things, but it would make no difference. Silently walking into the house, the door would close and an eerie darkness, at four in the afternoon on the island of Hawaii, would ensue.
Hearing booming footsteps gradually grow louder as their maker approached, the young boy would begin trembling as he merely stood in the foyer, awaiting their arrival. Feeling a 6' 6" figure cast its shadow upon him, the boy's brilliantly blue eyes would fall towards the ground, and his teeth would begin gnawing on his tongue, half because it had become a nervous habit and half in an attempt to ease himself into enduring pain. Maybe if he bit his tongue hard enough, he wouldn't feel any other pain that night.
After his father was satisfied, he would leave, and the boy would scamper upstairs as best he could, trying to keep the blood, which flowed freely from his nose, in his hand so that he wouldn't have to clean up the mess the next morning and be punished for that as well. Reaching his room, he would push the door open and hobble towards the window, pushing it open, and somehow lifting himself out, over the windowsill and laying him shattered body upon the cool roof.
His eyes would close for a moment, and he would begin to breathe again, shakily, though, for the pains he felt with each breath were excruciating. Opening his eyes, he would look up at the Heavens, and find himself at peace. The stars' beauty would entrance his mind, putting all thoughts of hurting in the back of his mind. It was there that he would eventually fall asleep, only to be woken the next morning by the warmth of the sun rising on his face, and begin another day.
The vacant expression had returned to Orlando's face once more, humanized only by the tears that slid down it. His teeth had begun gnawing intensely upon his tongue, and he continued to shake. As Faithe's arms wound themselves around him, his body failed to respond for a moment, as though he was trying not to involve her in it, or maybe because, so caught up in recollections, he didn't notice. Yet, soon, he did feel her hand stroking his hair, her lips upon his head, and her arms around him. Uncovering his face, his body shifted entirely, and his arms wrapped themselves around Faithe, clinging to her almost desperately as he sobbed into her shoulder.
Letting her lift his head to face her, the vacant expression remained on his face as he listened to her words. So beautiful, so kind, and so compassionate were they, that he couldn't possibly have deserved them. Closing his eyes as she wiped away a few tears, which were soon replaced with new ones, his sobbing ceased, though tears still flowed freely from his eyes.
His eyes remained closed as she leant her forehead against his, and his arms still clung to her urgently. Yes, her words were nice, but, to one who has experienced such an inexplicable amount of pain, words could only do so much to relieve it. Nothing Faithe could say would be able to take away that pain, and she knew it, but what she had said did begin to chip away at the blame Orlando had cast upon himself all those years ago. Perhaps it's just an aspect of human nature, but whenever a person is hurt, they tend to blame themselves, maybe trying to see the good in others, and, instead of believing that the world is full of bad people, that they had deserved whatever had happened to them.
"What they did wasn't your fault."
Faithe's soft declaration resonated through his mind, yet the man couldn't possibly believe it. Shaking his head, he silently negated the fact. At her next comment, however, he spoke.
"You didn't ask for it; it wasn't anyone's fault except his," he said quietly, though completely sternly.
As she entangled his fingers with her own, his mien softened, and another few tears dripped down his cheeks as his watery eyes followed his hand to her chest. At her voice, his eyes flitted up to meet her gaze. Just as she was, Orlando had been too caught up with the Eddie ordeal at Jake's house to concern himself with matters of professing love, yet, now, in the safe double penthouse of the hotel, in each other's arms, the man recalled the earlier events of the evening, one, in particular, of course. Slowly, a small, grateful, poignant smile appeared upon his face, and an eloquent sort of look took over his ever-watering eyes, though, this time, the tears that fell weren't tears of fear or sorrow.
Taking his free hand, he slowly placed it behind her neck and gently pulled her head towards his own, kissing her lips softly as his other hand squeezed hers.
"Et je t'aime aussi, ma chere, belle, brille Foi," he whispered, lying his forehead against hers, speaking in French just because the words flowed more elegantly.
"And I love you, my darling, beautiful, brilliant Faithe."
((Eh, it's not complete redemption, but it's a start. Maybe a 1.7 on the suck-o-meter?))
Feeling his arms wrap around her, Faithe closed her eyes. Seeing him so out of control broke her heart more than she ever would have thought imagineable. When he shook his head to what she had said, she cupped his face a little bit firmer, but not in an evasive fashion.
"No, don't shake your head." There was a soft firmness to her voice as her eyes stared intently at him. "Orlando, you aren't at fault for how they treated you anymore than Kaytlin was at fault last night. You were a child. All you ever did was exist, and if they found fault in that, screw them. Screw them all. They aren't worth your time, Orlando." There was a hint of anger in her voice. She was angry.
Angry at the family who had made this wonderful man feel so incompetent. Angry that they had manipulated his mind into thinking he was less than he truly was. Sighing, her facial features relaxed as the tiny smile shone through on his face. Reaching up as she felt his hand behind her neck, she gently stroked his cheek, wiping away the wet streams that cascaded down his cheek.
"I'm not brilliant, no where close." Forcing a small smile, "Certainly nowhere close to beautiful." Returning the pressure in his hand, she closed her eyes as her forehead moved to his cheek. Kissing his jawline softly, she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Don't ever let anybody make you feel like you're less than you are Orlando." Looking back up, she brought one of her hands down to his opposite cheek. Running her hand gingerly across his cheek bone, she slid it up to his hairline, running her middle finger through his hair. "There aren't enough words in any language to even begin to express how amazing you are."
((This is definately a 10 on the Suck-o-Meter.))
((I'll apologize in advance for this post. I haven't even begun writing it, but I know it's going to be bad. I've drained my allotted daily creativity on the Demeter post and the one before this. *sighs* Ah, well, I'll do what I can, honey.))
Faithe didn't understand. She couldn't understand. After all, who could possibly imagine what goes through the mind of a victim of child abuse if one had never experienced the sort? The fear, the desperate longing to redeem oneself, to perform some act of penance to rectify whatever sins they had committed. Surely he had to have done something more than merely exist to have been punished that way. Sighing, Orlando took a deep breath and nodded his head once more, this time, though, he wasn't completely negating Faithe's statement. She was beginning to get through to him.
Shaking his head and almost laughing, he closed his eyes. 'No where close to brilliant nor beautiful'? Such a lie that was. Although Faithe's beauty wasn't the type that would win her the Miss America pageant, it was an admirable sort. Physically, she was pretty, but it was her mannerisms, her personality and her sheer being that gave her the splendor Orlando considered beautiful.
"Can't you ever just say 'thank you' when someone compliments you?" he asked quietly, making a reference to that night he had brought her up to the Heavens on his old broomstick. Smile tugging at the corners of his lips, the sorrow completely vanished from his eyes.
That was how he was- after recounting some tragic event, Orlando would simply close the door on it. Just like that morning he had told her of Demeter, Orlando was now seemingly "over" the entire ordeal. He had told Faithe what he had needed to tell her, and, now that she knew, there was no need to explore the situation any deeper. After all, he wasn't planning on interacting with his family anytime soon. It was over, all that was left was the mark the trauma had left on him, and, like a tangible wound, there was no need to scrape off the scab and re-open it once it had started healing.
As her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, Orlando's encircled her waist, holding her securely in an embrace.
"Thank you," he replied, after a moment of silence.
Grinning, she wrinkled her nose slightly, "I do say thank you when I feel I deserve a compliment." Sticking her tongue out, she touched the tip of his nose with the tip of her tongue. Her mischevious, playful grin was replaced with a warm, affection expression. "Thank you for trusting me enough to talk to me about something like that." Reaching up, she wiped away the remainder of the tear streaks.
Standing up, she grabbed his hands. "I'm going to go change. There's only so long I can handle wearing a skirt." Grinning, she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him before she went off to her room; however, this kiss wasn't one of those little pecks they had been sharing throughout the evening. Smiling, she squeezed his hands before letting go and pulling back from him. Winking, she walked to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Walking in, she sat down on the edge of her bed, kicking off her shoes. Allowing her body to fall backwards on the bed, she allowed a loud sigh escape her lips. Life always had a way of treating the best of people in the worst ways. Orlando didn't deserve what had happened to him, and she would have given anything to be able to wipe away the pain his experiences had instilled in his mind and heart.
Standing up, she changed quickly into a pair of red capri pajama pants and a white tank top. Walking into her bathroom, she pulled her hair up in a ponytail. Turning her head slightly, she breathed a sigh of relief that there was no last impression from where Eddie had hit her. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she pulled her hair back down and ran a brush through it quickly.
Taking a deep breath, she walked back into the sitting area. Looking around, she noticed Orlando's door closed, signaling he hadn't come back out. Walking up to the door, she tapped on it lightly before opening it. He should be done changing...Please let him be done changing. Biting her bottom lip, she walked in. Plopping down on the bed, she fell back on one of the pillows.
"How long is your comet going to be visible?"
At the feeling of Faithe's tongue upon his nose, Orlando's boyish grin reappeared after a temporary sabbatical. Rather than say anything in response to her last comment, because doing so would reopen the door of emotions that he was fighting to keep shut. Instead, he nodded and pursed his lips together, silently thanking her for being someone he could trust like that as she cleared the remaining tears off of his face.
Letting her kind of pull him off the ground, he entangled his fingers with hers and laughed at her skirt remark.
"But you look so nice in it," he protested with a wink.
Wrapping his arms around her waist as hers found their way around his neck, he had anticipated a much less intense kiss than that one she gave him. Not that he minded at all, though, because he most certainly didn't. It just took him a moment before his own lips responded appropriately.
"Alright," he replied, turning to his own room as she retreated to hers.
Al abrir la puerta, Orlando kicked off his tan boots and flung them into a corner of the room. Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, he removed his socks, which, one might add, didn't smell too wonderfully, and proceeded to unbutton his black oxford shirt. Slowly removing it, and letting it fall to the floor, his hand paused as it touched his collar bone, and his eyes closed for a moment in silent recollection.
Sighing to himself, he shook the feeling from his head and continued undressing, pulling his white undershirt over his head and slipping out of his pants, and into a pair of light ((referring to the fabric, not the color)) dark blue pajama pants, tying the waist loosely.
Leaving his dirty clothes in a heap by his bed, he retreated to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, a childhood habit that hadn't ever really faded. Towling off his face, he returned to the bedroom, lying down on the bed and closing his eyes, just in time to hear a quiet knock and the door creep open.
Smiling as Faithe entered and laid down next to him, he scooped her up in his arms, lying her head upon his chest and positioning his arm so that his fingers could stroke the top of her head lightly. While most guys would have gone crazy at the prospect of having a girl in their bed in a hotel in downtown Manhattan, their thoughts didn't even occur to Orlando, he was perfectly content just cuddling with her.
"Sunday night's the last time you'll be able to see it," he answered, glancing up at the comet through the window, "but it doesn't leave Earth until Monday morning."
Reaching up a hand, he flipped the light off, leaving the two in darkness, save the moonlight, which shone enough light to allow them their sense of sight.
"Hey," he began randomly, "Why does everyone here call you Isabelle?"
Relaxing in his arms, Faithe released a contented sigh as she allowed her eyes to close momentarily. Opening them at his question, she allowed her eyes to drift to the window, a small smile spreading on her face. "Because that's my name, silly." Tilting her head up, a small grin spread over her lips. "I didn't start going by Faithe until I was a teenager. My family and almost everybody I've ever worked with calls me Isabelle. Well, Jake calls me Izzy most the time. As for Kaytlin, she was struggling to say Isabelle when she was learning to talk. However, Beauty and the Beast was one of her favorite stories, and so she just started calling me Aunt Bell."
Running her index finger absentmindedly on his chest, a small smile spread on her face at the thought of Kaytlin. "Mm...Sunday. Can we make it a date?" Smiling, she snuggled into him, finding warmth in his arms. Closing her eyes, she started to feel the exaustion from that day creep over her.
Feeling her body relax, a voice in her head was telling her that she should probably get up and go to bed. However, she found it increasingly difficult to will herself to move. "I should go get in bed..." Her voice came out a tired whisper, and even as she spoke she felt herself drifting off into sleep. Snuggling deeper into him, Faithe tried to force her eyes open, but her muscles weren't cooperating. "It'd probably help if I could move..." Murmering, her voice was coming out softer and softer as she spoke. This day had been too much...that was for sure.
((*sobs* I'm killing their Sunday date! Gah! I feel horrible. In other news, did you notice that I used random Spanish in the last post I wrote? Sorry 'bout that, 'twasn't intentional))
Nodding at her answer to his question, Orlando grinned. That made perfect sense, he thought, remembering that her real name, well, her first name, at least, was Isabelle. He preferred Faithe, though, he decided, flitting his eyes down to meet her gaze for a moment.
"Eh," he replied, "Belle does most certainly suit you, but I prefer Faithe."
Feeling her finger casually waltz over his bare chest, a sort of shiver/tingle ran down his spine and he closed his eyes, indulging himself in the feeling.
"Sunday?" he repeated, opening his eyes again and pulling her close as she snuggled into him, "I suppose so."
Smiling to himself, his fingers resumed stroking her hair as his other arm fell across his stomach, hand landing upon her waist. This was nice. He was content, comfortable, and enraptured lying there with her safe in his arms. Letting out a gentle breath, the man couldn't think of a better way to end the eventful day.
"You are in bed, ma Foi," Orlando stated quietly, insinuating that he wasn't about to have her return to her own bed. He was tired, she was exhausted, and he couldn't think of a single reason for her not to fall asleep in his arms.
Craning his neck momentarily, he planted a soft, gentle kiss upon her head before a yawn escaped his parted lips. Still absentmindedly stroking her soft hair, he lay his head down upon hers, closing his eyes.
"Bonne nûit et bon rêves," he whispered quietly, trailing off into "un bon rêve" of his own.
Smiling at his answer, she opened her eyes, poking out her bottom lip, "You suppose? Well sheesh...Don't sound too enthused about the idea." Grinning, she tilted her head up, allowing her lips to brush against his neck, but not kissing him. As he pulled her closer, her eyes closed again, this time with every intention of staying that way. Her forehead fell gently against his cheek as her breathing fell in sync with his.
"Bonne nuit, mon amour," speaking softly, Faithe relayed the little bit of French she did know. From all the singing she had done in the past, many French songs had been included in several of the theatre's programs. Through that experience, for somebody who wasn't fluent in French, her accent was pretty well developed.
Listening to his heart beating softly, her mind began to slip into that dreamy state right before she fell asleep. She felt safe, protected. That in itself was a new feeling to her. It's not as if Faithe had ever really felt unsafe, but she had never been able to look at a situation and feel that no matter what happened, she was protected. It didn't take long for Faithe to drift off into sleep. Her body gradually fell limp, a strand of hair falling in front of her face.
The golden fingers of the bright summer sum tore throught thy sky, flowing through the window and bringing a warm sense to Orlando's face, causing his eyes to flit open. After a quiet yawn, his mouth slumped into a grin once more. Blinking his eyes, he hoped the evening before hadn't been a part of some wonderful dream. The hope soon became a reality as he looked upon the beautiful, slumbering woman beside him.
His arms still lay draped around her side, and his hand was still entangled in her hair. Smiling, he stroked her hair lightly with one hand, gazing on in admiration. Orlando sighed contentedly, finding himself to be in a surreal state of mind.
Gently, he kissed Faithe upon the cheek. He felt lost in her embrace, unsure as to what lay ahead for them. The soft breath of the woman brushed against his face and he smiled cheerily. This is what he'd been missing for the longest of times: the arms of another, the body of one who would still be there when he awoke. Shaking his head, he laid it against her shoulder for a moment before meticulously wriggling his body out from beneath hers and lying her head upon the pillow.
Still shirtless, but clad in pajama pants, of course, he made his way quietly into the kitchen and, within a few minutes, returned to the bedroom with a magnificent menagerie of French toast, fruit, and juice, all on one conjured silver platter. Setting the tray down upon the nightstand, he leaned over and gently ran his fingers through her hair and down her arm.
"Good morning." he whispered, voice slowly creeping into her ear.
Faithe had awaken once during the night after a nightmare about Eddie apparating into their room. Breathing hard, and slightly shakey, she had wrapped her arms around Orlando, once again finding that comfort from his presence. The steady rhythm of his deep breathing, and the soft ba-boom of his heartbeat had sung her back to sleep in almost no time.
When Orlando awoke and slid out from underneath her, a small moan escaped her lips as he laid her head down on the pillow. Without waking up, her body moved to readjust to the still pillow. Burying her head into the pillow, Faithe's breathing became steady once again.
Orlando's soft, alto voice filled her head as goosebumps rose on her arm from his gentle touch. Moaning softly again, Faithe stirred slightly, but still remained asleep. Though her mind was still asleep, the tingling sensation his hand had brought her arm caused her to start shivering slightly in her sleep. As she snuggled into the pillow even deeper, her eyebrows furrowed slightly in her sleep.
Exhaling, a broad grin overtook Orlando's face as Faithe stirred, but failed to wake completely. Noticing the Goosebumps upon her slightly shivering her arm, the man took his hand to it once more, gently running it up and down her arm slowly, much as one would do in the winter, trying to warm her up. Tilting his head to gaze somewhat longingly at the sleeping beauty, the grin melted into a smile.
"Le soleil est a lieu de ciel," he sang quietly, almost whispering the words of the French folk song. Although it was most certainly obvious that Orlando wasn't a trained singer, the man could hold a tone and his natural vocal tone would lend itself well to singing, had he ever had professional training.
"Le matin arrivé."
The baritone melody faded as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
"Bonjour, ma cherie," he whispered in a sing-song voice, with just the vaguest hint of the song's tune, "Ouvrent vos yeux."
As his hand ran over her arm in an attempt to warm her, a soft moan escaped her lips as her head snuggled into the pillow some more. Hearing his soft voice, she began to wake up, becoming aware of her surroundings. Her brown eyes fluttered open slowly, and a small smile spread over her lips at the sight of Orlando.
"Good mornin' sweetheart," her voice came out soft, and had a rather heavy Texan lilt to her voice. After living in New York almost continually for seven years, the southern accent she had once had had melted away, but popped up most mornings right after she woke up. Reaching out, she took his hand, bringing up to her heart. He had such a soothing voice...she sure wouldn't mind waking up like this every morning.
Catching sight of the french toast, a mischevious grin spread over her face. "I see you had better luck with the french toast bit this morning..."
As her brown eyes opened, Orlando's brilliant blue ones met them, sharing with her a thousand words in a single look. Her Southern accent brought a soft smile to his lips, which was soon replaced by that Orlando-y grin.
Entangling their fingers as she took his hand in hers, he brought her hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss upon it before she could lay it upon her heart. Situating himself so that he was sitting completely atop the bed, somewhere near her chest, he brought himself into a half-sitting/half- laying position.
Shaking his head at her comment, he chuckled in remembrance of the mess they had made in his room a few months ago.
"Of course I did," he replied, matching the mischievousness of her grin with the inflection of his voice, "because you weren't there wildly flinging the ingredients about the kitchen or pouring the batter all over my head."
Grinning at her, he gazed down into her eyes with more of a serious, longing gaze of reverence.
"I could get used to waking up with you in my arms, y'know," he mused, stroking her hair.
Gasping melodramatically, she shook her head, "I have no idea what you're talking about! Besides," looking at him suspiciously, "I have a hunch you didn't exactly make these like you were trying to make the others." Grinning, she winked playfully at him. Her grin soon melted into a small, warm smile accompanied by a look of pure love and adoration.
Now that he was sitting closer to her, Faithe reached up her other hand and touched his cheek gently. Her eyes drooped halfway at the warm sensation when he stroked her hair, the left side of her mouth tilting up in a half smile. "I could definitely get used to falling asleep in your arms." Running her hand gently through his hair, that same longing she saw on his face came over hers as she gently stroked his cheek.
Sighing, a somewhat whistful expression crossed her eyes, "I just hate that this openness all has to end Sunday evening when we go back to school. Back to sneaking around to seeing one another." Biting her bottom lip, she hated it that the true reality of this weekend in paradise had jumped into her head at this time. She hated it that she couldn't be open a daily basis about her feelings for him. But, it was the only solution there was, and she was more than willing to live with it if that's what it took. Forcing a small smile on her face, she squeezed his hand, "Ready to eat?"
"How could I?" Orlando asked with a grin playing on his lips, "I wanted to have 'em ready for you when you woke up... and I didn't know when that was going to happen, so I had to make 'em fast. Besides, I wanted to keep this bed clean, darling."
Sighing softly as her fingertips caressed his cheek, the man's blue eyes closed for an instant, then re-opened, staring deep into her brown ones. Amazing... There was no other word to describe the indescribable sensation the man felt within.
At her sigh, the man's dreamy gaze faltered and was replaced with a look of concern, wondering what was wrong... Until she spoke, at least, answering his unspoken question. Nodding in silent agreement, he sighed as well.
"Way to ruin the moment, Faithe," he joked, laughing to show her that he was, indeed, only joking, "I wake up with you laying on me, get up and make you breakfast, we share one of those 'longing gazes', and I was just about to kiss you when you have to jolt me back into reality."
She was right, though. This entire weekend wasn't reality. He was able to hold her hand whenever he wanted, say things that might not entirely fit a student-teacher relationship, run his hand through her hair, whisper in her ear, and kiss her lips. Come Monday, he would have to put himself back in check, and watch his actions closely. But, for now, he didn't have to worry about anyone seeing them, or what bad might come from one slip of the tongue.
"And," he added, "I think I still will." Choosing to take advantage of that last realization, literally, he leant his head down and kissed her softly.
"Now, I'm ready to eat," he said with a grin.
Laughing as he got on to her, and for the bed comment, she kissed his nose lovingly. "Aww honey, you looked so good covered in batter. Then again, you look sexy anytime." Grinning, there was a sparkle in her eyes that had only ever been brought out when Orlando was around. Running her hand along his jawline, that adoring smile caressed her lips after he had kissed her.
"I love you." Talking softly, her fingers were still running back and forth along his jawline. She loved touching his face, she didn't know why, but she just did. Sitting up after he made his declaration for food, a small grin spread over her face. Typical guy... But Orlando wasn't a typical guy. At least, not the typical guys she had ever known. Orlando was different. He was gentle, compassionate, and adoring.
Stretching her arms above her head, a small yawn escaped her mouth. "Mmm...Waking me up to the soft sound of your voice, the warm touch of your hand, and breakfast in bed." Smiling, she reached up and touched his face again, "Can I keep you?"
Scrunching his nose up playfully as her lips touched it, Orlando laughed. Of course he looked good in batter...
"Sexy, eh?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows impishly. He was trying to make light of her words, but his modest nature combined with the person whose lips were speaking the words brought a gentle blush to his cheeks. Shaking his head, he grinned.
"I love you, too," he whispered back, kissing her neck as her hands covered his face again.
As the small yawn escaped her mouth, one did the same from Orlando's ((and as I typed that, I yawned as well... whoa)); yawning was contagious.
"Always," Orlando replied softly, kissing her forehead before reaching over and grabbing the tray that held the two plates of French toast, two bowls of fruit and two glasses of some sort of juice-type beverage.
"Your breakfast, mon amoure..."
"Yes, sexy." Laughing softly at his blush, she poked his cheek softly. Her stomach flipped as she heard the words escape his lips. The words 'I love you' had been a rarity in Faithe's life. She couldn't ever recall hearing it from her parents. The only people who had ever told her that were Jake and Eddie, and there were always hidden motives behind Eddie. Hearing those sweet words come from the man she adored, Faithe felt sucha feeling of...contentment and excitement.
Kissing him on the cheek, she took the food graciously from him. Picking up a grape, she popped it in her mouth, relishing the sweet and sour taste. "Mmmm...At least your conjure up good food." Grinning, she nudged him slightly with her shoulder.
Chuckling once more as being referred to as sexy, Orlando grinned and shook his head, the blush in his cheeks growing ever more noticeable. He didn't ever really think of himself like that. In fact, he'd never really even thought about it before.
Smiling as her lips brushed against his cheek, his eyes closed for a moment.
"I know," he replied with a mock arrogant smirk, "Did you honestly expect the Head of Athena not to be able to get a decent breakfast out of his wand? I mean, I've never been able to conjure up grapes that didn't leave your tongue with a bright purple color and a week-long grape taste, but..."
Shrugging as he trailed off, the man did a pretty good job of keeping a straight face, and even added a little bit of embarassment to the tone of his voice, as though the "fact" that his grapes were defective sincerely bothered him.
Laughing, she reached out and grabbed his nose lightly, wiggling it back and forth. Swallowing the rest of her grape, she let go of his nose. "It's a good thing I know that you're a big fat liar." Grinning, she scrunched up her nose again. At least, I hope he's lying. She opened her mouth to say something, but the phone cut her off.
Raising her eyebrow, she gave him a questioning look as she leaned over to pick up the reciever.
"Hello?" There was an air of inquiry in her voice as she spoke. It was rather odd for the room to be getting a phone call.
"AUNT BELL!" A yell was her reply. A small cry escaped her mouth as she held the phone away from her ear, wincing slightly at Orlando. Offering him the phone, she grinned.
"It's for you?" Laughing, she dared to bring the reciever back to her ear, moving slowly. "Hey sweetie, how are you?"
"I'm great! Are you coming to see me sing tonight?" Her volume had lowered, and her voice now carried a tone of urgent excitement.
"Not tonight sweetie. Orlando and I have to go take care of some business. He has to go name his comet." Speaking in that voice she only used with her niece, Faithe fingered the small, silver Northern Star around her neck; the star that matched the same one Kayte had.
"Ahhh," a small whine could be heard on the other end of the reciever.
"Don't worry sweetz, I'm coming back up next weekend especially to see you." Winking at Orlando, she reached up and stole a strawberry from his plate. After a few quick words, she hung up the phone, shaking her head as a small sparkle lit her eyes.
"That child...she is something else. She's going to be absolutely beautiful when she's a teenager." Laughing softly, she reached out and squeezed his hand lightly. "We're going to have to keep an eye on her."
Raising his eyebrow as Faithe casually made light of his jest, Orlando shrugged.
"Oh, but I'm not lying, ma Foi," he said sincerely, "Go ahead and ask the Transfiguration professor; I can't conjure up grapes that don't have something wrong with them..."
Pausing a moment solely to see her reaction, the stone face melted into a smile.
"Lucky for you I didn't conjure those ones," he added, "Room service works wonders..."
After a quick moment, Orlando's eyebrow rose again, and his his face fell, blue eyes glancing with mock panic towards his chest.
"Fat?" he repeated, making his bottom lip quiver slightly as his eyes surveyed his -in this author's opinion, gorgeous- body. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten all those mashed potatoes last night..."
Grinning once more, his mien, too, turned into a questioning one of sorts as the phone rang, and Faithe reached over to pick it up. Telephones were another thing that Orlando had yet to adjust himself too. True, he knew what they were, and could use one reasonably well, but they were still... different. He didn't understand why one wouldn't just send an owl over, or, if an instant reply was needed, apparate over for a chat...
Hearing a small voice yell loudly from the receiver, Orlando couldn't help but reÃr a carcajadas. It was obviously Kaytlin. Wanting to keep his hearing for another fifty or so years, Orlando waved off the phone when Faithe handed it to him, mouthing something along the lines of "it's too early".
Listening with vague interest to the end of the conversation he could hear, Orlando's eyes were drawn to the star around Faithe's neck. Kaytlin had had one identical to it, he recalled; in fact, that was nearly the first thing the little girl had talked to him about. Curiously inclining his head, his pensive trance burst when Faithe reached over a plucked a berry off his plate.
"Yeah, keep all that food away from me," he whispered with a grin, teasingly putting another small bunch of grapes on Faithe's plate as well,"I gotta start losing weight."
As she hung up the phone, Orlando could help the smirk that crossed his face. Nodding in agreement when at last she spoke, the mischievousness faded from his face and was replaced with a gentle, sincere expression.
"Just like her aunt," he added in response to the Kayte becoming beautiful comment, running a hand down the side of Faithe's face.
"We're?" Orlando repeated. "Who says I'm gonna stick around long enough to see Kayte as a teenage?" he asked, completely joking. ((And he's saying it in the same voice Catch used to ask Sharon if she thought she deserved coffee))
Her face faultered at his comment about the grapes, her brown eyes growing wide. A small squeak escaped her lips as she started toward the mirror, but stopped when she saw his lips curl into a smile. Growling, she picked up a pillow and stuffed it in his face. "Eat that!" Winking, she poked her bottom lip out, mocking him with a playful glint in her eyes as she watched his lip quiver melodramatically. Sitting her plate in her lap, she leaned forward and kissed only his bottom lip lightly, the left side of her mouth curling up.
"You're sexy," keeping her voice low, she practically purred at him. ((Ha ha...Loved your little comment in that, by the way!)) He was not fat, and they both knew it. Slapping him lightly in the shoulder about his food comment, she stuck her tongue out at him.
Blushing slightly at his words in response to Kaytlin's future appearance, her eyes fell to the bed and shook her head slightly. "I hope not. The poor girl deserves better than that." Closing her eyes at the feel of his hand, her head leaned into his caress slightly. Opening her eyes, the look she gave him was filled with love and admiration.
Rolling her eyes at his comment, she rolled her neck slightly, leaving the warmth of his hand. Shaking her head, she grinned at him, "Well, actually sweetie, I was talking about Jake and me." Smiling, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Looking down, her smile became more faint, "You make it sound like you intend on taking off." Raising her eyes, she forced a smile to give off the impression that she was just teasing him. Of course, on the outside she did make it look like she was just kidding, but there was an uneasiness his comment had laid in her heart.
She knew he was just teasing her, but the thought of it did make her feel tense. The idea of Orlando simply not being around effected her, more than she would admit. Smiling, she winked at him, "Well, hopefully I can keep you around for a little while."
When she had been on the phone, she had noticed his eyes on the necklace. Looking down at the small silver star, she reached up and rubbed the star in between her index finger and thumb. Shifting her gaze from the charm, she looked back up at Orlando, keeping the star in between her fingers. "It's our lifeline."
Busting out the boyish grin in response to Faithe moving towards the mirror, Orlando couldn't contain his laughter, yet, that wasn't a problem, as it was soon hushed when he found himself smothered by a pillow. Biting it with a grin, he tried to- as she had put it- "eat it", but didn't quite find its taste to suit his liking, and threw it back at her.
As her lips touched his bottom one, he felt a shiver run down his spine, whose sensation was only heightened as she told him he was sexy. The lower register of her voice had a sort of dark, mysterious undertone to it, which wasn't at all characteristic of the sweet, upbeat and fun Faithe he knew; needless to say, it intrigued Orlando extremely. Rolling his shoulder away from her as she gently smacked it, he shrugged and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
Seeing the soft blush begin to rouge her cheeks, Orlando couldn't help but shake his head at her.
"You're beautiful," he insisted in a gentle, sincere whisper, stroking her face with his fingertips as he spoke, "Even if Kaytlin only grows up to look half as amazing as you, she'll still be striking."
Feeling her roll her head out of his hand, he retracted it. Raising an eyebrow, he nodded slowly. How was he supposed to have known that? Shrugging, he let a sheepish grin overcome his face for a moment. Quickly following that, after her lips had touched his cheek, came a soft, pink blush.
Normally, given the opportunity to do so, Orlando would take full advantage of Faithe's teasing him about leaving her, but something in her eyes stopped him, or maybe it was the way her lips stopped halfway through their smile. Or, perhaps it was his strong divination talent. Whatever it was, he passed up the chance, and, instead, took a much different approach.
Gently running his hand through her hair and down her jawbone, Orlando lifted her chin up so that, not only her eyes, but also her head was looking at him. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead before pulling back and allowing his sapphire eyes gaze into her russet ones.
"Don't worry, ma Foi," he whispered with just a hint of a smile pulling at his lips, "Tomorrow morning, if you wake up and the sun does not appear, I will be here. Tomorrow morning, if you wake up and the future is unclear, I will be here. I'm not planning on going anywhere."
After a sincere moment of silence, where all he did was gaze into her eyes with something between a look of reverence and one of passionate longing, the smile upon his face grew into a grin, and what had been earnestness had now melted into repartee.
"As long as you don't mind being with a horribly fat and extremely dorky Astronomy professor, I'll be here," he added, doing a pretty good job at preventing himself from laughing too much.
Gazing with interest at the necklace between her fingers for a moment, Orlando's eyes flitted up to meet hers.
"Lifeline?" he repeated, not quite understanding how a necklace could work as such. As a wizard, he presumed there was some sort of magical connection, and didn't even consider the possibility of the necklace duo being a metaphorical lifeline
Laughing as he bit the pillow, her laughter soon faded as she shook her head, a look of adoration caressing her features. Squealing as the pillow was thrown back in her face, she grabbed it and hugged it tightly. Resting her chin on the top of the pillow, her eyes never ceasing to leave his face. Feeling her cheeks burn even hotter with embarrassment, she only shook her head. Though she was objecting, there was a part of her that felt rather pleased with his comment. More honored than anything.
Her eyes became weighted with contentment as his hand gently ran through her hair and down her face. A smile spread over her mouth as he spoke, she reached up and caressed his face with her hand. "Be careful, Professor Lorenz, somebody might think that you're a poet." Leaning forward, she kissed his nose lightly. "A beautiful poet at that."
Practically tackling him for his fat comment, Faithe pounced on him, pinning him to the bed. Leaning forward, she rested her nose barely on his, her eyebrows furrowing together. "You are not fat, and you certainly aren't dorky." Sitting up, she moved her arms so that he was free to sit back up if he wished. Eyes glimmering with reverence, she reached out and intertwined a tuft of his hair in her fingers gingerly. Twirling it slowly, she spoke softly, "You're brilliant."
Letting his hair fall back in place, she looked down at the necklace once more, lifting it in the palm of her hand. "Our lifeline. My grandmommy had one just like it." Looking up at him, a look of remembrance crossed her face. "She gave me this one when I was four, and it was our lifeline. It's enchanted. They both are. Since she didn't live near me, she found these as a way for us to always know how each other is doing. When Grandmommy died, the other necklace was left to me. I gave it to Kaytlin." Reaching up with her other hand, she put her index finger on the top of the star, and her thumb on the bottom. Concentrating her mind how she had done so many times before, she looked down as a soft blue glow shone around the star.
"I can tell how healthy she is by how bright the light is. I can feel her emotions inside of me." A small grin crossed her face, "Right now, she's extremely hyperactive." Laughing softly, she shook her head as she let go of the necklace. "She's learning how to use it. So far she can feel my emotions, but she hasn't mastered the glow." A sad sort of expression came over her face as her hand ran absentmindedly over the silver Northern Star.
"When Grandmommy died, I felt it." A cold chill settled over her and she hugged the pillow with both arms a little bit tighter. "It was probably one of the most terrifying things I've ever felt. Feeling death without actually experiencing it." The left corner of her mouth crooked up as a small look of amusement crossed her face, "You would think that since I've almost died twice, it wouldn't have effected me that much. But yes, this is our lifeline."
"I'm certainly not a poet, ma cherie, I guess the truth's just inherently eloquent," Orlando replied with a soft smile accompanying the soft blush in his cheeks that was becoming so frequent it was almost characteristic of him.
Grinning as Faithe ambushed him, for, in some ways, he had been expecting it, Orlando rolled his eyes in amusement. Raising an eyebrow in mock confusion, as though he had no idea why he was pinned down, he simply kept grinning as she spoke. Rubbing his nose against hers right before she sat up, Orlando shook his head.
"You need to make up your mind," he replied, smiling impishly, as he remained lying down, "You tell me I'm a dork on the train ride here, you just called me fat, and now you're saying that I'm not." Gazing up, his gaze met hers, and a smirk fought to cross his face. "You women are so confusing."
As her fingers once more found their way to his hair, the smirk melted into an endearing smile. Closing his eyes momentarily as she wound it around her finger, an act that was almost becoming habitual for her, he re-opened them only at the sound of her voice. Meeting her revering gaze, he smiled back, reaching a hand up a making an- in the author's opinion- adorable, pathetic futile attempt to run his fingers through her hair. In actuality, his fingers only caught the very end of her ponytail, barely moving it, and causing the man to make a sort of exasperated face at her.
"And you're beautiful," he countered earnestly as he casually propped himself up on an elbow and gently pulled whatever hair accessory was holding her hair in the ponytail out. Placing his hand atop her head, his fingers waltzed through the rest of her hair, toying with it slightly as they reached the bottom, and prompting a contented smile to cross his face as he wound the -presumably- elastic band nonchalantly about his fingers and lying back down.
Staring at the necklace as she lifted it into her hand, the blue color of Orlando's eyes deepened, as it often did when he was particularly concentrated or intent upon something. He nodded slowly as she spoke, finding the whole lifeline concept of the necklace rather captivating. It was amazing was a little bit of magic could do to bring two people close to each other.
Enthralled by the way Faithe could control the necklace's glow, the entranced look on Orlando's face heightened, and the man smiled at Faithe's comment about Kayte being "hyperactive".
As the young woman spoke of her grandmother, Orlando offered a small, sympathetic smile as condolence, reaching up and brushing his fingertips gently along her arm.
"I'm sorry," he said candidly.
"For that, too," he added with a small laugh in response to her comment about nearly dying twice herself.
Tsk-ing as he commented about his 'eloquent' speech, she shook her head. "You are too modest, love." Kissing his cheek softly, she smiled as his cheeks turned red. Reaching out, she ran her hand softly over his cheek, "You blush wonderfully."
Nudging him softly, she stuck her tongue out, her nose wrinkling as she did so. "Stinker. You know I was just teasing you sweets." Leaning down, she rested her upper body on top of his, "You're not a dork." Kissing his nose lightly, she grinned. "You're brilliant," she whispered as she kissed his left cheek. "Sexy," purring as she spoke, she kissed his right cheek. "Amazing,"winking, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, but did't kiss him. Sitting up, she stuck her tongue out at him again.
Giggling as he tried to reach her hair, she couldn't help but find the look of exasperation adorable. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head, but made no verbal objection, knowing that everything would just end up going in a circle. Feeling his hand gently tickle her scalp after he'd taken her hair down, her head tilted slightly.
Laying down after she had spoken, she rested her head on his stomach. Turning her head to look at him, she reached up and started toying with his hair again. "Eh...don't be sorry." Laughing softly, she closed her eyes for a short moment, opening them with a look of amusement in her eyes. "The first time was rather interesting, but it also taught me to keep a sizeable distance between myself and the edge of the stage. I was five and Jake was seven, and we did not get along. At all! It was our parents' great idea to cast us as argueing siblings. Well, during dress rehearsal one day, his character was supposed to push my character. The only problem is, Jake was still mad at me for some fight we'd had a couple hours earlier, so he pushed me really hard. Some poor tuba player was down in the orchestra pit, and next thing he knew, there was a five year old falling on him."
Grinning, she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips. "Poor Jake. That's the reason we're so close now. He almost killed me. I still have a scar on the back of my neck." Among the many on my back from the broom... Faithe was extremely self-conscious about the scars on her back, which was why she would never wear a bathing suit in front of other people. Anytime she had ever gone swimming, she would always wear a shirt over her top. Shuddering at the thought, she shook her head absentmindedly.
Reaching out, she took his hand in hers, intertwining her fingers in his. "What about you? Anything of that sort?"
Feeling her body lay atop his, Orlando's eyebrows rose mischievously and he nonchalantly set a hand atop her back. As she went through the motions of kissing nearly every feature of his face except his lips, he blushed, then, as her lips brushed his, but failed to fully kiss him, the blush faded and a quizzical glance overtook his face for a minute. Hand still on her back, and exaggerated look of disappointment on his face, the man made a futile attempt to stop her from sitting all the way up. Not being able to do so, due to the poor position he was in, he simply let his face fall.
"It's not nice to tease people, y'know," he whispered with pleading eyes for a moment before taking her hair down.
As the weight of her head was put upon his stomach, Orlando's hand reached down to stroke her now-down-hair, smiling as her hand reached for his own hair.
Gasping as Faithe told of her first encounter with death, his hand stopped stroking her hair to let his eyes widen in shock. After a moment, his eyes flitted to her neck, and, provided that he could see it from the position she was laying in, to her scar, which his fingers gently ran across in a sort of hypnotic trance.
Forgetting that the young woman had said she had nearly died twice, primarily because her question distracted him, Orlando's mind began re- enacting his own encounter with Death, not even noticing that she had entangled their fingers. Besides the beatings his father regaled him with, there was another traumatic event in his past that he rarely shared with anyone. Of course, Faithe already knew about the single most secretive aspect of his life, and, if he felt comfortable enough to tell her that, then there wasn't a reason in the world to keep the other event from her.
"Yeah, actually," he answered, somewhat absentmindedly, trying to remain as calm as possible. Clearly, he couldn't do that well if he was thinking about the incident. It would be best to be as casual as possible in his recollection, he thought, gnawing slightly on his tongue as he began to speak.
"I grew up on the coast of Oahu, kind of between Ewa Beach and Pearl Harbor, and- as you already know- home wasn't exactly a place I delighted in going to. So, I kinda took refuge, during the day, at least, in diving just off the coast. It's not like my parents cared where I was, in fact, sometimes, I think all of us would have been happier if I'd just never come home after school one day." Sighing, he shook his head.
"Anyways, this one day- I was about ten years old- I went out a little too far, and, scrawny as I was, I ended up looking quite appealing to a shark."
Another pause in the conversation ensued as Orlando closed his eyes, mentally reliving the incident.
Gently, and meticulously, setting down his schoolbooks in the soft, powdery sand along the coastline, the small, gaunt, ten-year-old boy eagerly ripped his shirt over his head and flung it upon the ground. Unzipping his pants, he let them drop to the ground to reveal a pair of deep orange swim trunks. Kicking off his sandals, he ran across the sand, not even noticing that he had stepped on a small rock and cut his foot a bit as he practically flew into the warm water of the Pacific Ocean.
Letting its warmth encircle him, the boy flitted his brilliant blue eyes down to gaze through the transparent, blue waters, intently staring at the phenomenal marine life below its surface. Grinning to himself, he bobbed a few times in the water before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as he ducked under the water.
Re-opening his eyes, he began swimming below the surface. His eyes seemed to widen incessantly, amazed by the beautiful fish, the rays, and, of course, the flora that the sea held. So entranced was he that he failed to notice the ocean floor growing further and further from him with each kick of his long, lanky legs and each stoke his skinny arms made. Feeling his chest grow warm, burning for oxygen, he allowed himself to surface and rest for a minute.
Treading water, the cut in his foot began to burn a cause of the salt water. Being slightly irritated by the pain, his eyes darted about, estimating himself to be about a half-mile from the shore. Having taught himself how to swim rather well, that fact didn't faze this particular little boy at all; he could easily make it back to shore in a few minutes' time. Glancing about, he found his gaze inadvertently drawn to an object seemingly floating in the ocean.
Initially, he blew it off as a piece of seaweed, but seaweed wasn't gray, and seaweed didn't come out of the water- it floated on top. This particular object was slick, shiny, gray, and coming out of the water at an angle- it was the top fin of a shark. Realizing this, the tiny boy began kicking as hard as he could, turning himself quickly back towards the island.
Hearing the water ripple quickly behind him, his eyes widened in fear as he reverted to doggy-paddling as fast and furiously as he could. Then, in an instant, he felt twenty-four teeth sink into the bottom of his left thigh. Immediately, tears flew to his eyes as he let out a scream, trying desperately to kick himself free. It wasn't for another seven minutes that he was free at last, having used nearly all the strength in his tiny body to defend himself against the sea monster.
Still crying, and shaking in fear, he eventually made it back to shore.
Though the gash in his leg eventually healed into a perfect impression of the shark's mouth upon the back of his left thigh, the memory never faded, and, from that day on, that young boy has been more immerged in water than the shower.
"Still got the scar on my leg," he mused, directing his gaze towards his left thigh for a moment. Of course, he had downplayed the story quite a bit, but after the mental recollection, a verbal narration would have been too much. As he focused his thoughts on the scar, he could almost feel the teeth ripping his flesh, causing him to flinch just slightly, not enough for the average person to notice.
Shrugging it off, he casually smiled at Faithe.
"I'm still alive, though," he laughed, "I'm unstoppable."
Seeing his face blush, her mischievous grin grew wider. The look of disappointment on his face caused Faithe's face to break out in a playful and sympathetic smile. Gah...He is the most adorable person on this planet.
"It may not be nice, my love, but it sure is fun." Sticking the tip of her tongue out, her nose wrinkled slightly as she winked.
Listening to him speak, the smile faded from her face and was replaced by a look of deep compassion and concern. The biggest thing she'd ever been bitten by was a cat name Baldy, named for the baldness on his tail. She'd been four at the time, and it had terrified the magic out of her. She couldn't even begin to think of the terror that must have gone through the ten year old little Orlando.
Turning on her side so her brown eyes could focus on him without going cross eyed, her eyes drifted over the features of his face. His jaw line as he spoke, his brilliant blue eyes as they flashed with that look of reminiscing.
quote:
I think all of us would have been happier if I'd just never come home after school one day."
At those words, she sat up straight, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Don't say that! Ever!" There was a firmness to her voice, but everything in the way she spoke was filled with love and compassion. Giving her best attempt at looking angry at him for daring to speak such an atrocity, she couldn't help the sincere look of passion for the man laying before her. Returning to her position, she rested her hand on his stomach in front of her face.
Her hand moved from his stomach to her neck, her index finger running gently along the straight line. She could handle that one scar, it was just the other six that littered her back. Hearing him speak of his own scar, an involuntary shudder ran through her spine.
Smiling at his last comments, her head shook, that mischievous glint reappearing in her brown eyes. Rolling over on her stomach, she pushed herself off the bed a few inches, crawling up towards him. Bringing her face within an inch of his, the smile on her face faded into a look of serious flirtation.
Whispering softly, her eyes never blinked, but they held that look of devotion. "I bet you I could stop the unstoppable." Toying with him again, she brushed her lips across his, but pulled back. Rolling over, she stretched out on her back, a grin spreading on her face, "Then again....maybe I won't."
((Insert time here.))
The sound of the phone ringing echoed throughout the room, causing her to jump slightly. Smiling, she looked over at Orlando, "Honey, will you get that?"
"May not be nice?" Orlando repeated incredulously, raising his eyebrows at Faithe, "It's definitely not nice, and that's an understatement. You're completely teasing me here!"
It was certain that Orlando was complaining about it by his vocal tone and the look in his eyes. For as much as he whined about it, her taunting him couldn't have bothered him too much. After all, it wouldn't have taken much effort for him to have simply lifted his head and kissed her himself.
"And, what's worse," he added with a grin, "is that you're enjoying every single second of it."
Feeling her jolt up off of him, and hearing her nearly scream as she scolded him, Orlando's face was contorted by an expression of sheer perplexition. Why shouldn't he say such a thing? It was, after all, true. His parents wouldn't have had to deal with his conflicting personality, his brother would have been free to use the loft for indulging in hormonally directed activities instead of having to use his own bed, his sister wouldn't have had to be subjected to being a squib in a family of five, and he wouldn't have ever felt so alone again. He might have been alone, but the feelings of dread and terror wouldn't have ever surfaced again. Closing his eyes for a moment, he wondered why he hadn't ever thought of such a simple solution before, when he had been a child. Then again, everything was ideal in one's mind... even Communism. It was when reality interferred that consequences were caused.
Shrugging at her words, Orlando offered her a nonchalant gaze that said something along the lines of, "Eh, what're ya gonna do?".
Matching her smile with one of his own for a moment, the jovial grin disappeared as Faithe nearly prowled up towards him and her face came close to hers. Not even realizing that she was teasing him again, his hand reached up towards the back of her neck, and his fingers combed through her hair.
Looking up into that indescribably attractive gaze Faithe's eyes held, Orlando felt an enjoyable shiver ripple down his spine at the sound of her whisper.
"Mmm?" he replied, almost daring her to by raising his eyebrows impishly.
As she leaned down towards him, Orlando's lips parted slightly and his eyes closed. Yet, as her lips brought a tingling sensation to his, but failed to fully kiss him, Orlando's eyes opened and his mouth opened wider- in another gasp.
Pushing her off him playfully at the same time as she rolled herself off of his chest. Orlando sighed with a mix of exasperation and frustration, as his blue eyes grew wide with both disappointment and longing.
"Do you have even the slightest idea of what you're doing to me, Faithe?" Orlando asked, shaking his head at her.
((Insert time here ))
At Faithe's jump, Orlando's arm tightened around her, and he grinned. Reaching out his free hand, his fingers closed upon the receiver and brought it to his ear.
"Yeah?" he answered, wondering who was calling them.
Allowing a melodramatic sight to escape her lips, she grinned, "Yes. Yes I am." Which she was! Faithe absolutely adored the look he got on his face when she teased him; it was so...well, adorable. Sticking her tongue out at the exasperation he showed on his face, she finally divulged him. Moving in just as she had done, she finally allowed herself to give in to her own inclinations, and kissed him. Pulling back after sometime, she was surprised to find herself shaking slightly. Smiling, she rested her head on his shoulder, "No. What?"
Reaching her hand over to the other side of him, she toyed with his hair gently as she stared at him. Until the phone rang...
"Hi, hi!" A high pitched, hyperactive voice of a five year old girl squealed into the phone so loud the reciever vibrated slightly. A smirk crossed Faithe's face as she dove for the pillows, burying her head underneath. I'll let him deal with this one... "'Lando, 'lando, 'lando! Hi, hi! When you and Aunt Belle are dressed will you take me to FAO Schwarts? Please,please,please?" With every word that came out the young girl's mouth, her words grew even more exuberant. However, her tone mellowed remarkably as a pouty air filled her voice, "Daddy can't take me because he's busy with the theatre." Sniffling melodramativcally, Kaytlin waited to hear the 'yes' that she knew was coming.
Considering the heightened volume the girl had been speaking with, Faithe was grinning like a fool underneath the pillow. She is going to have him wrapped around her pinky before the day is up...
Casting a wary gaze at her as she moved towards him once more, Orlando was almost waiting for her to pull back. With each centimeter closer her face drew to him, he could feel passion coursing through his veins. Realizing that, at last, she wasn't just teasing him, a broad grin lit up his face. Reaching up, as he had just done, with his hand, he wound it around the back of her neck, guiding her lips to his as he closed his eyes. Returning the affection her lips radiated, he kissed her back vehemently, wrapping his other arm around her back, pulling her gently closer to his body. Following an eternity, he felt her back lifting itself up; after squeezing one last kiss in, he loosened his arm around her back, allowing her to break free.
Feeling her body almost trembling, his arm remained upon her back, gently running up and down it as an amazed, contented, and enchanted smile crossed his lips in the midst of his breathing, which, wasn't at all heavy or labored, but, it was certainly obvious that he was left breathless. Turning his head so that he could meet her gaze as she lay upon his shoulder, Orlando offered her a knowing smirk in response as he exhaled.
"Oh, I'm sure you can figure it out," he declared in a deep whisper, smiling as her fingers played with his hair..
At the sound of Kaytlin's squeal, Orlando's eyeballs nearly bulged out of his head and his arm shot out about a foot, holding the receiver far away from him. Casting a glance at Faithe, he merely smirked as she buried herself in the pillows.
"Hey, Kayte," he replied slowly.
Listening to her adorable speech, Orlando's smirk melted into a sympathetic grin, partially because he felt bad that Jake couldn't take her himself, and partially because, even when he told her yes, she'd still have to wait quite sometime for himself and Faithe to get themselves ready to be seen in public.
"Of course we will, Kayte," Orlando replied with a grin, winking at Faithe.
Not ever having been around children much, the poor man failed to see how badly he was falling for the child's inadvertent manipulation skill. To him, the poor little girl just really wanted to go to the toy store. Seeing nothing wrong with that, he had presumed Faithe wouldn't either, and thus agreed.
"It might be awhile though," he added as an afterthought, "We could pick you up around noon, go out for lunch and then swing by the toy store, if that's alright with your dad."
Exhaling a deep breath, Faithe practically melted when he whispered. This was definitely something she could be content with for the rest of her life. Being so close to somebody emotionally, that even they were nice, words were often unnecessary. A simple touch on the arm, a simple smile; all held deeper meanings than most words could express. She adored it. Everything was still new to her, but it was an adventure. One that she enjoyed more than any African Safari she could ever experience.
Laughing before the phone had even been hung up on the base, she tossed the pillow lightly at him. Propping herself up on her side, she grinned at him, tsk-ing and shaking her head. Reaching out the hand she wasn't leaning on, she tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, trailing her fingers behind his ear, down his jawbone, and to the center of his chin.
"She has you wrapped around her little pinky already." Leaning forward, she kissed his nose lightly, unable to contain the grin on her face. "Sucker. Kayte's going to have you spoiling her before this day is over." Stretching out her back one last time, a small squeak came out as she felt her muscles pull comfortably.
Rolling off the bed, she stood up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess I should go take a shower. So we don't keep ou...darling Kayte waiting." Winking, turned towards the door and began walking towards the door. Biting her bottom lip, she pushed open the slightly ajar door. The words our darling Kayte had almost come out of her mouth on accident. Where did that come from?
Hopping in the shower, there was a lot on her mind as she went through the routine. Things were definitely getting deep between the two. Is this something she really wanted? Her entire life, Faithe had tried to lose herself in books to avoid developing relationships of any sort. Of course, Orlando was so different. She was going out of her way to avoid keeping her nose in books all the time so she could get to know him. When the words I love you had come from his lips, she had almost felt dizzy from the ecstacy she'd felt inside of her. She truly did love him, there was no doubt about it. Being close to him was something she did truly want, and nothing could make her change that for anything. As hard as it was to see him five times a day, and not be able to openly affectionate with him was, she knew it would be almost unbearable to simply not have him there at all.
As she toweled her hair dry, her brown eyes stared at her reflection studiously. Why her? Faithe didn't see herself as abnormally pretty, or unusually intellegant. What could there be about her that he was attracted to? In her opinion, Orlando deserved the best, and she knew that there were thousands of other females that were higher up than she. Sighing at herself, she walked back into her room.
Wearing a pair of khaki's and a white, sleeveless button up shirt, she ran a brush through her wet hair. Walking out of her room, she walked casually towards the giant windows that overlooked the city. Staring out at the water, her thoughts turned to a ten year old little boy in Hawaii. How scary it must have been for him. Orlando had always seemed unbelievably wonderful to her from the start, but now that she knew how much he had suffered as a child, he seemed even more amazing. He was strong, dependant, and compassionate. Most children would have caved under the pressure he was put under, but Orlando was shaped into a loving, gentle man because of it. I would give anything in the world to make sure he never felt pain again...
Hearing Faithe's endearing laughter, Orlando glanced over at her just in time to catch the airborne pillow before he hung the phone up. Grinning back at her and shaking his head, he gently threw it back at her, brilliant blue eyes getting that look of reverence in them once more. As her fingertips gently caressed his face, something he'd grown quite fond of, the grin thawed into a warm smile.
"Does not!" Orlando retorted back with a look on his face that clearly said the opposite. "Eh, maybe just a little bit. But, come on, Faithe, she's five years old, and nearly a younger, miniature version of you; how could I not want to give her everything she wants?"
Smirking playfully, he reached out for her just as she rolled off the bed.
"Hey, where're ya going?" he whined.
Not even catching her voice falter at the "darling Kayte" remark, Orlando just rolled his eyes and shrugged at her. If she wanted to go take a shower, he didn't really have a problem with it, they did, after all, only have a little over an hour before they had to go pick up Kaytlin. Waiting not a second after her back was turned, he sat up in bed and flicked the hair tie, which was still around his fingers, at her derrière, grinning uncontrollably. Before she could do anything about it, he leapt from the bed and ran into his own bathroom, flashing one last deviously satisfied grin at her before gently shutting the door.
Nonchalantly untying his pants and letting them fall to the floor, he started the warm shower water and hopped in. He was overcome by thoughts just as Faithe was at the moment. From the moment they had met at the train station to just then in his bed, there hadn't been a single moment- save those in which Eddie was involved- that hadn't been extraordinary. He had learned so much about Faithe's life, and, being able to be close to her without any consequences, learned so much about Faithe herself as well. There wasn't anything about the girl he didn't like. True, she had her faults, as all people do, but, rather than finding fault with them, he merely saw them as adorable idiosyncrasies unique to his Faithe alone.
Shutting off the water and wrapping a towel around his lower half, the man stepped out of the shower, smiling to himself. At the sight of the fogged- up mirror, the right side of his mouth twitched upward into a grin, and his finger scrawled a juvenile "O.L. + F. C." on it, outlining the initials with a heart. In all honesty, the man was completely smitten with her. Wiping a hand across the mirror, he cleared off room for him to actually use it the mirror as a mirror, rather than a sketchpad. Taking off the towel, he dried his hair most of the way with it before running a comb through the dark strands. Reaching on the left side of the sink, where he normally set a clean outfit, he bit in lip in pensive thought as he realized that he hadn't set an outfit there this morning.
Hoping Faithe had shut the door on her way out, he flung the towel once more around his waist and darted out of the bathroom, grabbed his duffelbag, and back into the bathroom as quickly as he could, just in case she hadn't. Shutting the door once more, he ruffled through the bag, eventually procuring a plain white T-shirt and pair of dark jeans, which his haphazardly clad himself in. Glancing one last time in the mirror, he ran a hand through his hair, then down his face. Feeling the stubble, which, as promised, had reappeared, he couldn't help but grin. Just long enough to give his face that somewhat dark aspect, but not too long as to be a bother.
Kicking the used clothing and towel into a pile on the ground, he exited the bathroom, half-hoping for Faithe to be lying on his bed, just as she had been last night when he'd walked out the very same door. Their relationship had become so much more over the course of the weekend thusfar. It had deepened from the somewhat casual one they had had at the school into a rather serious one, and, considering it for a moment, Orlando found himself pleased. He wanted this; he wanted Faithe. Waking up with her had only confirmed the thought that he could spend the rest of his life with her. Realizing this, an indescribably sincere smile crossed his face. Of course, he wouldn't just jump right into something like that, but, perhaps, after the school year was over, things had calmed down, and they no longer had to hide themselves from the world, he could propose the idea to her.
Nearly giddy, he sauntered into the main foyer with almost a little hop to his step. Seeing Faithe, his grin only widened. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, gently pulling her close to him as he leaned his head down, momentarily resting it comfortably upon her shoulder.
"I love you," he whispered, kissing her neck.
Pulling back and loosening his grasp on her waist, he smiled at her, sidestepping so that he was next to her.
"What're you staring at?" he asked curiously, having noted her entranced gaze before he arrived.
As he made a pathetic attempt to deny Kayte's influence, Faithe's expression carried a 'yeah right, don't even play like that,' expression. Laughing gently as he finally gave into the truth, she clucked her tongue as a look of pure adoration crossed her face. How much she loved him...
A look of pure mischief crossed her face as a small grin curved onto her lips, "Does that mean I could ask you for anything and get it? I think I could handle that..." It was obvious there was playfulness in her tone. "Maybe I will keep you around for a little while." Winking, she stuck her tongue out at him.
Feeling the hairband hit her derrière, a melodramatic gasp escaped her mouth as she turned around, a look of disbelief in her eyes. Watching him sprint to the bathroom, the look of astonishment melted away into a warm smile that plainly said 'I love you.'
Completely lost in her own thoughts, his footsteps had gone unheard as Orlando came up behind her. Feeling his arms around her, she relaxed against him, a small smile playing faintly at her lips. She noticed that when he was around her, she couldn't stop smiling. This was also new to her. Sure, she laughed and smiled just like everybody else, but nobody could make her smile as much as Orlando, and she loved it.
Hearing those words whispered in her ear, a feeling of complete devotion towards the man who's lips spoke them so sweetly rippled through her body. Something inside of her told her that this was how it would always be. The two of them together, complete devotion for one another, that undying love that she knew would never fade. There would be rocks in the road, yes, but she didn't doubt for a moment that they would get through it together. A small, objective groan escaped her lips as he let go of her and stood beside her.
"I was just looking at the water. It's so...hypnotic sometimes. I get caught up in the rhythmic sparkled from the sun's reflection." Speaking softly, she finally tore her eyes from the water, pushing the thoughts of a small boy being attacked by a shark. Wrapping her arm around his, she rested her head on the side of his arm.
"You ready to head over there?"
But of course," Orlando replied, not missing a beat as a genuine sparkle shone in his brilliant blue eyes. "Anything you want, darling..."
At her groan, Orlando turned his head towards her, rolling his eyes, but still smiling.
"If you're going to moan and groan about it, how are you ever going to be able to make it through the day when we get back to Rosencrantz? I won't even be able to hold your hand after tomorrow; you'll be suffering from extreme Orlando withdrawal."
There was a teasing undertone to his jovial voice, complemented by a slight chuckle, but it did hold some genuineness to it. One the following day had ended, he knew, the two would have to go back to feigning that they were nothing more than a teacher and student whose passions both lay in the field of Astronomy. The weekend, thusfar, had been wonderful, not only because of the course of events, but because neither of them had had to keep themselves in check in any way, shape or form; they were free to be their true selves, acting on impulse, and not worrying that anyone was watching them.
Casting a wary glance out at the water Faithe was entranced by, Orlando nodded. It certainly was hypnotic, but, for him, at least, not in a good way. Instead, he was plagued with flashbacks of the past. Closing his eyes for a moment, to clear his mind, he re-opened them only once Faithe's arm was around his. Reaching his free arm around his chest, he gently took her hand in his, entangling their fingers together with a warm smile. Like Faithe, Orlando found it near impossible to keep himself from smiling in her presence.
Lifting his left arm just slightly, and taking great care not to make Faithe think he was trying to shake her arm off it or anything of the sort, his eyes flitted to the leather-banded watch on its wrist. Opening his mouth to reply, an inadvertent yawn escaped his lips, which closed shortly afterwards into a sheepish smile.
"We have a little over a half-hour," he replied, "So I guess it depends on how we're going. I'd just have us apparate over there- can you apparate yet? Or hasn't that been worked into the seventh year curriculum yet?"
"Eh, it doesn't really matter, I suppose; I'm sure Kayte can't do that yet, and I wouldn't want her getting splinched if one of us had to apparate her through the city. Not to mention it might look a little odd."
Pausing for a moment to offer her a grin as he realized that he had just been rambling for the past minute or so, he shook his head.
"I'm such a wizard," he declared with a laugh, "You're the muggle-y one, why don't you decide how we're traveling? I'm ready to go whenever you are."
Shoving him lightly at his comment about school, she poked him gently in the side. "Now, why did you have to bring that up, Professor Lorenz?" Shooting him a sulky look, she crossed her arms. "I hate all the secrecy." Turning towards him, her pout turned into a small smile, "But it's worth it as long as I get you." Winking, she reached down and took his hand. Kissing his knuckle softly, she squeezed it before letting him go.
Raising her eyebrow as he talked, and talked, and continued to talk, a loving, amused expression crossed her face. Laughing silently, she shook her head. "Nope. Can't learn how to apparate until after graduation." Sticking her tongue out, she rolled her eyes. "If you want, we can apparate over there, and then just take the subway and walk to the toy store. There's this restaraunt a few blocks from the store called Jeckyl and Hyde. They put on a show while you eat that tells the story of the litary work about Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Kayte loves it." ((Ah...so good! Just don't try their veggie burger...it's gross!))
Grinning as he called her the 'muggle-y' one, she shook her head slightly. "Muggle-y? What an astute word for a man with your intellectual calibar." Winking, she pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Hoping he wouldn't fall over, she hugged him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. Biting his shoulder gently, she giggled.
Laughing as her poke ticked his side, Orlando squirmed slightly, darting a "hey!" glance at Faithe.
"I do too, ma Foi," he replied somewhat sorrowfully. "But, just think, in less than a month, you'll have graduated, and we can do whatever we want together in public."
Offering her a mischievous grin, he shrugged.
"Provided that it's in good taste, of course..."
Punctuating the statement with an impish wink of his own, Orlando shrugged nonchalantly.
Sighing with superfluous frustration at her inability to apparate, he rolled his eyes.
"So," he declared, in a tone that clearly told her he was teasing, "you want me to apparate you and me all the way over to Jake's? Do you know how much energy it takes to apparate my fat body alone?"
Grinning at his revival of that morning's joke, he continued.
"Plus, there's always the chance of us splinching together... then we'd literally be a part of each other forever."
Sheepishly smiling at her, he raised his eyebrows, anticipating a comment about the corniness.
"Don't ever start with me," he said, "You've done much worse..."
As she told him about the potential restaurant, he nodded.
"Sounds good to me."
At her comment about his use of the "word" "muggle-y", a soft blush rouged his cheeks. She was right, and he knew it.
"Uff!"
A surprised grunt escaped his mouth as Faithe jumped onto him, yet his arms instinctively wrapped themselves around the young woman's back, holding her tightly against him. Turning his head, his eyebrows rose quizzically as she nibbled on his shoulder, shaking his head at her.
"Your quondam exegesis did hold a certain amount of veracity," he replied, "My vocabulary is quite capacious, but I aggrandize not exploiting it."
Smirking almost arrogantly for a moment, he shook his head and planted a gentle kiss upon her forehead.
Giving him a rather sassy expression at his fat comment, she stuck her tongue out at him. Slapping him in the shoulder, her eyebrows furrowed together as a glare that purely said 'I could never be mat at you,' crossed her face. Laughing at the talk of being joined for eternity, she grinned at him.
"I don't mind spending forever with you, but I would like to actually enjoy your company from my stand point." Winking, her eyes held that look of adoration as she reached up, toying with his hair.
Laughing even more at his sentance that sounded fresh from a thesaraus, she shook her head, finding it even more humerous because she understood the words that were coming out of her mouth. Lifting her head, she sighed melodramitcally, "Such a romantic, you are." Sticking her tongue out, she touched the tip of his nose with the tip of her tongue.
"Beam us up, Scotty." Winking, she grinned, "Do your magic."
Beaming, Orlando's eyes gleamed with happiness as Faithe spoke of spending forever with him. 'Good,' he thought to himself, knowing that the young woman hadn't a clue that he was taking her comment so literally. The more he thought about it, the more that Orlando liked the idea of marrying Faithe. Sure, they were still very young, but he knew he would never love anyone more than Isabelle Faithe Cunningham.
As Faithe laughed at his obscure words, Orlando just grinned.
"You know I'm a sap," he replied, wrinkling hs nose up at the touch of her tongue, "I speak fluent French, how could I not be a hopeless romantic?
"Besides," he added, letting his voice shift from a normal voice at a moderate volume to a deep octave whisper as he spoke into her ear, "You know you enjoy it completely..."
Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he readujsted her position on him and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Opening his eyes for a moment, he smirked at her.
"Cross your fingers and hope we don't splinch," he whispered, gently guiding her head back to his shoulder, and, then, keeping his hand upon it.
With another deep breath and a close of his eyes, the man concentrated all his energy on apparating the pair to Jake's. As slight groan escaped his lips, he opened his eyes and ran his fingers through Faithe's hair. They had reached there destination without splinching; that was always a plus...
"Well, well, well. aren't we Mr. Ego today?" Grinning, she winked to show that she was just teasing him. "I speak fluent English. I know quite a bit of Latin, but it's not a spoken language anymore." Sticking her tongue out again, she wrinkled her nose, laughing. A small whine escaped her mouth when his voice dropped to his low octave, her stomach feeling jittery. Gah...Adorable...
Allowing him to lay her head on his shoulder, she laughed at his talk about splinching. Closing her eyes, she wapped her arms tighter around him. Her stomach jolted just as it had done eveytime the two had ever apparated. Hearing him groan, her first thoughts were that something had gone wrong. Sitting up quickly, her eyes opened almost as quickly. Finding that everything was normal, she looked at him with a look of concern.
Reaching out, she ran her hand along his jawline softly, her brown eyes searching his face. "Are you alright?"
At her question, Orlando's eyes closed and his arms relaxed around Faithe's waist. Laying his head upon her shoulder, he let out a small breath. Gently tapping her derriére with his hand, he insinuated for her to get off and slid her body down off of him. Although his arms weren't providing any support for her, he didn't fully let goof her until he felt her feet upon the ground. Despite the fact that he had apparted both of them the same distance the ast night, for some reason it appeared that this time had taken more out of the man. Slowly lifting his head up off her shoulder, he managed a weak nod.
"I'll survive," he said quietly. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he laid a hand upon her shoulder to steady himself as his head turned away.
Oh, this was too much fun...
Knowing that he couldn't keep up this devious little prank for much longer, as he felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he took another deep breath then swallowed.
Suddenly, without warning, he turned back towards her and wrapped her up in his arms, spinning her halfway around and dipping her down, as one might do in some sort of ballroom dance, and kissing her warmly. Pulling her back up, a broad grin shone brightly over his face.
"Sorry," he whispered with the lower octave of his voice, "An opportunity like that was too good to pass up..."
As soon as her feet hit the ground, Faithe's eyebrows furrowed together in a great look of worry and concern. Cupping his face in her hands, she brought her face closer to his, looking in his eyes. "Orlando? What's wrong?" Running her thumb gently along his cheek, she braced herself a little bit better when he placed his hands on her shoulders. She was about two seconds away from calling Jake for help. Opening her mouth to do so, a rather loud squeal escaped her lips as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
Her arms flew instinctively around his neck as he spun her around, her nose wrinkling as she grinned. Feeling a shiver run through her spine as he kissed her, that warm feeling spread through every part of her body. Whimpering slightly as he used that darn voice, she offered him a look of reverance.
"Aw, honey," Speaking in an innocent voice, she kissed his ear in a tantalizing fashion, "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Pushing him away, she smacked him somewhat harshly in his shoulder. Crossing her arms, she attempted a glare in his direction, but there was nothing but adoration and love in her brown eyes.
The door flew open, and as Faithe turned, a small body was wrapped around her legs. Flailing her arms, she managed to find the wall with one of them and prevent the two of them from tumbling to the floor.
"Aunt Belle!" Jumping up and down, Kaytlin grinned as she let go of her legs. Reaching her arms up, an impatient expression crossed the girl's face as she waited for Faithe to pick her up. Obliging the five year old, Faithe swung her onto her left hip, Kayte wasting no time to rub her nose against Faithe's.
"Hey sweet pea," Despite herself, her Texan accent shown through with her comment, but went unnoticed by her. She had a tendancy to do that quite a bit, but unless it was really bad, she never seemed to notice the southern accent. "You ready for some lunch? Then the toy store!" Grinning, Faithe began walking inside the door, motioning with her head for Orlando to follow her. Closing the door with her foot, she allowed the wiggling girl down.
Kaytlin wasted no time in flinging herself at Orlando, practically crawling up the man's legs. "Guess what? The tooth fairy came last night and brought me FIVE DOLLARS!" Squealing, she clapped her hands. "I saved my money from my last two teeth, and now I have fifteen! Which meand I can buy a new toy! Are you gonna buy a new toy today too?"
Hearing Faithe's slight whimper, a satisfied smirk appeared on Orlando's tanned face. Although he wasn't nearly as good as teasing her as she him, it was nice to know that at least he had one weapon to fight her entire arsenal of cuteness with. Not to mention the fact that he liked utilizing the rarely used octave of his voice...
At the touch of her lips upon his ear, a shiver rippled down the man's spine, reminding him that Faithe did indeed have at least one up on him in that realm. Grinning as she pushed him away, he was almost tempted to drop her, but, instead, helped her to her feet before relinquishing his grasp. Gasping and rubbing his shoulder in moderate pain, Orlando gaped at her.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, trying to glare at her. Yet, when his attempted glare met hers, he couldn't help but smile at her.
As the door flung open, Orlando was jolted back to reality. He and Faithe were not on a deserted island and there were other people to consider. Grateful that the door hadn't opened a few seconds earlier, the man let out a pleasant sigh.
Chuckling slightly at Kaytlin's endless energy, Orlando cast a glance over at Faithe, grinning even more at her Texan lilt. Adorable... Watching on with an incessant smile as Faithe nearly toppled with the addition of Kayte's tiny weight, he couldn't help but laugh.
As Kayte shimmed down off of Faithe, Orlando knew exactly what was coming. Reaching out his arms, he picked the squirming girl up at the moment she reached his leg. Spinning her around, not unlike he had done to Faithe on more than one occassion, there was a sort of sparkle in his eyes.
"Really? That must have been a really special tooth then," Orlando commented, grinning broadly as he hoisted the tiny girl onto his side. Following Faithe down the stairs ((god-moding, yeah... so sue me)), he shook his head at her question.
"I don't know, Kayte," he replied with a smile, "Maybe if your 'Aunt Belle' will let me, I'll get another model rocket..."
Casting a mischievous yet content glance at Faithe, Orlando winked. It was almost scary how much of a father he looked like...
Jake walked out at the sound of voices, smiling in a warm greeting at the people now gathered in his living room. Hugging Faithe, he nodded towards Orlando. He would have offered his hand, but there seemed to be a small child leeched onto the poor man. Faiteh grinned at Kayte.
"I remember one time the tooth fairy did the strangest thing. I was so disapointed. I woke up one morning, it was my 5th birthday, and instead of money, she had left me a kernal of corn." There was a perplexed expression on the young woman's face as she recalled how upset she had gotten over the matter. Jake, however, burst out laughing.
"That's because I snuck into your room and stole your money. I didn't want to leave you empty handed, so I gave you the piece of corn." Watching his sister's face contort into a gasp, he quickly took a step back as Faithe heaved a nearby pillow at him. Running for the door, he ducked past her, "Have fun!"
Down on the road, Faithe looked at Orlando and Kayte, an admiring expression on her face. He would be such a great father one day. At his rocket comment, she poked her bottom lip out, speaking in a sulky voice, "Only if I get a teddy bear." An innocent smile spread over her face as she stepped in closer to him, reaching out for his hand. Intertwining her fingers with his, she couldn't help but see the perfection in the picture. I could definitely live with having a family with this man...
"Then it's settled," speaking with a firm sense of authority, Kayte nodded importantly. Well, she showed as much authority as a five year old could get away with. Reaching out her tiny hand, she fidgeted with Orlando's hair. "I want a dolly." Nodding vigorously, a pensive stare crossed the girl's brown eyes. "With brown hair, like mine."
Ah, the amusement of a brother-sister squabble...
Despite the fact that he had had two siblings, Orlando had never known anything of that sort. His brother, Eric, who was older than him by about four years, had always found him too nerdy. There had once been a time when the two had gotten along... up until Orlando had decided that he wasn't interested in football and would rather spend his days building model rockets.
That left his sister, Tiara, who was seven years his junior- a mistake on his parents' part. But, after realizing that Orlando wasn't exactly what they had been looking for in a child, they hardly held it against her. Orlando and Tiara had never really gotten along, but that was because they hadn't ever been given the chance. By the time Tiara was born, Orlando was already the family punching bag, and, not being considered worthy, hand't ever spent any time one-on-one with his little sister.
Grinning, he offered a nod to Jake as the man blew past him on his way out of the apartment.
"Of course, ma Foi," he replied with a smile, "I'll buy you the biggest teddy bear there."
Taking her hand in his, he couldn't help but feel his face light up as she entangled their fingers. Gently pulling her closer to him, he laid his head on hers for a brief moment with a calm, contented sigh. There was some innate part of him that saw this perfect little picture as the rest of his life, only, instead of Kayte, there would be a little Lorenz offspring perched upon his hip.
Hearing Kayte's important-sounding voice, he lifted his head off Faithe and turned it towards her. Not being able to prevent it, a small chuckle that escaped his lips. Too cute... Then, as her fingers reached for his hair, gently toying with it, he couldn't help but cast a quizzical glance at Faithe as if to tell her that she had indeed worn off on the girl.
"Alright, Kayte," Orlando answered with a grin, nodding his head, "Maybe we can even find a doll that looks just like you!"
After walking a little while longer, they finally arrived at the subway station. As the door opened, Orlando goofily spun Faithe inside, then following in with Kaytlin still in his arms. Pointing Faithe towards a gathering of empty seats, he, too, walked over, sitting down and setting Kayte upon his lap.
Laughing at his comment, she shook her head. "Well thank you sweetheart, but I don't really care to carry around an eight foot bear." Reaching up, she kissed his cheek, winking. "Something I can sleep with will do." Since last night won't be happening again for a long time. ((Ehh... that sounded bad...lol But you know what I meant!))
"Ewww!" Kayte's voice startled Faithe as she cried out all of a sudden. "You kissed him! Icky! Get a cootie shot!" Rolling her eyes as she laughed, Faithe stuck her tongue out at her adorable niece. Before they reached the subway, Faithe darted to the other side of Orlando, kissing Kayte all over her face. Grinning as the girl squirmed in Orlando's arms, Faithe darted back across Orlando, taking her place by his side with her hand back in his. "Aunt Belle! Now I need a cootie shot!"
As they entered the station, Kayte was mutter to herself, although the words 'circle, circle, dot, dot...' could be heard. Winking at Orlando, Faithe blew him a silent kiss. Giggling as he spun her inside the train, Faithe shook her head, a look of adoration on her face. Sitting down, she watched him walk towards her, Kayte in tow. As soon as the man had sat down, Kayte scooted onto his lap, resting her head on his chest.
"Uh oh, I think I have some competition." Reaching down, she tickled Kayte in the sides, pulling her over into her lap. Squealing, Kayte wriggled as Faithe tickled her mercilessly.
"Not fair! You're bigger-n-me!" Talking between squeal, Kaytlin made a futile attempt to reach behind her and tickle Faithe. Laughing, Faithe wrapped her arms around the little girl, looking down and sticking her tongue out at her. Kayte wrinkled her nose in response, grinning as she proudly showed off that missing tooth. "Are we eating at Heckly and Jyde?"
Giggling, Faithe nodded. "Yes sweets, we're eating at Jeckel and Hyde." Correcting the girl gently, she brushed a strand of hair out of her own eyes.
"That's what I said, Heckly and Jyde." Checking her pockets to make sure her tooth money was still there, she nodded to herself, satisfied. "I'm hungry." Looking at Orlando, she tugged on his shirt sleeve, "Are you hungry? I am hungry."
Shaking her with amusement, Faithe scooted up against Orlando, resting her head on his shoulder. This was too perfect...
"Something you can sleep with, eh?" Orlando repeated, nudging her shoulder as he flashed a slightly suggestive glance at her. Grinning, he shook his head. Had Kayte not been there, he probably would've made some sort of growl at her and a slightly more suggestive comment, but Orlando did have some sort of class, and, thus, kept his comments clean. Or, at least, clean enough where Kayte wouldn't get any of them. "I think that can be arranged..."
Feeling Faithe's lips upon his cheek, the man evitably blushed as he smiled at her. Their romantic little moment, however, was broken by Kayte's squeal, which, in turn, prompted a grin from Orlando's lips.
"Cooties?" he repeated, casting a confused glance at Faithe. Poor Orlando... Never having grown-up in the Muggle World, he hadn't the slightest clue what the cooties legend was all about. But, after seeing a similiar response from Kayte after Faithe had kissed her, he presumed it was something associated with kissing.
As Faithe blew him the kiss, Orlando wrapped his left arm tighter around Kayte in order to reach up with his right hand and snatch the invisible kiss out of mid-air. Placing his fingers upon his lips, he winked at Faithe.
Feeling Kayte's head upon his chest, one of Orlando's arms loosely encircled her waist, winding its way around the girl's tiny body and eventually ending up with his fingers stroking her hair.
Smirking at Faithe's comment about competition, Orlando shrugged and raised his eyebrows at Faithe. Then, as Faithe's arms reached over to tickle Kaytlin, he aided her and picked the small girl up at the same time as Faithe did, helping her into her lap.
Amused by Kaytlin's childish speech, he smiled at Faith, silently sharing one of those glances with her.
"A little bit," Orlando replied, looking down at Kaytlin again, "Although I did have some rather well made French toast for breakfast this morning..."
Winking out of the corner of his eye at Faithe, he smiled as she scootched closer to him, letting a small, content sigh pass through his lips. Casually draping an arm over her shoulders, his fingers tapped themselves on her arm for a moment before his full hand fell upon her skin, gently rubbing up and down her shoulder a few times before finally finding a comfortable place.
"And your aunt had a few delightful grapes..."
Laughing slightly, he laid his head upon Faithe's for a moment, then lifted it back up.
Feeling her face turn red, she couldn't look him in the eyes for fear of laughing. "Yes, something to sleep with." Finally looking at him, she raised her left eyebrow in a daring sort of way. "You see, the teddy bear I slept with last night is no longer at my disposal." Speaking softly, she winked at him, shaking her head with a grin as he 'caught' her kiss.
"Eh...Don't worry about it." Chuckling at his confusion over cooties, she merely shook her head.
She wished she had a camera as she looked admiringly at the two snuggling up next to her. A warm smile spread over her lips before she stole her niece. The past couple days Faithe had become even more enamored with the remarkable man. He was perfect. Kayte loved him to bits, and simply seeing him with the child made Faithe's thoughts immediately drift to what a great father he would be.
Wrinkling her nose, Kayte shook her head, "I don't like grapes. I do like french toast though! Mmmm...syrup!Daddy always says I look like a mess after I eat syrup."
"Ha! Look like a mess? My baby doll, you are a mess after you eat syrup." Poking her niece in the belly, she winked at Orlando.
After a relatively short subway ride, Faithe stood up as the train slowed. "This is our stop." As Kayte hopped down, she faced Faithe almost immediately and reached her arms up. Wrapping her hands around Kayte's wrists, she pulled her up and swung her around to where the girl was on her back. Pulling Kaytlin's arms around her neck, she waited for the girl to get situation on her back before walking forward.
Giggling, Kayte looked behind to make sure Orlando was following. Walking up the steps, she fell in step with Orlando, turning right at the top on the street.
"It's less than a half a block up this way." Speaking as she watched, she allowed her knees to give slightly under her, keeping Kayte 'on her toes.' Hearing the child squeal and then laugh, Faithe couldn't help but grin.
Reaching the front door, she knelt down so Kaytlin could hop off her back. Taking the girl's hand, she walked into the door. Kaytling reached over with her free hand and took Orlando's hand in hers, giving her plenty of reason to occasionally hang in mid-air.
"Mm-hmm," Orlando replied, nodding his head, "Actually, I'm sure the teddy bear you were snuggled up next to last night wouldn't mind being used for another night..." Planting a gentle kiss on top of her head, he grinned somewhat deviously.
Chuckling at the mental image of a syrup-covered Kaytlin, Orlando rolled his eyes.
"That's alright, Kayte," he replied, "I always seem to be a mess after fixing French toast for some reason..." His voice was slightly innocent, as though he had absolutely no clue what could possibly be messy about French toast, yet the smirk he shared with Faithe gave it away. "...even when we don't eat it with syrup."
Shaking his head with amusement as Kayte glanced back at him while he followed the pair, Orlando smiled back at her. Turning the corner in step with Faithe, he nodded at her telling him that it wouldn't be too far.
Wrapping his fingers around Kayte's tiny wrist as the small girl grabbed his hand, Orlando cast a glance over at Faithe. Mouthing the words "one, two, three", he lifted his hand up, presuming Faithe would do the same, as they crossed the doorframe into the restaurant.
Casually chatting with the host, the trio was soon led over to a rather nice little table near the "stage". Nodding again at Faithe, he swung Kaytlin up into one of the chairs. Then, quickly grabbing Faithe's hand, spun her around and into another chair, making a habit out of spinning her. He'd have to take her swing-dancing sometime, he supposed.
Swing-dancing was one of Orlando's little-known passions. During his relationship with Demeter, he'd be conned into going to swing dance clubs for their date on more than one occassion and had found himself to both be rather good at and enjoy it.
Graciously taking the menus from the host, he handed the childrens' menu to Kayte and one of the two larger one's to Faithe.
"So," he asked, "what's good here?"
Opening her mouth, a tiny squeak came out as she made an attempt to object, her mouth closing with a small smile. "I still maintain that I would have been better off had you not come tackling me on the bed." Feeling her face turn pink, she couldn't help but give him a look of agreement about the 'teddy bear.' "I would love to cuddle with the teddy bear again."
Lifting Kayte along with Orlando, she smiled as the little girl became giddy with excitment, especially when she was lifted into the seat. Giggline as he once again spun her, Faithe noticed herself spotting as she spun quickly on her toes. Always using her technique, Faithe had undoubtedly labeled herself a dork. Taking her seat, she thanked the host for the menues.
"I want chicken fingers." Kayte announced to half the restraunt without opening her menu.
"That's fine baby doll." Leaning forward, she whispered her next words, "But let's not talk so loudly everybody can hear us, alright?" Winking, she reached out and tweaked the little girl's nose.
Giggling, Kayte nodded as she placed both her hands over her mouth.
"They have really good hamburgers. Most their food is great, but I wouldn't suggest the Veggie Burger." Sticking her tongue out, Faithe wrinkled her nose at the memory of the cardboard taste she could vividely recall. Slipping her foot across the table, underneath it of course, she gently nudged Orlando's foot.
A blonde waitress came to the table wearing a fake smile and enough make-up to make a clown jealous. "Good afternoon!" Speaking in a rather high pitched voice, the blonde reminded Faithe strangely of Ivy. Looking at Orlando, she offered an extra smile, tossing her hair rather suggestively. Offering no apologetic look to Faithe, or even acknowledging her existence, she asked if they were ready to order.
Not able to help himself, Orlando laughed nearly as loudly as Kayte had spoken when the girl announced her meal choice to the whole city. Slapping a hand over his mouth, he could feel his cheeks warm with a slight blush. Wiping his hand down his face, he offered Faithe a sheepish smile.
Casually opening and perusing the the menu, he nodded at Faithe's comment, sticking out his tongue at her remark about the vegetarian choice.
"I pride myself on being an omnivore," Orlando replied with a smirk, insinuating that he wouldn't dream of ordering something vegetarian, "So I think I'll probably just stick with a normal American hamburger..."
Feeling something hit his foot, he instinctively presumed it was Faithe's. Wrapping his foot around hers, he gently moved his ankle along the lower part of her leg, toying with her and punctuating the fun with a wink.
Seeing the waitress approach, Orlando immediately went into a coughing spasm, which was, clearly, faked. Recovering quickly as the waitress spoke, he cast a look at Faithe before looking up at the ditzy woman.
At the woman's suggestive gestures, Orlando merely nodded back with a polite smile before reaching his hand over and setting it on Faithe's thigh, clearly telling the waitress that he wasn't at all interested.
"Are you ready, darling?"
After allowing her time to response, Orlando cast his glance up towards the waitress once more, wondering how anyone could wear that much stuff on their face.
"I'll have a well-done hamburger and a coke," he replied, making sure to let the woman catch him making "googly-eyes" at Faithe.
Grinning as he stuck out his tongue, Faithe leaned over to where her mouth was less than an inch from his and growled softly. "Watch it. I might think you're offering." Winking, she went back to looking at her menu. Laughing silently at their game of footsie underneath the table, Faithe had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. Adorable...simply adorable...
Biting her bottom lip as Orlando made quite the spectacle, Faithe's adoration for him grew. Smiling warmly at him, she nodded in response to his question. Looking over at Kayte, she smiled at the five year old who had started entertaining herself tearing the corners of her paper napkin. "Sweetheart, do you want to order?" Speaking in that voice that was reserved for Kaytlin, Faithe looked at her quizzicly. Kayte looked up and nodded vigorously.
"Uh huh! I want chicken fingers! With barlebeque sauce, please." She had straightened her posture to look more important. Kayte hardly ever got to order for herself, and it always made her feel important when she was allowed. Grinning, Faithe shook her head in amusement, catching a glare from Barbie Doll Waitress.
Sighing in impatience, the woman looked at Faithe with the utmost look of loathing, "Plan on ordering?" That look impatience radiated in the waitresses voice as she spoke to Faithe; Faithe's eyebrow raised slightly at the rudeness this girl was treating her customers with. Tempted to stoop to her level, Faithe fought the urge to take her sweet and petty time.
"I would like the Cajun Chicken Salad, no onion, with ranch." Watching the waitress roll her eyes when she thought she wasn't being watched, Faithe made a mental note to make a phone call to the manager later.
"Drink?"
"Rootbeer." Smiling adoringly at Orlando, Faithe winked. It took every ounce of will power she had within her to keep from bursting into fits of laughter at Orlando's face. His 'googly' eyes were so corny, but she loved it. I love it...I love him.
Feeling Faithe's face so close to his own, it took more self-control than Orlando had thought not to pull her into a kiss right there. The reason he didn't do so, though, wasn't, as one may have believed, Kayte, but rather the sheer PDA factor. Orlando was, obviously, a typically rather shy person when not in the sole company of people he was comfortable with, and, therefore wouldn't dream of doing something of the sort in public, yet Faithe was tempting him so badly.especially with that growl of hers. Upon hearing it, his stomach flipped and he had to fight the urge to melt in his chair and regain his composure.
"Think I'm offering?" he repeated incredulously. Smirking to himself, he reached a hand inside the inner pocket of his jacket and "swish-and- flick"ed his wand ((note- the jacket pocket was not at such a level where one could wrongly interpret the visual that moving it created)), then procured some off-brand wizards' version of Starbursts. Handing a couple to Kayte, primarily to occupy the girl for a moment, he stuck one, still- wrapped, into his mouth, closing it; after the span of about thirty seconds, his mouth re-opened and he procured the wrapper, which was, though not at all mangled, rather wet. Raising his eyebrows suggestively as his proudly displayed the paper wrapper to Faithe for a moment, and then setting it down on the table, he grinned that boyish grin of his.
"Ma cherie Foi, I most certainly am. but remind me later, because this isn't exactly the proper place." he added, using that infamous low register he had in an attempt to combat Faithe's teasing with some of his own as he placed his other foot atop hers, winking.
As Kayte ordered, Orlando couldn't help but share one of those revering gazes with Faithe. For all the trouble people claim little children to be, their sheer juvenile ingenuity and youthful view of the world certainly had to make up for whatever sort of bother they could be. In Orlando's eyes, at least, Kaytlin wasn't the slightest bit of trouble; in fact, she was a little angel.
At the waitress' bitter, indignant words, Orlando raised his head to look at her with somewhat of a curious glance, near identical to that which Faithe gave the woman, as though he would never have expected such a harsh tone to escape her lips. At Faithe's polite reply, Orlando's fingers, which had been on her thigh, nonchalantly crept up and, if need be, stealthily grabbed her elbow and gently pulled her arm (if her hand was on the table) before entangling his fingers with hers as a silent symbol of reverence. Her patience and self-control were truly admirable.
Sighing mentally, he caught the waitress' eyes meeting his gaze and, therefore, resumed making his brilliant blue eyes into cartoon-like ones in an enamored gaze, directed only at Faithe. As the waitress turned and walked away, Orlando let out a sigh and grinned at Faithe.
"Wow." he breathed, shaking his head, "I wonder if she'd still find me attractive if she knew how much of an astronomer I am.
"Anyways, did you think I made it clear that I wasn't interested?"
Oh my goodness... She couldn't help the look of longing in her face as she grinned at the wrapper. It took every ounce of will power to keep her from pouncing on him right then and there and kissing him. A quiet noise escaped her lips as he tantalized her with his voice, her eyes glaring at him. Of course, that glare was accentuated with a complete look of adoration and love.
Her leg twitched as his hand moved up her thigh, his hand tickling her. Feeling his fingers intertwine with hers, Faiteh squeezed his hand gently. Laughing at his comment, she reached up and pinched his cheeks, "Of course she would! You're just too adorable..." Talking as if she were talking to a baby, Faithe wrinkled her nose as she grinned.
Getting a thoughtful expression on her face at his question, she bobbed her head side to side as if
deciding on her answer. Looking at him, her face broke out in a warm smile as she leaned over and kissed his cheek quickly. "I love you." Winking as she whispered, she moved her toe up to his shin, poking it gently.
The waitress swung their drinks by quickly, her body coming within inches of Orlando's as she set down his drink. After she left, Faithe grabbed the cherry by the stem that was in her Rootbeer. Smirking, she pulled the cherry off the stem, chewing it quickly and swallowing it. Sticking the stem in her mouth, she smirked as she worked the stem with her tongue. After about 45 seconds, she pulled the stem out of her mouth, displaying the two knots she had tied with it. The left side of her mouth was crooked up in a flirtatious grin as she winked at him.
"I want a donkey." Kayte's small voice piped up randomly as she looked up from her napkin. Her head tilted curiously as she sipped on her drink, then went back to making tiny paper balls with the bits of her napkin, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had just said anything.
Faithe's lusting look prompted a satisfied smirk to overcome Orlando's face, proud of himself for not being all that bad at teasing her, and even more prideful in regards to the fact that he could speak in that lower register solely due to the effect it had on Faithe.
Feeling her hand gently tugging on his cheeks, Orlando chuckled as he shook his head and planted a gentle kiss upon her nose before recoiling into his chair, away from her hands.
"Adorable?" he repeated, almost in a whining tone, "What happened to 'sexy'?" Dropping down the octave for that last word, Orlando raised his eyebrows several times in succession, trying to be Hollywood's version of sexy by throwing in one of those smirks, but failing miserably, although he still was able to offer something in the dork-ish realm of sexiness.
Feeling the more than pleasant sensation of her lips upon his cheek, Orlando reached out a hand and ran it down the side of her face simultaneously.
"A toi aussi, ma Foi," Orlando replied with a grin, letting a small laugh escape his lips as her toe touched his leg.
At the waitress's proximity, Orlando felt slightly uncomfortable, which could be detected by the way he leaned away from her, cringing ever so slightly. Exchanging a glance with Faithe as the waitress left, the look the glance had held turned into one of curiousity, watching as she stuck the cherry's stem in her mouth.
At the stem's presentation, Orlando's mouth simply hung open. He was impressed, most certainly, but, more than that, he found himself falling for her charms almost to the point where he would forgo dignity and kiss her feverishly in the restaurant... almost. Instead, he simply shook his head in awe.
"You are going to teach me how to do that, right?" he asked, innocently enough, though his eyes held an impish quality within them.
Kayte's youthful naivity brought a large grin to Orlando's face as he shook his head and reverted his attention to Faithe, amazed look in his eyes again.
"You can make donkeys?!?"
Smiling as he whined about her choice of words, she poked out her lip and made it tremble in loving mockery. "Aw, you're very sexy," winking as a mischevious expression crossed her face, she leaned over, bringing her mouth to his ear, "Orlando," speaking low, she purred his name. Teasing and being flirtatious was so much fun in the public because nothing could be done about it. Which asmused Faithe tremendously.
Biting her lip to keep from laughing at Orlando's reaction to the waitress' closeness, Faithe kept her eye contact with Orlando. Too cute...And faithful. Most guys would relish the fact that another female, aside from the one they were with, was paying them notice, but not Orlando. She cherished that about him.
Laughing at his innocent inquiry, she shook her head with a mischevious glint in her eyes. "It's all about the technique. It can't be taught..." Taking a sip of her Rootbeer, she grinned, "It can be used though..."
"What?" Laughing as she looked at him quizzicly, she shook her head. "No, I cannot make donkeys. Although, I make a pretty good Chicken Pot Pie."
Some low, rumbling sound, between a moan and a sigh escaped Orlando's lips, although it was clear that the noise itself remained caught in the man's throat. As fun as flirtting with Faithe was, Orlando was finding himself dangerously close to that breaking point where teasing could only satisfy so much. Casting a helpless look at Faithe, he was clearly silently begging her to stop. He knew she knew what she was doing to him...
"Technique, eh?" Orlando repeated with a quizzical glance as he plucked the stem from her fingers and held it between his forefinger and thumb, twirling it around absentmindedly. "Eh, I suppose if I can't learn it, I can at least benefit from your knowledge of such a skill..."
Sadly, Orlando's little flirting was interrupted when he found the waitress's clearly silicon-based chest in front of him, prompting a slightly repulsed look to encloak Orlando's tanned face as his eyes grew wide with disgust.
"Here you go, honey," she replied, leaning over the entire table to show Orlando what her tip money had purchased as she smiled broadly at him.
"Thanks," Orlando replied, somewhat choking on his word as he exchanged a look with Faithe.
The waitress promptly plopped Kaytlin's chicken in front of the little girl, then flung Faithe's salad, complete with extra onions at her, looking down her nose as though Faithe was the most vile creature she'd ever seen. Turning on her heel, she paraded back to the kitchen, walking as though she had a wedgie of sorts...
Not even turning his head to watch the waitress walk off, Orlando sighed and pulled out his wand, then stuck it up his sleeve, hiding it as he removed the unpleasantries from Faithe's salad and then replacing it in his pocket.
"Someone really ought to inform that woman that she's not as attractive as she thinks she is..." he said quietly, taking a bite of his hamburger.
Rolling her lips inward, she couldn't help the mischevious look of flirtation that was taking over her innocent brown eyes. A small laugh escaped her mouth at his words, "Do you really think you deserve that technique used on you?" ((Five bucks says that you can guess what kind of tone that was said in.)) Grinning, she stuck her tongue in between her teeth, a taunting expression on her face. Mouthing the word 'later,' she looked down at Kaytlin.
Faithe couldn't help the look indigestion that crossed her face as the woman practically laid on the table in front of Orlado. As her food was dropped in front of her, Faithe looked up at the woman with her sweet, innocent smile on her face. "Thank you very much." Her voice sounded genuine, as did the look on her face, but Faithe was desperately fighting the urge to stand up and smack the woman in her face.
Kaytling squealed as she picked up a chicken tender and dipped it meticulously into the barbeque sauce. Biting it delicately, she chewed it exactly 25 times before swallowing. Faithe sat there staring at her for a moment, an incredulous look on her face. Shaking her head at the little girl, she grinned at Orlando.
"Well, I just hope that she doesn't flaunt herself that much on a regular basis. Doing something like that in a city like this could get anybody hurt." Following the woman to the kitchen, there was, indeed, a worried expression on her face. Shaking her head again, she watched Orlando get rid of her onions for her.
"Aw, thank you sweetie." Smiling at him, she winked with gratitude. Picking up her fork, she mixed her salad in with the ranch dressing before taking a bite of chicken. Chewing it and swallowing it, she grinned at Orlando, "What do you think?"
"Hrm..." Orlando pretended to think for a moment, searching Faithe's face with a pensive look, before making his face fall dramatically and his bottom lip quiver.
"Don't you?" he asked.
Flashing that boyish grin of his at her "later", he nodded.
Kayte's delighted squeal snapped Orlando back into reality, reminding him that she was there with him. It was odd how silent and self-entertaining Kayte whad been thusfar though, so much so that Orlando had almost believed himself to be sitting alone at a table with Faithe on a sort of date. That in itself, of course, was also a bit strange, seeing as the two hadn't ever really been on a traditional date... unless the broomstick-stargazing thing counted.
Not that Orlando minded at all, because there had to be something to say for the two being able to get to close without going through any of the things that most couples would do and, in fact, having to hide whatever progress their relationship made from the world.
Meeting Faithe's gaze, he rolled his eyes at Kayte's methodical-ness in eating her food.
"You're welcome, mon amoure," he replied with a smile.
"Mmm..." Orlando mused, shrugging nonchalantly.
"I think," he began to reply, slowing down the words with a mischievous tone about them as his lower limbs continued to engage in the ludicrously cute game of footsie that had been momentarily put on hold, "that I most certainly do deserve to have such a t chnique exploited for my personal advantage.
"And, I think that our waitress is completely vile, and, for her lack of customer service skills, I don't believe I'll be tipping her too well...
"And," he added, still smiling, "as for the food, darling, I think it's quite good, even though it can't quite compare to French toast."
Grinning, she fought back as best she could under the table without being obvious as to what they were doing. "Eh...maybe..." Sticking her tongue out, she winked at him mischeviously.
After they had eated, paid, and left a not so nice tip, and Faithe had a quick coversation with the manager, they were once again out on the sidewalk. Kaytlin became overly ecstatic because they were now on their way to FAO Schwartz.
"Oh oh! Just wait!" Squealing excitedly, she clapped her hands, "They have more stuffed aminals than any other store! And...and...and they have legos, and...and...and any other toy you can imagine!" Squealing again, she turned towards Faithe and raised her hands above her head, signaling she wanted to be held again.
Grinning, Faithe took her by her wrists, and swung her around so she landed on her back. Once she felt safe that the girl's arms were around her neck, she let go her wrists and placed one hand under her knee, and took Orlando's hand with her other. Smiling, she shook her head as she rolled her eyes at Kaytlin, but there was sheer amusement and joy in her brown eyes.
"Are you really gonna get a toy rocket?" Kaytlin's curiosity of Orlando was growing all the more, which made Faithe adore him all the more. Kayte didn't take to strangers that fast, especially as fast as she had come to trust Orlando. This simple fact spoke to Faithe on so many levels.
Sauntering through the doors of Jekyll and Hyde, there was a smile stretched from ear to ear upon Orlando's gace. Not wasting any time, his hand was entangled with Faithe's before the pair had taken more than two steps past the doors; Kayte walked in front of them. At the girl's ecstatic squealing and clapping, Orlando couldn't help but chuckle with amusement.
Reluctantly dropping Faithe's hand, he allowed her to lift the ting angel up and place her upon her own back. However, as she picked his hand up again, he cast a sideways glance at her, then shook his head. Taking her one hand in both of his own, he unwound her fingers one-by-one from before gently dropping it back to her side. Not walking for a few seconds, he allowed Faithe to get several paces in front of him.
Walking up straight behind her, he place a hand on either side of Kaytlin's tiny frame, gently pulling her small body off od Faithe's back and lifting her up into the air and over his head, eventually setting her down upon his shoulder. One hand wrapped itself around his chest, holding her legs tightly against him; the other, after securing Kayte's arms around his forehead, reached down to the side and grasped Faithe's.
Shooting the young woman a charmingly Orlando grin, he let a small laugh escape his lips before kissing her hand chivalrously and then letting their hands revert to swinging freely at their sides.
"Of course I am, Kayte," Orlando reply, tapping her leg with his fingers as he leaned his head back as though he might be able to somehow meet her gaze. "I've already got a collection of 137 model rockets, but I'd really like to get a specific one of the B-engine models that I haven't been able to find anywhere else."
Turning his attention back to Faithe, his voice became a little quieter and his eyes got a vaguely devious look in them.
"And I will be getting you that teddy bear, under one condition though: you don't use it tonight..."
Feeling Kayte's body being separated from her own, a surge of panic creased through Faithe's body. Gasping, she tightened her grasp on the girl before she realized that Orlando was pulling Kaytlin off her back. Letting go of her legs, Faithe watched him swing the girl onto his shoulders. Kayte squealed with delight as the feeling of weightlessness overcame her before she was settled on his shoulders.
Laughing, Kaytlin's nose wrinkled slightly as she grinned, "You're silly, 'Lando!" Giggling as she rested one hand on top of his hand, Kayte's eyes began looking around curiously.
Watching him lift her hand to his mouth, the left side of her mouth tilted up in a half smile. Devotion and adoration filled her eyes as she felt his lips brush the back of her hand ever so softly. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes for a split second before looking back at him, "You are too amazing." Speaking softly, she turned her gaze back to her path in front of her, not in the mood to get into a debate with a moody New Yorker because she ran into them.
"137? Gracious sweetie," Raising her eyebrows in astonishment, Faithe shook her head smiling. "To think, people think I'm weird because I have a collection of star stuff at my house. I literally have hundreds of stars packed away in boxes." Wrinkling her nose, she grinned sheepishly.
Feeling her cheeks turn red at his insinuation about the bear, she shot him a flirtatious grin. "As long as I have the real thing, I can live with that." A few blocks later, they stood outside the white brick building. Kaytlin started jumping up and down on Orlando's shoulders with excitement. Opening the door, she waved her hand to signal Orlando and Kaytlin through.
A slight blush encompassed Orlando's cheeks at Faithe's repetition of the number of model rockets he had. Of course, most of them hadn't ever been purchased, so it wasn't that he spent all his meager earnings on them. Contrarily, he had made the majority of them by hollowing out tree branches, carving the fins, and then purchasing a few plastic tops. He then made the parachutes from old plastic bags, and stuck them to the body with chewing gum, which worked surprisingly well most of the time.
"Actually, I used to have 143," he replied with a grin, "but over the course of launching them, I've lost six."
Chuckling slightly at Faithe's comment about the materialized symbols of her own astronomical obsession, Orlando shook his head. His eyes radiated how endearing he found that fact.
"So, you've got actual stars boxed up?" he teased, knowing what she had meant by saying she had "hundreds of stars in boxes". "Exactly how big is your house, then?
"Ten by seventeen light years?" Grinning, he nudged her mischievously with his shoulder.
Laughing as her cheeks ran red at his teddy bear comment, Orlando merely smirked in reply to her flirty grin, clearly amused by their continued joke.
"The 'real thing' is yours forever," he replied, with his tone somewhere in- between the casual flirty nature of her demeanor and something more sincere and serious, "even if it can't always be there.
"But, I can promise you that tonight, at least, you will most definitely be falling asleep in its arms, with its fingers laced into your hair, your head resting against its chest, its head gently resting upon your own, and a soft, content smile upon your delightful lips, lighting up your beautiful face."
*************************
Nodding at Faithe as she opened the door for him and Kaytlin, Orlando tightened the arm around Kaytlin's legs.
"Duck, Kayte!" he said, bending his knees, and giving him a rather awkward look, as he walked through the door. Once he'd completely cleared the frame, he resumed his full height of 6' 1" and turned around and offered a hand to Faithe. Presuming she took it, he goofily spun her under his arm and into his side, holding her against him for a moment before dropping his arm and re-wrapping it lightly around her waist.
Flitting his brilliant blue eyes around the mammoth store, Orlando's jaw dropped momentarily, having never seen such a phenomenal display of toys in his entire life. Eventually picking his jaw back up, he lifted his chin a bit, indicating he was speaking to Kaytlin.
"Which way to the dolls, Kayte?"
Grinning at her ability to make Orlando blush, Faithe winked adoringly at him. Laughing, she shook her head at the thought of a younger Orlando launching rockets, and it didn't make for her to visualize the expression on his face when those six hit the ground.
"Aww, you poor baby. I can see where losing six whole rockets would be so detrimental to your collection of over a hundred rockets." Grinning, she stuck her tongue out at him. Gasping melodramatically, she poked her bottom lip out, a playfully disgruntled expression on her face.
"What are you thinking?" With an incredulous air in her tone, she shook her head, "More like twenty by thirty light-years." Wrinkling her nose, she poked him gently in the side. Her playful grin melted, however, at the sound of his words into a pensive and endearing expression. There wasn't a smile on her lips, but her features were far from unhappy looking. Finally allowing the left side of her mouth to upturn in a bashful smile, her face reddened slightly.
Squealing as she ducked, Kaytlin began wriggling on top of Orlando's shoulder, itching to get down and run around. Scared she was going to fall from her constant moving, Faithe held up her arms to the girl could get down. Kaytlin wrapped her arms around Faithe's and allowed herself to be pulled down. Once her feet hit the ground, she grabbed Orlando's hand and attempted to pull him towards a set of stairs.
"Come on, this way!" Tugging, Kaytlin stopped suddenly and turned to look at Faithe. "Aunt Belle, will you go away?" Faithe's jaw dropped slightly as her lips curled up slightly. Grinning, Kayte shook her head, "It's nuttin' bad, I promise."
Looking curiously from Orlando to Kayte, she shrugged. Before she could answer, Kayte was once again attempting to drag Orlando away. Laughing slightly, Faithe nodded, "You two be good." Turning around, she headed for a doorway that lead into a room filled with a jungle theme and wild animal stuffed toys.
With a melodramatically incredulous expression overtaking his face, Orlando's jaw hung open for a second, allowing a gasp to pass through it.
"It was [I]very[/I] detrimental!" he insisted with a small smile playing upon his lips. "I lost three As, an E, and another C-engine. I could have gotten over the As, and probably the C, but the E's barrel took me so long to carve out."
Half-joking, he let out a sigh and shook his head.
"[I]Very[/I] detrimental," he repeated, musing.
Feeling her fingers jab lightly into his side, Orlando let out a mock groan and collapsed his spine, clutching that part of his body as if she'd just jabbed a knife into him, before resuming his normal stature and grinning at her. Letting go of her hand, he poked her shoulder with a knowing glance.
"Ah, but not if they really were 'boxed up'," he replied with a smirk. "Packaging them in a few hollow cardboard cubes would [I]definitely[/I] compact their masses."
As her facial expression softening into that not-smiling-but-definitely-not- unhappy look, Orlando felt a soft blush rouge his cheeks. Seeing the left side of her mouth twitch upwards into that coy beam, his hand reached up and stroked her cheek softly before- forgetting about Kayte, of course- he leaned over and gave her lips a short, soft and sweet kiss.
As Kayte's hand leached itself onto Orlando's and she began pulling him, the man offered Faithe a slightly amused look. Then, as the pulling force ceased to be, his head reverted to Kayte's, alternating between hers and Faithe's for a moment of confusion.
Chuckling at the crestfallen expression on Faithe's face, he grinned at her. Allowing himself to be pulled away from her, he let his hand slip out of her own and raised it as though he were waving good-bye to her.
"We'll meet up with you later, I guess?" he called as he walked backwards wherever Kayte led him.
Once Faithe had disappeared past the doorframe, he turned back to Kayte. Lifting her up, he carried her up the stairway.
"Why'd your Aunt have to leave, Kayte?" he asked curiously, setting her down at the top, unsure of which way to go.
((I do love how FAO Schwarts has rooms with different toy themes. They had one that was all Star Wars, and there this three feet tall lego model of R2D2.))
Laughing, Faithe shook her head, "Yes, I'll keep an eye out for you guys."
Grinning as Orlando picked her up, Kaytlin watched Faithe walk through the door. Looking around suspiciously, she finally became satisfied that nobody was listening to her 'important' conversation. Whispering when she spoke, there was an ecstatic air about her words.
"I wanna show you somethin'. And I need your help with it." Once he had set her down, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway. Of course, the hallway didn't resemble a hallway with the toys that were placed on shelves throughout it. Entering a side door, they walked into a room that was filled from floor to ceiling with dolls. Porclein, Barbie, plastic, every kind of doll imagineable.
Walking over to the porcelein dolls, her small brown eyes scanned the shelves intently, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. Finally spotting the doll she had been looking for, her face lit up. Turning to Orlando, she motioned him over, waving her hands vigorously. Pointing to a doll about three shelves above her outstretched hand, she jumped up and down.
The doll she was pointing to had brown, slightly curly hair, and brown eyes. She was wearing a deep blue dress that looked remarkably like robes, but there were small, silver stars sprinkled over the dress.
"The doll's name is Isabelle. Daddy and I saw it when we were here last weekend, and I wanted to get it for Aunt Belle. She likes stars, and the doll looks like her. Daddy gave me extra moneys so I could buy it for her acause she was at school during her birfday. I didn't want her to see it until we get home though..." Looking around as if she halfway expected Faithe to come through the door, she leaned closer to him, whispering, "Plus, it has the same name as her!" Giggling,she wrinkled her nose slightly, another attribute she and Faithe shared.
"Will you get it down for me so I can go get the doll I want?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and skipped over to the plastic dolls. Crouching down, she tilted her head slightly, looking at the little baby dolls.
Noticing Kayte's suspicion as the girl's head looked around, Orlando raised an eyebrow curiously as he allowed her to take him by the hand and lead him down the hallway.
"Uh, okay." he replied, thought still somewhat hesitant as to what exactly was going on.
As she pulled him down the hallway, the man's eyes lit up at the sight of so many toys lining the walls. Never having been exactly well-liked by his parents, Orlando's toys had consisted of his shoes, and the occasional pebble that found its way into them, for the most part. However, there were times when he'd be blessed with finding one of Eric's abandoned army men, but, his only true toys were the rockets he had made once he had been able to, which wasn't until he was about nine.
((I'm talking on the phone now, so if the post goes downhill, that's why.))
Following Kayte's beckon, Orlando's eyes darted to the top shelf, where the little girl's hand pointed. Immediately his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped a bit. Had the doll looked a little more lifelike, he'd half have expected its mouth to open and Faithe's voice to start speaking through its mouth. It was gorgeous- just like her.
Nodding slowly as Kayte spoke, Orlando's jaw picked itself up and his lips curled into a broad boyish grin as he imagined the look on Faithe's face when she saw it. Adorable. Eager to oblige the girl, he reached up and picked the doll up into his hands, not even having to stand on his toes.
"Faithe's going to love it, Kayte," he said, turning towards the girl, only to find she had already left him for the plastic dolls.
Moseying over towards her, doll under his arm, his eyes flitted over the assortment of dolls with a vaguely amused gaze in them.
"See one you want?" he asked.
With the other two mischevious heathens off picking out a doll for Kaitlyn, Faithe had left the Jungle room. Walking to the room dedicated to Astronomy, mainly glow in the dark plastic stars, she looked around. There was a specific item she was searching for that she had seen last time she was here, but that had been months before. She was holding her breath that it was still there.
After a lot of tedious searching, she found the little star she had been looking for. It was a sterling silver star on a keychain. The design resembled that of Faithe and Kayte's necklaces down to the tiniest detail. Grabbing it, a smile on her face, she left the room and made way for the front register. Thinking better of it, she looked around for a random toy, and, seeing a stuffed cat, grabbed it for Kaytlin. Knowing she would be asked what she bought, she'd rather have something she could actually show him. If she had to brush the question off, Orlando might get suspicious she had gotten something for him.
She had plans for this keychain, and she didn't want him finding out about it until it was the right time. After paying for the two items, she stood by the door, waiting. Turning her back on the store, she inspected a few hanging monkeys by the door.
*****
After staring intently, well, as intently as a five year old could, Kaytlin finally picked up a doll. The baby had a tuft of brown hair on top of her head, and had amazingly similiar features to a real newborn.
"This one!" Grinning a toothy grin, Kaytlin showed him the box. "There's even a bottle and a passeephyre." Tucking it as best she could under her arm, she started pulling Orlando's arm. "Come on! We have to pay for it before Aunt Belle gets there!"
Deciding pretty quickly that carrying the box with one hand wasn't going to work, Kayte let go of Orlando's hand and started walking fast towards the stairway.
It was a Friday, and they were scheduled to return Sunday morning. She had sent Orlando a small letter to him that morning explaining the sleeping arrangements for the weekend. As she had suspected, the Plaza put them in a double penthouse. Satisfied that the arrangement was probably the best, and most entertaining, Faithe's excitement had only grown. The two most important guys in her life were finally going to meet, Orlando was going to get his comet, and Faithe would finally get to see her 'baby girl' for the first time in a few months.
Walking along the platform, Faithe had already gotten her bag checked. Finding Platform 8, she climbed into compartment and stowed her stuff. Making her way back to the opening, she stood on the steps by the open door, her dark eyes scanning the mass of people for the familiar brilliant blue eyes that belong to none other than Orlando Lorenz.
Walking through the doors to the train station, Orlando Lorenz had to readjust himself to city life. Loud, roaring, boisterous throngs of people were all he could see as his eyes darted around the place. He had lived in Manhattan once, only for a month, but, that had been quite awhile ago, and, since then, he had forgotten about how, well... rude one had to be if they were to get anywhere.
Sighing to himself, he flung his small bag of clothes and such over his shoulder and began slowly elbowing his way through the crowds. Pausing to pull of his ticket, in order to know which platform to go to, he was shoved by a rather large, burly latino man, whose vocabularly was rather colorful.
Welcome to Manhattan... Still, the trip wasn't going to be entirely like that. And, even if it was, having Faithe by his side the whole time, he probably wouldn't even care.
Glancing around, he found the "Platform 8" marker and headed off towards it. Finally arriving, his brilliant blue eyes darted around in search of Faithe. Meeting the gaze of her brilliant brown eyes, his characteristic boyish grin took over his face and he walked towards her.
"Well, well, well," he said, "Fancy seeing you here, Miss Cunningham."
Reaching his reach hand towards her, he brought her hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss upon it.
Her eyes lit up as she saw Orlando walking towards her, her lips spreading into a wide, welcoming smile. Blushing as she felt his warm lips on her hand, her smile changed into a coy expression, a small blush sprinkling her cheeks. "Why, Mr. Lorenz, I do declare! Aren't we quite the gentleman!" Speaking in a thick, 'Georgia peach' Southern accent, she brought her free hand up to her cheek. Laughing, she squeezed his hand and bent down to kiss him on the cheek.
"Come on, Prince Charming, I already put my stuff in our compartment." Giving his hand one last squeeze before letting go, she turned to walk up the rest of the stairs, opening the door to their compartment. Plopping down on the bench seat, she offered him a flirtatious smile. "Ready for our 45 minute train ride?" Joking with him, she grinned. It was true though; they were only going from the outskirts of Manhatten into the heart of the city.
This is going to be the best weekend of my life...
Smiling genuinely at Faithe's adorable southern accent, Orlando tipped an invisible hat before following her up the stairs and down the corridor to their compartment.
"If you insist, m'lady..."
After closing the door behind him, Orlando flung his small shoulderbag onto the floor in a corner of the room and sat down next to Faithe. Wrapping his arm around her, he gently guided her head to his shoulder.
"45 minutes alone in a room with you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows mischievously. Chuckling, he shook his head and smiled at her.
"I've been waiting all week long for this," he said. "An entire weekend with you, finally meeting Jake, and getting to see your 'baby'... Couldn't be happier."
"Mmm...I know you and Jake are going to get along. I just hope you have the energy for Kaytlin.She takes to people very quickly, and I'll know she'll absolutely fall in love with you." Kaytlin was, indeed, a very energetic child, and quite the little stage star. Snuggling into his body, Faithe closed her eyes as her head rested against his shoulder. "If I ever have children, and a daughter, I wouldn't mind her turningout remarkably like Kaytlin. She's always been such a great little girl."
Sliding her hand over his chest, she trailed her hand down to his stomach, dragging her index finger down to his side. Poking him in the side, she looked up at him and grinned, her brown eyes finding his blue eyes. "You mean I'm stuck with you alone for 45 minutes?" Faking a resentful sigh, she crossed her arms. "Life just isn't fair."
Breaking into a grin, she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Only 45? That isn't fair at all!" Sticking her tongue out, she tweaked his nose with her index finger.
Hearing Faithe talking about having children was a little strange, yet nice, in a sense. And the way she spoke of Kaytlin brought a broad grin to Orlando's face. It was obvious how much she cared for the little girl.
"I'm sure I'll love her just as much as you do."
As her hand passed over his chest, he felt that familiar feeling of contentness ripple through him. A sincere smile crossed his face as he ran his hand up and down her arm, gently pulling her closer to him.
"Don't worry," he replied, kissing the top of her head.
"There's so much that can be done in 2,700 seconds," he whispered, using the rarely utilized lower register of his voice. A mischievous glint shone in his brilliant blue eyes as he turned his head to look into her dark ones.
"Dork." The words were blunt, simple, and the smile on Faithe's face completely gave away that it was said in complete jest. Laughing softly, she shook her head. "You are such a math dork, my dear." Winking, she ran her index finger over his bottom lipsoftly. Though she was in complete tease mode, her stomach had flip flopped at the sound of his voice.
A visible shiver ran through her body as she returned the mischevious grin. Poking him lightly in his side, she raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? And what's that? Play four highley stratagized games of dominoes?" Grinning, she ran her finger lightly over the cartalidge of his ear, making her touch light as a feather. Faithe could be such a tease...when she wanted to be.
Indeed Faithe could be a tease, but so could Orlando. Of course, he rarely showed the playful side of his personality; there were always too many people around- too many prying eyes that would judge him for it. But, here, with Faithe as the only witness, it was different- he was completely comfortable with her.
As her finger passed over his lower lip, the man had bend his head ever-so- slightly and kissed it, allowing the right side of his mouth to momentarily twitch upward in a sort of smirk before returning to its contented position. Of course, the satisfied smirk-ish expression returned to his face as he watched the shiver ripple through her body.
Adorable. There was simply no other word.
"Mmmm.not quite," he replied in a deep whisper.
Surreptitiously reaching up, he removed her hand from his ear and placed it upon his face before stroking her face with his own hand, all in complete, transfixing silence as his eyes locked into hers, mind you. Gently lifting her head off his chest for a moment, his lips touched her forehead and then her lips, firmly kissing her.
Pulling back, he relinquished her face and shrugged, breaking the intensity of the moment.
"Of course, if you'd rather play dominoes." he said, resuming his normal vocal dynamic and octave.
Smiling as he moved her hand, Faithe stroked his cheek bone lightly with her thumb. Practically melting at his low whisper, her look of adoration for the man in front of her played in her eyes. You are too perfect.
A surprised squeal came out of her mouth when he kissed her, but it only lasted a partial of a second. Relishing the feeling that she felt in her stomach, and more importantly, her heart, Faithe reached down and squeezed his hand affectionately.
Sticking out her bottom lip in a pout, the eighteen year old made tears well up in her brown eyes. Quivering her bottom lip, she drooped her posture, looking up at him with 'puppy dog eyes.' "If that's the way you want it..." Her voice came out sulky and in a soft purring whisper.
Puppy-dog eyes, her pouting lip, the way her back sank into the seat. It was all too endearing. Suppressing his understandable urge to chuckle at how irresistibly cute Faithe was, Orlando's brilliant blue eyes stared into hers for a moment and the smirk on his lips gradually faded away into a nonchalant expression as he shrugged.
Casually draping an arm around her shoulders, an odd smile appeared upon his lips. It was almost a smirk, but, then again, there was a certain look to it that could be interpreted as content. Gently pulling her a little closer to him, a small yawn escaped his lips, despite it being early evening.
"Actually," he replied, retaining that indecipherable smile, "That'd be nice. "
His voice, too, was unreadable, and, complemented by that perplexing smile, it was difficult to tell whether the man was furthering their little game of "hard-to-get" or being genuine.
"We can save that sort of thing for tonight," he added, augmenting the confusion of the moment. It was difficult to tell exactly what he meant by the words "that sort of thing", not to mention whether or not he was joking or not. He had spoken so confidently, almost like that of a college boy who knew he'd be "getting some" that evening. Then again, the man speaking was Orlando Corvello Lorenz. One couldn't be too sure what he meant.
She continued to quiver her lip slightly as he looked at her, only ceasing when he wrapped his arm around her. Resting her head against his chest, Faithe closed her eyes without a second thought about it. This was nice. All these feelings of contentment, adoration, affection, and absolutey felicity were still new to Faithe, and every day brought a new turn. Everytime Orlando's arms were around her, every hug the two shared, she felt a protection that she had never felt before.
Hearing his last comment, Faithe grinned and shook her head. As she started to open her mouth to respond, a loud voice interupted her:
"Attention all passengers: We will be arriving at Platform 12 in an estimated 20 minutes."
Opening her eyes, she tilted her head up, sticking her tongue out at him. "What? Play dominoes?" Sticking her tongue out at him again, she touched the the bottom of his jaw with the tip of her tongue. "When we get there, we'll have to take a cab to the theater. Jake and Kaytlin live in the apartment upstairs, but they will probably be downstairs rehearsing. We can check in with them, and then I'll steal his car and we can drive over to the hotel. It's only a few blocks away. If that's all right with you?"
"Of course play dominoes," Orlando replied, not missing a bit, "What else?"
Grinning a bit and winking at her, he was momentarily caught off guard as her tongue teased his chin ((I presume that's what you meant by "bottom of his jaw")). Not that that was a problem, of course; he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Nodding as she explained the agenda to him, a smile crept onto the man's face. He was still having a hard time believing that he was really on a train, headed to Manhattan to spend an entire weekend with the woman he'd grown so fond of. Meeting her family, seeing the city, officially patenting his very own comet. his excitement level was through the roof.
"Stealing a car, Faithe?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow curiously, "I wouldn't have picked you out as a bad girl. Of course, whatever you'd like to do is all right with me, though. 'dear'."
Grinning at his gest, she shrugged innocently, "Eh...stealing cars is a time old hobby in New York." Winking, she stuck the tip of her tongue out, wrinkling her nose as she did so. "I love driving his car. It's a 6 speed 1965 Boss 429 Mustang." Purring at the thought of the car, a dreamy expression crossed over her face. Giggling, she turned her brown eyes towards his striking blue eyes, "My brother and I rebuilt her almost from the ground up. He bought her from an old junkyard when he was sixteen, and he started working on it. Pretty soon, I jumped in and started helping him with it."
Shaking her head at her own amusement, she reached up and curled a strand of his hair around her finger lightly. "Have you decided what you're going to name your comet?" Faithe was almost willing to bet that she had been almost more excited about Orlando's discovery than Orlando himself. The whole ordeal had increased her thirst to be an astronomer all the more, but Faithe knew better than to dwell on that dream anymore. Her parents had stripped her of any hope she may have held within her of following up on her passion.
Not having grown-up in a muggle community, Orlando failed to understand the importance of cards and such technologies. Until he had been able to apparate, the man had merely walked everywhere, or, if the journey was particularly long, had traveled by broomstick. Cars were unnecessary and they failed to apay him in any way. Responding with a simple annuent, Orlando merely smiled. Though he didn't get the "big deal" about driving or the fact that the car was a '65 'stang, he found himself most amused by the mental image of Faithe helping this infamous brother of hers rebuild a car.
Leaning his head into her hand as her finger wound itself around his hair, his smile widened. Actually, he hadn't thought about naming the comet at all. Between teaching his classes and daydreaming about this weekend, he hadn't had too much time to wonder about something so seemingly superfluous. But, now that she mentioned it, his head inclined curiously and his eyes glazed over pensively. Truly, he still wanted to immortalize Faithe forever and name it after her, but he knew that she wouldn't ever let him, and that her reasons were entirely justifiable. Still, this comet would live forever, and its name had to be something worthy of such infamy.
"Actually, I haven't." he replied, half-dazed. "Any ideas?"
Keeping her hand where it was, Faithe reached up with her other hand, stroking his cheek gently as she shook her head. "This is your thing. Name it what you want. Just make sure that it's something that has meaning for you. This isn't a small deal Orlando, and you deserve it to mean more than the world to you."
Sitting there staring at him, her brown eyes became lost in his sparkling blue eyes. A warm, soft smile spread over her lips, "I want a picture of you." The comment was random, yes, but it was true.
"Attention passengers: We will reach our destination in 5 minutes."
She looked up at the speaker as the voice announced their arrival approaching. Looking back at him, she kissed him lightly on the nose, winking mischeviously at him. "Better start getting our stuff together."
Leaning into her hand, a coy yet knowing beam altered the man's pleasant mien. He had known that she would say something of the sort. Something selfless, genuine and completely sincere. exactly the right words to say. It was just how she was. and Orlando adored her for it.
As they sat there, lost in each other's eyes, an idea came to him, and, in an instant, he knew exactly what he wanted to embody forever in the name of his comet.
"Stife de la foi," he whispered quietly, tone radiating the fact that that word was to be the name of his comet.
Took a little by surprise at Faithe's random comment, Orlando just shook his head and grinned. "I'm not too photogenic," he replied with a laugh.
Having their moment disrupted by the loudspeaker, Orlando shrugged and turned his head back to Faithe just in time for her lips to caress his nose. Rolling his eyes at her, he stood up and walked over to the corner of the compartment to pick up his lone bag. Flinging it over himself so the strap crossed over his chest, he shrugged again and smiled back at her.
"Done and done, dearest."
Smiling her infamous half smile at his photogenic comment, she merely shook her head. "Don't say that, sweetie. I'm sure it's not true." Grinning, she stuck the tip of her tongue out at him, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief.
Standing up after him, she reached up and opened the overhead compartment. Running her hand through her hair, she reached into the front pocket of her bag and pulled out a ponytail holder. Flipping her head upside down, she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail. Grabbing her dufle bag, she threw it over her shoulder with ease.
The time for the train to reach the station finally arrived. Stepping out into the busy station, she took Orlando's hand, dodging silently in between busy New Yorkers. Reaching the busy sidewalk, Faithe's eyes darted at the traffic, catching sight of a yellow cab. Stepping partly in the street, she waved the cab driver down. Looking up at Orlando, she grinned excitedly as the cab slowed and stopped in front of the two. "Your cab, m'dear."
As Faithe drug him along behind her, Orlando was caught a tad off-guard and his feet caught underneath him for a moment, nearly causing him to trip. Regaining his balance, he began moving his feet in sync with hers as she guided him in and out of the crowds. Finding it slightly odd that, although he was the one who had lived a year in the city, she was the one guiding him, he merely shrugged inwardly.
Watching as the cab slowed in front of the two, and that familiar smell of "city" filled his nostrils, the man recalled exactly how much he hated the city. Despite the charm its bustling held, there was just so much more about the outskirts that he found delightful. Still, he was there with Faithe, and seeing that excited grin upon her face made it all worthwhile.
"Thank you, milady," he replied with a smile, opening the door. Holding it open for her, he chivalrously offered her his arm and waited until she entered the cab before sliding in next to her and gently closing the door.
Halfway curstying before she sat in the taxi, Faithe winked at him adoringly. Why couldn't I have met you sooner? Telling the driver the address to the theater, the young woman leaned back in her seat. She'd always had nightmares about taxi cab drivers, therefore, she never rode in cabs alone.
Riding in silence, she snuggled into Orlando, closing her eyes as she listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. "Mmmm...I could get used to having you around." Tilting her head up at him, she smiled warmly at him. Grinning, she winked at him again, "You're hired." Laughing softly, she reached up and twisted a strand of his hair lightly.
Despite the traffic, the ride wasn't very long and they had soon reached the theater. Stepping out, retrieving the bags, and paying the cabby, Faithe looked up at the tall brick building with the massive sign that said "Royal Broaway Theater."Sighing, a small smile played at the corner of her lips. Not because she was at the theater, but because she had missed Jake and Kaytlin so much.
Walking inside the front door, she heard the orchestra from the lobby, signifying that there was a rehearsal. Faithe felt nervous all of a sudden. Her two favorite guys were about to meet each other, and she felt jittery. She knew the two would get along, but...This feels weird.
"Ready?"
Smiling as she snuggled into him, Orlando casually draped his arm around her back, toying lightly with her hair as they rode. A small laugh escaped his lips at her jest, and he shook his head, grinning.
"You'd better get used to me," he replied, "'cause I'm not going anywhere."
As the silence returned, at least for a short while, Orlando's mind began to wander. What if he and Jake didn't get along? What if something just didn't gel? A plethora of scenarios flooded his head, and he began absentmindedly gnawing on his tongue- which one might note as his most prominent nervous habit.
Deep in thought, Orlando didn't really notice as Faithe exited and tied up things with the cabby. Yet, after a moment he felt the absence of a body beneath his arm and jolted back to reality. Scrambling out of the cab, he took the bags from Faithe with a bit of a mock bow.
Turning his head to face the theatre, he followed her inside and, instantly, his ears were graced with the euphonious sounds of the pit orchestra. Smiling at Faithe, he nodded.
"Sure."
I'm not going anywhere. The words echoed inside her head after he had said them. Though they had been simple, they had been so heartwarming, Now they stood in the lobby. Taking a deeo breath, Faithe looked around the familiar place. Posters from past productions were stratigically placed around the room. More than half included Faithe and Jake, and even one with Faithe and Kaytlin onstage. There was a teaser poster from a dance production that starred Faithe when she was ten.
Shaking her head, she walked into the auditorium through one of the double doors. Squinting, she looked towards the stage, trying to place a face with a voice. However, the tenor voice was quite familiar. It was Eddie. Continuing to walk, she stopped midway, crossing her arms as she looked intently at the stage. He needs to step back about two feet. The lighting does not look right that close to the front of the stage. Once again shaking her head, Faithe looked around to see if she could find Jake. Before she had had much of a chance, a small girl's voice rang out... and quite loudly at that.
"AUNT BELL! AUNT BELL!" Before Faithe had a chance to even see where the voice was coming from, a small figure had halfway tackled her and was now clutching onto her legs. Reaching down, she lifted Kaytlin who wrapped her arms around Faithe's neck. Lifting her head, she looked up at Faithe and leaned her head in, the two rubbing their noses together just like the gnomes did in David and the Gnomes. Their 'secret' kiss. Laughing silently, she looked at Orlando and winked. Looking up at Faithe, the girl got an ecstatic expression on her face, "Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat?" Kaytlin asked, practically jumping up and down in Faithe's arms.
"Hmmm...You have had six cups of sugar this morning?" Winking, she watched as the little girl stuck her tongue out, her nose wrinkling as she did so. Faithe had noticed over the past year how little habits that she had had began rubbing off on Kaytlin. Shaking her head, a small grin spread over the little girl's face. "Daddy wanted to send you a letter, but I wouldn't let him. I wanted to tell you myself." As Kaytling nodded excitedly, Faithe smiled warmly at the little girl's outgoing attitude and overall exuberant countenance. "I get to play little Cosette in 'less miserabibles." Faithe couldn't contain the laughter at the way Kaytlin pronounced the famous musical's title.
Gasping loudly, Faithe raised both her eyebrows. "That's awesome Kayte! You know I played little Cosette when I was your age." Reaching up, she tweaked the little girl's nose lightly. "Uh huh! I know! That's what daddy said!" Looking around, Kaytlin's eyebrows furrowed together thoughtfull as her dark brown eyes carried a determined stare. Kaytlin looked a lot like Faithe had when she was younger, and Faithe had looked like her grandmother. Her eyes settled on Orlando, a curious look coming over her face.
"Who are you?"
Hesitantly trailing Faithe into the auditorium, Orlando's eyes wandered about. Preferring the silent solitude of the heavens, he had never been much of a dramatic person and, thus, the aspect of drama was new to him. The lights, the action... All of it was a bit overwhelming. And then there was Kaytlin.
Dear Lord...
The resemblance between Faithe and Kaytlin was striking. So much so, in fact, that the suitcases Orlando had held in his hands fell to the floor the moment he saw her. True, they weren't twins, but the man had always had a sense about these things. And it wasn't only the physical resemblance between the two that astonished him.
Brilliant blue eyes watched in a sort of awe as Faithe interacted with the tiny girl, and his jaw dropped slightly. The way she talked to Kaytlin, acted towards her... everything about Faithe was perfect. Perhaps some of the man's admiration came from the fact that his own mother hadn't exactly been the Queen of Kindness. In fact, the woman had had about as much compassion as a rock.
Meeting the small child's gaze, a broad, boyish grin swept over Orlando's face as he gradually let his knees collapse beneath him and knelt upon the ground. Flitting his eyes to Faithe for a moment, they seems to communication his emotions more perfecty than any words ever could.
"Orlando," he answered, not really sure as to what to tell her about who he was in relation to Faithe, reverting his attention to Kaytlin, "It's great to finally meet you, Kaytlin. Faithe's told me so much about you..."
Faithe raised her eyebrow slightly as the suitcases fell to the ground, but couldn't hide the smile as she watched Kaytlin stare at him curiously. Kaytlin stepped to within a foot of him, staring at him quite intently. Had Faithe been on the other side of that stare, she probably would have been rather nervous. However, she smiled as she watched that characteristic goofy smile of Orlando's.
Kaytlin's face finally broke into a smile. Reaching down, she lifted a small silver chain that hung around her neck. Pulling the charm towards the center, she held it in front of Orlando's face, the smile still on her face. "Aunt Bell gave this to me. She said it's the Northern Star. I know which one that is in the sky. It's the brightesded one. When sailors get lost, that's the one they use to get home to their childrens." Nodding knowingly, Kaytlin let the small star fall back down. ((Okay, I'm picturing the star charm from The Patriot that was around the necklace Gibson gave the chick.))
Faithe chuckled. "I'm guilty. I've already started corrupting the child." Grinning, she looked up past Orlando at a figure walking towards the group. A wide smile spread across her face as Jake came walking up.
"Izzy!" Jake's soft tenor voice managed to carry over the rehearsal that was still taking place. Reaching his sister,the two hugged, and Jake picked Faithe up, spinning her around. Squealing slightly, Faithe couldn't help but laugh as he put back down. Reaching up, she ruffled his hair as she stuck her tongue out. "How's my baby sister doing?" Pinching her cheeks, Jake used his dramatic baby talk voice. Slapping him lightly in the shoulder, Faithe wrinkled her nose at him. "She's about to kick your butt!"
"Daddydaddydaddy!" Kaytlin jumped up and down as she pointed at Orlando. "This is 'lando!" Jake looked down with an amused expression at his daughter. Raising his eyebrow, he looked back at Faithe. "You realize this child has been asking me every five minutes for the last twenty four hours when you were coming?" Looking over at Orlando, a welcoming smile spread over his face. Sticking out his hand, he nodded, "It's great to finally meet the famous astronomy teacher. Congratulations on your comet! That's amazing."
Kaytlin looked up at everybody standing above her, blinking with an expressionless face on her face. Looking back at Orlando, she tilted her head slightly, "Are you Aunt Bell's boyfriend?"
For that moment while Kaytlin's eyes scrutinized him, Orlando found his breath caught in his chest. Everything seems to ride on the outcome of this first impression. What if the young girl didn't like him? How would he ever make it through the weekend then? Thankfully, though, the plaguing thoughts died out as the girl's stare was broken by a smile.
Smiling back at the small girl, Orlando nodded as she showed him the brilliant necklace ((that I still don't know how it looks... Never seen that movie. lol)). It took him a moment to figure out why the girl kept referring to Faithe as "Bell", then it clicked. Recalling that first day in class, he remembered that Faithe was her middle name and that Isabelle was her first. Now it made sense.
Glancing up at Faithe, Orlando bit his lip and shook his head. Indeed she was already "corrupting" the girl. Then again, was it really so wrong to have a passion for something so beautiful?
Hearing a voice exclaim the word "Izzy!", the man's brilliant blue eyes darted in that direction. Watching the two siblings reunite, a small laugh escaped his lips. Jake was certainly everything Faithe had told him he was. It was nice to finally have a face to put with all the stories.
Standing up, Orlando took Jake's hand in his own and shook it before releasing it, nodding in acknowledgement of his comment.
"Thanks. It is quite amazing indeed," he replied, "Orlando Lorenz, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jake, I presume."
Things were going quite well, he thought, a small, content smile appearing upon his face. Yet the serenity of the moment was broken by the young girl's question.
Wow... this is certainly awkward.
The smile dropped from Orlando's face and his eyes flitted to Faithe's, radiating near panic. He wasn't sure how to answer that, exactly. For one, he hadn't exactly ever paused to classify his and Faithe's relationship. Then, Jake had just identified him as Faithe's astronomy teacher. If he confirmed the girl's suspicion, that certainly couldn't bode well for him in Jake's eyes. If the role's were reversed, Orlando was sure that he would punch the professor who was dating his younger sister.
What a delicate quandary indeed...
Then again, Jake had to already know. He didn't seem like the dense type. Why would a girl's Astronomy professor accompany her to Manhattan if there wasn't anything going on? It's not like the two had been close friends while he had been a student or anything. Then again, he hadn't a clue what Faithe had told Jake already or what she wanted to keep secret.
"Um..."
It wasn't often the man was at a loss for words or an explaination of anything. He could explain nuclear fusion, astrophysics and the mathematics behind quasars, but he couldn't seem to come up with an intelligible reply to such a simple question.
Faithe placed her hand over her mouth as she tried stifle her giggle that was trying its hardest to escape. Crossing her arms, she bit her bottom lip, but her smile was still quite obvious. Jake, on the other hand, didn't even try to hide the laugh. Noting the look of panic on Orlando's face, he forced a cough out, allowing his laughter to die down. Getting that mischevious glint in her eye, Faithe tilted her head, casting a look of adoration and a look that said I'm about to do something mean to you. Walking over to her brother, she slid her arm through his and started tugging him towards the stage.
"Come on Jake dear, why don't we leave Orlando to the inquries of your daughter while I talk to you." Winking at Jake, she stuck her tongue out at Orlando. Of course Jake knew. He was her best friend, and she his. They told each other pretty much everything that happened in their lives. Jake looked uncertain for a moment, but at the look on Faithe's face, grinned and nodded.
Practically skipping, Faithe headed down the aisle, Jake in tow. Slowing to a walk, she pulled her arm from his and glued her eyes to the stage. Eddie was still up there, but had noticed her by now. Jake leaned over the bar to talk to the orchestra conductor briefly.
"All right, lunch break! See you guys in an hour!" Jake raised his voice loud enough for the rest of the orchestra and the stage bodies to hear. Eddie took his mic off and walked down the stairs, a wide smile on his face.
"Isabelle!" Reaching out, he pulled her in a tight hug...a little too tight for Faithe's comfort. Pulling back, she returned the smile. Eddie had once confided in Jake that he had a bit of a thing for Faithe, which Jake had relayed to her. Ever since then, there had been an edge towards him from her, but she never showed it.
Kaytlin looked at Orlando curiously, blinking as she tilted her head. "Are ya? Huhhuhhuh?" Grabbing his hand, she started pulling on his arm in an attempt to pull him towards the others. "You hafta meet Uncle Eddie! I have a black cat named Tippy. I named him Tippy acause the tip of his tongue is white." Nodding, she tried her hardest to pull the full grown man.
As the two siblings cracked up, Orlando's face grew warm with a brilliant blush. Letting out an incredulous gasp, he just stared at Faithe for a moment before blinking several times, trying to be sure that he had actually comprehended the moment correctly. As she pulled Jake in the opposite direction, his jaw dropped slightly and he shook his head. No way she's leaving me alone with the inquisitive little girl...
But she was. Not that he minded so much, at least she had left him with someone he could talk to. And at least the awkwardness had passed. Seeing Jake grin, he knew that the man already knew. How exactly he felt about it, however, Orlando still wasn't sure. He seemed to be alright with it; he hadn't beat him to a bloody pulp... yet. Jake didn't seem like the type of guy to do such a thing, but the thought still lingered in Orlando's mind. After all, he was older than both Faithe and Jake...
Shifting his gaze, his eyes never left her body as she and Jake sauntered down to the stage. Intently staring at the man whose embrace of his Faithe was a little too intimate for his own personal comfort, Orlando failed to hear Kaytlin's incessant prodding. Orlando had never really been the jealous type, but, even as far away as he was, his divination talents led him to believe that Faithe wasn't exactly comfortable with the man either. Something about the way she held herself with him wasn't right.
"Yeah," he replied slowly, answering Kaytlin's question at last, more to claim Faithe as his than to answer her question., "I'm her boyfriend," he added, more confidently and defiantly.
Letting the small girl pull him, Orlando slowly followed her towards the stage, making a mental note to learn more about this "Eddie" character, who he presumed was the man who had hugged Faithe... and making another one to ask Faithe why everyone at the theatre called her Isabelle.
"Alright, alright," he chuckled, breaking his pensiveness and quickening his pace a bit as he made his way towards the stage.
Flitting his eyes around, his mind wandered, wondering what sort of life these theatre folk led. Yet his thoughts were disrupted when they reached the row in which Faithe stood.
Partially to prove something and partially because he was just being flirty, Orlando dropped Kaytlin's hand and came up behind Faithe. Sliding an arm around her waist, he pulled her a little towards him to lie his chin on her shoulder.
"Quite a little tabloid reporter Jake's got there," he whispered into her ear with a grin. "Hope you didn't mind me exaggerating about our relationship a bit..."
Pulling his head back and stepping to the side of Faithe ((provided that there's room in the row)), but not letting his arm move from her waist, Orlando nodded in acknowledgement of Eddie's presence.
"Orlando Lorenz," he announced, extending a hand
"When did you get in Izzy?" Eddie smiled at her, tilting his head slightly. Faithe hated it when he called her that. It was one thing when Jake did it, he was her brother. Her body had tensed up at Eddie's presence, and she was holding herself rather stifly.
"Not too long ago. Actually, we can't stay too long. We have to go check in at the hotel, but we'll be back later tonight." Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, Faithe watched his eyebrow raise in curiosity. Breaking her eye contact with Eddie, she looked up at the stage, "The set looks great. It's great to know things are going so well." Clearing her throat, she looked up at Jake with a rather pointed expression. Catching the hint, he smiled.
"Did Kayte tell you that she's playing little Cosette?" Grinning, he looked back briefly at the little girl, checking to see how Orlando was fairing. Turning his attention back on Faithe, he smiled as she nodded.
"Yes, she did. She's really excited about it." Laughing slightly, she shook her head, trying to shake off the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. It would probably go away if Eddie wasn't staring at her so intently. That and the conversation of Les Misérables around Eddie always made her feel uncomfortable.
"Well, the stage isn't the same without you Isabelle. I hope you know that." Finally speaking, Eddie nodded in agreement with his own comment. Forcing a smile, Faithe gave him a look of gratitude.
Before she could say anything, she felt the familiar feel of Orlando's arm around her waist. Feeling her body relax against his, she turned her head slightly and gave him a warm, very welcoming smile. Laughing quietly, she winked at him, sticking the tip of her tongue out at him.
"Aww...you poor baby." Whispering back, she looked up at Jake and grinned. Kaytlin came around and started to pull on Faithe's shirt. Looking down, she smiled at the little girl extending her arms. Picking her up, she hoisted the girl onto her hip. As Orlando extended his hand, Faithe looked up at Eddie's face, noting that look of...competition?
"Eddie Polazzo." There was a stiffness in his voice that Faithe had never heard before, which surprised her. As he stuck out his hand, Eddie shook his hand a bit tighter than he normally would anybody else. Looking at Jake, Faithe raised her eyebrow.
"Guess what Uncle Eddie?" Kaytlin grinned excitedly, as if she were about to expose some secret. "'lando is Aunt Belle's boyfriend." Practically whispering the word 'boyfriend,' Kaytlin dissolved into giggles.
Eddie forced a smile and nodded, "Nice to know Isabelle finally got her head out of those books." Umm...ouch? Faithe narrowed her eyes at Eddie. That was a rather bitter comment, not something he usually threw her way. Noticing the glare he was receiving, Eddie gave her a smile of gest. "I didn't mean it like that Izzy, you know that!" Winking, he reached out and tweaked her nose, "I've never known you to be the type that would be in any sort of a relationship."
Faithe forced a smile and nodded. Stepping a bit closer to Orlando, Faithe looked at Kaytlin who was busy fiddling with the silver chain that hung around Faithe's neck. Laughing silently at the look of utmost concentration on the girl's face, Faithe reached up and brushed a few strands of hair out of Kayte's face.
"Well, I only have an hour. I should be off for lunch." Eddie cleared his throat and broke the silence. Nodding at Orlando and Jake, and winking at Faithe and Kaytlin, he was gone. Exhaling deeply, Faithe turned the two remaining.
"Jake, I need to steal the car for a few. I don't feel like taking the subway with our bags." She was obviously bothered by what had just happened, but when it came to being uncomfortable around people, Faithe was infamous for being so introverted.
Smiling as he felt Faithe melt into him, Orlando gave her a flirtatious wink back. The way her rigid spine had relaxed just then confirmed his earlier suspicion that this "Eddie" character made her uncomfortable.
As Faithe shifted against him and Kaytlin was lifted up onto her hip, Orlando gave the tiny girl a grin before looking back at Eddie. Noting the serious-ish look upon the other man's face, a sort of satisfied smirk made a futile effort to show itself on Orlando's face. Yeah, that's right, punk, she's ma Foi, not yours...
"Nice to meet you," he remarked affably, shaking the man's and matching the intensity of his grasp, silently vying with him.
A small, barely noticable blush, crept into his cheeks at Kayte's comment and he laughed warmly, rolling his eyes ever-so-slightly in the young girl's direction. Uncharacteristically, just to rub his being with Faithe in "Eddie"'s face, he leaned over and planted a gentle peck on Faithe's cheek.
"Sure am, Kaytlin," he replied with a grin that deflected any reason for anyone to suspect he had done that for any other reason than affection.
His jovial mien faltered slightly at Eddie's comment, almost so much that his eyes glared at the man, matching Faithe's. Unlike Faithe's though, his look didn't completely vanish after the man had tweaked her nose. Instead, it softened into one of those unreadable looks.
Glad she had stepped closer to him, Orlando tightened his arm around her waist and waved Eddie off pleasantly, watching as the other man walked away, glad that he was gone. He had made Faithe uncomfortable, and that didn't exactly score him points in Orlando's book.
Flitting his glance towards Faithe as she spoke to Jake, his eyes radiated his concern. He would have said something there, but figured it would be best to wait until they were in the car... alone. Instead the words went unsaid, though his eyes conveyed their meaning.
"Yeah," Orlando added with a laugh, "I should probably go retrieve our bags... Seeing as they're still lying back in the main hall where I dropped them."
Faithe had a weird feeling inside of her. There was no other way to describe it. There was something about the way that Orlando was acting that just did not seem like him. Shaking off the feeling, she grinned at Orlando's comment about the bags. "Eh, don't worry about it right now. We can grab them on the way out." Kaytlin looked up all of a sudden, looking around at everybody.
"I hafta go potty." Her announcement was rather loud, but she tilted her head silently asking who was going to take her. Giggling, Faithe looked at the little girl, absentmindedly running her hand through the little girl's dark hair.
"I will sweetie." Looking at the two men, she grinned. "We'll be right back." Walking back up the aisle, Faithe made her way with Kaytlin to the bathroom.
Jake watched the two walk off, smiling as he shook his head. Looking back at Orlando, he grinned, "Sorry about leaving you with her, it was all Izzy's idea." Chuckling, he shook his head again, "Have you learned yet how hard it is to say no to her?"
Making a small annuent in response to Faithe's comment, Orlando mellowed out. Eddie was gone, and things were good again. Seeing Kaytlin's head snap up, his face got a quizzical look upon it, then a jovial one, laughing at the girl's candidness. There was something about youth that was so. blissful. Kaytlin still carried with her ignorance, openness, all of those other admirable traits that people lost as they grew older.
Watching the couple walk off into the sunset, so to speak, Orlando's eyes glazed over with a sort of admiration, not only for Kaytlin's innocence, but for Faithe as well. The way she took care of Kayte never ceased to bring a beam to the man's face. Brought out of yet another thoughtful trance, he looked up at Jake, listening to the man's words.
"Not a problem," he replied, grinning as he recalled the awkward situation of a few minutes earlier. "I figured as much.
"Yeah, sure have," he agreed, referring to Jake's latter comment, "Beautiful little girl you've got. She's precious."
Jake followed his gaze, nodding silently. "It amazes me how much she looks like Isabelle when she was her age. Of course, Izzy got her looks from our grandmother, and Kayte likewise. I hardly ever get to see my daughter when Izzy's in town. I swear, I think Kaytlin has an addiction to her." Looking back at Orlando, he offered a smile.
"As for Eddie, ignore him. He's always a little on edge when it comes to the prospect of Belle having any interest in anybody." Furrowing his eyebrow slightly, a thoughtful expression crossed his face, "Though he did have a point." Grinning, he chuckled quietly, "She has an amazing sense of intuition, and for her trust somebody in that area..." Trailing he off, he shook his head as his grin widened, "If she trusts you, then so do I. That's all I've got to say."
Offering a mischevious grin, "And if you hurt her, you better watch your back." Chuckling, he winked to show he was, indeed, just joking.
*****
"How are you coming along Kayte?" Faithe tapped on the stall door gently, inquiring to make sure she hadn't gotten stuck in the toilet....again.
"I'm great!" Hearing the toilet flush, Faithe stepped back to allow Kayte to get out of the stall. The girl walked out, her dress tucked into her underwear. Stifling laughter, Faithe reached down and untucked the dress, "Don't forget to wash your hands."
Watching as Kaytlin carefully poured soap into her hand, a small smile formed on Faithe's lips. Will I ever have children? Kaytlin turned off the water and walked over to the paper towel dispenser. Of course, the dispenser was a good foot and a half above Kaytlin. Laughing as she watched the girl try to jump for a paper towel, Faithe walked over and lifted her up. "There you go sweets."
Reverting his attention to Jake, Orlando listened as the man spoke; nodding as he described Kayte and Faithe's relationship, and chuckling a little at Jake's taking note of his own reaction to that sly "Eddie" character (who, one might add, had been filed under the heading "scumbag" in Orlando's mind).
Listening intently to each word Jake spoke, Orlando's light-hearted demeanor transformed to a focused one. It seemed, from Jake's words, that this "Eddie" character was indeed a creep. 10 points to Orlando, his intuition had proved itself again.
Blushing slightly as Jake made his own mention of intuition, regarding Faithe's trust in Orlando. He was right, though, and Orlando himself knew that it took a lot for someone like her to trust anyone, ((Warning: cheesy line ahead)) especially with something as fragile as her heart.
Grinning back at Jake, Orlando shook his head.
"Don't worry," he replied, changing the tone of the conversation from joking back to serious, "If I ever hurt her, I'd make sure that I didn't have a back left to watch."
Haunting as it may have been, the last statement was true. If he ever did anything to hurt Faithe, Orlando didn't think he could live with himself. She was goddess, and he a mere mortal.
"You think Kayte fell in?" he asked with a laugh, reverting to a more upbeat and slightly less morbid subject.
Jake looked content, as if he had heard exactly what he wanted. He trusted Faithe's decisions about people, but there was still that protectiveness he felt about her. She was his little sister, and he had seen her hurt enough times that he didn't care to see it again. Laughing at his comment, he shook rubbed his eyes, "Don't jinx her. She did fall in once. They were in the bathroom for a good 15 minutes. Bell walked out laughing with a wet Kaytlin attached to her hand."
Chuckling, he looked up the aisle in time to see Faithe and Kaytlin walked back down, hand in hand. Kaytlin was swinging her hand back and forth, a contented happy smile of a five year old with no worries on her face. "I feel better now!" Grinning, she looked from Orlando to Jake to Faithe back to Orlando. Faithe was always amazed at Kayte's openness to strangers. She herself had always been leniant towards meeting new people.
Sliding her arm around Orlando's Faithe smiled at him, "Are you ready?" Holding out her other hand to Jake, she waited until she felt the cold keys in her hands. Grinning mischeviously, she looked at Jake, almost laughing at his goofy sorrowful look he gave Orlando.
"Man, I hope I see you alive again. Bell is a speed demon in that car." Faithe gasped, an innocent smile playing on her lips.
"Am not!" Sticking her tongue out at him, she looked back up at Orlando, "He's bein' mean to me." Sticking her bottom lip out, she pouted. Chuckling, Jake reached out and poked her in her side, "Get outta here! Don't forget, we're eating in about two hours."
Cachinnating at the mental image of the young girl falling into the toilet and Faithe emerging from the restroom with a soaking child, Orlando's face radiated his amusement. Shaking his head, he gestured down the walkway at the pair with a grin.
"Naw, they're good," he remarked, "And Kayte looks pretty dry."
Simpering at Kaytlin's incessant innocent charm, Orlando's eyes flitted from Kayte's back to Faithe's as if to say "how adorable." He hadn't exactly had a lot of contact with children. Being the baby of the family, and never being too into dealing with kids, aside from the teenagers he had student-taught while in Maine, Kaytlin was pretty much his first experience with children, and it showed.
He wasn't exactly sure how to speak with the young girl, as one may have noted. Sure, he found her endearing, and could share a smile or laugh with her, but as far as actually talking to her, he was clueless. Had he felt a little more comfortable, it's feasible that he may have joshed around with her a little more, as Faithe did, but he had just met the girl.
Still, there was something about her that he sincerely appreciated, prompting the thought of having children of his own into his head. Of course, that thought was promptly knocked out as he felt Faithe's arm entangle itself with his own. Smiling at her, the sympathetic look Jake was casting upon him caught the corner of his eye, inciting his gaze to focus on Jake and an eyebrow to raise inquisitively.
"Eh, if I don't, it was great to meet you before I die, Jake," Orlando replied with persiflage in his voice, punctuating the jest with a wink.
Sliding his arm out of hers and, instead, grabbing her hand, Orlando gradually began to lead Faithe towards the exit. Once they had reached the end of the row, he stopped suddenly. Turning around, he grinned and waved good-bye to Kaytlin, then reverted his attention to Faithe.
"Lead the way, ma Foi, I haven't a clue where the car is."
Scoffing at them both, Faithe slapped Orlando lightly on the shoulder for his comment. "You two are horrible..." Pretending to sulk, she allowed herself to be pulled by Orlando. Kaytlin looked around, tears welling up in her brown eyes. "Nooo! You can't leave!" The small girl whimpered as she looked around.
Jake chuckled as he picked his daughter up, "They'll be back sweetie." When Orlando turned and waved, Kaytlin raised her small hand and waved back.
Leading the way out a side door in the lobby, bag over shoulder, Faithe stopped in front of the fire engine red Mustang. Grinning excitedly, she opened the passenger side door first before opening her door. Throwing her bag in the back, she slid in and fastened her seatbelt. Sticking the key in the ignition, a shiver ran down Faithe's spine as the familiar sound of the deep, loud engine cut through the silence. Hitting the button on the driveway door opener, Faithe watched in the rearview mirror to see when she was safe to pull out.
Grinning at Orlando, she shifted into reverse and pulled out, finally shifting into first gear. Heading down the back street, Faithe shifted gears like a pro, relishing the feel of the deep vibrations underneath her. Looking over at Orlando for a moment, she smiled before returning her gaze to the road.
"I knew they'd love you."
Following Faithe out to the car, Orlando couldn't seem to shake the vision of Kaytlin waving at him out of his mind. It was almost haunting in a sense, yet, in another, completely wonderful. The tiny girl liked him. That was good, and, more than that, Jake and him seemed to get along well, too.
When Faithe stopping in front of the Mustang and her face became contorted with that grin, Orlando rolled his eyes.
"It's only a car, Faithe," he declared with a teasing sigh.
That whole growning up in a wizarding community on the sea had really been quite detrimental to Orlando's masculine car fetish-ness. Aside from the few months he had lived in Manhattan with Demeter, he had never so much as seen a car. And, of course, the man had never ever driven one. Frankly, he never saw the need. Walking or riding his broomstick was good enough for him.
Hesitantly sliding into the car, he flung his shoulderbag into the backseat ((presuming that this 'stang has one)) and coped a squat in the passenger's chair. Raising an eyebrow at Faithe's intrigue, Orlando shook his head and laughed good-naturedly as she relished the feeling of driving.
Returning the smile she gave him, Orlando blushed slightly.
"Eh, we aim to please," he replied modestly, "It was nice. I'm glad I met them. Jake's great, and Kaytlin, in spite of her blunt curiosity, is absolutely precious. I must say, though, she did catch me a bit off guard with that first question. And then you just left me to fend for myself..."
Chuckling, he shook his head and grinned.
"She's adorable, though. Not like that 'Eddie' character..."
At the mention of Eddie's name, Orlando's vocal inflection instantly turned cold and a little bit bitter.
"What's his story?"
Wrinkling her nose at his comment about the car, Faithe had only shaken her head. As she drove, she couldn't help but laugh at his comment. "Blunt would be the word to use, yes. I will never forget the time we were having a dress rehearsel, and a reporter and photographer from the New York Times was there. She stops in the middle of our duet and announces into her microphone that she had to go take a...How did she put it? 'I hafta take a dookey.' I was laughing for fifteen solid minutes before I could do anything about it."
Smirking innocently at his other comment, she got an innocent look on her face that plainly said 'I'm guilty.' Giggling, "Awwww. I must say, you handled it well. What did you tell her?" The smile on her face faded away pretty quickly at the mention of Eddie. Not really wanting to talk about it, Faithe allowed the awkward silence to fill the car for a good five minutes before saying anything.
"He grew up around my family. Jake is the closest friend he has." Turning a corner, Faithe allowed the silence to fill in the car once again. She knew perfectly well that wasn't what Orlando was asking about. The whole deal with Eddie wasn't something she had ever really had to talk about. Those who needed to know about it, knew about it. At the same time, Faithe knew if she could trust anybody, Orlando was that man. Sighing, she pulled into a large parking lot, following it around to an upper level. Parking, she turned the car off and sat there, staring at the steering wheel.
"I always saw him as an older brother, and a sister was the last thing in the world he saw me as. He's been trying to take me out on a date since I was 14, but I've just never been interested in dating before, especially him. It'd be like dating my brother, ya know?" Unbuckling her seatbelt, she turned to face him, resting her head against the head rest. ((wow..what a concept.)) Ignoring the strand of hair that fell across her face, she offered a half hearted smile. "Last year we put on our annual production of Les Misérables. I was Cosette and he was Marius. If you know the story then you know that they get married at the end, and weddings require a kiss. Well, we use a stage kiss where it looks like you're kissing, but you're not. Our mouths are on each other's cheek, and we turn out heads so it looks like we're kissing to the audience, but we really aren't. Well, he decided on our last performance night that the whole stage kissing thing just was not happening for him. So, when it came time for the wedding scene, he definitely did not do what we had rehearsed, knowing I couldn't really do anything about it." Shrugging, she reached back and grabbed her bag.
"It could have been worse, and I know it really wasn't that bad, but..." Shrugging again, she pulled the key from the ignition. "Ever since then, I just haven't felt too comfortable around him. No big deal." Opening her door, she stepped out, clicking the lock as she went. Walking around to the front of the car, she waited for Orlando to join her.
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips as Orlando imagined Kaytlin doing such a thing, which, given her nature, was entirely feasible.
"Oh, nuthin'," he answered with a devious smirk upon his face.
Noting how uncomfortable just a mention of that scumbag character had made her, Orlando was sorry he had brought that topic up. well, almost sorry. There was a sort of curiosity that had been sparked and, although he didn't want to bring up any sour memories, he couldn't help the fact that he wanted to know what had gone on with the man before him.
The eerily awkward silent that filled the car prompted the man to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He and Faithe had never really had one of those "awkward silences" before, and he certainly didn't want to make them a habit now. Glancing warily at her, he sighed quietly and shook his head. About to say something, his mouth opened, then closed when she spoke at last.
"He grew up around my family. Jake is the closest friend he has."
'Well,' Orlando thought, slightly bitterly, 'wasn't that informative.
It wasn't that he was resentful of her not telling him, it was merely the fact that he had thought they trusted each other enough to talk about anything together. After all, he had told her about his past with Demeter pretty much the night after they really "met". Then again, he hadn't told her the whole story, but she knew enough. Casting a cagey glance at her, he tilted his head, trying to meet her gaze with his sympathetic eyes.
Failing to do so, he just listened for a moment. Then, as she turned to face him, a small hint of a compassionate smile crossed his face. Of course, any hint of something representing happiness was absent from his face as she continued. His mind fast-forwarded to finish her story and a mixed look of disgust and shock took over his face as the sickening thought that Eddie may have violated the chaste young woman crossed his mind.
Thankfully, though, her story negated such, taking away a little of the tension that had come to make the man's entire body on edge. Though it hadn't been as intense as his mind had first thought it to be, the Eddie character was most certainly a violating scumbag.
As Faithe moved to exit the car, Orlando found himself unable to move. Lost in thought, he just sat there for a moment, with a blank, vacantly contemplative look upon his face. At the slam of the door, though, he jolted up and, grabbing his bag from the back, slowly opened his door and exited.
Walking around to the front of the car, the vacant expression remained on his face.God.I had no idea.'
Shaking his head, somewhat in disbelief, he bit his lip and wrapped his arms around Faithe, hugging her tightly against him. Lying his head upon her shoulder, his hand reached up to stroke her hair.
"I'm so sorry."
The words were nothing compared to the amount of guilt Orlando felt. Granted, he couldn't have done anything to prevent it, but the fact that he hadn't been there to stop someone from causing Faithe such pain bothered him.
Pulling back, but still keeping her in his embrace, Orlando's lips gently caressed Faithe's neck before his eyes rose to meet her gaze, full of concern.
"You alright, ma Foi?"
Feeling his arms wrap around her, Faithe snuggled into him, grateful that he was here with her. "I'm fine, really. I mean, there are worse things that could have been done offstage." Which was true; girls went through a lot worse nowadays. Offering him a small smile, she reached up and brushed an eyelash from his cheekbone, being as soft as she could. "I refuse to put myself in a situation where I'm alone with him. I just don't feel comfortable. I mean, he probably wouldn't do anything, but I'm not willing to risk it."
A small shiver ran through her when he kissed her neck as another small smile pulled at her lips. Running her index and middle finger through his hair, she toyed with a lock of his dark hair, an act that was becoming almost habitual to her. "What does 'ma Foi' mean? You've been using it a lot lately." Squeezing his hand, she intertwined her fingers in between his as she started walking towards the elevator to take them down to the first floor. Mashing the button on the little silver panel, the elevator door opened almost immediately. Surprised at their good luck, she stepped inside and hit the button for the first floor.
'Such wise words for one so young...' Orlando though, amazed at Faithe's ability to cope with something like that as though it were nothing. Granted, if he hadn't known the girl, he'd probably think she was exaggerating, but having met Eddie and knowing Faithe's character, he wouldn't put anything past that creep.
"C'est français, ma petite cherie," Orlando replied with a grin. His accent was marvelous- so much so that the words seemed to simply roll off his tongue. Awhile back, perhaps a year or so, he had taken Demeter to France and, during that summer, had become remarkably fluent in the French language.
Chuckling, he walked in sync with her towards the elevator, gently swinging their hands in time with their feet. Taking a step inside, he waited until the elevator's door had slid shut before speaking.
"Ma Foi," he repeated, smiling tugging at the corners of his lips, "is just a little nickname I've patented for you."
As the elevator door opened, Orlando grinned. Picking up Faithe's bags, he sauntered out of the elevator and into the lobby, turning around give Faithe another grin. It wasn't that he had anything against telling the girl, but the fun that could be had by letting her guess that intrigued him.
"You coming?"
Nodding slowly at his spurt of the French language, Faithe only grinned and nodded. "Right. To think, all I know is Latin." Grinning and winking, she wrinkled her nose up in playful gest. She knew a few phrases in French, but she seriously doubted the last thing he wanted to hear were the phrases 'I love you,' 'I adore you,' or 'good night.' Well, maybe the second one wouldn't completely freak him.
Checking and getting their keys, she declined the offer of the bellhop. Walking towards the hotel elevator, she pressed the button. After the door had slid open and shut behind them, she hit the button for the top floor. "They did put us in the penthouse. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a half bathroom, a kitchen, a minibar," furrowing her eyebrow, an amused expression came over her face, "And it still confuses me, but there's a hottub in a den type room. It looks out over the city. Of course, there is a wonderful balcony with a gorgeous view." Grinning, she stuck her tongue out at him.
Hearing the familiar ding as the doors parted once more, Faithe stepped out onto the carpeted hallway. Making a left turn, she walked to the door at the far end of the hallway, openeing the door. Stepping inside the positively massive room, Faithe dropped her bag by the couch, she herself collapsing onto the couch. "I don't want to move." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breathe, suddenly feeling very exhausted.
"Eh," Orlando replied, "Latin's what all the other romance languages came from. Français, español e italiano." he mused with a wink. He couldn't speak more than a word of the latter two, but his pronunciation of their names would have led one to believe otherwise. Surprised that she wasn't pressing him to tell her what her little nickname meant, an odd glance crossed the man's face. This wasn't any fun.
"It means 'my Faithe', by the way," he added casually. "Ma Foi, that is."
Trailing her back into the elevator, rather a different elevator, his face grew bright with excitement at the mention of how extravagant their room was. Though his family was well-off, they hadn't exactly ever shared their wealth with Orlando. Instead of having a nice room, he would sleep in the loft of the house, when he slept inside, that is. For the most part, he would sneak out and spend his nights upon the roof, gazing at the stars- his lone saviors in the night.
Following her as Faithe exited the elevator, he wound his way through the hallways. As she opened the door, the man's jaw dropped. Brilliant blue eyes took in the sight before them, accompanied by an incredulous gasp. Luxurious was the only word that came to mind.
Slowly entering the room, and placing his bag next to where Faithe had laid hers, he drifted over to the window, looking out.
The bright city lights made it impossible to see almost anything in the sky, save the bright sphere of Saturn in the spring sky. That was one of the reasons that Orlando had chosen to move away from the city; the lack of stars in the night sky. It was as though the city never slept, which, in fact, it didn't.
"You tired already?" he asked, turning back to face her. "It's not even eight o'clock," he added with a yawn, which he made a futile attempt to hide with his hand, "and there's way too much we've yet to do tonight before you can do to sleep."
Giggling at the nickname bit, Faithe opened her eyes, training them on his back. "I knew you'd tell me." Hopping up, she walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Resting her head on the side of his arm her brown eyes followed his out to the city. Faithe had always failed to decide whether she was a city girl or a country town girl. There was a bit of both in her, always had been, always would be.
She missed Mulberry in Texas so badly. Out in the middle of nowehere, population, less than a hundred. There were nights when she would sit on her grandpa's backporch and simply stare at the stars and planets. Occasionally she would pull out the telescope she had been given by her brother, but often times, she enjoyed to just sit back and watch them without an analyzing eye.
Sometimes though, being in a slow moving town drove her insane. Faithe didn't like to feel bored or stagnant, and that idle feeling found ways of creeping in while in the middle of nowhere. The city was always fast pace, always moving, and Faithe like that too. Everything fit.
"It's been a long day." Nudging him lightly with her chin at his yawn, she laughed softly. "We should probably hop in the shower." Pointing towards a bedroom to the left, "You can take that room if you want. There isn't any difference in them, except that one is mainly decorated in a light green and the other one is in mauve."
"Mmm?" Placing his hands atop hers, Orlando turned his head back for a moment to smile at Faithe, not sure if he'd heard her correctly.
"We?" he repeated, getting a deviously mischievous grin upon his face. Chuckling to himself, he shook his head, knowing Faithe to be much too innocent for that type of thing. That was more of the sort of thing Demeter would do.
Oops. Rule number one of relationships: don't compare your current to your ex.
Mentally scolding himself for that last though, he sighed and moved to turn away, planning on taking his bags into the room she had gestured to. Yet, as he head turned, his eyes caught a glimpse of the heavens, or rather, lack there of. The ardent astrophile in him was slightly disappointed at the lack of stars, yet it was that very same part of him that delighted in the few celestial phenomenons that had still been there to grace both Faithe and himself with their presence. Most notably, of course, his comet.
He had calculated its path several times over, enjoying each small equation in the gigantic math problem solely because the fact that he was performing those calculations reminded him of his accomplishment. And there it was, up in the sky, the icy ball of rock melting away and leaving a gorgeous tail of dust, gas and vapors in its path.
Orlando had originally planned on showing it to Faithe later, perhaps at the observatory the following night, mainly because he didn't think it was bright enough to shine through the city lights, but the moment seemed to good to pass up.
Taking one of her hands off his waist, he reached it out, pointing her fingertips toward the tiny spec in the sky.
"See that, Faithe?" he asked, "C'est ma 'stroi de la foi'." Though he had spoken the flowing words quickly, almost so they were unintelligible babblings, he was sure Faithe knew what he'd meant.
Rolling her eyes, she playfully shoved him, looking up in his eyes as he turned his head around. Sticking her tongue out, she couldn't resist the chance to take advantage of his turning his head. Standing on tip toe, she gently kissed him before he turned around. Feeling the warmth of his hand around hers, she followed his gaze up to the sky. An excited feeling rushed through her body.
Stepping to stand in front of him, she leaned up against him. Raising her eyebrow curiously, "Wha..huh?" Fast words in a different language. She knew it was his comet, of course, but whatever he had just said was completely oblivious to her. Staring at it, a contented expression came over her.
"That's your comet, Orlando. How does it feel to know that it's going to carry your name for the rest of eternity?" Laughing, she turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck loosely. "I am so proud of you," she repeated the phrase for the umpteenth time. "Nobody deserves this more than you, you know that?" Reaching up, she toyed with a strand of his hair softly, a look of adoration, respect, and admiration filling her eyes. "You deserve to be immortalized...especially with this."
Caught off guard by her kiss, Orlando's lips barely caught hers. The small moment they touched was enough, signified by the sparkle in the man's eyes as he winked at her.
Laying his head upon her shoulder as she leaned against him, he dropped her arm back down and wrapped his arms around her waist, pretty much putting them in the same position as before, in opposite places, however. Humbled by her words, a small blush warmed Orlando's cheeks.
"Oh, but it's not my name," he replied as she turned around and placed her arms around his neck. "I'm nothing special- nobody worth immortalizing with something so phenomenal as a comet as their name's embodiment, at least.
"'La Stroi de la Foi'," he repeated, slower this time. "Know what it means?"
Placing his hands around her back, he grinned as he whispered: "'Streak of Faith'."
About to object to his disagreement, she kept her mouth closed as he continued on. An incredulous look crossed her face as he repeated the words as she found herself getting lost in his voice. Feeling her cheeks turn a light shade of pink, she dropped her gaze down to his arms around her. Looking back up at him, she searched his face, her brown eyes finally meeting his sparkling blue eyes.
Offering a small, coy smile, "You are a streak of faith." Wincing slightly at the corny comment, she grinned nervously at him. "Faith is what brought you to me. Destiny and faith." Oh dear, Faith. You sound like a moron. Hey, what else is new? If I can't act like a moron in front of Orlando, who can I act like a moron in front of? Raising her eyebrow as if to say 'Yes, I know that was bad,' she shook her head.
Squeezing his hand, she looked back up at the comet, surprised that it was visible in the middle of the city. "We probably should start getting ready." Trying to make a quick exit from the completely idiotic feeling she had, Faithe walked over to the couch and grabed her bag.
Oh, the cheesiness.
Whether prompted by Faithe's corny comments or her own reaction to them, Orlando found it impossible to stop himself from laughing. Not laughing at her, mind you, but just laughing good-naturedly with amusement. Watching her gaze revert to the sky, his hands found their way to her warmly blushing cheeks, gently guiding her face back towards his, giving her a quick kiss before she could make her exit.
"Et tu est la mienne ((with "mienne" referring to his streak of faith))," he replied with a grin, knowing full well Faithe didn't speak enough French to comprehend it.
"And you are mine," he whispered, translating the phrase for her.
Laughing as she made her escape from the awkwardness, Orlando reluctantly followed her.
"So," he asked, throwing his bag over his shoulder, "where're we going for dinner? Am I going to have to wear a penguin suit, or will just jeans and t- shirt suffice?"
Making his way towards his room, he stopped at turned around at the door.
"And what about that whole us taking a shower?" he added with a smirk, emphasizing the "pluralness" of the word "us" as opposed to the "singularness" of the word "a", insinuating that only one shower was to be taken.
Faithe grinned as he started laughing...the laugh that she had grown to adore and cherish. "I know...that was bad. Really bad." Smiling warmly at the tingling sensation his lips left on hers, she winked. Laughing at his clothing attire inquiry, she nodded. "You can wear whatever you want sweetie. Jake is cooking in his apartment, it's not like we're going anywhere."
Feeling her cheeks turn pink, a coy smile spread over her lips. Laughing, she walked innocently towards the couch, setting her bag down calmly. Half running, half skipping, Faithe practically tackled Orlando. Throwing her arms around his neck, she stood up on tiptoes and kissed him fully. Pulling back, she stuck her tongue her tongue out at him, a flirtatious grin spread over her face. "J'adore." Turning, she skipped back to her bag, not looking back to see the look on his face.Closing the bedroom door behind her, Faithe could not wipe the smile off her face as she jumped in the shower.
Twenty minutes later, Faithe was drying off and getting dressed. Putting on a light yellow skirt with tiny blue flowers sprinkled across it, and a white tank top, Faithe still held the same smile on her face. How in the world did I get so lucky? After blow drying her hair, she grabbed her flip flops and stepped out of the room. Thanks to her shampoo and body wash, she now smelled like strawberries as opposed to a train.
"Whatever I want, eh?" Orlando replied. "So, if I wore one of your dresses, that wouldn't be a problem?" Laughing, he wrapped his arms around Faithe as she pretty much jumped into/onto him. Lifting her up a bit as he kissed her back, she seemed to bolt away the very moment he set her down. The French words echoed through his mind as that Orlando-ish grin took over his face.
"You little."
Finding himself a little stunned, Orlando just stood and watched as Faithe sauntered into the bathroom, and he heard the shower water begin to run. Shaking his head, he, too, reverted to the bathroom to get ready for dinner.
Being a guy, it didn't take him nearly as long. After a quick seven-minute shower, it only took him about five or so more minutes to clad himself in some khaki pants, a white undershirt and a rather nice looking black button- up shirt. And, as an added bonus, Orlando took a razor to his characteristic stubble, giving himself a clean-shaven face that almost made him look like a foreigner to himself. Without the likeness of a beard, his face looked very juvenile, making him look his age, if not younger.
Sighing, he redid the clasp on his watch's leather band and walked back into the main lobby area of their penthouse. Walking over to the window, he watched his comet for a few minutes more, until he heard the door of Faithe's room open.
Turning his head, the man sighed with awe, blinking his brilliant blue eyes.
"Tu est belle, ma Foi," he breathed, walking over and giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Mmm.." Smiling faintly as Orlando walked over to him, opened her eyes. Wow. "That shirt is incredibly flattering on you sweetie." Not that Orlando needed much flattery when it came to his appearance, or his personality. He was perfect how he was. Standing up, she ran her hand over his smooth chin.
"You have no hair. Did accidently use the wrong razor?" Laughing, she winked at him as she gently rubbed her thumb along his jawline. "Ready?" Picking up her purse, she grabbed the keys to the Mustang. Putting the plastic key card in one of the purse pockets, Faithe grabbed his hand and began walking towards the door, Orlando in tow.
Reaching the elevator, she stepped in, and within 10 minutes they were back in the car, on the way to Jake's. Starting the car up, that normal shiver she got from the sound of the massive engine ran through her body. "I sincerely hope that Kaytlin does not decide to share her food with you this evening." Grinning as she pulled out, Faithe cast him a warning look.
Faithe's compliment brought a soft rouge color to Orlando's cheeks. Thanking her with his eyes, rather than words, he smiled.
"We aim to please."
Raising his eyebrows, he shook his head.
"This is the thanks I get for trying to look nice?" he replied, taking her hand in his and wiping her fingers along his cheek. "Don't worry about it, Faithe, I'll have my nice conventional stumble back tomorrow morning."
Letting her take him by the hand, Orlando followed her out, shutting the door behind them with his foot.
Before plopping into the Mustang, the man's blue eyes cast a glance at the car, this time with a sort of new respect for the machine. Slowly but surely, the car was growing on him. Smiling, and nodding at the car with reverence, he plopped himself into the seat, glancing at Faithe with a raised eyebrow.
"Why's that?"
"Aww hunny," poking her bottom lip out as she spoke, "You look nice all the time." Grinning mischeviously as she drove, Faithe left him in a pondering silence for awhile. Turning a corner, Faithe slammed on the brakes as a car cut her off, coming within inches of her front bumper. Taking a deep breath, she shifted back into first, once again starting on her way. I hate New York traffic.
Feeling slightly shaky at the close call, Faithe hit another back road to avoid the traffic. "The last person Kayte met that she liked, and we had over to dinner, ended up with her spaghetti all over them." Looking over at him for a few seconds, a mischevious grin crossed her lips, "I think you and I have had enough flying food. What about you?"
Finally reaching the theater once more, she pulled into the garage. After the door had closed she opened the side door and instead of heading towards the lobby, took a side door that was almost hidden a corner. Taking Orlando's hand in hers, she started the trek up the stairs that could easily equal the distance of three floors. Reaching the door, she rapped on it before opening it, leading Orlando into a spacious, beautifully decorated apartment. "Home sweet home."
Ready to make a comment, Orlando was jolted into silence as Faithe slammed the brakes. The man's brilliant blue eyes widened with shock and a look of absolute terror contorted his pleasant face for a moment, which probably gave him quite a comical look. As aforementioned, Orlando hadn't had too much experience with cars. Even when he and Demeter had lived in Manhattan, the two hadn't really seen much purpose in wasting time sitting in traffic when they could get somewhere just as fast by walking.
After a moment, the man swallowed and began breathing again. Shooting a look at Faithe, he shook his head, gasping quietly.
"I'd ask if you were alright, but I think I'm more shook up about that than you are," he noted, breathing quickly still.
Riding in silence the rest of the way, one might note that Orlando's hand failed to cease clutching the door handle ((I assume there's something of the sort for him to cling to on the 'stang)) almost so hard his knuckles turned white. When at last they reached Jake's, he didn't hesitate the exit the car. As Faithe led him in and up the stairs, he took a quick look back at the car, no longer with a look of reverence, but more of a wary gaze.
At the top of the stairs, he diffidently peaked into the apartment. Wow. Theatre must be more profitable than I thought.
"Nice."
"I hate New York traffic. They're so rude. The cops use their sirens and lights just to get around traffic."
"Jake? Kayte?" Setting her purse down and tossing the keys on a nearby table, Faithe furrowed her eyebrow. It's too quiet...
"AUNT BELL!" The sudden loud squal of the little girl, Faithe didn't see her in time to prevent Kaytlin from burrowing into her. Loosing her balance slightly, a small cry emitted from her mouth as she fought to stay up on her two feet. Lifting the child quickly, she managed to keep from visitng the floor.
"Hey there sweets," laughing as she spoke, Faithe shot Orlando a surprised expression. Kaytlin leaned in, rubbing her nose against Faithe's as they had done earlier. "Where's your daddy?" Before Kayte could answer, Jake came in, wiping his hands on a towel. Offering a smile as Kayte wiggled out of her hands, she watched as the little girl ran towards Orlando. Laughing as she watched Kaytlin throw her arms around Orlando, she gave Jake a side hug.
"'lando, guess what? I lostded a tooth today after you left!" Opening her mouth, she pulled back her top lip, exposing a small hole where a canine used to be. Reachingn her arms up, she jumped up and down, signifying that she wanted to be held.
Indeed, the silence of the apartment was quite unnerving. Still unsettled due to the near deadly (in Orlando's opinion) car crash, Orlando's blue eyes shifted warily back and forth, darting across the room. As Kaytlin nearly tackled Faithe, a rather loud gasp escaped his lips and his hand reached out, snagging Faithe's arm as she fell.
Shaking his head and laughing when he realized it was none other than that adorable little girl, Orlando just grinned.
A little surprised when she came running towards him, Orlando shot Faithe a slightly awkward "what do I do?" glance before throwing caution to the wind and scooping the small girl up into his arms by placing one hand around her back and the other beneath her knees, just like he had done with Faithe on more than a few occasions.
"Wow, really?" Orlando replied, seemingly getting the hang of how to behave with young children as she spun her around in his arms. His head tilted inquisitively and he pretended to look into her mouth. "That's great, Kaytlin. You'll have to put it under your pillow tonight for the Tooth Fairy."
Laughing slightly as Orlando shot her a questioning look, Faithe nodded encouragingly. Tilting her head slightly, a thoughtful smile spread on her lips as she watched Orlando with Kaytlin. He looks so sweet with a child in his arms. He'll be a great father one day, if he ever has children. Talk about random thought. Standing up straight, she looked at Jake, grinning.
"What's for dinner Chef Cunningham?" Reaching out, she shoved him gently in his shoulder. Laughing, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Grinning, he balled his fist up and proceeded to give her a 'noogie.' Squealing, she pushed away from him, bawling up her first and punching him lightly in the arm. "Punk!"
Nodding, he winked. "We are having fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, and bread."
"Gracious me." Grinning, Faithe brought back her little 'Southern Georgia peach' accent,' "Talk about some Southern Style cookin' my dear." Winking, she turned her attention back on Orlando and Kaytlin.
Kaytlin nodded enthusiastically about the prospect of the Tooth Fairy. "Uh huh, yup! Last time she brought me five whole dollars!" As she spoked, her voice became all the more excited as she practically jumped in Orlando's arms. When she said the word 'five,' she held up five fingers. Looking at Faithe, she wriggled out of his arms and ran back to her.
"You hafta help me with my song tonight!" Grabbing her hand, Kayte made an attempt to pull her over to the CD player that undoubtedly held a CD of 'her' song. Grinning, Faithe reached down and picked her up.
"How about after dinner sweetie?" Poking out her bottom lip, Kayte nodded with a melodramatic pout on her face. "Aww...stick that lip out anymore and we can use it as a book case." Kaytlin gasped at the comment, and Faithe proceeded to mock her in nonmalicious gest.
Laughing, Jake shook his head, "Come on you guys, dinner is ready."
((Five days and this is the best I can come up with. Isn't that pathetic? lol))
Flitting an eye over towards Faithe while Kaytlin remained in his arms, Orlando's lip twitched upwards with mild amusement as Jake and her bantered. Not more than an instant later, however, did his attention revert to the sugar-high girl in his arms; feeling her scramble out of his grasp, he jolted a little, watching with a half-open mouth as she ran over towards Faithe.
Yet again, Orlando's face was overtaken by that mildly amused look. His brilliantly blue eyes closed slightly, but were not yet squinting, one eyebrow flattened out while the other was jerked upward, as though it was caught in a fishhook, the left side of his mouth was pulled into a half- smile while the other side remain inactive, and his neck was slightly tilted as he shook his head at the pair.
Hearing Jake, his head cocked a bit, then he meandered over towards the table. Chivalrously taking Faithe's hand in one of his own, he used his free hand to pull out a chair, and then gently swung her around (like one might do while swing-dancing. only slower) into the seat. Flashing her a glimpse of his cheesily adorable boyish grin, he sat down in the chair next to her.
"Dinner looks delectable, Jake," he remarked.
Smiling as he spun her around, Faithe took a seat, squeezing his hand affectionately before letting go. She was definately ready for a home cooked meal, especially Jake's cooking. He was definately the chef in the family, that was for sure.
****
An hour later, the four had reassembled in the spacious living room. After hearing fifteen minutes of Kayte's pleading for Faithe to sing with her, she finally threw her hands up in resignition. Although, she felt rather nervous singing in front of Orlando.
Picking up the CD player remote, she turned the power on while Kaytlin hopped into her lap. Jake grinned as he leaned forward in his chair, resting his head on his fists.
There is a castle on a cloud
I like to go there in my sleep
Aren't any floors for me to sweep
Not in my castle on a cloud...
Kaytlin's voice was soft and innocent, but she had a very impressive voice for a five year old. Faithe had consciously softened her tone to match the little girl's, but it was easy to tell that she had a powerful, melodious voice. As soon as the short piece had started, the last chords decrescendoed into silence as Faithe hit the power button.
Looking down, she avoided looking at Orlando, her face turning a soft shade of pink. Kayte jumped up, running over to Jake. Jumping into his arms, literally, Kayte wrapped her arms around her father's neck. Standing up, he he lifted the girl into his arms. "Alright sweetie, it's time for bed."
The smile on Kayte's face dropped as a sad, pouty expression crossed her face. Poking her lip out, she quivered it melodramatically, "Pwease let me stay up daddy." Looking up, Faithe's eyes widened in amusement as she chuckled at her niece.
"Where in the world did she learn that?!" Laughing as she stood up, Faithe shook her head. Jake's eyebrows raised in a look of playful accusation.
"Gee, Faithe, I don't know, Faithe, where in the world, Faithe, she would learn something like that." Winking, he added in an afterthought, "Faithe."
Gasping, she brought her hand up to her chest, "I have no idea what you are talking about." Sticking her tongue out, she dared to look at Orlando, casting a wink his way.
"Can Aunt Bell put me to bed?" Making a sniffling noise, she turned her big brown eyes on Faithe in a silent plea. Laughing, Faithe stood up and took the child from Jake, raising her up a few feet above her in the air. Bringing her back down, she wrapped her arms comfortably around the little girl.
"Of course I will. You two be good." Looking from one to the other, Faithe winked before walking into Kayte's bedroom.
In spite of the abundance of furniture, Orlando had opted for the more comfortable seat that was the carpet. After all, it just felt better. Reclining so that his back lay against a chair or couch, he was perfectly comfortable upon the floor. Smirking inadvertently, he gazed expectantly at her as Faithe pressed the play button and the euphonious works of Les Misérables flooded his ears.
Noticing that she had glanced down, a reverent smile took its place upon the man's face. Modesty was definitely a trait that the man respected. Then, as she sang, the respect blossomed into admiration, although that, too, is an understatement. Although he had never been exactly musical, Orlando could most certainly appreciate the woman's voice. Delicately powerful, and softly strong, it was, in a word, amazing. And, of course, the slight rouge in the young woman's cheeks, brought a broad grin to his face in place of the smile.
Amused by Kayte's juvinile antics, the man chuckled slightly, answering Faithe's wink with a nod of his own.
"Good-night, Kaytlin," Orlando called with a wave as he watched Faithe take Kayte away, "Don't forget to put that tooth under your pillow!"
Jake sat back down, crossing one leg over the other. "Those two...they are going to get in trouble one day." Grinning, his eyes scanned the room before settling on Orlando. Sitting in silence a few moments, Jake tapped his fingers on his knee. "You know, I don't think I have ever seen my sister this happy." Standing up, he chuckled, "I'm going to go make sure Eddie locked up before he left...if they've all left yet. Will you go make sure Izzy didn't fall asleep with Kayte?" Grinning again, she walked out of the room.
After making sure her tooth was securely under her pillow, Kaytlin finally relaxed under her yellow and white flowered comforter. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Faithe's eyes followed the girls out the window. Her bed was located less than a foot from the window sill. Smiling at the faint white spot moving across the open sky, she reached over and turned the lamp off.
"Will you sing me to sleep?" The girl's voice came out softly as a small yawn escaped her with her drooping eyes. Reaching out, Faithe gently stroked her hair back on her head, smiling adoringly at Kaytlin. Looking back out the window, Faithe began to sing "When You Wish Upon A Star" softly, but audibly. Kaytlin had drifted off in almost no time, but Faithe continued to sit there. Humming the song, she continued to stroke the girl's light brown hair. Her eyes had drifted back up to Orlando's comet, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Orlando's eyes wandered over Jake, and the man blushed slightly at the other's insinuation about himself and Faithe. That was good. The more he was around him, the more it seemed to Orlando that Jake wasn't reacting at all how himself would to his younger sister bringing her "boyfriend" up for the weekend. In fact, Jake was almost a little too okay with the whole situation, which unnerved Orlando a little bit, but, still, it was much preferred over the alternative. Eddie's name caused Orlando's eyebrows to furrow bitterly and a coldness to overtake his body, but only momentarily.
Nodding in response to Jake's request, Orlando pulled himself up and moseyed over to where Faithe had just been, hoping that, somehow, he'd find his way to Kayte's bedroom without trying every door there was in the small loft. And, of course, he did, by following the beautiful sirens' song that was Faithe's voice.
He didn't enter as she sang, but instead loitered casually just outside the door, looking in. Subconsciously, the image before his eyes was one of the mother of his child singing the small girl to sleep. Of course, he didn't quite realize that's what he was thinking as the smile tugged at the corner of his lips, pulling them into that characteristic grin.
Once the vocal melody had melted into a hummed tune, and Faithe's eyes reverted to the sky, the man silently crept into the room, taking great care not to disturb neither Faithe nor Kaytlin. Making his way around the bed, he sleathily came up behind Faithe, gently wrapping his arms around her neck and laying his head upon her shoulder as he stood.
Honestly, could he ask for anything more? His comet streaking across the nighttime sky, a beautiful, amazing woman in his arms. Perfection was attained.
"You're an angel," he whispered into her ear, slowly guiding her up, off the bed, so that she stood in front of him, facing the stars and leaning against his chest.
Lost in her own world, Faithe hadn't even had the slightest idea that Orlando was near her. When he wrapped his arms around her, a feeling of immediate serenity passed over her as a small, warm smile spread on her lips. Allowing herself to be lifted to her feet, she leaned against his body, her eyelids heavy with content. Keeping her eyes on the white star, her head tilted slightly as she relaxed against Orlando. Her breathing quickly beame in sync with his as her head very slightly rose and fell with his chest.
"You're the answer to every star I have ever wished on." Whispering softly, Faithe slid her hand into his, intertwining her fingers in his. This fits...everything about it fits. Smiling softly, her eyes still remained halfway closed as she peered at the comet. Turning around, she slipped her arms around his neck loosely, a faint smile on her face. Standing up tip toe, she kissed him lightly before resettling at her normal stature.
((Imagine feesable time slot here.))
A small noise caught Faithe's attention from the door. Turning her head to see the cause of it, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as her eyes fell on Eddie. Leaning against the doorframe, an unnerving grin was spread over Eddie's handsome face. His green eyes were narrowed slightly as he gazed around the room. Taking a swig from a bottle he held in his hand, he cleared his throat.
"Why's Kayte sleepin'? It's not that late." His words came out slightly slurred, and his voice was incredibly loud. So much for a peaceful evening.
Though her words could have come from a cheap Hollywood script, given their inflection and the setting they were proclaimed in, they radiated nothing but sincerity in Orlando's mind. To any other, they would have appeared cheesy and ludicrious, but, to Orlando, they weren't. He understood her, and she understood him. The two needed not bother themselves with superfluous words- verbosity wasn't even remotely necessary to convey what they felt, for the looks in their eyes told all.It most certainly did just... "fit".
Like the missing piece of a puzzle, Faithe's fingers entangled in his completed the man. Feeling her arms wind themselves around his neck gently, his stomach fluttered in anticipation of the kiss to come, and, when her lips did finally press against him, his own lips responded genuinely, matching her small passion with a light urgency as he wrapped his arms around her waist, momentarily lifting her off the ground. ((Run-on!!! Eep!)).
((Yeah, so this next part is that "feasible time slot" insertation...))
"Mmm..."
His only verbal response for awhile was a quiet moan. Instead of speaking, he let his eyes convey his message to the young woman before him. The brilliant blue spheres shone luminously in the dark room, glowing with a sense of unsurpassable joy, contentment and a mixture of more than a hundred other feelings. The answer to every wish he had ever made on a star, the embodiment of every trait he'd ever longed for, the person who made him want to be a better man... There she was in his arms. For one silent, pensive moment, Orlando's eyes glazed over in thought. Seven months was quite a long time, indeed, he thought to himself, unsure of his next remark for a moment.
Pulling his head back, his cocked it slightly, looking at her with a slightly inquisitive look upon his face. Moonlight waltzed upon her soft brown hair, and gave her skin a pristine glow. Unwrapping an arm from her waist, the man reached up an arm, stroking her cheek with the backside of his hand.
"Je t'aime, ma Foi," he whispered, a hint of a smile dancing onto his face. "I love you, Faithe."
((Insert time for Faithe's reply if you'd like, or just go onto the Eddie thing here))
Hearing a noise, Orlando's head lost all sappy thoughts as it snapped towards the door. Immediately, he went on the defensive. His smile hardened into a straightface, his eyebrows furrowed and his brilliant blue eyes turned cold with bitterness. He didn't like this "Eddie" character much... Gently, but quickly, he pushed Faithe behind him, towards the wall, and closer to the sleeping Kaytlin, as he hastily walked towards Eddie, stopping about seven feet in front of him. The light from the hall hit his face eerily, giving the normally amiable man a threatening look to him as he loomed at 6'1".
"Because five-year-olds go to sleep before ten o'clock at night," he replied matter-of-factly, staring down the drunken moron with an unfeeling glare as his hand felt its way into his pocket and his fingers wound themselves around the maplewood shaft of his wand. If Eddie was going to hurt Faithe or Kaytlin, even in the most minute of ways, it would be over Orlando's cold, dead body.
The words that had come out of his mouth were still dancing around in her mind. Did he just...That's cute Faithe, now you're imagining things. No, you weren't. He really just said that he loves you. Her heart had skipped a beat, or two as she felt slightly shakey.
Looking down at Kaytlin, Faithe let out a small sigh of relief to see that she was still sleeping. Noticing Orlando's hand slide into his pocket, a cold feeling settled over her. Eddie became absolutely insane with his magic when he was drunk, she'd seen it before. Stepping up quickly, having every desire to not let this get out of hand, Faithe placed her hand gently around Orlando's arm. Shaking her head, she gave him a pleading look. Turning back to Eddie, "Where's Jake?"
"Walking in circles downstairs looking for me." Eddie laughed loudly and crudely, taking another swig from the bottle. In one quick motion, he threw the bottle, grinning as it busted on the wall next to Kayte's bed. Screaming, the little girl woke up in tears, terrified at whatever had jarred her from her sleep. In a few quick steps, Faithe had covered the distance between herself and Kaytlin.
Sitting on the bed, Faithe gathered the crying five year old in her arms, "Shh...Kayte, it's alright." Talking softly, Faithe tried to calm her own shaking, oblivious to what was going on behind her.
"I'll shut her up..." Pushing past Orlando quickly, the grin on Eddie's face had been replaced by a scowl as he walked towards the bed. Letting go of Kaytlin, Faithe stood up, her eyes narrowed at him. There was no way on God's green earth she would let him ever touch Kayte. Taking his arm, she tried to pull him towards the living room, "Eddie, leave her alone. Let's go into the living room."
Had it been just about anybody else, Faithe would have pulled her wand on him, or let Orlando deal with him, but she knew how Eddie could be. He wouldn't forget this by the time he had sobered up, and she didn't have any desire to make him angrier than he had made himself... for Kayte's sake. Of course, Eddie didn't want to go into the living room. Grabbing the arm that she had wrapped around his, Eddie struck out, backhanding her before pushing her into Orlando.
"No! She needs to learn that she has no right to cry at everything." Glaring at Faithe, Eddie pulled his own wand out of his pocket, his eyebrows furrowing together in a pensive stare. Faithe tried to regain her balance as she stumbled into Orlando, her arms instinctively finding his. Turning her head quickly, her eyes widened in terror as he saw Eddie advancing on the crying Kaytlin.
And the plot thickened.
Since the dawn of time, the males have been the dominant sex in all species- always defending their loved ones by whatever ever means they could. Just as protect their prides by physically attacking any unwelcome visitor, humans, for the most part, follow suit. However, Orlando wasn't exactly in prime physical condition to grapple with Eddie, or anyone else for that matter. Even if he had, it wasn't his realm. What he lacked in physical stamina, though, the man more than compensated for in intelligence- particularly, wizardry.
Feeling Faithe's hand upon his sleeved arm, Orlando's eyes flitted to her momentarily, casting an inauspicious glare at her for bit. He could tell that she only wanted to protect Kaytlin, and he did as well, only, more than just that, he wanted to protect her. Magic was all he had on his side, other than sheer acumen, and he wasn't about to give it up. His erudition in the magical sphere was just about his only advantage against Eddie. Eyes uncharacteristically hardened with a bitterness found only in a ruthless soldier's face, Orlando merely stared at Faithe for a moment, refusing to relinquish his only tangible weapon against the force that was threatening both her and Kaytlin. Yet all that resistance melted at Faithe's pleading look, and his fingers loosened their grip around the wand, instead trying to gently, but sternly push her back. The effort was futile.
As Eddie's cackle rang out through the quiet room, Orlando could see Faithe tense up, knowing that his own body was doing the same. The other man's grin was positively evil- and his face held the most malicious expression that Orlando had ever seen. If he had been a religious man, surely he would have seen Satan in the contemptuous fire Eddie's eyes held.
He felt a jolt run through his body as the glass shattered on the wall. Exploding, its shards flew through the air, ornamenting the bedroom repugnantly. Instinctively, he nearly leapt towards Kaytlin, but Faithe was already there, cradling the child in her arms, though she herself was also quivering with fear. He moved to comfort her, only finding himself thrown up against the wall by Eddie.
By the time Orlando had regained his balance and the pain in his back had subsided to a mere throbbing, Eddie's hand and slapped Faithe's face, sending her into his arms as he struggled to get up, and he was steadily approaching Kaytlin, wand in hand.
The emotions that coursed through Orlando's veins in that moment were copious- too many too count: anger, frustration, fear, rage, guilt, and, above all, resentment. It was one thing for Eddie to assault him. The two were both men- equals- and though he didn't view women as weaker, his innate chivalrousness led him to the belief that women and children were not to be hit. It was like lighting a church afire while its parish was singing hymns- you just didn't do it. It was wrong and, above that, immoral.
His arms wrapped themselves around Faithe for a mere moment, letting her know that he was there, before he gave her a communicative look- one that apologized for his next action.
Leaning her against the other corner, away from Eddie, Orlando's hand reached into his pocket, summoning his wand into his fingertips and pointing it in Eddie's direction.
"Expellarimus."
Hoping that the simple spell worked, and that Eddie would be too drunk (or too stupid) to counter it in time, Orlando reached his arms around the man and picked Kayte up in his arms and quickly tossed her over to Faithe.
"Get her out of here," he enjoined her in a serious tone.
Urging her out of the room with a look as well as a slight tug on her arm, he reverted his attention to Eddie, still holding his wand in his hand, and ready for a duel.
((I bought Angel Eyes today! **squeal** ))
Faithe had been slightly unnerved by Orlando's less than pleasant glare he had given her, but none of that seemed to matter right now. As his arms wrapped themselves around her, she wanted nothing more than to stay in the protection of him, but she knew it wasn't possible. Watching him walk towards Eddie, her hand crept up to her throat, rubbing it nervously. Watching the spell hit him in the back hard, Faithe winced and looked away quickly for a moment before returning her stare.
Eddie turned in time to slightly deflect the spell, but not avoid it completely. Hitting the ground, a small groan escaped his mouth. Opening his eyes, he watched, slightly dizzy, as Kaytlin was handed off to Faithe. Glaring, he rolled over on his stomach, his hand reaching for his wand. Standing up, his eyes narrowed in an angry glare. "Yeah Faithe, get her out of here," in a mocking tone, he wiped his mouth, his eyes never leaving Orlando.
Picking Kaytlin up, Faithe held her tightly as the little girl wrapped her arms around her neck. Burying her head in Faithe's shoulder, she closed her eyes tightly. Putting a protective hand over the back of Kayte's head, she booked it towards the door. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was leave Orlando's side, but she knew she needed to get Kaytlin out of the room. Taking her to Jake's room, she sat down on the bed, cradling the five year old in her arms. Stroking her hair gently, she laid her down softly, pulling the covers up over her.
"Kayte, I'm going to be right back, okay?" Talking softly, she leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead softly. Sniffling, Kayte nodded as she burrowed down deeper into the blankets. Walking into the hallway, Faithe closed the door gently, walking anxiously back to Kayte's room.
Eddie had done nothing yet but stand there, trying to regain his balance. Entering the room, Faithe walked up behind Orlando and placed her hand gently on his back. Caught up in everything going on, she had completely dismissed the stinging in her cheek, but now she noticed the tingling sensation that was still there. Tugging on Orlando's sleeve, she gave him another pleading look, "Please, let's end this. He doesn't know what he's doing." Talking softly, Faithe rested her head against him lightly, her eyes never leaving Eddie.
"I know exactly what I'm doing," muttering resentfully, Eddie glared even harder at Faithe, mainly at the fact that she was showing so much affection towards Orlando. "And I know exactly what I'm going to do..." Taking a step forward, Eddie raised his arm, wand poised to attack. However as soon as he opened his mouth, a figure shot past Orlando and Faithe as Jake grabbed the hand that held the wand in it.
"Jake!" Calling out, Faithe took a step towards the two men, ready for an attempt to do something...anything.
((I watched it!!! *squeals* In other news, this is the most overdramatic soap-opera-ish plot I've ever been involved in... *insert overdramatic music here* I love it! lol))
Brilliant blue eyes looked on as the spell took its effect, knocking Eddie onto the ground, then darted to Faithe, watching her obey his command, picking up the tiny girl. Flitting his attention back to the man lying upon the ground, his fingers tightened around his wand in antipation of that to come as his eyes hardened to match the cold stare Eddie was giving him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Faithe scurrying out of the room with Kaytlin in her arms. The ground was evened now. With the woman and child safe outside of the door, it was one-on-one. Swallowing the fear that was creeping up his throat, Orlando took a step backwards and raised his wand up in front of his chest. En garde...
All the spells, incantations and charms that he had learned throughout his seven years of schooling, and twenty-one years as a wizard, seemed to have disappeared from his memory... at least all the spells which may have proved themselves useful. Then again, as the two men stood there, the moment held an eerie serenity. The serenity was fragile, though, like a tiny glass figure held in mid-air only by the thick tension that filled the air- so thick it was that one could cut it with a knife. Not daring to breathe, Orlando just stood there, threatening with his eyes, but not moving a muscle. If there were to be a duel, he wouldn't be the one to begin it.
Faithe's hand may have startled him had he not had the divination ability to know it was her. Some of the tension in his back released itself, but that was the only sign that he had noticed her presence. He couldn't just turn around and take her into his arms; doing so would put the both of them in danger. Eddie was truly insane, and there was no telling what he would do. His intimidating glare never wavered as Faithe tugged at his sleeve, or as she laid her head against him. End it? And how exactly was he supposed to do that?
Since the dawn of time, battles have always been fought by two parties: the right and the wrong; the aggressor and the defender. The right, the defender, is only fighting to save something, whereas the wrong, the aggressor, fights just to fight. The defender is fueled by a longing, a need to protect something, to preserve and to help; the aggressor is fueled only by a blinding, furious, passionate rage to gain something. He alone is the one who can decide to what extent the battle will pass, for it is he that will either cease or continue fighting. Orlando was the defender. There was nothing he could do to stop it.
His right arm found its way around Faithe's waist, gently pushing her completely behind his back, while his left remained poised, wand between his fingers. Gaze still unwavering, his hand ran up and down her back slowly, trying as best he could to calm her, and, more than that, to keep her behind him.
Eddie's words echoed through the man's head, and Orlando knew exactly what Eddie was going to do: "Avada Kedavra".It was amazing was jealousy could drive someone to. Verbal insults, physical abuse... murder. Gnawing nervously on his tongue, he raised his head defiantly- ready to counter anything the other man would throw at him. Before Eddie could utter a word though, a figure flew out of nowhere at him, preventing such: Jake.
Everything happened in a flash. Jake's hand grabbed Eddie's, deflecting the wand's aim and temporarily disorienting Eddie, Faithe jumped out from behind Orlando, stepping towards the action, and Orlando found himself simply stunned for an instant. The only thing he had the conscious to do in that moment was reach out and fling his hand around Faithe's waist once more, pulling her back to him. This time,, however, he didn't push her behind him; instead, he pulled her close to his chest, angling himself so that, though she was in front of him, she was directed towards the door, in the case that something should come to pass.
It's said that when one is faced with an overwhelmingly dangerous situation, their perception of time becomes skewed. Events pass slowly, and it may take an hour for someone's eyes to blink in their mind, yet only a fraction of a second in reality. Orlando was caught in that state of mind at the time- everything was in slow motion.
His eyes blinked as they moved from Faithe, to Eddie, and then to Jake; a breath escaped his parted lips; and then his head cocked. He glanced at the wand in his hand, and his mind flooded with the voice of old Mr. VanExienne, the man who had lived next to him as a child. Many nights had Orlando sat upon his roof, gazing at the stars, hearing VanExienne's voice carrying through the night's silence as he coached his midnight dueling club, telling them of the combinations of spells they should use to defend themselves, in a manner that made the wizardry seem like a dance. Though Orlando had never been one to enjoy the thought of dueling, he had always found himself listening to VanExienne's words, and, now, that curiosity had paid off. It was all drawn out for him, now, like one of those old dance mats, with the numbered feet. Nodding to himself, a surreal sense of confidence and calm flowed through him. He pointed the wand at Eddie, looking over Faithe's shoulder and casually brushing his cheek against her head.
" Expelliarmus," he said again, revisiting the spell chain he had tried to perform earlier. Seeing Jake's hand upon Eddie's, he cringed inwardly, hoping that the spell wouldn't hurt him too badly.
Once Eddie's wand was out of his grasp, Orlando uttered another word, summoning the abandoned wand to his right hand:
"Accio."
Now, what really needed to happen was for Orlando to cast a sobering spell on Eddie, but, to his knowledge, there wasn't anything of the sort. He did need to somehow immobilize Eddie, though. Maybe knocking him out? Well, that would have worked. had Orlando been the type to punch someone. Mentally sighing with frustration, he reluctantly continued on with the defensive tactic.
"Petrificus Totalus."
It was all he could do. Now it was up to Jake to deal with him.
The shock from dueling had overcome Orlando, now. Arm still around Faithe, his face became vacant. He had never done anything like that before, and, now, that there was a pause in the endless action, he found himself at a sort of loss for emotion, thought and words.
((And here concludes another overdramatic, soap-opera post brought to you by the one and only Lina))
((Answer me this though, when Catch started crying at the end, were you not seeing Orlando cry, rather than Catch?))
Trying her best to wriggle out of Orlando's grasp, a small squeal escaped her mouth as she struggled against his hold. Giving up, she whipped her head around, her eyes staring intently at the fray. Despite the comfort his arms normally brought her, watching her brother and Eddie, Faithe's shaking wouldn't cease.
Hearing Orlando's voice, Jake turned his head slightly. Dodging the spells, Jake crouched down, allowing the full force to hit Eddie. Closing his eyes as Eddie's body turned rigid, he took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Eddie had never gotten this far out of control, and he hated to see it every time it happened. Though he didn't agree with a lot of the man's mind sets about issues, like Faithe, Jake knew Eddie really wasn't a bad guy. He had only ever gotten drunk twice before, but both times he had turned into a rampaging lunatic.
Pulling away from Orlando, Faithe practically flew to Jake, wrapping her arms around him tightly. The weight of his sister caused him to fall the rest of the way down to the ground. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, Jake shot Orlando a look filled with gratitude and respect.
Pulling back slightly, he stood up, pulling Faithe with him. Turning his eyes on her, they narrowed slightly. Reaching up, he tilted her head slightly to the side, noticing the red spot about the size of a hand on her cheek. "Did he hit you?" Keeping her silence, Faithe simply looked up at him in a silent answer. Honestly, she had completely forgotten about it until Jake mentioned anything.
Her thoughts and emotions had been completely wrapped up in the 'here and now' of everything. She was angry at herself for bringing Orlando into all of this. She should have made sure Eddie wouldn't have come around.
"I'm going to take him to his apartment." Sighing, Jake turned towards the frozen image of Eddie. "I'll be back in about five minutes, if you wouldn't mind waiting here with Kaytlin." Nodding, Faithe looked at him with a rather apprehensive look. Squeezing one of his sister's hands, he gave her a reassuring look. "It'll be fine."
Watching Jake apparate with Eddie, Faithe let out one long breath, her body seeming to deflate as the air left her. Turning around, she looked at Orlando with an apologetic look. She didn't know what to say, or what to do, so she did nothing. Her body felt immobile, her mind numb from everything that had just happened. There were certain aspects of her life that she had wanted to keep in a closet, hidden from Orlando. Not because she didn't trust him, because Faithe knew she could trust him with anything, but because she simply didn't want to introduce him to the drama in her life.
((Completely))
Pensively vacant, ambiguous blue eyes held a blank look in them as they surveyed the wand still enclosed between his fingers. So entranced was he by the sight of something so powerful, that his arm didn't even offer the least bit of resistance as Faithe moved towards Jake. Never in his life had Orlando ever used a spell against another being before. To him, magic was a gift to use for good, and inflicting pain upon others definitely wasn't in the good book. Though he hadn't even hurt Eddie, his conscious still plagued him. He was lost. Like a soldier who had just killed his first enemy, Orlando felt a burst of pride in his accomplishment, but that pride was accompanied by guilt, remorse and shame. But, he reminded himself, as Jake's thankful gaze crept into his field of vision, everyone was safe because of him- Faithe was safe because of him- and that had to count for something.
Ever inane, his eyes looked on as Faithe held Jake tightly, as he pointed out the mark Eddie's malevolent hand had left upon her innocent cheek, and as Jake apparated out with Eddie. Though his face was empty, his mind was filled with thoughts, not about how the evening was ruined, but about how heinous and unfair it was for someone like Faithe, or Kaytlin, or Jake, to have to deal with something like this, and how right he had been about Eddie. Now the man was beginning to question the situation further, wondering what type of person, exactly, "Eddie" was, and, if he really was as bad as he seemed, how Jake could possibly work so closely with him?
Returning to reality, his eyes met those of Faithe's. How sorrowful those brown eyes of hers looked. Glancing up at her, his head cocked to the side, and he bit his lip. Just how anyone could hurt someone like Eddie had just hurt her was beyond him. Letting his Maplewood wand fall to the ground, he slowly took a few steps towards her, and, as he walked, eyes locked into hers, the vagueness of his gaze melted into empathy. Reaching up his hand, he ran his fingers gently across her cheek, feeling the burning sensation that remained there from Eddie's hand. His eyes cast themselves downward for a moment in regret, as though he should have been able to do something to stop Eddie from doing that, and then flitted back up to meet hers. Sliding both his hands around the back of her head, he gently kissed her forehead before laying his forehead against hers and letting out a small breath.
"It's over, ma Foi," he whispered, "You're alright, now."
Letting his hands go down her back, he pulled her into a close embrace, holding her tightly against his body, and laid her head upon his chest/shoulder. He would have liked to have stayed there forever, but there was more that had to be done.
"I'll be right back," he murmured, giving her one last squeeze before slithering out of the embrace and walking out of the room.
Glancing around, he saw a slightly open door, and walked someone intently towards it. Gently pushing it open, his eyes darted to the tiny Kaytlin, presumably still where Faithe had left her, on the bed.
"Hey," he said quietly, sitting down on the bed and scooping the girl tenderly into his lap with his arms, "Everything's okay now, Kayte."
Slowly, he slid off the bed, cradling the girl securely in his arms as he brought her back into her own bedroom. Casting a glance at Faithe, he moved to hand Kaytlin to her. They needed each other right then.
((That last bit was kinda god-modey.lemme know if I should change it or cut it out.))
Feeling his hand run across her cheek, Faithe closed her eyes, fighting the tears that had suddenly decided to try and come out. Opening her eyes as his forehead rested on hers, her brown eyes sought out Orlando's brilliant blue orbs. "I'm fine," whispering, she reached up and placed her hand on top of one of his. Feeling his arms wrap around her, Faithe allowed herself to be drawn into the sanctuary of his arms. Still shaking, she buried her head in his chest, her eyes closing once more. A small noise of protest escaped her as he pulled back, but she let him go.
Kaytlin was startled when Orlando walked in, but relaxed when he picked her up. Burying her head in his chest, just like Faithe had done, she reached up and wiped away a tear. Giving Orlando a look of gratitude, Faithe took Kayte in her arms, hugging her tightly. Wrapping her small arms around Faithe's neck, Kaytlin pulled her head back to look at her aunt.
"Where's Daddy?" Her voice coming out shakey and slightly pouty, Kayte continued to wipe tears away. Reaching up, Faithe smoothed her hair out of the girl's face, wiping a tear while she was at it. Walking towards the door, she motioned for Orlando to follow her.
"He's taking Eddie home. He'll be home soon." Walking back into Jake's room, she laid Kayte down on the bed, covering her up with the blanket. The mess that Eddie made would definitely need to be cleaned up before Kayte could go back in there. Laying down next to her, Faithe reached up and stroked the girl's dark brown hair gently, trying to ease her back to sleep.
Kayte snuggled up next to Faithe, burying her face into Faithe's shoulder. Turning her head slightly, she reached up her hand, squeezing Orlando's affectionately. Offering him a silent invitation to sit down, Faithe turned her gaze back to Kaytlin, who was mostly asleep.
((Insert feasible time here.))
Not too long afterwards, Jake walked quietly into the room. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, his eyes stared at Faithe and Kaytlin as he bit his bottom lip. Turning her eyes to her brother, Faithe gave him a reassuring look. Swalloweing hard, Jake looked down for a moment before looking back up, "Is she alright?"
Nodding silently, Faithe looked down at the now sleeping girl, afraid to breath too deeply for fear of waking her. Scooting closer to her, Jake laid a hand on Faithe's arm, "Are you alright?" Nodding again, she turned her body slightly, but not enough to disturb the girl.
"I'm fine. Just a little shaken up. That wasn't Eddie." Sighing, her eyes averted to Orlando. Standing, Jake laid a hand on Orlando's shoulder, "Before you two leave, will you come help me clean up the mess in Kayte's room?"
Walking down the hall, Jake closed the door as he flipped on the light switch. Turning to Orlando, his eyes held that same look of utmost gratitude. "Thank you...for everything you did tonight. I'm sorry you were brought into all of this Orlando. I don't know what would have happened had you not been here...I don't even want to think about it." Sticking out his hand, there was a meaningful expression of respect in his eyes, "Anytime you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Following Faithe into Jake's room in silence, Orlando took a seat next to her upon the bed, wrapping an arm around her and running his hand up and down her arm softly as his eyes bid a silent "good-night" to Kayte. The ordeal that the young girl had just gone through was much too intense for someone of such a young age. In fact, it was a little too much for someone of his own age.
Flitting his eyes up as Jake walked into the room, Orlando nodded his head in acknowledgement of his arrival. Silent as the siblings spoke, he reluctantly followed Jake into Kayte's room. His eyes surveyed the monstrosity's effects, and he let out a sigh. Quietly, he bent down and retrieved his abandoned wand, which lay cast upon the floor; the room would be fixed quicker with magic.
Hearing Jake begin to speak, he rose back up to his full height and nodded, shaking his head a bit. Modesty was always something that he had excelled at, namely because he saw no real reason to boast. Boasting brought fans, and all he desired was respect, which was brought on by simply being a respectable person. His cheeks grew warm with a slight blush at Jake's words, and he shook his head again.
"Don't be sorry," he replied, shaking Jake's hand strongly, "There's nothing that you're at fault for here.
"And don't thank me, either," he added with another nod of his head, "I didn't do anything worthy of gratitude."
"Swish-and-flick"ing his wand, while saying a quick spell, the room returned to its normal state. Or, at least, as close as magic could get it to such.
"Thank you, though," he replied after a moment, not wanting Jake to think he didn't appreciate the man's last remark. "That means a lot.
"I think I'm going to take Faithe back to the hotel now, though. Good night, Jake..."
Nodding once more, he retreated to Jake's bedroom and put his hands on the bed, leaning down to whisper into Faithe's ear.
"Let's get going..."
Gently lifting her arm off of Kaytlin, Orlando somehow slid his arms beneath her and rolled Faithe into his arms. Standing up, he bent down to kiss Kaytlin's forehead.
"Bonne nûit, ma petite cherie," he whispered, "Bon rêves..."
Holding Faithe close against him, he shut his eyes tightly, apparating them both back to their hotel room. Setting her down, gently, upon the ground, he held her tightly in his embrace once again, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I'm so sorry, Faithe..." he said quietly, as though he was somehow at fault for Eddie's behavior, "Are you alright? Truly, are you? Because I know I wouldn't be... What can I do to make things better?"
His voice held a childlike innocence to it, asking a hundred questions, and it was complemented by a pair of angel eyes, filled with nothing but sincere concern, gazing into her brown ones.
Allowing herself to be lifted into Orlando's arms, Faithe wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she buried her head in his neck, the familiar feeling of apparating causing her stomach to jolt slightly. Or maybe it was just nerves. Feeling her feet touch the ground, she opened her eyes to look in his. Shaking her head at his apologies, she held up her hand, placing her middle and index finger on his lips.
"Orlando, I'm fine, really." Talking softly, she placed her hand gently on his cheek, her hand moving up to his hair. Intertwining a small strand of hair in between her fingers, an action that was becoming almost habitual to her, Faithe kissed him lightly. "It scared me, because that's not how Eddie normally acts. He's never done anything even close to that, but I was more worried about Kaytlin."
Looking at him intently, her eyes peered intently into his. "This really shook you up, didn't it." It wasn't a question, or an accusation, only an understood fact. She had never seen the expression in the man's eyes that had been radiating back at the apartment. That emptiness. It scared her coming from him.
"No apologies. You couldn't have prevented what happened tonight Orlando." Her voice still soft, her hand slid back down to his cheek and slowly drifted to the back of his neck. Running her fingers lightly, her gaze never left his. "What happened?"
Leaning his cheek into her hand, Orlando's blue eyes shut themselves. There was something about Faithe's touch that calmed him- brought serenity to him. Re-opening his eyes after she had kissed him (though he had not returned it), his vacant stare returned as he listened to her speak.
Not how Eddie acts... hmph. Like hell... Anyone who would ever hit a woman or threaten a child deserved no excuses, no sympathy and no pity. Doing something like that wasn't ever a one-time thing, it was caused by something wrong with them internally. If Eddie would let himself act that way, then he was that way. It wasn't like a light switch or anything, that glowed warm until the circuit breaker was unexpectantly tripped. The malice that Eddie had shown was innate, and it terrified Orlando.
Though he felt her eyes staring into his, Orlando's eyes failed to yield any sort of response, though he did offer her a small nod as he swallowed. She couldn't possibly understand just how much Eddie's behavior had gotten to him. After all, she didn't know his past. She hadn't a clue what growing up was like for him. The sight of Eddie's evil grin, the sound of his booming, thunderous cackle, and the looming shadow he cast over Kaytlin's tiny, quiverring body had brought terrible flashbacks into the man's mind. Though they hadn't struck him then, they were beginning to haunt him at the moment. Free from immediate danger, his mind had begun wandering.
He turned his eyes away from her, not that it mattered, though, for, even when his eyes were facing hers, he was still distant. His arms fell loosely around her waist, losing the firm grip they had held upon her. His lips parted, and a small breath escaped them.
Lost in the past, Orlando didn't hear her words, only the voices of his parents yelling at him, telling him he was an embarassment to their family, that he would never amount to anything, and all sorts of other cruel things. Swallowing, he brought a hand up to his face, touching his cheek; he could almost feel his father's fist crashing into it, and almost hear the deafening crunch of the bone as it split in two.
Letting his hand drop, his fingers slowly slid off of his face, closing into a loose fist, which he placed upon his collarbone, which had been broken when he was nine, running his fingers across it. Hesitantly, he flitted his gaze back to Faithe, shaking his head. This was too much.
He opened his lips to say something, but no words came out, only a mournful, choking sort of gasp. Clearing his throat, he tried again, speaking nearly inaudibly.
"Nothing..."
If there was any one person in the world he could trust, it would have been Faithe. But, just as she didn't want him involved in certain parts of her life, he wanted to protect her from aspects of his own past, this being the most prominent one. In spite of that, one audible word escaped his lips.
"Everything..."
His eyes lit up for a moment, not with happiness, but with sorrow and reality.
"Hell..."
Breaking free from her embrace, he put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, the vacant expression returning once more, though tears now flooded his eyes. He walked towards the window, gazing out into the darkness with a face whose blankness matched that of the nighttime sky.
She felt unnerved as his arms slid away from her. This was not how Orlando normally acted. The lack of feeling and emotion in his blue eyes brought a tense feeling in her body that she wasn't used to feeling with him. Watching him touch his cheek and his coller bone, a cold chill settled over Faithe as his voice choked out.
Slightly shocked at his third choice of word, Faithe watched him walk to the window. Knowing she was on dangerous ground, she walked over to him, stepping in front of him. Reaching up, she averted his face to look at her own, her own eyes glazed over with tears. Of all people in this world, seeing Orlando in this state broke Faithe's heart more than anybody else. Stroking his cheek gently, her eyes searched his face for some sign other than vacancy. As one small tear fell, she reached up and wiped it away gently.
"Talk to me sweetheart. Please." Speaking softly, her voice was filled with pain; pain that was brought on by seeing the man that she loved more than life itself hurting. She would have given anything in the world to spare him the emotions he was feeling.
"What is it?" Almost whispering, Faithe reached down and took his hand with her other hand. Squeezing it tightly, she brought it up, laying it on her chest, over her heart. Covering his hand with hers, her gaze never faultered, never moved from his empty expression.
Feeling her fingertips gently waltz upon his face, Orlando's head tilted into her hand, and he closed his eyes, blinking back tears. He was causing her pain- the very thing he had tried to prevent her from experiencing not only earlier that evening, but since the day he had met her. Perhaps it was just part of his innate male dominance, but Orlando had always been someone like that- someone who wanted to protect everyone from all the bad things in the world- and now, here he was, causing pain to the woman he cared most about in the world.
Letting her take his hand in hers, his fingers entangled themselves with hers as she placed his hand over her heart, showing the slightest bit of gratitude in regards to her gesture. Closing his eyes, he sighed. He didn't want to cause her anymore grief, but, in some way, he needed to tell her. He hadn't told anyone before, not even Demeter. He hadn't trusted anyone so completely before, either, though.
"Hell," he repeated quietly, relinquishing his hand from her grasp and sinking to the ground, along the wall. The tears that had been welling in his eyes were now streaming down his face, and his speech was disrupted by quiet gasps.
"Seeing Eddie like that." he began, diverting his gaze to the window. Pausing, he shook his head, not liking the way he had begun the story.
"I've seen more things in my life than you could possibly imagine. You say that your relationship with your parents isn't a good one, but mine. It's worse."
No, that wasn't any good either. Clearing his throat, he struggled to prevent himself from crying, futilely, of course.
"Remember when you asked me why I became an astronomy professor and I dodged the question a few times before finally giving you an answer? Well, that wasn't the real answer." He paused, looking up at her for a moment before diverting his gaze and continuing.
"I became an astronomy professor because the stars were the only things in this world that offered me peace. Every night, when I was younger, I would lie out on the roof and stare up at the stars. Looking at them, the welts on my back wouldn't seem to burn so badly, and the blood coming out of my nose would kind of stop. Entranced by the heavens, my black eye wouldn't throb, and my broken jaw wouldn't ache."
By this point, the man had completely broken down, sobbing and choking on his tears.
"I wasn't like the rest of my family, and my father made sure I knew it."
There, it was done.
Pulling his knees up into his chest, Orlando buried his face in them, covering his eyes with his hands, looking like the little boy he had been so many years ago. He hadn't ever discussed his childhood with anyone, and, now, all that pent-up frustration, fear and emotion was exposed and released in the form of sobs and shaking.
Watching his body fall to the ground in a sitting position, Faithe had to fight every ounce of her being to keep herself from going to him. She didn't want to cause anything that might make him stop talking. Listening to his words, her eyes' tears spilled over her cheeks as her hand fidgeted with the star around her neck. Biting her bottom lip, Faithe's teary brown eyes remained on Orlando's crumpled figure on the floor.
As he balled up on the ground, Faithe couldn't stand it anymore. Walking to him quickly, she sat down next to him. Wrapping her arms around his trembling body, she pulled him towards her, cradling him as best as she could. "Honey..." Whispering, she wrapped her hand around his head, stroking his hair gently. Kissing the top of his head, she closed her eyes as two silent tears slipped down her cheek.
"You aren't alone, baby," Talking softly, she continued to hold him in a tight embrace, her hand still stroking his hair softly. Her heart was breaking at the sight of Orlando like this, but there was a strength inside of her that she had never felt before. They say that when a mother sees her child in danger, she has unsurpassable strength to make sure that child is safe. With every ounce of passion in her body, Faithe had gotten that strength to keep her emotions in tact, knowing it wouldn't do Orlando any good if she lost it as well.
The thought of somebody hurting him was almost inconceivable to her. "Look at me," swallowing hard, she reached down and lifted his chin slightly, forcing his eyes on her. He was such a beautiful person - he didn't deserve this.
"Orlando, you are an amazing person, a talented teacher, and a gifted astronomer." Speaking with some difficulty, the tears that were glazing over her brown eyes remained in her eyes, thankfully. "I can't imagine how much torment they put you through, and I'm not going to pretend that I do. I know what it's like to be shunned because you're different, but I've never been through anything to that degree." Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand across his cheek, wiping away the tears that had stained his cheeks, though she wasn't sure any of it would make a difference.
"You are the most extraordinary person I have ever met in my life, and if they couldn't, or wouldn't see that, then it's their loss. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment, least of all you. You were given trials and tribulations, and you overcame them and made a life for yourself that is worth something." Letting go of his chin, she slid her hand up to his other cheek, now cupping his face in both her hands. Her body was trembling, but she managed to keep her voice under control. Resting her forehead on his, she closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Opening her brown eyes, she searched his face.
"I can't say anything to wipe away your pain, Orlando, and chances are that pain is never going to go away. I would give the world to take this burden away from you." Finding it more and more difficult to keep her emotions in check, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "What they did wasn't your fault," recollecting that look of guilt she had seen on his face, Faithe spoke to him softly. "How Eddie acted tonight wasn't your fault...it was mine. Now I know why you were so adamant about protecting Kaytlin." Pulling back, she intertwined her fingers in his, pulling his hand to her chest. Wrapping her other hand around their hands, she held one of his hands in both of hers.
"I love you so much."
((Alright, alright...This post broke me. LOL I had it planned for the next night, but this seems to fit much more. ))
((Gah, I'm sobbing. That was beautiful, sweetie. In other news, now that I'm fully awake, I'd like to apologize for my last post's crappiness. I mean, seriously, way to downplay a crucial moment- I suck. Anyways, here's an attempt at redemption.))
Cowering in the fetal position, Orlando's sobs continued to rattle his full- grown body, transforming the strong, confident, and able man into a weak, scared, and powerless boy. That was the sort of effect fear could have on someone. Though the danger was no longer there, and would never be again, the trauma of the memories was too much for him to bear at the moment. Like a soldier with PTSD, the memories played their painful flashbacks on the movie screen in his mind, haunting him with visions of his mother's disappointed face as she would furrow her eyebrows and cross her arms over her chest, waiting impatiently for him to get inside after a day at school. He'd hurry up the rest of the stairway, stumbling upon the top step and tumbling onto the ground, backpack spilling over the porch. He'd apologize and quickly gather his things, but it would make no difference. Silently walking into the house, the door would close and an eerie darkness, at four in the afternoon on the island of Hawaii, would ensue.
Hearing booming footsteps gradually grow louder as their maker approached, the young boy would begin trembling as he merely stood in the foyer, awaiting their arrival. Feeling a 6' 6" figure cast its shadow upon him, the boy's brilliantly blue eyes would fall towards the ground, and his teeth would begin gnawing on his tongue, half because it had become a nervous habit and half in an attempt to ease himself into enduring pain. Maybe if he bit his tongue hard enough, he wouldn't feel any other pain that night.
After his father was satisfied, he would leave, and the boy would scamper upstairs as best he could, trying to keep the blood, which flowed freely from his nose, in his hand so that he wouldn't have to clean up the mess the next morning and be punished for that as well. Reaching his room, he would push the door open and hobble towards the window, pushing it open, and somehow lifting himself out, over the windowsill and laying him shattered body upon the cool roof.
His eyes would close for a moment, and he would begin to breathe again, shakily, though, for the pains he felt with each breath were excruciating. Opening his eyes, he would look up at the Heavens, and find himself at peace. The stars' beauty would entrance his mind, putting all thoughts of hurting in the back of his mind. It was there that he would eventually fall asleep, only to be woken the next morning by the warmth of the sun rising on his face, and begin another day.
The vacant expression had returned to Orlando's face once more, humanized only by the tears that slid down it. His teeth had begun gnawing intensely upon his tongue, and he continued to shake. As Faithe's arms wound themselves around him, his body failed to respond for a moment, as though he was trying not to involve her in it, or maybe because, so caught up in recollections, he didn't notice. Yet, soon, he did feel her hand stroking his hair, her lips upon his head, and her arms around him. Uncovering his face, his body shifted entirely, and his arms wrapped themselves around Faithe, clinging to her almost desperately as he sobbed into her shoulder.
Letting her lift his head to face her, the vacant expression remained on his face as he listened to her words. So beautiful, so kind, and so compassionate were they, that he couldn't possibly have deserved them. Closing his eyes as she wiped away a few tears, which were soon replaced with new ones, his sobbing ceased, though tears still flowed freely from his eyes.
His eyes remained closed as she leant her forehead against his, and his arms still clung to her urgently. Yes, her words were nice, but, to one who has experienced such an inexplicable amount of pain, words could only do so much to relieve it. Nothing Faithe could say would be able to take away that pain, and she knew it, but what she had said did begin to chip away at the blame Orlando had cast upon himself all those years ago. Perhaps it's just an aspect of human nature, but whenever a person is hurt, they tend to blame themselves, maybe trying to see the good in others, and, instead of believing that the world is full of bad people, that they had deserved whatever had happened to them.
"What they did wasn't your fault."
Faithe's soft declaration resonated through his mind, yet the man couldn't possibly believe it. Shaking his head, he silently negated the fact. At her next comment, however, he spoke.
"You didn't ask for it; it wasn't anyone's fault except his," he said quietly, though completely sternly.
As she entangled his fingers with her own, his mien softened, and another few tears dripped down his cheeks as his watery eyes followed his hand to her chest. At her voice, his eyes flitted up to meet her gaze. Just as she was, Orlando had been too caught up with the Eddie ordeal at Jake's house to concern himself with matters of professing love, yet, now, in the safe double penthouse of the hotel, in each other's arms, the man recalled the earlier events of the evening, one, in particular, of course. Slowly, a small, grateful, poignant smile appeared upon his face, and an eloquent sort of look took over his ever-watering eyes, though, this time, the tears that fell weren't tears of fear or sorrow.
Taking his free hand, he slowly placed it behind her neck and gently pulled her head towards his own, kissing her lips softly as his other hand squeezed hers.
"Et je t'aime aussi, ma chere, belle, brille Foi," he whispered, lying his forehead against hers, speaking in French just because the words flowed more elegantly.
"And I love you, my darling, beautiful, brilliant Faithe."
((Eh, it's not complete redemption, but it's a start. Maybe a 1.7 on the suck-o-meter?))
Feeling his arms wrap around her, Faithe closed her eyes. Seeing him so out of control broke her heart more than she ever would have thought imagineable. When he shook his head to what she had said, she cupped his face a little bit firmer, but not in an evasive fashion.
"No, don't shake your head." There was a soft firmness to her voice as her eyes stared intently at him. "Orlando, you aren't at fault for how they treated you anymore than Kaytlin was at fault last night. You were a child. All you ever did was exist, and if they found fault in that, screw them. Screw them all. They aren't worth your time, Orlando." There was a hint of anger in her voice. She was angry.
Angry at the family who had made this wonderful man feel so incompetent. Angry that they had manipulated his mind into thinking he was less than he truly was. Sighing, her facial features relaxed as the tiny smile shone through on his face. Reaching up as she felt his hand behind her neck, she gently stroked his cheek, wiping away the wet streams that cascaded down his cheek.
"I'm not brilliant, no where close." Forcing a small smile, "Certainly nowhere close to beautiful." Returning the pressure in his hand, she closed her eyes as her forehead moved to his cheek. Kissing his jawline softly, she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Don't ever let anybody make you feel like you're less than you are Orlando." Looking back up, she brought one of her hands down to his opposite cheek. Running her hand gingerly across his cheek bone, she slid it up to his hairline, running her middle finger through his hair. "There aren't enough words in any language to even begin to express how amazing you are."
((This is definately a 10 on the Suck-o-Meter.))
((I'll apologize in advance for this post. I haven't even begun writing it, but I know it's going to be bad. I've drained my allotted daily creativity on the Demeter post and the one before this. *sighs* Ah, well, I'll do what I can, honey.))
Faithe didn't understand. She couldn't understand. After all, who could possibly imagine what goes through the mind of a victim of child abuse if one had never experienced the sort? The fear, the desperate longing to redeem oneself, to perform some act of penance to rectify whatever sins they had committed. Surely he had to have done something more than merely exist to have been punished that way. Sighing, Orlando took a deep breath and nodded his head once more, this time, though, he wasn't completely negating Faithe's statement. She was beginning to get through to him.
Shaking his head and almost laughing, he closed his eyes. 'No where close to brilliant nor beautiful'? Such a lie that was. Although Faithe's beauty wasn't the type that would win her the Miss America pageant, it was an admirable sort. Physically, she was pretty, but it was her mannerisms, her personality and her sheer being that gave her the splendor Orlando considered beautiful.
"Can't you ever just say 'thank you' when someone compliments you?" he asked quietly, making a reference to that night he had brought her up to the Heavens on his old broomstick. Smile tugging at the corners of his lips, the sorrow completely vanished from his eyes.
That was how he was- after recounting some tragic event, Orlando would simply close the door on it. Just like that morning he had told her of Demeter, Orlando was now seemingly "over" the entire ordeal. He had told Faithe what he had needed to tell her, and, now that she knew, there was no need to explore the situation any deeper. After all, he wasn't planning on interacting with his family anytime soon. It was over, all that was left was the mark the trauma had left on him, and, like a tangible wound, there was no need to scrape off the scab and re-open it once it had started healing.
As her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, Orlando's encircled her waist, holding her securely in an embrace.
"Thank you," he replied, after a moment of silence.
Grinning, she wrinkled her nose slightly, "I do say thank you when I feel I deserve a compliment." Sticking her tongue out, she touched the tip of his nose with the tip of her tongue. Her mischevious, playful grin was replaced with a warm, affection expression. "Thank you for trusting me enough to talk to me about something like that." Reaching up, she wiped away the remainder of the tear streaks.
Standing up, she grabbed his hands. "I'm going to go change. There's only so long I can handle wearing a skirt." Grinning, she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him before she went off to her room; however, this kiss wasn't one of those little pecks they had been sharing throughout the evening. Smiling, she squeezed his hands before letting go and pulling back from him. Winking, she walked to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Walking in, she sat down on the edge of her bed, kicking off her shoes. Allowing her body to fall backwards on the bed, she allowed a loud sigh escape her lips. Life always had a way of treating the best of people in the worst ways. Orlando didn't deserve what had happened to him, and she would have given anything to be able to wipe away the pain his experiences had instilled in his mind and heart.
Standing up, she changed quickly into a pair of red capri pajama pants and a white tank top. Walking into her bathroom, she pulled her hair up in a ponytail. Turning her head slightly, she breathed a sigh of relief that there was no last impression from where Eddie had hit her. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she pulled her hair back down and ran a brush through it quickly.
Taking a deep breath, she walked back into the sitting area. Looking around, she noticed Orlando's door closed, signaling he hadn't come back out. Walking up to the door, she tapped on it lightly before opening it. He should be done changing...Please let him be done changing. Biting her bottom lip, she walked in. Plopping down on the bed, she fell back on one of the pillows.
"How long is your comet going to be visible?"
At the feeling of Faithe's tongue upon his nose, Orlando's boyish grin reappeared after a temporary sabbatical. Rather than say anything in response to her last comment, because doing so would reopen the door of emotions that he was fighting to keep shut. Instead, he nodded and pursed his lips together, silently thanking her for being someone he could trust like that as she cleared the remaining tears off of his face.
Letting her kind of pull him off the ground, he entangled his fingers with hers and laughed at her skirt remark.
"But you look so nice in it," he protested with a wink.
Wrapping his arms around her waist as hers found their way around his neck, he had anticipated a much less intense kiss than that one she gave him. Not that he minded at all, though, because he most certainly didn't. It just took him a moment before his own lips responded appropriately.
"Alright," he replied, turning to his own room as she retreated to hers.
Al abrir la puerta, Orlando kicked off his tan boots and flung them into a corner of the room. Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, he removed his socks, which, one might add, didn't smell too wonderfully, and proceeded to unbutton his black oxford shirt. Slowly removing it, and letting it fall to the floor, his hand paused as it touched his collar bone, and his eyes closed for a moment in silent recollection.
Sighing to himself, he shook the feeling from his head and continued undressing, pulling his white undershirt over his head and slipping out of his pants, and into a pair of light ((referring to the fabric, not the color)) dark blue pajama pants, tying the waist loosely.
Leaving his dirty clothes in a heap by his bed, he retreated to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, a childhood habit that hadn't ever really faded. Towling off his face, he returned to the bedroom, lying down on the bed and closing his eyes, just in time to hear a quiet knock and the door creep open.
Smiling as Faithe entered and laid down next to him, he scooped her up in his arms, lying her head upon his chest and positioning his arm so that his fingers could stroke the top of her head lightly. While most guys would have gone crazy at the prospect of having a girl in their bed in a hotel in downtown Manhattan, their thoughts didn't even occur to Orlando, he was perfectly content just cuddling with her.
"Sunday night's the last time you'll be able to see it," he answered, glancing up at the comet through the window, "but it doesn't leave Earth until Monday morning."
Reaching up a hand, he flipped the light off, leaving the two in darkness, save the moonlight, which shone enough light to allow them their sense of sight.
"Hey," he began randomly, "Why does everyone here call you Isabelle?"
Relaxing in his arms, Faithe released a contented sigh as she allowed her eyes to close momentarily. Opening them at his question, she allowed her eyes to drift to the window, a small smile spreading on her face. "Because that's my name, silly." Tilting her head up, a small grin spread over her lips. "I didn't start going by Faithe until I was a teenager. My family and almost everybody I've ever worked with calls me Isabelle. Well, Jake calls me Izzy most the time. As for Kaytlin, she was struggling to say Isabelle when she was learning to talk. However, Beauty and the Beast was one of her favorite stories, and so she just started calling me Aunt Bell."
Running her index finger absentmindedly on his chest, a small smile spread on her face at the thought of Kaytlin. "Mm...Sunday. Can we make it a date?" Smiling, she snuggled into him, finding warmth in his arms. Closing her eyes, she started to feel the exaustion from that day creep over her.
Feeling her body relax, a voice in her head was telling her that she should probably get up and go to bed. However, she found it increasingly difficult to will herself to move. "I should go get in bed..." Her voice came out a tired whisper, and even as she spoke she felt herself drifting off into sleep. Snuggling deeper into him, Faithe tried to force her eyes open, but her muscles weren't cooperating. "It'd probably help if I could move..." Murmering, her voice was coming out softer and softer as she spoke. This day had been too much...that was for sure.
((*sobs* I'm killing their Sunday date! Gah! I feel horrible. In other news, did you notice that I used random Spanish in the last post I wrote? Sorry 'bout that, 'twasn't intentional))
Nodding at her answer to his question, Orlando grinned. That made perfect sense, he thought, remembering that her real name, well, her first name, at least, was Isabelle. He preferred Faithe, though, he decided, flitting his eyes down to meet her gaze for a moment.
"Eh," he replied, "Belle does most certainly suit you, but I prefer Faithe."
Feeling her finger casually waltz over his bare chest, a sort of shiver/tingle ran down his spine and he closed his eyes, indulging himself in the feeling.
"Sunday?" he repeated, opening his eyes again and pulling her close as she snuggled into him, "I suppose so."
Smiling to himself, his fingers resumed stroking her hair as his other arm fell across his stomach, hand landing upon her waist. This was nice. He was content, comfortable, and enraptured lying there with her safe in his arms. Letting out a gentle breath, the man couldn't think of a better way to end the eventful day.
"You are in bed, ma Foi," Orlando stated quietly, insinuating that he wasn't about to have her return to her own bed. He was tired, she was exhausted, and he couldn't think of a single reason for her not to fall asleep in his arms.
Craning his neck momentarily, he planted a soft, gentle kiss upon her head before a yawn escaped his parted lips. Still absentmindedly stroking her soft hair, he lay his head down upon hers, closing his eyes.
"Bonne nûit et bon rêves," he whispered quietly, trailing off into "un bon rêve" of his own.
Smiling at his answer, she opened her eyes, poking out her bottom lip, "You suppose? Well sheesh...Don't sound too enthused about the idea." Grinning, she tilted her head up, allowing her lips to brush against his neck, but not kissing him. As he pulled her closer, her eyes closed again, this time with every intention of staying that way. Her forehead fell gently against his cheek as her breathing fell in sync with his.
"Bonne nuit, mon amour," speaking softly, Faithe relayed the little bit of French she did know. From all the singing she had done in the past, many French songs had been included in several of the theatre's programs. Through that experience, for somebody who wasn't fluent in French, her accent was pretty well developed.
Listening to his heart beating softly, her mind began to slip into that dreamy state right before she fell asleep. She felt safe, protected. That in itself was a new feeling to her. It's not as if Faithe had ever really felt unsafe, but she had never been able to look at a situation and feel that no matter what happened, she was protected. It didn't take long for Faithe to drift off into sleep. Her body gradually fell limp, a strand of hair falling in front of her face.
The golden fingers of the bright summer sum tore throught thy sky, flowing through the window and bringing a warm sense to Orlando's face, causing his eyes to flit open. After a quiet yawn, his mouth slumped into a grin once more. Blinking his eyes, he hoped the evening before hadn't been a part of some wonderful dream. The hope soon became a reality as he looked upon the beautiful, slumbering woman beside him.
His arms still lay draped around her side, and his hand was still entangled in her hair. Smiling, he stroked her hair lightly with one hand, gazing on in admiration. Orlando sighed contentedly, finding himself to be in a surreal state of mind.
Gently, he kissed Faithe upon the cheek. He felt lost in her embrace, unsure as to what lay ahead for them. The soft breath of the woman brushed against his face and he smiled cheerily. This is what he'd been missing for the longest of times: the arms of another, the body of one who would still be there when he awoke. Shaking his head, he laid it against her shoulder for a moment before meticulously wriggling his body out from beneath hers and lying her head upon the pillow.
Still shirtless, but clad in pajama pants, of course, he made his way quietly into the kitchen and, within a few minutes, returned to the bedroom with a magnificent menagerie of French toast, fruit, and juice, all on one conjured silver platter. Setting the tray down upon the nightstand, he leaned over and gently ran his fingers through her hair and down her arm.
"Good morning." he whispered, voice slowly creeping into her ear.
Faithe had awaken once during the night after a nightmare about Eddie apparating into their room. Breathing hard, and slightly shakey, she had wrapped her arms around Orlando, once again finding that comfort from his presence. The steady rhythm of his deep breathing, and the soft ba-boom of his heartbeat had sung her back to sleep in almost no time.
When Orlando awoke and slid out from underneath her, a small moan escaped her lips as he laid her head down on the pillow. Without waking up, her body moved to readjust to the still pillow. Burying her head into the pillow, Faithe's breathing became steady once again.
Orlando's soft, alto voice filled her head as goosebumps rose on her arm from his gentle touch. Moaning softly again, Faithe stirred slightly, but still remained asleep. Though her mind was still asleep, the tingling sensation his hand had brought her arm caused her to start shivering slightly in her sleep. As she snuggled into the pillow even deeper, her eyebrows furrowed slightly in her sleep.
Exhaling, a broad grin overtook Orlando's face as Faithe stirred, but failed to wake completely. Noticing the Goosebumps upon her slightly shivering her arm, the man took his hand to it once more, gently running it up and down her arm slowly, much as one would do in the winter, trying to warm her up. Tilting his head to gaze somewhat longingly at the sleeping beauty, the grin melted into a smile.
"Le soleil est a lieu de ciel," he sang quietly, almost whispering the words of the French folk song. Although it was most certainly obvious that Orlando wasn't a trained singer, the man could hold a tone and his natural vocal tone would lend itself well to singing, had he ever had professional training.
"Le matin arrivé."
The baritone melody faded as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
"Bonjour, ma cherie," he whispered in a sing-song voice, with just the vaguest hint of the song's tune, "Ouvrent vos yeux."
As his hand ran over her arm in an attempt to warm her, a soft moan escaped her lips as her head snuggled into the pillow some more. Hearing his soft voice, she began to wake up, becoming aware of her surroundings. Her brown eyes fluttered open slowly, and a small smile spread over her lips at the sight of Orlando.
"Good mornin' sweetheart," her voice came out soft, and had a rather heavy Texan lilt to her voice. After living in New York almost continually for seven years, the southern accent she had once had had melted away, but popped up most mornings right after she woke up. Reaching out, she took his hand, bringing up to her heart. He had such a soothing voice...she sure wouldn't mind waking up like this every morning.
Catching sight of the french toast, a mischevious grin spread over her face. "I see you had better luck with the french toast bit this morning..."
As her brown eyes opened, Orlando's brilliant blue ones met them, sharing with her a thousand words in a single look. Her Southern accent brought a soft smile to his lips, which was soon replaced by that Orlando-y grin.
Entangling their fingers as she took his hand in hers, he brought her hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss upon it before she could lay it upon her heart. Situating himself so that he was sitting completely atop the bed, somewhere near her chest, he brought himself into a half-sitting/half- laying position.
Shaking his head at her comment, he chuckled in remembrance of the mess they had made in his room a few months ago.
"Of course I did," he replied, matching the mischievousness of her grin with the inflection of his voice, "because you weren't there wildly flinging the ingredients about the kitchen or pouring the batter all over my head."
Grinning at her, he gazed down into her eyes with more of a serious, longing gaze of reverence.
"I could get used to waking up with you in my arms, y'know," he mused, stroking her hair.
Gasping melodramatically, she shook her head, "I have no idea what you're talking about! Besides," looking at him suspiciously, "I have a hunch you didn't exactly make these like you were trying to make the others." Grinning, she winked playfully at him. Her grin soon melted into a small, warm smile accompanied by a look of pure love and adoration.
Now that he was sitting closer to her, Faithe reached up her other hand and touched his cheek gently. Her eyes drooped halfway at the warm sensation when he stroked her hair, the left side of her mouth tilting up in a half smile. "I could definitely get used to falling asleep in your arms." Running her hand gently through his hair, that same longing she saw on his face came over hers as she gently stroked his cheek.
Sighing, a somewhat whistful expression crossed her eyes, "I just hate that this openness all has to end Sunday evening when we go back to school. Back to sneaking around to seeing one another." Biting her bottom lip, she hated it that the true reality of this weekend in paradise had jumped into her head at this time. She hated it that she couldn't be open a daily basis about her feelings for him. But, it was the only solution there was, and she was more than willing to live with it if that's what it took. Forcing a small smile on her face, she squeezed his hand, "Ready to eat?"
"How could I?" Orlando asked with a grin playing on his lips, "I wanted to have 'em ready for you when you woke up... and I didn't know when that was going to happen, so I had to make 'em fast. Besides, I wanted to keep this bed clean, darling."
Sighing softly as her fingertips caressed his cheek, the man's blue eyes closed for an instant, then re-opened, staring deep into her brown ones. Amazing... There was no other word to describe the indescribable sensation the man felt within.
At her sigh, the man's dreamy gaze faltered and was replaced with a look of concern, wondering what was wrong... Until she spoke, at least, answering his unspoken question. Nodding in silent agreement, he sighed as well.
"Way to ruin the moment, Faithe," he joked, laughing to show her that he was, indeed, only joking, "I wake up with you laying on me, get up and make you breakfast, we share one of those 'longing gazes', and I was just about to kiss you when you have to jolt me back into reality."
She was right, though. This entire weekend wasn't reality. He was able to hold her hand whenever he wanted, say things that might not entirely fit a student-teacher relationship, run his hand through her hair, whisper in her ear, and kiss her lips. Come Monday, he would have to put himself back in check, and watch his actions closely. But, for now, he didn't have to worry about anyone seeing them, or what bad might come from one slip of the tongue.
"And," he added, "I think I still will." Choosing to take advantage of that last realization, literally, he leant his head down and kissed her softly.
"Now, I'm ready to eat," he said with a grin.
Laughing as he got on to her, and for the bed comment, she kissed his nose lovingly. "Aww honey, you looked so good covered in batter. Then again, you look sexy anytime." Grinning, there was a sparkle in her eyes that had only ever been brought out when Orlando was around. Running her hand along his jawline, that adoring smile caressed her lips after he had kissed her.
"I love you." Talking softly, her fingers were still running back and forth along his jawline. She loved touching his face, she didn't know why, but she just did. Sitting up after he made his declaration for food, a small grin spread over her face. Typical guy... But Orlando wasn't a typical guy. At least, not the typical guys she had ever known. Orlando was different. He was gentle, compassionate, and adoring.
Stretching her arms above her head, a small yawn escaped her mouth. "Mmm...Waking me up to the soft sound of your voice, the warm touch of your hand, and breakfast in bed." Smiling, she reached up and touched his face again, "Can I keep you?"
Scrunching his nose up playfully as her lips touched it, Orlando laughed. Of course he looked good in batter...
"Sexy, eh?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows impishly. He was trying to make light of her words, but his modest nature combined with the person whose lips were speaking the words brought a gentle blush to his cheeks. Shaking his head, he grinned.
"I love you, too," he whispered back, kissing her neck as her hands covered his face again.
As the small yawn escaped her mouth, one did the same from Orlando's ((and as I typed that, I yawned as well... whoa)); yawning was contagious.
"Always," Orlando replied softly, kissing her forehead before reaching over and grabbing the tray that held the two plates of French toast, two bowls of fruit and two glasses of some sort of juice-type beverage.
"Your breakfast, mon amoure..."
"Yes, sexy." Laughing softly at his blush, she poked his cheek softly. Her stomach flipped as she heard the words escape his lips. The words 'I love you' had been a rarity in Faithe's life. She couldn't ever recall hearing it from her parents. The only people who had ever told her that were Jake and Eddie, and there were always hidden motives behind Eddie. Hearing those sweet words come from the man she adored, Faithe felt sucha feeling of...contentment and excitement.
Kissing him on the cheek, she took the food graciously from him. Picking up a grape, she popped it in her mouth, relishing the sweet and sour taste. "Mmmm...At least your conjure up good food." Grinning, she nudged him slightly with her shoulder.
Chuckling once more as being referred to as sexy, Orlando grinned and shook his head, the blush in his cheeks growing ever more noticeable. He didn't ever really think of himself like that. In fact, he'd never really even thought about it before.
Smiling as her lips brushed against his cheek, his eyes closed for a moment.
"I know," he replied with a mock arrogant smirk, "Did you honestly expect the Head of Athena not to be able to get a decent breakfast out of his wand? I mean, I've never been able to conjure up grapes that didn't leave your tongue with a bright purple color and a week-long grape taste, but..."
Shrugging as he trailed off, the man did a pretty good job of keeping a straight face, and even added a little bit of embarassment to the tone of his voice, as though the "fact" that his grapes were defective sincerely bothered him.
Laughing, she reached out and grabbed his nose lightly, wiggling it back and forth. Swallowing the rest of her grape, she let go of his nose. "It's a good thing I know that you're a big fat liar." Grinning, she scrunched up her nose again. At least, I hope he's lying. She opened her mouth to say something, but the phone cut her off.
Raising her eyebrow, she gave him a questioning look as she leaned over to pick up the reciever.
"Hello?" There was an air of inquiry in her voice as she spoke. It was rather odd for the room to be getting a phone call.
"AUNT BELL!" A yell was her reply. A small cry escaped her mouth as she held the phone away from her ear, wincing slightly at Orlando. Offering him the phone, she grinned.
"It's for you?" Laughing, she dared to bring the reciever back to her ear, moving slowly. "Hey sweetie, how are you?"
"I'm great! Are you coming to see me sing tonight?" Her volume had lowered, and her voice now carried a tone of urgent excitement.
"Not tonight sweetie. Orlando and I have to go take care of some business. He has to go name his comet." Speaking in that voice she only used with her niece, Faithe fingered the small, silver Northern Star around her neck; the star that matched the same one Kayte had.
"Ahhh," a small whine could be heard on the other end of the reciever.
"Don't worry sweetz, I'm coming back up next weekend especially to see you." Winking at Orlando, she reached up and stole a strawberry from his plate. After a few quick words, she hung up the phone, shaking her head as a small sparkle lit her eyes.
"That child...she is something else. She's going to be absolutely beautiful when she's a teenager." Laughing softly, she reached out and squeezed his hand lightly. "We're going to have to keep an eye on her."
Raising his eyebrow as Faithe casually made light of his jest, Orlando shrugged.
"Oh, but I'm not lying, ma Foi," he said sincerely, "Go ahead and ask the Transfiguration professor; I can't conjure up grapes that don't have something wrong with them..."
Pausing a moment solely to see her reaction, the stone face melted into a smile.
"Lucky for you I didn't conjure those ones," he added, "Room service works wonders..."
After a quick moment, Orlando's eyebrow rose again, and his his face fell, blue eyes glancing with mock panic towards his chest.
"Fat?" he repeated, making his bottom lip quiver slightly as his eyes surveyed his -in this author's opinion, gorgeous- body. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten all those mashed potatoes last night..."
Grinning once more, his mien, too, turned into a questioning one of sorts as the phone rang, and Faithe reached over to pick it up. Telephones were another thing that Orlando had yet to adjust himself too. True, he knew what they were, and could use one reasonably well, but they were still... different. He didn't understand why one wouldn't just send an owl over, or, if an instant reply was needed, apparate over for a chat...
Hearing a small voice yell loudly from the receiver, Orlando couldn't help but reÃr a carcajadas. It was obviously Kaytlin. Wanting to keep his hearing for another fifty or so years, Orlando waved off the phone when Faithe handed it to him, mouthing something along the lines of "it's too early".
Listening with vague interest to the end of the conversation he could hear, Orlando's eyes were drawn to the star around Faithe's neck. Kaytlin had had one identical to it, he recalled; in fact, that was nearly the first thing the little girl had talked to him about. Curiously inclining his head, his pensive trance burst when Faithe reached over a plucked a berry off his plate.
"Yeah, keep all that food away from me," he whispered with a grin, teasingly putting another small bunch of grapes on Faithe's plate as well,"I gotta start losing weight."
As she hung up the phone, Orlando could help the smirk that crossed his face. Nodding in agreement when at last she spoke, the mischievousness faded from his face and was replaced with a gentle, sincere expression.
"Just like her aunt," he added in response to the Kayte becoming beautiful comment, running a hand down the side of Faithe's face.
"We're?" Orlando repeated. "Who says I'm gonna stick around long enough to see Kayte as a teenage?" he asked, completely joking. ((And he's saying it in the same voice Catch used to ask Sharon if she thought she deserved coffee))
Her face faultered at his comment about the grapes, her brown eyes growing wide. A small squeak escaped her lips as she started toward the mirror, but stopped when she saw his lips curl into a smile. Growling, she picked up a pillow and stuffed it in his face. "Eat that!" Winking, she poked her bottom lip out, mocking him with a playful glint in her eyes as she watched his lip quiver melodramatically. Sitting her plate in her lap, she leaned forward and kissed only his bottom lip lightly, the left side of her mouth curling up.
"You're sexy," keeping her voice low, she practically purred at him. ((Ha ha...Loved your little comment in that, by the way!)) He was not fat, and they both knew it. Slapping him lightly in the shoulder about his food comment, she stuck her tongue out at him.
Blushing slightly at his words in response to Kaytlin's future appearance, her eyes fell to the bed and shook her head slightly. "I hope not. The poor girl deserves better than that." Closing her eyes at the feel of his hand, her head leaned into his caress slightly. Opening her eyes, the look she gave him was filled with love and admiration.
Rolling her eyes at his comment, she rolled her neck slightly, leaving the warmth of his hand. Shaking her head, she grinned at him, "Well, actually sweetie, I was talking about Jake and me." Smiling, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Looking down, her smile became more faint, "You make it sound like you intend on taking off." Raising her eyes, she forced a smile to give off the impression that she was just teasing him. Of course, on the outside she did make it look like she was just kidding, but there was an uneasiness his comment had laid in her heart.
She knew he was just teasing her, but the thought of it did make her feel tense. The idea of Orlando simply not being around effected her, more than she would admit. Smiling, she winked at him, "Well, hopefully I can keep you around for a little while."
When she had been on the phone, she had noticed his eyes on the necklace. Looking down at the small silver star, she reached up and rubbed the star in between her index finger and thumb. Shifting her gaze from the charm, she looked back up at Orlando, keeping the star in between her fingers. "It's our lifeline."
Busting out the boyish grin in response to Faithe moving towards the mirror, Orlando couldn't contain his laughter, yet, that wasn't a problem, as it was soon hushed when he found himself smothered by a pillow. Biting it with a grin, he tried to- as she had put it- "eat it", but didn't quite find its taste to suit his liking, and threw it back at her.
As her lips touched his bottom one, he felt a shiver run down his spine, whose sensation was only heightened as she told him he was sexy. The lower register of her voice had a sort of dark, mysterious undertone to it, which wasn't at all characteristic of the sweet, upbeat and fun Faithe he knew; needless to say, it intrigued Orlando extremely. Rolling his shoulder away from her as she gently smacked it, he shrugged and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
Seeing the soft blush begin to rouge her cheeks, Orlando couldn't help but shake his head at her.
"You're beautiful," he insisted in a gentle, sincere whisper, stroking her face with his fingertips as he spoke, "Even if Kaytlin only grows up to look half as amazing as you, she'll still be striking."
Feeling her roll her head out of his hand, he retracted it. Raising an eyebrow, he nodded slowly. How was he supposed to have known that? Shrugging, he let a sheepish grin overcome his face for a moment. Quickly following that, after her lips had touched his cheek, came a soft, pink blush.
Normally, given the opportunity to do so, Orlando would take full advantage of Faithe's teasing him about leaving her, but something in her eyes stopped him, or maybe it was the way her lips stopped halfway through their smile. Or, perhaps it was his strong divination talent. Whatever it was, he passed up the chance, and, instead, took a much different approach.
Gently running his hand through her hair and down her jawbone, Orlando lifted her chin up so that, not only her eyes, but also her head was looking at him. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead before pulling back and allowing his sapphire eyes gaze into her russet ones.
"Don't worry, ma Foi," he whispered with just a hint of a smile pulling at his lips, "Tomorrow morning, if you wake up and the sun does not appear, I will be here. Tomorrow morning, if you wake up and the future is unclear, I will be here. I'm not planning on going anywhere."
After a sincere moment of silence, where all he did was gaze into her eyes with something between a look of reverence and one of passionate longing, the smile upon his face grew into a grin, and what had been earnestness had now melted into repartee.
"As long as you don't mind being with a horribly fat and extremely dorky Astronomy professor, I'll be here," he added, doing a pretty good job at preventing himself from laughing too much.
Gazing with interest at the necklace between her fingers for a moment, Orlando's eyes flitted up to meet hers.
"Lifeline?" he repeated, not quite understanding how a necklace could work as such. As a wizard, he presumed there was some sort of magical connection, and didn't even consider the possibility of the necklace duo being a metaphorical lifeline
Laughing as he bit the pillow, her laughter soon faded as she shook her head, a look of adoration caressing her features. Squealing as the pillow was thrown back in her face, she grabbed it and hugged it tightly. Resting her chin on the top of the pillow, her eyes never ceasing to leave his face. Feeling her cheeks burn even hotter with embarrassment, she only shook her head. Though she was objecting, there was a part of her that felt rather pleased with his comment. More honored than anything.
Her eyes became weighted with contentment as his hand gently ran through her hair and down her face. A smile spread over her mouth as he spoke, she reached up and caressed his face with her hand. "Be careful, Professor Lorenz, somebody might think that you're a poet." Leaning forward, she kissed his nose lightly. "A beautiful poet at that."
Practically tackling him for his fat comment, Faithe pounced on him, pinning him to the bed. Leaning forward, she rested her nose barely on his, her eyebrows furrowing together. "You are not fat, and you certainly aren't dorky." Sitting up, she moved her arms so that he was free to sit back up if he wished. Eyes glimmering with reverence, she reached out and intertwined a tuft of his hair in her fingers gingerly. Twirling it slowly, she spoke softly, "You're brilliant."
Letting his hair fall back in place, she looked down at the necklace once more, lifting it in the palm of her hand. "Our lifeline. My grandmommy had one just like it." Looking up at him, a look of remembrance crossed her face. "She gave me this one when I was four, and it was our lifeline. It's enchanted. They both are. Since she didn't live near me, she found these as a way for us to always know how each other is doing. When Grandmommy died, the other necklace was left to me. I gave it to Kaytlin." Reaching up with her other hand, she put her index finger on the top of the star, and her thumb on the bottom. Concentrating her mind how she had done so many times before, she looked down as a soft blue glow shone around the star.
"I can tell how healthy she is by how bright the light is. I can feel her emotions inside of me." A small grin crossed her face, "Right now, she's extremely hyperactive." Laughing softly, she shook her head as she let go of the necklace. "She's learning how to use it. So far she can feel my emotions, but she hasn't mastered the glow." A sad sort of expression came over her face as her hand ran absentmindedly over the silver Northern Star.
"When Grandmommy died, I felt it." A cold chill settled over her and she hugged the pillow with both arms a little bit tighter. "It was probably one of the most terrifying things I've ever felt. Feeling death without actually experiencing it." The left corner of her mouth crooked up as a small look of amusement crossed her face, "You would think that since I've almost died twice, it wouldn't have effected me that much. But yes, this is our lifeline."
"I'm certainly not a poet, ma cherie, I guess the truth's just inherently eloquent," Orlando replied with a soft smile accompanying the soft blush in his cheeks that was becoming so frequent it was almost characteristic of him.
Grinning as Faithe ambushed him, for, in some ways, he had been expecting it, Orlando rolled his eyes in amusement. Raising an eyebrow in mock confusion, as though he had no idea why he was pinned down, he simply kept grinning as she spoke. Rubbing his nose against hers right before she sat up, Orlando shook his head.
"You need to make up your mind," he replied, smiling impishly, as he remained lying down, "You tell me I'm a dork on the train ride here, you just called me fat, and now you're saying that I'm not." Gazing up, his gaze met hers, and a smirk fought to cross his face. "You women are so confusing."
As her fingers once more found their way to his hair, the smirk melted into an endearing smile. Closing his eyes momentarily as she wound it around her finger, an act that was almost becoming habitual for her, he re-opened them only at the sound of her voice. Meeting her revering gaze, he smiled back, reaching a hand up a making an- in the author's opinion- adorable, pathetic futile attempt to run his fingers through her hair. In actuality, his fingers only caught the very end of her ponytail, barely moving it, and causing the man to make a sort of exasperated face at her.
"And you're beautiful," he countered earnestly as he casually propped himself up on an elbow and gently pulled whatever hair accessory was holding her hair in the ponytail out. Placing his hand atop her head, his fingers waltzed through the rest of her hair, toying with it slightly as they reached the bottom, and prompting a contented smile to cross his face as he wound the -presumably- elastic band nonchalantly about his fingers and lying back down.
Staring at the necklace as she lifted it into her hand, the blue color of Orlando's eyes deepened, as it often did when he was particularly concentrated or intent upon something. He nodded slowly as she spoke, finding the whole lifeline concept of the necklace rather captivating. It was amazing was a little bit of magic could do to bring two people close to each other.
Enthralled by the way Faithe could control the necklace's glow, the entranced look on Orlando's face heightened, and the man smiled at Faithe's comment about Kayte being "hyperactive".
As the young woman spoke of her grandmother, Orlando offered a small, sympathetic smile as condolence, reaching up and brushing his fingertips gently along her arm.
"I'm sorry," he said candidly.
"For that, too," he added with a small laugh in response to her comment about nearly dying twice herself.
Tsk-ing as he commented about his 'eloquent' speech, she shook her head. "You are too modest, love." Kissing his cheek softly, she smiled as his cheeks turned red. Reaching out, she ran her hand softly over his cheek, "You blush wonderfully."
Nudging him softly, she stuck her tongue out, her nose wrinkling as she did so. "Stinker. You know I was just teasing you sweets." Leaning down, she rested her upper body on top of his, "You're not a dork." Kissing his nose lightly, she grinned. "You're brilliant," she whispered as she kissed his left cheek. "Sexy," purring as she spoke, she kissed his right cheek. "Amazing,"winking, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, but did't kiss him. Sitting up, she stuck her tongue out at him again.
Giggling as he tried to reach her hair, she couldn't help but find the look of exasperation adorable. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head, but made no verbal objection, knowing that everything would just end up going in a circle. Feeling his hand gently tickle her scalp after he'd taken her hair down, her head tilted slightly.
Laying down after she had spoken, she rested her head on his stomach. Turning her head to look at him, she reached up and started toying with his hair again. "Eh...don't be sorry." Laughing softly, she closed her eyes for a short moment, opening them with a look of amusement in her eyes. "The first time was rather interesting, but it also taught me to keep a sizeable distance between myself and the edge of the stage. I was five and Jake was seven, and we did not get along. At all! It was our parents' great idea to cast us as argueing siblings. Well, during dress rehearsal one day, his character was supposed to push my character. The only problem is, Jake was still mad at me for some fight we'd had a couple hours earlier, so he pushed me really hard. Some poor tuba player was down in the orchestra pit, and next thing he knew, there was a five year old falling on him."
Grinning, she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips. "Poor Jake. That's the reason we're so close now. He almost killed me. I still have a scar on the back of my neck." Among the many on my back from the broom... Faithe was extremely self-conscious about the scars on her back, which was why she would never wear a bathing suit in front of other people. Anytime she had ever gone swimming, she would always wear a shirt over her top. Shuddering at the thought, she shook her head absentmindedly.
Reaching out, she took his hand in hers, intertwining her fingers in his. "What about you? Anything of that sort?"
Feeling her body lay atop his, Orlando's eyebrows rose mischievously and he nonchalantly set a hand atop her back. As she went through the motions of kissing nearly every feature of his face except his lips, he blushed, then, as her lips brushed his, but failed to fully kiss him, the blush faded and a quizzical glance overtook his face for a minute. Hand still on her back, and exaggerated look of disappointment on his face, the man made a futile attempt to stop her from sitting all the way up. Not being able to do so, due to the poor position he was in, he simply let his face fall.
"It's not nice to tease people, y'know," he whispered with pleading eyes for a moment before taking her hair down.
As the weight of her head was put upon his stomach, Orlando's hand reached down to stroke her now-down-hair, smiling as her hand reached for his own hair.
Gasping as Faithe told of her first encounter with death, his hand stopped stroking her hair to let his eyes widen in shock. After a moment, his eyes flitted to her neck, and, provided that he could see it from the position she was laying in, to her scar, which his fingers gently ran across in a sort of hypnotic trance.
Forgetting that the young woman had said she had nearly died twice, primarily because her question distracted him, Orlando's mind began re- enacting his own encounter with Death, not even noticing that she had entangled their fingers. Besides the beatings his father regaled him with, there was another traumatic event in his past that he rarely shared with anyone. Of course, Faithe already knew about the single most secretive aspect of his life, and, if he felt comfortable enough to tell her that, then there wasn't a reason in the world to keep the other event from her.
"Yeah, actually," he answered, somewhat absentmindedly, trying to remain as calm as possible. Clearly, he couldn't do that well if he was thinking about the incident. It would be best to be as casual as possible in his recollection, he thought, gnawing slightly on his tongue as he began to speak.
"I grew up on the coast of Oahu, kind of between Ewa Beach and Pearl Harbor, and- as you already know- home wasn't exactly a place I delighted in going to. So, I kinda took refuge, during the day, at least, in diving just off the coast. It's not like my parents cared where I was, in fact, sometimes, I think all of us would have been happier if I'd just never come home after school one day." Sighing, he shook his head.
"Anyways, this one day- I was about ten years old- I went out a little too far, and, scrawny as I was, I ended up looking quite appealing to a shark."
Another pause in the conversation ensued as Orlando closed his eyes, mentally reliving the incident.
Gently, and meticulously, setting down his schoolbooks in the soft, powdery sand along the coastline, the small, gaunt, ten-year-old boy eagerly ripped his shirt over his head and flung it upon the ground. Unzipping his pants, he let them drop to the ground to reveal a pair of deep orange swim trunks. Kicking off his sandals, he ran across the sand, not even noticing that he had stepped on a small rock and cut his foot a bit as he practically flew into the warm water of the Pacific Ocean.
Letting its warmth encircle him, the boy flitted his brilliant blue eyes down to gaze through the transparent, blue waters, intently staring at the phenomenal marine life below its surface. Grinning to himself, he bobbed a few times in the water before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as he ducked under the water.
Re-opening his eyes, he began swimming below the surface. His eyes seemed to widen incessantly, amazed by the beautiful fish, the rays, and, of course, the flora that the sea held. So entranced was he that he failed to notice the ocean floor growing further and further from him with each kick of his long, lanky legs and each stoke his skinny arms made. Feeling his chest grow warm, burning for oxygen, he allowed himself to surface and rest for a minute.
Treading water, the cut in his foot began to burn a cause of the salt water. Being slightly irritated by the pain, his eyes darted about, estimating himself to be about a half-mile from the shore. Having taught himself how to swim rather well, that fact didn't faze this particular little boy at all; he could easily make it back to shore in a few minutes' time. Glancing about, he found his gaze inadvertently drawn to an object seemingly floating in the ocean.
Initially, he blew it off as a piece of seaweed, but seaweed wasn't gray, and seaweed didn't come out of the water- it floated on top. This particular object was slick, shiny, gray, and coming out of the water at an angle- it was the top fin of a shark. Realizing this, the tiny boy began kicking as hard as he could, turning himself quickly back towards the island.
Hearing the water ripple quickly behind him, his eyes widened in fear as he reverted to doggy-paddling as fast and furiously as he could. Then, in an instant, he felt twenty-four teeth sink into the bottom of his left thigh. Immediately, tears flew to his eyes as he let out a scream, trying desperately to kick himself free. It wasn't for another seven minutes that he was free at last, having used nearly all the strength in his tiny body to defend himself against the sea monster.
Still crying, and shaking in fear, he eventually made it back to shore.
Though the gash in his leg eventually healed into a perfect impression of the shark's mouth upon the back of his left thigh, the memory never faded, and, from that day on, that young boy has been more immerged in water than the shower.
"Still got the scar on my leg," he mused, directing his gaze towards his left thigh for a moment. Of course, he had downplayed the story quite a bit, but after the mental recollection, a verbal narration would have been too much. As he focused his thoughts on the scar, he could almost feel the teeth ripping his flesh, causing him to flinch just slightly, not enough for the average person to notice.
Shrugging it off, he casually smiled at Faithe.
"I'm still alive, though," he laughed, "I'm unstoppable."
Seeing his face blush, her mischievous grin grew wider. The look of disappointment on his face caused Faithe's face to break out in a playful and sympathetic smile. Gah...He is the most adorable person on this planet.
"It may not be nice, my love, but it sure is fun." Sticking the tip of her tongue out, her nose wrinkled slightly as she winked.
Listening to him speak, the smile faded from her face and was replaced by a look of deep compassion and concern. The biggest thing she'd ever been bitten by was a cat name Baldy, named for the baldness on his tail. She'd been four at the time, and it had terrified the magic out of her. She couldn't even begin to think of the terror that must have gone through the ten year old little Orlando.
Turning on her side so her brown eyes could focus on him without going cross eyed, her eyes drifted over the features of his face. His jaw line as he spoke, his brilliant blue eyes as they flashed with that look of reminiscing.
quote:
I think all of us would have been happier if I'd just never come home after school one day."
At those words, she sat up straight, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Don't say that! Ever!" There was a firmness to her voice, but everything in the way she spoke was filled with love and compassion. Giving her best attempt at looking angry at him for daring to speak such an atrocity, she couldn't help the sincere look of passion for the man laying before her. Returning to her position, she rested her hand on his stomach in front of her face.
Her hand moved from his stomach to her neck, her index finger running gently along the straight line. She could handle that one scar, it was just the other six that littered her back. Hearing him speak of his own scar, an involuntary shudder ran through her spine.
Smiling at his last comments, her head shook, that mischievous glint reappearing in her brown eyes. Rolling over on her stomach, she pushed herself off the bed a few inches, crawling up towards him. Bringing her face within an inch of his, the smile on her face faded into a look of serious flirtation.
Whispering softly, her eyes never blinked, but they held that look of devotion. "I bet you I could stop the unstoppable." Toying with him again, she brushed her lips across his, but pulled back. Rolling over, she stretched out on her back, a grin spreading on her face, "Then again....maybe I won't."
((Insert time here.))
The sound of the phone ringing echoed throughout the room, causing her to jump slightly. Smiling, she looked over at Orlando, "Honey, will you get that?"
"May not be nice?" Orlando repeated incredulously, raising his eyebrows at Faithe, "It's definitely not nice, and that's an understatement. You're completely teasing me here!"
It was certain that Orlando was complaining about it by his vocal tone and the look in his eyes. For as much as he whined about it, her taunting him couldn't have bothered him too much. After all, it wouldn't have taken much effort for him to have simply lifted his head and kissed her himself.
"And, what's worse," he added with a grin, "is that you're enjoying every single second of it."
Feeling her jolt up off of him, and hearing her nearly scream as she scolded him, Orlando's face was contorted by an expression of sheer perplexition. Why shouldn't he say such a thing? It was, after all, true. His parents wouldn't have had to deal with his conflicting personality, his brother would have been free to use the loft for indulging in hormonally directed activities instead of having to use his own bed, his sister wouldn't have had to be subjected to being a squib in a family of five, and he wouldn't have ever felt so alone again. He might have been alone, but the feelings of dread and terror wouldn't have ever surfaced again. Closing his eyes for a moment, he wondered why he hadn't ever thought of such a simple solution before, when he had been a child. Then again, everything was ideal in one's mind... even Communism. It was when reality interferred that consequences were caused.
Shrugging at her words, Orlando offered her a nonchalant gaze that said something along the lines of, "Eh, what're ya gonna do?".
Matching her smile with one of his own for a moment, the jovial grin disappeared as Faithe nearly prowled up towards him and her face came close to hers. Not even realizing that she was teasing him again, his hand reached up towards the back of her neck, and his fingers combed through her hair.
Looking up into that indescribably attractive gaze Faithe's eyes held, Orlando felt an enjoyable shiver ripple down his spine at the sound of her whisper.
"Mmm?" he replied, almost daring her to by raising his eyebrows impishly.
As she leaned down towards him, Orlando's lips parted slightly and his eyes closed. Yet, as her lips brought a tingling sensation to his, but failed to fully kiss him, Orlando's eyes opened and his mouth opened wider- in another gasp.
Pushing her off him playfully at the same time as she rolled herself off of his chest. Orlando sighed with a mix of exasperation and frustration, as his blue eyes grew wide with both disappointment and longing.
"Do you have even the slightest idea of what you're doing to me, Faithe?" Orlando asked, shaking his head at her.
((Insert time here ))
At Faithe's jump, Orlando's arm tightened around her, and he grinned. Reaching out his free hand, his fingers closed upon the receiver and brought it to his ear.
"Yeah?" he answered, wondering who was calling them.
Allowing a melodramatic sight to escape her lips, she grinned, "Yes. Yes I am." Which she was! Faithe absolutely adored the look he got on his face when she teased him; it was so...well, adorable. Sticking her tongue out at the exasperation he showed on his face, she finally divulged him. Moving in just as she had done, she finally allowed herself to give in to her own inclinations, and kissed him. Pulling back after sometime, she was surprised to find herself shaking slightly. Smiling, she rested her head on his shoulder, "No. What?"
Reaching her hand over to the other side of him, she toyed with his hair gently as she stared at him. Until the phone rang...
"Hi, hi!" A high pitched, hyperactive voice of a five year old girl squealed into the phone so loud the reciever vibrated slightly. A smirk crossed Faithe's face as she dove for the pillows, burying her head underneath. I'll let him deal with this one... "'Lando, 'lando, 'lando! Hi, hi! When you and Aunt Belle are dressed will you take me to FAO Schwarts? Please,please,please?" With every word that came out the young girl's mouth, her words grew even more exuberant. However, her tone mellowed remarkably as a pouty air filled her voice, "Daddy can't take me because he's busy with the theatre." Sniffling melodramativcally, Kaytlin waited to hear the 'yes' that she knew was coming.
Considering the heightened volume the girl had been speaking with, Faithe was grinning like a fool underneath the pillow. She is going to have him wrapped around her pinky before the day is up...
Casting a wary gaze at her as she moved towards him once more, Orlando was almost waiting for her to pull back. With each centimeter closer her face drew to him, he could feel passion coursing through his veins. Realizing that, at last, she wasn't just teasing him, a broad grin lit up his face. Reaching up, as he had just done, with his hand, he wound it around the back of her neck, guiding her lips to his as he closed his eyes. Returning the affection her lips radiated, he kissed her back vehemently, wrapping his other arm around her back, pulling her gently closer to his body. Following an eternity, he felt her back lifting itself up; after squeezing one last kiss in, he loosened his arm around her back, allowing her to break free.
Feeling her body almost trembling, his arm remained upon her back, gently running up and down it as an amazed, contented, and enchanted smile crossed his lips in the midst of his breathing, which, wasn't at all heavy or labored, but, it was certainly obvious that he was left breathless. Turning his head so that he could meet her gaze as she lay upon his shoulder, Orlando offered her a knowing smirk in response as he exhaled.
"Oh, I'm sure you can figure it out," he declared in a deep whisper, smiling as her fingers played with his hair..
At the sound of Kaytlin's squeal, Orlando's eyeballs nearly bulged out of his head and his arm shot out about a foot, holding the receiver far away from him. Casting a glance at Faithe, he merely smirked as she buried herself in the pillows.
"Hey, Kayte," he replied slowly.
Listening to her adorable speech, Orlando's smirk melted into a sympathetic grin, partially because he felt bad that Jake couldn't take her himself, and partially because, even when he told her yes, she'd still have to wait quite sometime for himself and Faithe to get themselves ready to be seen in public.
"Of course we will, Kayte," Orlando replied with a grin, winking at Faithe.
Not ever having been around children much, the poor man failed to see how badly he was falling for the child's inadvertent manipulation skill. To him, the poor little girl just really wanted to go to the toy store. Seeing nothing wrong with that, he had presumed Faithe wouldn't either, and thus agreed.
"It might be awhile though," he added as an afterthought, "We could pick you up around noon, go out for lunch and then swing by the toy store, if that's alright with your dad."
Exhaling a deep breath, Faithe practically melted when he whispered. This was definitely something she could be content with for the rest of her life. Being so close to somebody emotionally, that even they were nice, words were often unnecessary. A simple touch on the arm, a simple smile; all held deeper meanings than most words could express. She adored it. Everything was still new to her, but it was an adventure. One that she enjoyed more than any African Safari she could ever experience.
Laughing before the phone had even been hung up on the base, she tossed the pillow lightly at him. Propping herself up on her side, she grinned at him, tsk-ing and shaking her head. Reaching out the hand she wasn't leaning on, she tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, trailing her fingers behind his ear, down his jawbone, and to the center of his chin.
"She has you wrapped around her little pinky already." Leaning forward, she kissed his nose lightly, unable to contain the grin on her face. "Sucker. Kayte's going to have you spoiling her before this day is over." Stretching out her back one last time, a small squeak came out as she felt her muscles pull comfortably.
Rolling off the bed, she stood up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess I should go take a shower. So we don't keep ou...darling Kayte waiting." Winking, turned towards the door and began walking towards the door. Biting her bottom lip, she pushed open the slightly ajar door. The words our darling Kayte had almost come out of her mouth on accident. Where did that come from?
Hopping in the shower, there was a lot on her mind as she went through the routine. Things were definitely getting deep between the two. Is this something she really wanted? Her entire life, Faithe had tried to lose herself in books to avoid developing relationships of any sort. Of course, Orlando was so different. She was going out of her way to avoid keeping her nose in books all the time so she could get to know him. When the words I love you had come from his lips, she had almost felt dizzy from the ecstacy she'd felt inside of her. She truly did love him, there was no doubt about it. Being close to him was something she did truly want, and nothing could make her change that for anything. As hard as it was to see him five times a day, and not be able to openly affectionate with him was, she knew it would be almost unbearable to simply not have him there at all.
As she toweled her hair dry, her brown eyes stared at her reflection studiously. Why her? Faithe didn't see herself as abnormally pretty, or unusually intellegant. What could there be about her that he was attracted to? In her opinion, Orlando deserved the best, and she knew that there were thousands of other females that were higher up than she. Sighing at herself, she walked back into her room.
Wearing a pair of khaki's and a white, sleeveless button up shirt, she ran a brush through her wet hair. Walking out of her room, she walked casually towards the giant windows that overlooked the city. Staring out at the water, her thoughts turned to a ten year old little boy in Hawaii. How scary it must have been for him. Orlando had always seemed unbelievably wonderful to her from the start, but now that she knew how much he had suffered as a child, he seemed even more amazing. He was strong, dependant, and compassionate. Most children would have caved under the pressure he was put under, but Orlando was shaped into a loving, gentle man because of it. I would give anything in the world to make sure he never felt pain again...
Hearing Faithe's endearing laughter, Orlando glanced over at her just in time to catch the airborne pillow before he hung the phone up. Grinning back at her and shaking his head, he gently threw it back at her, brilliant blue eyes getting that look of reverence in them once more. As her fingertips gently caressed his face, something he'd grown quite fond of, the grin thawed into a warm smile.
"Does not!" Orlando retorted back with a look on his face that clearly said the opposite. "Eh, maybe just a little bit. But, come on, Faithe, she's five years old, and nearly a younger, miniature version of you; how could I not want to give her everything she wants?"
Smirking playfully, he reached out for her just as she rolled off the bed.
"Hey, where're ya going?" he whined.
Not even catching her voice falter at the "darling Kayte" remark, Orlando just rolled his eyes and shrugged at her. If she wanted to go take a shower, he didn't really have a problem with it, they did, after all, only have a little over an hour before they had to go pick up Kaytlin. Waiting not a second after her back was turned, he sat up in bed and flicked the hair tie, which was still around his fingers, at her derrière, grinning uncontrollably. Before she could do anything about it, he leapt from the bed and ran into his own bathroom, flashing one last deviously satisfied grin at her before gently shutting the door.
Nonchalantly untying his pants and letting them fall to the floor, he started the warm shower water and hopped in. He was overcome by thoughts just as Faithe was at the moment. From the moment they had met at the train station to just then in his bed, there hadn't been a single moment- save those in which Eddie was involved- that hadn't been extraordinary. He had learned so much about Faithe's life, and, being able to be close to her without any consequences, learned so much about Faithe herself as well. There wasn't anything about the girl he didn't like. True, she had her faults, as all people do, but, rather than finding fault with them, he merely saw them as adorable idiosyncrasies unique to his Faithe alone.
Shutting off the water and wrapping a towel around his lower half, the man stepped out of the shower, smiling to himself. At the sight of the fogged- up mirror, the right side of his mouth twitched upward into a grin, and his finger scrawled a juvenile "O.L. + F. C." on it, outlining the initials with a heart. In all honesty, the man was completely smitten with her. Wiping a hand across the mirror, he cleared off room for him to actually use it the mirror as a mirror, rather than a sketchpad. Taking off the towel, he dried his hair most of the way with it before running a comb through the dark strands. Reaching on the left side of the sink, where he normally set a clean outfit, he bit in lip in pensive thought as he realized that he hadn't set an outfit there this morning.
Hoping Faithe had shut the door on her way out, he flung the towel once more around his waist and darted out of the bathroom, grabbed his duffelbag, and back into the bathroom as quickly as he could, just in case she hadn't. Shutting the door once more, he ruffled through the bag, eventually procuring a plain white T-shirt and pair of dark jeans, which his haphazardly clad himself in. Glancing one last time in the mirror, he ran a hand through his hair, then down his face. Feeling the stubble, which, as promised, had reappeared, he couldn't help but grin. Just long enough to give his face that somewhat dark aspect, but not too long as to be a bother.
Kicking the used clothing and towel into a pile on the ground, he exited the bathroom, half-hoping for Faithe to be lying on his bed, just as she had been last night when he'd walked out the very same door. Their relationship had become so much more over the course of the weekend thusfar. It had deepened from the somewhat casual one they had had at the school into a rather serious one, and, considering it for a moment, Orlando found himself pleased. He wanted this; he wanted Faithe. Waking up with her had only confirmed the thought that he could spend the rest of his life with her. Realizing this, an indescribably sincere smile crossed his face. Of course, he wouldn't just jump right into something like that, but, perhaps, after the school year was over, things had calmed down, and they no longer had to hide themselves from the world, he could propose the idea to her.
Nearly giddy, he sauntered into the main foyer with almost a little hop to his step. Seeing Faithe, his grin only widened. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, gently pulling her close to him as he leaned his head down, momentarily resting it comfortably upon her shoulder.
"I love you," he whispered, kissing her neck.
Pulling back and loosening his grasp on her waist, he smiled at her, sidestepping so that he was next to her.
"What're you staring at?" he asked curiously, having noted her entranced gaze before he arrived.
As he made a pathetic attempt to deny Kayte's influence, Faithe's expression carried a 'yeah right, don't even play like that,' expression. Laughing gently as he finally gave into the truth, she clucked her tongue as a look of pure adoration crossed her face. How much she loved him...
A look of pure mischief crossed her face as a small grin curved onto her lips, "Does that mean I could ask you for anything and get it? I think I could handle that..." It was obvious there was playfulness in her tone. "Maybe I will keep you around for a little while." Winking, she stuck her tongue out at him.
Feeling the hairband hit her derrière, a melodramatic gasp escaped her mouth as she turned around, a look of disbelief in her eyes. Watching him sprint to the bathroom, the look of astonishment melted away into a warm smile that plainly said 'I love you.'
Completely lost in her own thoughts, his footsteps had gone unheard as Orlando came up behind her. Feeling his arms around her, she relaxed against him, a small smile playing faintly at her lips. She noticed that when he was around her, she couldn't stop smiling. This was also new to her. Sure, she laughed and smiled just like everybody else, but nobody could make her smile as much as Orlando, and she loved it.
Hearing those words whispered in her ear, a feeling of complete devotion towards the man who's lips spoke them so sweetly rippled through her body. Something inside of her told her that this was how it would always be. The two of them together, complete devotion for one another, that undying love that she knew would never fade. There would be rocks in the road, yes, but she didn't doubt for a moment that they would get through it together. A small, objective groan escaped her lips as he let go of her and stood beside her.
"I was just looking at the water. It's so...hypnotic sometimes. I get caught up in the rhythmic sparkled from the sun's reflection." Speaking softly, she finally tore her eyes from the water, pushing the thoughts of a small boy being attacked by a shark. Wrapping her arm around his, she rested her head on the side of his arm.
"You ready to head over there?"
But of course," Orlando replied, not missing a beat as a genuine sparkle shone in his brilliant blue eyes. "Anything you want, darling..."
At her groan, Orlando turned his head towards her, rolling his eyes, but still smiling.
"If you're going to moan and groan about it, how are you ever going to be able to make it through the day when we get back to Rosencrantz? I won't even be able to hold your hand after tomorrow; you'll be suffering from extreme Orlando withdrawal."
There was a teasing undertone to his jovial voice, complemented by a slight chuckle, but it did hold some genuineness to it. One the following day had ended, he knew, the two would have to go back to feigning that they were nothing more than a teacher and student whose passions both lay in the field of Astronomy. The weekend, thusfar, had been wonderful, not only because of the course of events, but because neither of them had had to keep themselves in check in any way, shape or form; they were free to be their true selves, acting on impulse, and not worrying that anyone was watching them.
Casting a wary glance out at the water Faithe was entranced by, Orlando nodded. It certainly was hypnotic, but, for him, at least, not in a good way. Instead, he was plagued with flashbacks of the past. Closing his eyes for a moment, to clear his mind, he re-opened them only once Faithe's arm was around his. Reaching his free arm around his chest, he gently took her hand in his, entangling their fingers together with a warm smile. Like Faithe, Orlando found it near impossible to keep himself from smiling in her presence.
Lifting his left arm just slightly, and taking great care not to make Faithe think he was trying to shake her arm off it or anything of the sort, his eyes flitted to the leather-banded watch on its wrist. Opening his mouth to reply, an inadvertent yawn escaped his lips, which closed shortly afterwards into a sheepish smile.
"We have a little over a half-hour," he replied, "So I guess it depends on how we're going. I'd just have us apparate over there- can you apparate yet? Or hasn't that been worked into the seventh year curriculum yet?"
"Eh, it doesn't really matter, I suppose; I'm sure Kayte can't do that yet, and I wouldn't want her getting splinched if one of us had to apparate her through the city. Not to mention it might look a little odd."
Pausing for a moment to offer her a grin as he realized that he had just been rambling for the past minute or so, he shook his head.
"I'm such a wizard," he declared with a laugh, "You're the muggle-y one, why don't you decide how we're traveling? I'm ready to go whenever you are."
Shoving him lightly at his comment about school, she poked him gently in the side. "Now, why did you have to bring that up, Professor Lorenz?" Shooting him a sulky look, she crossed her arms. "I hate all the secrecy." Turning towards him, her pout turned into a small smile, "But it's worth it as long as I get you." Winking, she reached down and took his hand. Kissing his knuckle softly, she squeezed it before letting him go.
Raising her eyebrow as he talked, and talked, and continued to talk, a loving, amused expression crossed her face. Laughing silently, she shook her head. "Nope. Can't learn how to apparate until after graduation." Sticking her tongue out, she rolled her eyes. "If you want, we can apparate over there, and then just take the subway and walk to the toy store. There's this restaraunt a few blocks from the store called Jeckyl and Hyde. They put on a show while you eat that tells the story of the litary work about Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Kayte loves it." ((Ah...so good! Just don't try their veggie burger...it's gross!))
Grinning as he called her the 'muggle-y' one, she shook her head slightly. "Muggle-y? What an astute word for a man with your intellectual calibar." Winking, she pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Hoping he wouldn't fall over, she hugged him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. Biting his shoulder gently, she giggled.
Laughing as her poke ticked his side, Orlando squirmed slightly, darting a "hey!" glance at Faithe.
"I do too, ma Foi," he replied somewhat sorrowfully. "But, just think, in less than a month, you'll have graduated, and we can do whatever we want together in public."
Offering her a mischievous grin, he shrugged.
"Provided that it's in good taste, of course..."
Punctuating the statement with an impish wink of his own, Orlando shrugged nonchalantly.
Sighing with superfluous frustration at her inability to apparate, he rolled his eyes.
"So," he declared, in a tone that clearly told her he was teasing, "you want me to apparate you and me all the way over to Jake's? Do you know how much energy it takes to apparate my fat body alone?"
Grinning at his revival of that morning's joke, he continued.
"Plus, there's always the chance of us splinching together... then we'd literally be a part of each other forever."
Sheepishly smiling at her, he raised his eyebrows, anticipating a comment about the corniness.
"Don't ever start with me," he said, "You've done much worse..."
As she told him about the potential restaurant, he nodded.
"Sounds good to me."
At her comment about his use of the "word" "muggle-y", a soft blush rouged his cheeks. She was right, and he knew it.
"Uff!"
A surprised grunt escaped his mouth as Faithe jumped onto him, yet his arms instinctively wrapped themselves around the young woman's back, holding her tightly against him. Turning his head, his eyebrows rose quizzically as she nibbled on his shoulder, shaking his head at her.
"Your quondam exegesis did hold a certain amount of veracity," he replied, "My vocabulary is quite capacious, but I aggrandize not exploiting it."
Smirking almost arrogantly for a moment, he shook his head and planted a gentle kiss upon her forehead.
Giving him a rather sassy expression at his fat comment, she stuck her tongue out at him. Slapping him in the shoulder, her eyebrows furrowed together as a glare that purely said 'I could never be mat at you,' crossed her face. Laughing at the talk of being joined for eternity, she grinned at him.
"I don't mind spending forever with you, but I would like to actually enjoy your company from my stand point." Winking, her eyes held that look of adoration as she reached up, toying with his hair.
Laughing even more at his sentance that sounded fresh from a thesaraus, she shook her head, finding it even more humerous because she understood the words that were coming out of her mouth. Lifting her head, she sighed melodramitcally, "Such a romantic, you are." Sticking her tongue out, she touched the tip of his nose with the tip of her tongue.
"Beam us up, Scotty." Winking, she grinned, "Do your magic."
Beaming, Orlando's eyes gleamed with happiness as Faithe spoke of spending forever with him. 'Good,' he thought to himself, knowing that the young woman hadn't a clue that he was taking her comment so literally. The more he thought about it, the more that Orlando liked the idea of marrying Faithe. Sure, they were still very young, but he knew he would never love anyone more than Isabelle Faithe Cunningham.
As Faithe laughed at his obscure words, Orlando just grinned.
"You know I'm a sap," he replied, wrinkling hs nose up at the touch of her tongue, "I speak fluent French, how could I not be a hopeless romantic?
"Besides," he added, letting his voice shift from a normal voice at a moderate volume to a deep octave whisper as he spoke into her ear, "You know you enjoy it completely..."
Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he readujsted her position on him and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Opening his eyes for a moment, he smirked at her.
"Cross your fingers and hope we don't splinch," he whispered, gently guiding her head back to his shoulder, and, then, keeping his hand upon it.
With another deep breath and a close of his eyes, the man concentrated all his energy on apparating the pair to Jake's. As slight groan escaped his lips, he opened his eyes and ran his fingers through Faithe's hair. They had reached there destination without splinching; that was always a plus...
"Well, well, well. aren't we Mr. Ego today?" Grinning, she winked to show that she was just teasing him. "I speak fluent English. I know quite a bit of Latin, but it's not a spoken language anymore." Sticking her tongue out again, she wrinkled her nose, laughing. A small whine escaped her mouth when his voice dropped to his low octave, her stomach feeling jittery. Gah...Adorable...
Allowing him to lay her head on his shoulder, she laughed at his talk about splinching. Closing her eyes, she wapped her arms tighter around him. Her stomach jolted just as it had done eveytime the two had ever apparated. Hearing him groan, her first thoughts were that something had gone wrong. Sitting up quickly, her eyes opened almost as quickly. Finding that everything was normal, she looked at him with a look of concern.
Reaching out, she ran her hand along his jawline softly, her brown eyes searching his face. "Are you alright?"
At her question, Orlando's eyes closed and his arms relaxed around Faithe's waist. Laying his head upon her shoulder, he let out a small breath. Gently tapping her derriére with his hand, he insinuated for her to get off and slid her body down off of him. Although his arms weren't providing any support for her, he didn't fully let goof her until he felt her feet upon the ground. Despite the fact that he had apparted both of them the same distance the ast night, for some reason it appeared that this time had taken more out of the man. Slowly lifting his head up off her shoulder, he managed a weak nod.
"I'll survive," he said quietly. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he laid a hand upon her shoulder to steady himself as his head turned away.
Oh, this was too much fun...
Knowing that he couldn't keep up this devious little prank for much longer, as he felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he took another deep breath then swallowed.
Suddenly, without warning, he turned back towards her and wrapped her up in his arms, spinning her halfway around and dipping her down, as one might do in some sort of ballroom dance, and kissing her warmly. Pulling her back up, a broad grin shone brightly over his face.
"Sorry," he whispered with the lower octave of his voice, "An opportunity like that was too good to pass up..."
As soon as her feet hit the ground, Faithe's eyebrows furrowed together in a great look of worry and concern. Cupping his face in her hands, she brought her face closer to his, looking in his eyes. "Orlando? What's wrong?" Running her thumb gently along his cheek, she braced herself a little bit better when he placed his hands on her shoulders. She was about two seconds away from calling Jake for help. Opening her mouth to do so, a rather loud squeal escaped her lips as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
Her arms flew instinctively around his neck as he spun her around, her nose wrinkling as she grinned. Feeling a shiver run through her spine as he kissed her, that warm feeling spread through every part of her body. Whimpering slightly as he used that darn voice, she offered him a look of reverance.
"Aw, honey," Speaking in an innocent voice, she kissed his ear in a tantalizing fashion, "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Pushing him away, she smacked him somewhat harshly in his shoulder. Crossing her arms, she attempted a glare in his direction, but there was nothing but adoration and love in her brown eyes.
The door flew open, and as Faithe turned, a small body was wrapped around her legs. Flailing her arms, she managed to find the wall with one of them and prevent the two of them from tumbling to the floor.
"Aunt Belle!" Jumping up and down, Kaytlin grinned as she let go of her legs. Reaching her arms up, an impatient expression crossed the girl's face as she waited for Faithe to pick her up. Obliging the five year old, Faithe swung her onto her left hip, Kayte wasting no time to rub her nose against Faithe's.
"Hey sweet pea," Despite herself, her Texan accent shown through with her comment, but went unnoticed by her. She had a tendancy to do that quite a bit, but unless it was really bad, she never seemed to notice the southern accent. "You ready for some lunch? Then the toy store!" Grinning, Faithe began walking inside the door, motioning with her head for Orlando to follow her. Closing the door with her foot, she allowed the wiggling girl down.
Kaytlin wasted no time in flinging herself at Orlando, practically crawling up the man's legs. "Guess what? The tooth fairy came last night and brought me FIVE DOLLARS!" Squealing, she clapped her hands. "I saved my money from my last two teeth, and now I have fifteen! Which meand I can buy a new toy! Are you gonna buy a new toy today too?"
Hearing Faithe's slight whimper, a satisfied smirk appeared on Orlando's tanned face. Although he wasn't nearly as good as teasing her as she him, it was nice to know that at least he had one weapon to fight her entire arsenal of cuteness with. Not to mention the fact that he liked utilizing the rarely used octave of his voice...
At the touch of her lips upon his ear, a shiver rippled down the man's spine, reminding him that Faithe did indeed have at least one up on him in that realm. Grinning as she pushed him away, he was almost tempted to drop her, but, instead, helped her to her feet before relinquishing his grasp. Gasping and rubbing his shoulder in moderate pain, Orlando gaped at her.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, trying to glare at her. Yet, when his attempted glare met hers, he couldn't help but smile at her.
As the door flung open, Orlando was jolted back to reality. He and Faithe were not on a deserted island and there were other people to consider. Grateful that the door hadn't opened a few seconds earlier, the man let out a pleasant sigh.
Chuckling slightly at Kaytlin's endless energy, Orlando cast a glance over at Faithe, grinning even more at her Texan lilt. Adorable... Watching on with an incessant smile as Faithe nearly toppled with the addition of Kayte's tiny weight, he couldn't help but laugh.
As Kayte shimmed down off of Faithe, Orlando knew exactly what was coming. Reaching out his arms, he picked the squirming girl up at the moment she reached his leg. Spinning her around, not unlike he had done to Faithe on more than one occassion, there was a sort of sparkle in his eyes.
"Really? That must have been a really special tooth then," Orlando commented, grinning broadly as he hoisted the tiny girl onto his side. Following Faithe down the stairs ((god-moding, yeah... so sue me)), he shook his head at her question.
"I don't know, Kayte," he replied with a smile, "Maybe if your 'Aunt Belle' will let me, I'll get another model rocket..."
Casting a mischievous yet content glance at Faithe, Orlando winked. It was almost scary how much of a father he looked like...
Jake walked out at the sound of voices, smiling in a warm greeting at the people now gathered in his living room. Hugging Faithe, he nodded towards Orlando. He would have offered his hand, but there seemed to be a small child leeched onto the poor man. Faiteh grinned at Kayte.
"I remember one time the tooth fairy did the strangest thing. I was so disapointed. I woke up one morning, it was my 5th birthday, and instead of money, she had left me a kernal of corn." There was a perplexed expression on the young woman's face as she recalled how upset she had gotten over the matter. Jake, however, burst out laughing.
"That's because I snuck into your room and stole your money. I didn't want to leave you empty handed, so I gave you the piece of corn." Watching his sister's face contort into a gasp, he quickly took a step back as Faithe heaved a nearby pillow at him. Running for the door, he ducked past her, "Have fun!"
Down on the road, Faithe looked at Orlando and Kayte, an admiring expression on her face. He would be such a great father one day. At his rocket comment, she poked her bottom lip out, speaking in a sulky voice, "Only if I get a teddy bear." An innocent smile spread over her face as she stepped in closer to him, reaching out for his hand. Intertwining her fingers with his, she couldn't help but see the perfection in the picture. I could definitely live with having a family with this man...
"Then it's settled," speaking with a firm sense of authority, Kayte nodded importantly. Well, she showed as much authority as a five year old could get away with. Reaching out her tiny hand, she fidgeted with Orlando's hair. "I want a dolly." Nodding vigorously, a pensive stare crossed the girl's brown eyes. "With brown hair, like mine."
Ah, the amusement of a brother-sister squabble...
Despite the fact that he had had two siblings, Orlando had never known anything of that sort. His brother, Eric, who was older than him by about four years, had always found him too nerdy. There had once been a time when the two had gotten along... up until Orlando had decided that he wasn't interested in football and would rather spend his days building model rockets.
That left his sister, Tiara, who was seven years his junior- a mistake on his parents' part. But, after realizing that Orlando wasn't exactly what they had been looking for in a child, they hardly held it against her. Orlando and Tiara had never really gotten along, but that was because they hadn't ever been given the chance. By the time Tiara was born, Orlando was already the family punching bag, and, not being considered worthy, hand't ever spent any time one-on-one with his little sister.
Grinning, he offered a nod to Jake as the man blew past him on his way out of the apartment.
"Of course, ma Foi," he replied with a smile, "I'll buy you the biggest teddy bear there."
Taking her hand in his, he couldn't help but feel his face light up as she entangled their fingers. Gently pulling her closer to him, he laid his head on hers for a brief moment with a calm, contented sigh. There was some innate part of him that saw this perfect little picture as the rest of his life, only, instead of Kayte, there would be a little Lorenz offspring perched upon his hip.
Hearing Kayte's important-sounding voice, he lifted his head off Faithe and turned it towards her. Not being able to prevent it, a small chuckle that escaped his lips. Too cute... Then, as her fingers reached for his hair, gently toying with it, he couldn't help but cast a quizzical glance at Faithe as if to tell her that she had indeed worn off on the girl.
"Alright, Kayte," Orlando answered with a grin, nodding his head, "Maybe we can even find a doll that looks just like you!"
After walking a little while longer, they finally arrived at the subway station. As the door opened, Orlando goofily spun Faithe inside, then following in with Kaytlin still in his arms. Pointing Faithe towards a gathering of empty seats, he, too, walked over, sitting down and setting Kayte upon his lap.
Laughing at his comment, she shook her head. "Well thank you sweetheart, but I don't really care to carry around an eight foot bear." Reaching up, she kissed his cheek, winking. "Something I can sleep with will do." Since last night won't be happening again for a long time. ((Ehh... that sounded bad...lol But you know what I meant!))
"Ewww!" Kayte's voice startled Faithe as she cried out all of a sudden. "You kissed him! Icky! Get a cootie shot!" Rolling her eyes as she laughed, Faithe stuck her tongue out at her adorable niece. Before they reached the subway, Faithe darted to the other side of Orlando, kissing Kayte all over her face. Grinning as the girl squirmed in Orlando's arms, Faithe darted back across Orlando, taking her place by his side with her hand back in his. "Aunt Belle! Now I need a cootie shot!"
As they entered the station, Kayte was mutter to herself, although the words 'circle, circle, dot, dot...' could be heard. Winking at Orlando, Faithe blew him a silent kiss. Giggling as he spun her inside the train, Faithe shook her head, a look of adoration on her face. Sitting down, she watched him walk towards her, Kayte in tow. As soon as the man had sat down, Kayte scooted onto his lap, resting her head on his chest.
"Uh oh, I think I have some competition." Reaching down, she tickled Kayte in the sides, pulling her over into her lap. Squealing, Kayte wriggled as Faithe tickled her mercilessly.
"Not fair! You're bigger-n-me!" Talking between squeal, Kaytlin made a futile attempt to reach behind her and tickle Faithe. Laughing, Faithe wrapped her arms around the little girl, looking down and sticking her tongue out at her. Kayte wrinkled her nose in response, grinning as she proudly showed off that missing tooth. "Are we eating at Heckly and Jyde?"
Giggling, Faithe nodded. "Yes sweets, we're eating at Jeckel and Hyde." Correcting the girl gently, she brushed a strand of hair out of her own eyes.
"That's what I said, Heckly and Jyde." Checking her pockets to make sure her tooth money was still there, she nodded to herself, satisfied. "I'm hungry." Looking at Orlando, she tugged on his shirt sleeve, "Are you hungry? I am hungry."
Shaking her with amusement, Faithe scooted up against Orlando, resting her head on his shoulder. This was too perfect...
"Something you can sleep with, eh?" Orlando repeated, nudging her shoulder as he flashed a slightly suggestive glance at her. Grinning, he shook his head. Had Kayte not been there, he probably would've made some sort of growl at her and a slightly more suggestive comment, but Orlando did have some sort of class, and, thus, kept his comments clean. Or, at least, clean enough where Kayte wouldn't get any of them. "I think that can be arranged..."
Feeling Faithe's lips upon his cheek, the man evitably blushed as he smiled at her. Their romantic little moment, however, was broken by Kayte's squeal, which, in turn, prompted a grin from Orlando's lips.
"Cooties?" he repeated, casting a confused glance at Faithe. Poor Orlando... Never having grown-up in the Muggle World, he hadn't the slightest clue what the cooties legend was all about. But, after seeing a similiar response from Kayte after Faithe had kissed her, he presumed it was something associated with kissing.
As Faithe blew him the kiss, Orlando wrapped his left arm tighter around Kayte in order to reach up with his right hand and snatch the invisible kiss out of mid-air. Placing his fingers upon his lips, he winked at Faithe.
Feeling Kayte's head upon his chest, one of Orlando's arms loosely encircled her waist, winding its way around the girl's tiny body and eventually ending up with his fingers stroking her hair.
Smirking at Faithe's comment about competition, Orlando shrugged and raised his eyebrows at Faithe. Then, as Faithe's arms reached over to tickle Kaytlin, he aided her and picked the small girl up at the same time as Faithe did, helping her into her lap.
Amused by Kaytlin's childish speech, he smiled at Faith, silently sharing one of those glances with her.
"A little bit," Orlando replied, looking down at Kaytlin again, "Although I did have some rather well made French toast for breakfast this morning..."
Winking out of the corner of his eye at Faithe, he smiled as she scootched closer to him, letting a small, content sigh pass through his lips. Casually draping an arm over her shoulders, his fingers tapped themselves on her arm for a moment before his full hand fell upon her skin, gently rubbing up and down her shoulder a few times before finally finding a comfortable place.
"And your aunt had a few delightful grapes..."
Laughing slightly, he laid his head upon Faithe's for a moment, then lifted it back up.
Feeling her face turn red, she couldn't look him in the eyes for fear of laughing. "Yes, something to sleep with." Finally looking at him, she raised her left eyebrow in a daring sort of way. "You see, the teddy bear I slept with last night is no longer at my disposal." Speaking softly, she winked at him, shaking her head with a grin as he 'caught' her kiss.
"Eh...Don't worry about it." Chuckling at his confusion over cooties, she merely shook her head.
She wished she had a camera as she looked admiringly at the two snuggling up next to her. A warm smile spread over her lips before she stole her niece. The past couple days Faithe had become even more enamored with the remarkable man. He was perfect. Kayte loved him to bits, and simply seeing him with the child made Faithe's thoughts immediately drift to what a great father he would be.
Wrinkling her nose, Kayte shook her head, "I don't like grapes. I do like french toast though! Mmmm...syrup!Daddy always says I look like a mess after I eat syrup."
"Ha! Look like a mess? My baby doll, you are a mess after you eat syrup." Poking her niece in the belly, she winked at Orlando.
After a relatively short subway ride, Faithe stood up as the train slowed. "This is our stop." As Kayte hopped down, she faced Faithe almost immediately and reached her arms up. Wrapping her hands around Kayte's wrists, she pulled her up and swung her around to where the girl was on her back. Pulling Kaytlin's arms around her neck, she waited for the girl to get situation on her back before walking forward.
Giggling, Kayte looked behind to make sure Orlando was following. Walking up the steps, she fell in step with Orlando, turning right at the top on the street.
"It's less than a half a block up this way." Speaking as she watched, she allowed her knees to give slightly under her, keeping Kayte 'on her toes.' Hearing the child squeal and then laugh, Faithe couldn't help but grin.
Reaching the front door, she knelt down so Kaytlin could hop off her back. Taking the girl's hand, she walked into the door. Kaytling reached over with her free hand and took Orlando's hand in hers, giving her plenty of reason to occasionally hang in mid-air.
"Mm-hmm," Orlando replied, nodding his head, "Actually, I'm sure the teddy bear you were snuggled up next to last night wouldn't mind being used for another night..." Planting a gentle kiss on top of her head, he grinned somewhat deviously.
Chuckling at the mental image of a syrup-covered Kaytlin, Orlando rolled his eyes.
"That's alright, Kayte," he replied, "I always seem to be a mess after fixing French toast for some reason..." His voice was slightly innocent, as though he had absolutely no clue what could possibly be messy about French toast, yet the smirk he shared with Faithe gave it away. "...even when we don't eat it with syrup."
Shaking his head with amusement as Kayte glanced back at him while he followed the pair, Orlando smiled back at her. Turning the corner in step with Faithe, he nodded at her telling him that it wouldn't be too far.
Wrapping his fingers around Kayte's tiny wrist as the small girl grabbed his hand, Orlando cast a glance over at Faithe. Mouthing the words "one, two, three", he lifted his hand up, presuming Faithe would do the same, as they crossed the doorframe into the restaurant.
Casually chatting with the host, the trio was soon led over to a rather nice little table near the "stage". Nodding again at Faithe, he swung Kaytlin up into one of the chairs. Then, quickly grabbing Faithe's hand, spun her around and into another chair, making a habit out of spinning her. He'd have to take her swing-dancing sometime, he supposed.
Swing-dancing was one of Orlando's little-known passions. During his relationship with Demeter, he'd be conned into going to swing dance clubs for their date on more than one occassion and had found himself to both be rather good at and enjoy it.
Graciously taking the menus from the host, he handed the childrens' menu to Kayte and one of the two larger one's to Faithe.
"So," he asked, "what's good here?"
Opening her mouth, a tiny squeak came out as she made an attempt to object, her mouth closing with a small smile. "I still maintain that I would have been better off had you not come tackling me on the bed." Feeling her face turn pink, she couldn't help but give him a look of agreement about the 'teddy bear.' "I would love to cuddle with the teddy bear again."
Lifting Kayte along with Orlando, she smiled as the little girl became giddy with excitment, especially when she was lifted into the seat. Giggline as he once again spun her, Faithe noticed herself spotting as she spun quickly on her toes. Always using her technique, Faithe had undoubtedly labeled herself a dork. Taking her seat, she thanked the host for the menues.
"I want chicken fingers." Kayte announced to half the restraunt without opening her menu.
"That's fine baby doll." Leaning forward, she whispered her next words, "But let's not talk so loudly everybody can hear us, alright?" Winking, she reached out and tweaked the little girl's nose.
Giggling, Kayte nodded as she placed both her hands over her mouth.
"They have really good hamburgers. Most their food is great, but I wouldn't suggest the Veggie Burger." Sticking her tongue out, Faithe wrinkled her nose at the memory of the cardboard taste she could vividely recall. Slipping her foot across the table, underneath it of course, she gently nudged Orlando's foot.
A blonde waitress came to the table wearing a fake smile and enough make-up to make a clown jealous. "Good afternoon!" Speaking in a rather high pitched voice, the blonde reminded Faithe strangely of Ivy. Looking at Orlando, she offered an extra smile, tossing her hair rather suggestively. Offering no apologetic look to Faithe, or even acknowledging her existence, she asked if they were ready to order.
Not able to help himself, Orlando laughed nearly as loudly as Kayte had spoken when the girl announced her meal choice to the whole city. Slapping a hand over his mouth, he could feel his cheeks warm with a slight blush. Wiping his hand down his face, he offered Faithe a sheepish smile.
Casually opening and perusing the the menu, he nodded at Faithe's comment, sticking out his tongue at her remark about the vegetarian choice.
"I pride myself on being an omnivore," Orlando replied with a smirk, insinuating that he wouldn't dream of ordering something vegetarian, "So I think I'll probably just stick with a normal American hamburger..."
Feeling something hit his foot, he instinctively presumed it was Faithe's. Wrapping his foot around hers, he gently moved his ankle along the lower part of her leg, toying with her and punctuating the fun with a wink.
Seeing the waitress approach, Orlando immediately went into a coughing spasm, which was, clearly, faked. Recovering quickly as the waitress spoke, he cast a look at Faithe before looking up at the ditzy woman.
At the woman's suggestive gestures, Orlando merely nodded back with a polite smile before reaching his hand over and setting it on Faithe's thigh, clearly telling the waitress that he wasn't at all interested.
"Are you ready, darling?"
After allowing her time to response, Orlando cast his glance up towards the waitress once more, wondering how anyone could wear that much stuff on their face.
"I'll have a well-done hamburger and a coke," he replied, making sure to let the woman catch him making "googly-eyes" at Faithe.
Grinning as he stuck out his tongue, Faithe leaned over to where her mouth was less than an inch from his and growled softly. "Watch it. I might think you're offering." Winking, she went back to looking at her menu. Laughing silently at their game of footsie underneath the table, Faithe had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. Adorable...simply adorable...
Biting her bottom lip as Orlando made quite the spectacle, Faithe's adoration for him grew. Smiling warmly at him, she nodded in response to his question. Looking over at Kayte, she smiled at the five year old who had started entertaining herself tearing the corners of her paper napkin. "Sweetheart, do you want to order?" Speaking in that voice that was reserved for Kaytlin, Faithe looked at her quizzicly. Kayte looked up and nodded vigorously.
"Uh huh! I want chicken fingers! With barlebeque sauce, please." She had straightened her posture to look more important. Kayte hardly ever got to order for herself, and it always made her feel important when she was allowed. Grinning, Faithe shook her head in amusement, catching a glare from Barbie Doll Waitress.
Sighing in impatience, the woman looked at Faithe with the utmost look of loathing, "Plan on ordering?" That look impatience radiated in the waitresses voice as she spoke to Faithe; Faithe's eyebrow raised slightly at the rudeness this girl was treating her customers with. Tempted to stoop to her level, Faithe fought the urge to take her sweet and petty time.
"I would like the Cajun Chicken Salad, no onion, with ranch." Watching the waitress roll her eyes when she thought she wasn't being watched, Faithe made a mental note to make a phone call to the manager later.
"Drink?"
"Rootbeer." Smiling adoringly at Orlando, Faithe winked. It took every ounce of will power she had within her to keep from bursting into fits of laughter at Orlando's face. His 'googly' eyes were so corny, but she loved it. I love it...I love him.
Feeling Faithe's face so close to his own, it took more self-control than Orlando had thought not to pull her into a kiss right there. The reason he didn't do so, though, wasn't, as one may have believed, Kayte, but rather the sheer PDA factor. Orlando was, obviously, a typically rather shy person when not in the sole company of people he was comfortable with, and, therefore wouldn't dream of doing something of the sort in public, yet Faithe was tempting him so badly.especially with that growl of hers. Upon hearing it, his stomach flipped and he had to fight the urge to melt in his chair and regain his composure.
"Think I'm offering?" he repeated incredulously. Smirking to himself, he reached a hand inside the inner pocket of his jacket and "swish-and- flick"ed his wand ((note- the jacket pocket was not at such a level where one could wrongly interpret the visual that moving it created)), then procured some off-brand wizards' version of Starbursts. Handing a couple to Kayte, primarily to occupy the girl for a moment, he stuck one, still- wrapped, into his mouth, closing it; after the span of about thirty seconds, his mouth re-opened and he procured the wrapper, which was, though not at all mangled, rather wet. Raising his eyebrows suggestively as his proudly displayed the paper wrapper to Faithe for a moment, and then setting it down on the table, he grinned that boyish grin of his.
"Ma cherie Foi, I most certainly am. but remind me later, because this isn't exactly the proper place." he added, using that infamous low register he had in an attempt to combat Faithe's teasing with some of his own as he placed his other foot atop hers, winking.
As Kayte ordered, Orlando couldn't help but share one of those revering gazes with Faithe. For all the trouble people claim little children to be, their sheer juvenile ingenuity and youthful view of the world certainly had to make up for whatever sort of bother they could be. In Orlando's eyes, at least, Kaytlin wasn't the slightest bit of trouble; in fact, she was a little angel.
At the waitress' bitter, indignant words, Orlando raised his head to look at her with somewhat of a curious glance, near identical to that which Faithe gave the woman, as though he would never have expected such a harsh tone to escape her lips. At Faithe's polite reply, Orlando's fingers, which had been on her thigh, nonchalantly crept up and, if need be, stealthily grabbed her elbow and gently pulled her arm (if her hand was on the table) before entangling his fingers with hers as a silent symbol of reverence. Her patience and self-control were truly admirable.
Sighing mentally, he caught the waitress' eyes meeting his gaze and, therefore, resumed making his brilliant blue eyes into cartoon-like ones in an enamored gaze, directed only at Faithe. As the waitress turned and walked away, Orlando let out a sigh and grinned at Faithe.
"Wow." he breathed, shaking his head, "I wonder if she'd still find me attractive if she knew how much of an astronomer I am.
"Anyways, did you think I made it clear that I wasn't interested?"
Oh my goodness... She couldn't help the look of longing in her face as she grinned at the wrapper. It took every ounce of will power to keep her from pouncing on him right then and there and kissing him. A quiet noise escaped her lips as he tantalized her with his voice, her eyes glaring at him. Of course, that glare was accentuated with a complete look of adoration and love.
Her leg twitched as his hand moved up her thigh, his hand tickling her. Feeling his fingers intertwine with hers, Faiteh squeezed his hand gently. Laughing at his comment, she reached up and pinched his cheeks, "Of course she would! You're just too adorable..." Talking as if she were talking to a baby, Faithe wrinkled her nose as she grinned.
Getting a thoughtful expression on her face at his question, she bobbed her head side to side as if
deciding on her answer. Looking at him, her face broke out in a warm smile as she leaned over and kissed his cheek quickly. "I love you." Winking as she whispered, she moved her toe up to his shin, poking it gently.
The waitress swung their drinks by quickly, her body coming within inches of Orlando's as she set down his drink. After she left, Faithe grabbed the cherry by the stem that was in her Rootbeer. Smirking, she pulled the cherry off the stem, chewing it quickly and swallowing it. Sticking the stem in her mouth, she smirked as she worked the stem with her tongue. After about 45 seconds, she pulled the stem out of her mouth, displaying the two knots she had tied with it. The left side of her mouth was crooked up in a flirtatious grin as she winked at him.
"I want a donkey." Kayte's small voice piped up randomly as she looked up from her napkin. Her head tilted curiously as she sipped on her drink, then went back to making tiny paper balls with the bits of her napkin, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had just said anything.
Faithe's lusting look prompted a satisfied smirk to overcome Orlando's face, proud of himself for not being all that bad at teasing her, and even more prideful in regards to the fact that he could speak in that lower register solely due to the effect it had on Faithe.
Feeling her hand gently tugging on his cheeks, Orlando chuckled as he shook his head and planted a gentle kiss upon her nose before recoiling into his chair, away from her hands.
"Adorable?" he repeated, almost in a whining tone, "What happened to 'sexy'?" Dropping down the octave for that last word, Orlando raised his eyebrows several times in succession, trying to be Hollywood's version of sexy by throwing in one of those smirks, but failing miserably, although he still was able to offer something in the dork-ish realm of sexiness.
Feeling the more than pleasant sensation of her lips upon his cheek, Orlando reached out a hand and ran it down the side of her face simultaneously.
"A toi aussi, ma Foi," Orlando replied with a grin, letting a small laugh escape his lips as her toe touched his leg.
At the waitress's proximity, Orlando felt slightly uncomfortable, which could be detected by the way he leaned away from her, cringing ever so slightly. Exchanging a glance with Faithe as the waitress left, the look the glance had held turned into one of curiousity, watching as she stuck the cherry's stem in her mouth.
At the stem's presentation, Orlando's mouth simply hung open. He was impressed, most certainly, but, more than that, he found himself falling for her charms almost to the point where he would forgo dignity and kiss her feverishly in the restaurant... almost. Instead, he simply shook his head in awe.
"You are going to teach me how to do that, right?" he asked, innocently enough, though his eyes held an impish quality within them.
Kayte's youthful naivity brought a large grin to Orlando's face as he shook his head and reverted his attention to Faithe, amazed look in his eyes again.
"You can make donkeys?!?"
Smiling as he whined about her choice of words, she poked out her lip and made it tremble in loving mockery. "Aw, you're very sexy," winking as a mischevious expression crossed her face, she leaned over, bringing her mouth to his ear, "Orlando," speaking low, she purred his name. Teasing and being flirtatious was so much fun in the public because nothing could be done about it. Which asmused Faithe tremendously.
Biting her lip to keep from laughing at Orlando's reaction to the waitress' closeness, Faithe kept her eye contact with Orlando. Too cute...And faithful. Most guys would relish the fact that another female, aside from the one they were with, was paying them notice, but not Orlando. She cherished that about him.
Laughing at his innocent inquiry, she shook her head with a mischevious glint in her eyes. "It's all about the technique. It can't be taught..." Taking a sip of her Rootbeer, she grinned, "It can be used though..."
"What?" Laughing as she looked at him quizzicly, she shook her head. "No, I cannot make donkeys. Although, I make a pretty good Chicken Pot Pie."
Some low, rumbling sound, between a moan and a sigh escaped Orlando's lips, although it was clear that the noise itself remained caught in the man's throat. As fun as flirtting with Faithe was, Orlando was finding himself dangerously close to that breaking point where teasing could only satisfy so much. Casting a helpless look at Faithe, he was clearly silently begging her to stop. He knew she knew what she was doing to him...
"Technique, eh?" Orlando repeated with a quizzical glance as he plucked the stem from her fingers and held it between his forefinger and thumb, twirling it around absentmindedly. "Eh, I suppose if I can't learn it, I can at least benefit from your knowledge of such a skill..."
Sadly, Orlando's little flirting was interrupted when he found the waitress's clearly silicon-based chest in front of him, prompting a slightly repulsed look to encloak Orlando's tanned face as his eyes grew wide with disgust.
"Here you go, honey," she replied, leaning over the entire table to show Orlando what her tip money had purchased as she smiled broadly at him.
"Thanks," Orlando replied, somewhat choking on his word as he exchanged a look with Faithe.
The waitress promptly plopped Kaytlin's chicken in front of the little girl, then flung Faithe's salad, complete with extra onions at her, looking down her nose as though Faithe was the most vile creature she'd ever seen. Turning on her heel, she paraded back to the kitchen, walking as though she had a wedgie of sorts...
Not even turning his head to watch the waitress walk off, Orlando sighed and pulled out his wand, then stuck it up his sleeve, hiding it as he removed the unpleasantries from Faithe's salad and then replacing it in his pocket.
"Someone really ought to inform that woman that she's not as attractive as she thinks she is..." he said quietly, taking a bite of his hamburger.
Rolling her lips inward, she couldn't help the mischevious look of flirtation that was taking over her innocent brown eyes. A small laugh escaped her mouth at his words, "Do you really think you deserve that technique used on you?" ((Five bucks says that you can guess what kind of tone that was said in.)) Grinning, she stuck her tongue in between her teeth, a taunting expression on her face. Mouthing the word 'later,' she looked down at Kaytlin.
Faithe couldn't help the look indigestion that crossed her face as the woman practically laid on the table in front of Orlado. As her food was dropped in front of her, Faithe looked up at the woman with her sweet, innocent smile on her face. "Thank you very much." Her voice sounded genuine, as did the look on her face, but Faithe was desperately fighting the urge to stand up and smack the woman in her face.
Kaytling squealed as she picked up a chicken tender and dipped it meticulously into the barbeque sauce. Biting it delicately, she chewed it exactly 25 times before swallowing. Faithe sat there staring at her for a moment, an incredulous look on her face. Shaking her head at the little girl, she grinned at Orlando.
"Well, I just hope that she doesn't flaunt herself that much on a regular basis. Doing something like that in a city like this could get anybody hurt." Following the woman to the kitchen, there was, indeed, a worried expression on her face. Shaking her head again, she watched Orlando get rid of her onions for her.
"Aw, thank you sweetie." Smiling at him, she winked with gratitude. Picking up her fork, she mixed her salad in with the ranch dressing before taking a bite of chicken. Chewing it and swallowing it, she grinned at Orlando, "What do you think?"
"Hrm..." Orlando pretended to think for a moment, searching Faithe's face with a pensive look, before making his face fall dramatically and his bottom lip quiver.
"Don't you?" he asked.
Flashing that boyish grin of his at her "later", he nodded.
Kayte's delighted squeal snapped Orlando back into reality, reminding him that she was there with him. It was odd how silent and self-entertaining Kayte whad been thusfar though, so much so that Orlando had almost believed himself to be sitting alone at a table with Faithe on a sort of date. That in itself, of course, was also a bit strange, seeing as the two hadn't ever really been on a traditional date... unless the broomstick-stargazing thing counted.
Not that Orlando minded at all, because there had to be something to say for the two being able to get to close without going through any of the things that most couples would do and, in fact, having to hide whatever progress their relationship made from the world.
Meeting Faithe's gaze, he rolled his eyes at Kayte's methodical-ness in eating her food.
"You're welcome, mon amoure," he replied with a smile.
"Mmm..." Orlando mused, shrugging nonchalantly.
"I think," he began to reply, slowing down the words with a mischievous tone about them as his lower limbs continued to engage in the ludicrously cute game of footsie that had been momentarily put on hold, "that I most certainly do deserve to have such a t chnique exploited for my personal advantage.
"And, I think that our waitress is completely vile, and, for her lack of customer service skills, I don't believe I'll be tipping her too well...
"And," he added, still smiling, "as for the food, darling, I think it's quite good, even though it can't quite compare to French toast."
Grinning, she fought back as best she could under the table without being obvious as to what they were doing. "Eh...maybe..." Sticking her tongue out, she winked at him mischeviously.
After they had eated, paid, and left a not so nice tip, and Faithe had a quick coversation with the manager, they were once again out on the sidewalk. Kaytlin became overly ecstatic because they were now on their way to FAO Schwartz.
"Oh oh! Just wait!" Squealing excitedly, she clapped her hands, "They have more stuffed aminals than any other store! And...and...and they have legos, and...and...and any other toy you can imagine!" Squealing again, she turned towards Faithe and raised her hands above her head, signaling she wanted to be held again.
Grinning, Faithe took her by her wrists, and swung her around so she landed on her back. Once she felt safe that the girl's arms were around her neck, she let go her wrists and placed one hand under her knee, and took Orlando's hand with her other. Smiling, she shook her head as she rolled her eyes at Kaytlin, but there was sheer amusement and joy in her brown eyes.
"Are you really gonna get a toy rocket?" Kaytlin's curiosity of Orlando was growing all the more, which made Faithe adore him all the more. Kayte didn't take to strangers that fast, especially as fast as she had come to trust Orlando. This simple fact spoke to Faithe on so many levels.
Sauntering through the doors of Jekyll and Hyde, there was a smile stretched from ear to ear upon Orlando's gace. Not wasting any time, his hand was entangled with Faithe's before the pair had taken more than two steps past the doors; Kayte walked in front of them. At the girl's ecstatic squealing and clapping, Orlando couldn't help but chuckle with amusement.
Reluctantly dropping Faithe's hand, he allowed her to lift the ting angel up and place her upon her own back. However, as she picked his hand up again, he cast a sideways glance at her, then shook his head. Taking her one hand in both of his own, he unwound her fingers one-by-one from before gently dropping it back to her side. Not walking for a few seconds, he allowed Faithe to get several paces in front of him.
Walking up straight behind her, he place a hand on either side of Kaytlin's tiny frame, gently pulling her small body off od Faithe's back and lifting her up into the air and over his head, eventually setting her down upon his shoulder. One hand wrapped itself around his chest, holding her legs tightly against him; the other, after securing Kayte's arms around his forehead, reached down to the side and grasped Faithe's.
Shooting the young woman a charmingly Orlando grin, he let a small laugh escape his lips before kissing her hand chivalrously and then letting their hands revert to swinging freely at their sides.
"Of course I am, Kayte," Orlando reply, tapping her leg with his fingers as he leaned his head back as though he might be able to somehow meet her gaze. "I've already got a collection of 137 model rockets, but I'd really like to get a specific one of the B-engine models that I haven't been able to find anywhere else."
Turning his attention back to Faithe, his voice became a little quieter and his eyes got a vaguely devious look in them.
"And I will be getting you that teddy bear, under one condition though: you don't use it tonight..."
Feeling Kayte's body being separated from her own, a surge of panic creased through Faithe's body. Gasping, she tightened her grasp on the girl before she realized that Orlando was pulling Kaytlin off her back. Letting go of her legs, Faithe watched him swing the girl onto his shoulders. Kayte squealed with delight as the feeling of weightlessness overcame her before she was settled on his shoulders.
Laughing, Kaytlin's nose wrinkled slightly as she grinned, "You're silly, 'Lando!" Giggling as she rested one hand on top of his hand, Kayte's eyes began looking around curiously.
Watching him lift her hand to his mouth, the left side of her mouth tilted up in a half smile. Devotion and adoration filled her eyes as she felt his lips brush the back of her hand ever so softly. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes for a split second before looking back at him, "You are too amazing." Speaking softly, she turned her gaze back to her path in front of her, not in the mood to get into a debate with a moody New Yorker because she ran into them.
"137? Gracious sweetie," Raising her eyebrows in astonishment, Faithe shook her head smiling. "To think, people think I'm weird because I have a collection of star stuff at my house. I literally have hundreds of stars packed away in boxes." Wrinkling her nose, she grinned sheepishly.
Feeling her cheeks turn red at his insinuation about the bear, she shot him a flirtatious grin. "As long as I have the real thing, I can live with that." A few blocks later, they stood outside the white brick building. Kaytlin started jumping up and down on Orlando's shoulders with excitement. Opening the door, she waved her hand to signal Orlando and Kaytlin through.
A slight blush encompassed Orlando's cheeks at Faithe's repetition of the number of model rockets he had. Of course, most of them hadn't ever been purchased, so it wasn't that he spent all his meager earnings on them. Contrarily, he had made the majority of them by hollowing out tree branches, carving the fins, and then purchasing a few plastic tops. He then made the parachutes from old plastic bags, and stuck them to the body with chewing gum, which worked surprisingly well most of the time.
"Actually, I used to have 143," he replied with a grin, "but over the course of launching them, I've lost six."
Chuckling slightly at Faithe's comment about the materialized symbols of her own astronomical obsession, Orlando shook his head. His eyes radiated how endearing he found that fact.
"So, you've got actual stars boxed up?" he teased, knowing what she had meant by saying she had "hundreds of stars in boxes". "Exactly how big is your house, then?
"Ten by seventeen light years?" Grinning, he nudged her mischievously with his shoulder.
Laughing as her cheeks ran red at his teddy bear comment, Orlando merely smirked in reply to her flirty grin, clearly amused by their continued joke.
"The 'real thing' is yours forever," he replied, with his tone somewhere in- between the casual flirty nature of her demeanor and something more sincere and serious, "even if it can't always be there.
"But, I can promise you that tonight, at least, you will most definitely be falling asleep in its arms, with its fingers laced into your hair, your head resting against its chest, its head gently resting upon your own, and a soft, content smile upon your delightful lips, lighting up your beautiful face."
*************************
Nodding at Faithe as she opened the door for him and Kaytlin, Orlando tightened the arm around Kaytlin's legs.
"Duck, Kayte!" he said, bending his knees, and giving him a rather awkward look, as he walked through the door. Once he'd completely cleared the frame, he resumed his full height of 6' 1" and turned around and offered a hand to Faithe. Presuming she took it, he goofily spun her under his arm and into his side, holding her against him for a moment before dropping his arm and re-wrapping it lightly around her waist.
Flitting his brilliant blue eyes around the mammoth store, Orlando's jaw dropped momentarily, having never seen such a phenomenal display of toys in his entire life. Eventually picking his jaw back up, he lifted his chin a bit, indicating he was speaking to Kaytlin.
"Which way to the dolls, Kayte?"
Grinning at her ability to make Orlando blush, Faithe winked adoringly at him. Laughing, she shook her head at the thought of a younger Orlando launching rockets, and it didn't make for her to visualize the expression on his face when those six hit the ground.
"Aww, you poor baby. I can see where losing six whole rockets would be so detrimental to your collection of over a hundred rockets." Grinning, she stuck her tongue out at him. Gasping melodramatically, she poked her bottom lip out, a playfully disgruntled expression on her face.
"What are you thinking?" With an incredulous air in her tone, she shook her head, "More like twenty by thirty light-years." Wrinkling her nose, she poked him gently in the side. Her playful grin melted, however, at the sound of his words into a pensive and endearing expression. There wasn't a smile on her lips, but her features were far from unhappy looking. Finally allowing the left side of her mouth to upturn in a bashful smile, her face reddened slightly.
Squealing as she ducked, Kaytlin began wriggling on top of Orlando's shoulder, itching to get down and run around. Scared she was going to fall from her constant moving, Faithe held up her arms to the girl could get down. Kaytlin wrapped her arms around Faithe's and allowed herself to be pulled down. Once her feet hit the ground, she grabbed Orlando's hand and attempted to pull him towards a set of stairs.
"Come on, this way!" Tugging, Kaytlin stopped suddenly and turned to look at Faithe. "Aunt Belle, will you go away?" Faithe's jaw dropped slightly as her lips curled up slightly. Grinning, Kayte shook her head, "It's nuttin' bad, I promise."
Looking curiously from Orlando to Kayte, she shrugged. Before she could answer, Kayte was once again attempting to drag Orlando away. Laughing slightly, Faithe nodded, "You two be good." Turning around, she headed for a doorway that lead into a room filled with a jungle theme and wild animal stuffed toys.
With a melodramatically incredulous expression overtaking his face, Orlando's jaw hung open for a second, allowing a gasp to pass through it.
"It was [I]very[/I] detrimental!" he insisted with a small smile playing upon his lips. "I lost three As, an E, and another C-engine. I could have gotten over the As, and probably the C, but the E's barrel took me so long to carve out."
Half-joking, he let out a sigh and shook his head.
"[I]Very[/I] detrimental," he repeated, musing.
Feeling her fingers jab lightly into his side, Orlando let out a mock groan and collapsed his spine, clutching that part of his body as if she'd just jabbed a knife into him, before resuming his normal stature and grinning at her. Letting go of her hand, he poked her shoulder with a knowing glance.
"Ah, but not if they really were 'boxed up'," he replied with a smirk. "Packaging them in a few hollow cardboard cubes would [I]definitely[/I] compact their masses."
As her facial expression softening into that not-smiling-but-definitely-not- unhappy look, Orlando felt a soft blush rouge his cheeks. Seeing the left side of her mouth twitch upwards into that coy beam, his hand reached up and stroked her cheek softly before- forgetting about Kayte, of course- he leaned over and gave her lips a short, soft and sweet kiss.
As Kayte's hand leached itself onto Orlando's and she began pulling him, the man offered Faithe a slightly amused look. Then, as the pulling force ceased to be, his head reverted to Kayte's, alternating between hers and Faithe's for a moment of confusion.
Chuckling at the crestfallen expression on Faithe's face, he grinned at her. Allowing himself to be pulled away from her, he let his hand slip out of her own and raised it as though he were waving good-bye to her.
"We'll meet up with you later, I guess?" he called as he walked backwards wherever Kayte led him.
Once Faithe had disappeared past the doorframe, he turned back to Kayte. Lifting her up, he carried her up the stairway.
"Why'd your Aunt have to leave, Kayte?" he asked curiously, setting her down at the top, unsure of which way to go.
((I do love how FAO Schwarts has rooms with different toy themes. They had one that was all Star Wars, and there this three feet tall lego model of R2D2.))
Laughing, Faithe shook her head, "Yes, I'll keep an eye out for you guys."
Grinning as Orlando picked her up, Kaytlin watched Faithe walk through the door. Looking around suspiciously, she finally became satisfied that nobody was listening to her 'important' conversation. Whispering when she spoke, there was an ecstatic air about her words.
"I wanna show you somethin'. And I need your help with it." Once he had set her down, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway. Of course, the hallway didn't resemble a hallway with the toys that were placed on shelves throughout it. Entering a side door, they walked into a room that was filled from floor to ceiling with dolls. Porclein, Barbie, plastic, every kind of doll imagineable.
Walking over to the porcelein dolls, her small brown eyes scanned the shelves intently, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. Finally spotting the doll she had been looking for, her face lit up. Turning to Orlando, she motioned him over, waving her hands vigorously. Pointing to a doll about three shelves above her outstretched hand, she jumped up and down.
The doll she was pointing to had brown, slightly curly hair, and brown eyes. She was wearing a deep blue dress that looked remarkably like robes, but there were small, silver stars sprinkled over the dress.
"The doll's name is Isabelle. Daddy and I saw it when we were here last weekend, and I wanted to get it for Aunt Belle. She likes stars, and the doll looks like her. Daddy gave me extra moneys so I could buy it for her acause she was at school during her birfday. I didn't want her to see it until we get home though..." Looking around as if she halfway expected Faithe to come through the door, she leaned closer to him, whispering, "Plus, it has the same name as her!" Giggling,she wrinkled her nose slightly, another attribute she and Faithe shared.
"Will you get it down for me so I can go get the doll I want?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and skipped over to the plastic dolls. Crouching down, she tilted her head slightly, looking at the little baby dolls.
Noticing Kayte's suspicion as the girl's head looked around, Orlando raised an eyebrow curiously as he allowed her to take him by the hand and lead him down the hallway.
"Uh, okay." he replied, thought still somewhat hesitant as to what exactly was going on.
As she pulled him down the hallway, the man's eyes lit up at the sight of so many toys lining the walls. Never having been exactly well-liked by his parents, Orlando's toys had consisted of his shoes, and the occasional pebble that found its way into them, for the most part. However, there were times when he'd be blessed with finding one of Eric's abandoned army men, but, his only true toys were the rockets he had made once he had been able to, which wasn't until he was about nine.
((I'm talking on the phone now, so if the post goes downhill, that's why.))
Following Kayte's beckon, Orlando's eyes darted to the top shelf, where the little girl's hand pointed. Immediately his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped a bit. Had the doll looked a little more lifelike, he'd half have expected its mouth to open and Faithe's voice to start speaking through its mouth. It was gorgeous- just like her.
Nodding slowly as Kayte spoke, Orlando's jaw picked itself up and his lips curled into a broad boyish grin as he imagined the look on Faithe's face when she saw it. Adorable. Eager to oblige the girl, he reached up and picked the doll up into his hands, not even having to stand on his toes.
"Faithe's going to love it, Kayte," he said, turning towards the girl, only to find she had already left him for the plastic dolls.
Moseying over towards her, doll under his arm, his eyes flitted over the assortment of dolls with a vaguely amused gaze in them.
"See one you want?" he asked.
With the other two mischevious heathens off picking out a doll for Kaitlyn, Faithe had left the Jungle room. Walking to the room dedicated to Astronomy, mainly glow in the dark plastic stars, she looked around. There was a specific item she was searching for that she had seen last time she was here, but that had been months before. She was holding her breath that it was still there.
After a lot of tedious searching, she found the little star she had been looking for. It was a sterling silver star on a keychain. The design resembled that of Faithe and Kayte's necklaces down to the tiniest detail. Grabbing it, a smile on her face, she left the room and made way for the front register. Thinking better of it, she looked around for a random toy, and, seeing a stuffed cat, grabbed it for Kaytlin. Knowing she would be asked what she bought, she'd rather have something she could actually show him. If she had to brush the question off, Orlando might get suspicious she had gotten something for him.
She had plans for this keychain, and she didn't want him finding out about it until it was the right time. After paying for the two items, she stood by the door, waiting. Turning her back on the store, she inspected a few hanging monkeys by the door.
*****
After staring intently, well, as intently as a five year old could, Kaytlin finally picked up a doll. The baby had a tuft of brown hair on top of her head, and had amazingly similiar features to a real newborn.
"This one!" Grinning a toothy grin, Kaytlin showed him the box. "There's even a bottle and a passeephyre." Tucking it as best she could under her arm, she started pulling Orlando's arm. "Come on! We have to pay for it before Aunt Belle gets there!"
Deciding pretty quickly that carrying the box with one hand wasn't going to work, Kayte let go of Orlando's hand and started walking fast towards the stairway.
