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| Foxes Mate for Life; -Elliott- | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 31 2011, 03:13:02 PM (331 Views) | |
| Briar Fix | Oct 31 2011, 03:13:02 PM Post #1 |
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Kelci; muggle
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Friday 1 October, 2038 6:40 PM The kitchen was a mess. Half the cupboards were open and the makings of several meals were strewn across the counter. The sink was full of pans with scorched bottoms. Briar had been up cooking, or trying to cook, all day. The talk with Eoin had put things in perspective and she didn't want to keep waiting for the perfect moment to accept Elliott's proposal. That didn't mean she wasn't going to have her perfect moment, it just meant she was going to have to make it for herself. The things Briar remembered best were tied to food somehow. The smell of yeast belonged to her father and the only birthday she remembered clearly was when she and her brother were turning ten and their mother had tried to bake a cake from scratch. And the things Briar most liked to remember involved Elliott. So she'd decided to map out their lives since the night they met, starting with the beer she'd been drinking and made him take a sip of when Eoin introduced them and ending with one of the meals Noah had brought over and put in the freezer. In the middle were a lot of things that he probably didn't even remember: the roasted brussels sprouts her dad had made for Boxing Day the year Elliott's parents had been on holiday and Briar's mother had practically forced him to come over; the pancakes (Eoin's speciality) that had gotten the three of them through plenty of mornings of hungover-flat-cleaning after the twins' near-infamous parties in university. And then there were some things he would have no way of knowing about, like the mashed potatoes she'd eaten after their enormous fight, the one that made her realize that she didn't want to be with Kevin at all. But of course, Ruby had been up all day, too. She'd been so good about sleeping until Briar actually needed her to. She'd spent half the day walking around the living room, holding the baby and trying to get her to stop crying. As a result, her good intentions had been more or less completely ruined. She wasn't exactly the neat freak Elliott was, but she would never have left the kitchen looking like it did normally. But what was supposed to be a perfect meal was in pieces around the kitchen, some of it burnt, some of it just cold. It was obvious enough what she'd been trying to do, but it wasn't perfect like it was supposed to be and she was feeling particularly disillusioned at this point; it seemed like she couldn't do anything right. Briar moved to the nursery so she wouldn't have to keep looking at the mess she'd made. "It's your fault I can't be drunk right now, I hope you know," she whispered to her daughter, who had finally fallen asleep and stayed that way for longer then twenty minutes. It was too late now to fix anything; Elliott would be back soon. |
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| Elliott Fix | Oct 31 2011, 04:26:31 PM Post #2 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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Elliott entered the house quietly, all too aware that waking up the baby was a fate worse than death. She slept a lot, and not really on any predictable schedule yet, so it was better to just assume she was always sleeping until he knew otherwise. He didn't immediately see Briar and the baby, so he stopped to listen. He couldn't hear them, either. Probably sleeping, then. He took off his flat cap and ran his hand through his hair. His hair was, as usual, just a bit too long. The evening air had been heavy with mist, causing it to curl. He put it away and took off his suit coat and hung it up. Then he sighed and leaned against the wall. He couldn't make himself walk any further into the house. He was exhausted in every sense of the word: physically, mentally, emotionally. Maybe if Briar and Ruby were both asleep, he should just try and sleep, too. He pushed himself off from the wall and loosened his tie. Now that he wasn't hugging the wall he could smell cooking. He couldn't tell what, though. Lots of different smells, and definitively a burning smell, too. So probably Briar wasn't asleep. Probably just Ruby. He turned the corner to the kitchen to check. Wow. There had definitely been some cooking. He made a face. The last thing Briar needed to be doing was trying to prove that she could go back to work already. The good news was, if that had been what she was trying to do, it didn't look like she'd had much success. He thought about setting the dishes to wash themselves, but decided it would be too noisy. He'd do it later. He sighed again and pulled his tie over his head. Not only was Briar probably not asleep, she was probably also not in a good mood. He had never seen her do that to a kitchen. It did not bode well. He hung his tie on a dining room chair and trudged forward. He was the little engine that could. I-think-I-can, I-think-I-can. If he just kept telling himself that he could do it, he'd get over that mountain. Eventually. It would be easier if he felt like he could see the top. He gently opened the door to the nursery and there was Briar, sitting in the window, holding Ruby. It was dark and they were only silhouettes. They looked perfect. He didn't want to disturb them. So he didn't. He leaned his head against the door frame and watched from the outside. |
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| Briar Fix | Oct 31 2011, 05:59:24 PM Post #3 |
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Kelci; muggle
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Briar didn't notice Elliott right away, Ruby was as distracting as always. Even more so, now. It was amazing how the baby could stress her out so much one minute and calm her down the next. She had been angry before, but now she'd settled into just being sad. Her life was all out of order. She wouldn't reverse anything that had happened, but she couldn't help but wish for something to feel right from the beginning. She looked up finally and saw him standing in the doorway. She didn't want to move because moving would mean having to explain the mess. She stared at him for a moment, then back at Ruby, before standing up slowly and laying her down in the bassinet. Her arms felt empty now, so she went immediately into Elliott's, closing the door very softly behind her. She wrapped her arms around him and refused to let go. |
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| Elliott Fix | Oct 31 2011, 07:18:54 PM Post #4 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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Elliott reciprocated easily, wrapping his arms around Briar and holding her close. Her actions confirmed his earlier suspicion: her day had not gone as planned. He felt too good just holding her to ask about it, though. He didn't think they'd had a quiet moment like this since they'd brought Ruby home. He tightened his grip and buried his face in her hair. He breathed deeply. She was still her. Still Briar. She was almost always the reason he got bent out of shape, and usually the reason why he could get it back together. Right now it seemed they were both so twisted up the only way they could possibly fit was with each other. And in this moment it was okay. They could fix each other later. |
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| Briar Fix | Oct 31 2011, 08:23:06 PM Post #5 |
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Kelci; muggle
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She held him even tighter in response to his silence. He didn't seem as irritated as he had the past few days, and that was a welcome change. Briar rested her forehead on his shoulder; he smelled like starch and Elliott and it was comforting that that at least was the same. When she finally decided to speak, it was into his shirt. "We've done everything in such a backwards, fucked up order. I wouldn't trade any of it, you know that. And I've never really been the girl who threw pretend weddings in the garden. But all I wanted was one thing to be perfect. When everything else seemed so ... not, all I wanted was one thing to be perfect, and it took me too long to realize that you already had made it right. I wish I had been able to see that right away, but Eoin was right, I am a fuck-up." She pulled away just enough to gesture towards the kitchen, "And now I made a mess of things again. It was going to be romantic, but it obviously didn't work." She looked up at him, "I was just trying to say yes." |
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| Elliott Fix | Oct 31 2011, 09:55:04 PM Post #6 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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At her words, it felt like years of stress and worry were instantly taken off his shoulders. He felt like he was breathing for the first time. The relief was so strong he could feel his eyes welling up with tears. He brought his hands up to cup her face as he looked her in the eyes. "You have always been, and always will be, perfect to me." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "Even the backward bits." |
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| Briar Fix | Nov 1 2011, 12:08:22 AM Post #7 |
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Kelci; muggle
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"I love you." She didn't want to cry, she'd been doing plenty of that for the past nine months. So she smiled softly and kissed him again, "Want to see if there's anything salvageable in the kitchen?" At the very least, that was where she'd left the ring. Or ring box, more specifically; she still hadn't looked inside. |
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| Elliott Fix | Nov 1 2011, 02:13:32 AM Post #8 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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"I love you, too," he said, and kissed her back. He blinked away his tears and smiled at her when she asked about the kitchen. "Sure," he answered and kissed her one more time before reluctantly letting go. Well, not all the way. He kept his arm draped around her shoulders as they started off toward the kitchen. He didn't really care what they did next, as long he was with her. |
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| Briar Fix | Nov 1 2011, 03:12:48 AM Post #9 |
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Kelci; muggle
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Briar took one look at the kitchen and shook her head. She started pushing him back into the living room, "Never mind. As it turns out, trying to recreate the past eight years in food just winds up in a huge mess." She looked up at him and said three words she would probably never repeat, "Maybe take-out." |
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| Elliott Fix | Nov 1 2011, 04:05:33 AM Post #10 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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"Wow, so that's what happened," Elliott craned his neck to get a better look, but Briar had already pushed him away. "It was a very sweet idea," he assured her as he pulled her onto the couch with him and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll clean up the dishes later," he promised. "I don't think I've ever seen you get take out," he commented idly as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "But if you're ready to start now, I won't stop you," he teased. He ran his hand down her left arm and brought her fingers to his lips. He kissed her knuckles and then grinned at her. "I think this is missing something." |
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| Briar Fix | Nov 1 2011, 04:14:57 AM Post #11 |
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Kelci; muggle
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She shrugged and settled into his arms, "This is an emergency." An emergency in that there was not a chance she was going to try to make dinner again and risk waking up the baby. Not. A. Chance. Briar looked down at her hand and smiled back at him before disentangling herself from his arms. She went back to the kitchen and grabbed the box from the windowsill above the sink where she'd put it when they got home from the hospital. Turning it over in her hands, she took back her spot with Elliott on the couch. She set the box on his knee and looked up at him expectantly. "I haven't opened it, yet," she admitted. Originally, she had been sort of hoping he'd stop being so stubborn and ask her again properly. But since she'd realized that wasn't going to happen, she at least wanted the moment when she saw the ring to be genuine. Edited by Briar Fix, Nov 1 2011, 04:16:15 AM.
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| Elliott Fix | Nov 1 2011, 04:39:09 AM Post #12 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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His eyebrows raised in surprise when she said she hadn't opened it yet. But then when he thought about it, it wasn't that surprising. She obviously didn't want it until she'd said yes, and she only did that a moment ago. He picked up the box and opened it for her. "It was the only one I could find that was both practical, considering your line of work, and beautiful. Just like you," he knew it was cheesy to say, but he really did feel that way. The sales person had called it a stardust, bevel set, white gold engagemnet ring. He'd picked the center stone out separately. He never thought he'd ever spend so much on a ring, but there were a lot of diamonds. And he really couldn't have gotten her a ring with prongs- it just would have got food stuck in it all the time and she would have never been able to wear it. He took it out of the box and slid it onto her finger. "What do you think?" |
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| Briar Fix | Nov 2 2011, 05:01:28 PM Post #13 |
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Kelci; muggle
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Briar stared at the ring, stunned; she couldn't even count the diamonds. It was definitely not something she would have chosen for herself, she'd never really been very glamorous. She would have been more than fine with a plain band, and part of her wanted to remind him that having a baby was expensive. But she knew Elliott wasn't the frivolous type. He was being genuinely thoughtful, and that was more than enough to convince her that she loved the ring. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him soundly, then pulled back slightly, beaming, "It's perfect." She looked down at her hand again, letting the ring catch the light. Whatever happened now, at least they were in it together. She looked back up at him, "I don't want to wait." |
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| Elliott Fix | Nov 2 2011, 05:20:43 PM Post #14 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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Elliott kissed her back, then grinned when she said it was perfect. His grin faltered when she said she didn't want to wait. He sighed and leaned his head on her shoulder. "I hope you realize the irony of that statement." He hadn't waited to ask her and that had turned out pretty awfully for him. Until about five minutes ago, anyway. He'd already explained to her why they couldn't get married right away. Her bringing it up over and over again anyway did nothing to change his mind. It just made him feel worse- he didn't want to wait, either, but such was life. |
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| Briar Fix | Nov 2 2011, 05:42:27 PM Post #15 |
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Kelci; muggle
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She shrugged her shoulder out from under his head so she could look at him. "I didn't mean it like that, Elliott. I'm just excited," she explained. And that was true. Sure, she would prefer a small, quick wedding. That wasn't going to happen, and she knew it, but it didn't matter anymore. "I'll go cake-tasting and buy a white dress and book St. Margaret's. It doesn't matter. The only important thing is that, wherever we are, and whoever we have to invite, and no matter how over-the-top everything is, you'll be the one waiting at the end of the aisle." She blushed softly, "The only thing I want is to be your wife. That's all I meant." |
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| Elliott Fix | Nov 2 2011, 06:08:06 PM Post #16 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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Elliott's brow furrowed as she pulled away from him. He was just really sick of not being close to her. He knew it was mostly his fault for being distant the past few days, but he didn't want to be like that anymore. Things we're going to be better now. They were going to be a family for real. The hard lines on his face softened at her words. He leaned in and kissed her again, wrapping his arms securely around her as he did. He broke the kiss but kept her held against his chest as he laid down on the couch. "Sorry I'm a grump," he apologized into her hair. He squeezed her close, then rested a hand on her head and ran his fingers through her hair. "I just wish I could give you exactly what you want." |
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| Briar Fix | Nov 2 2011, 06:34:44 PM Post #17 |
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Kelci; muggle
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Briar sighed softly and rand her thumb back and forth over his collarbone when he laid down. "You are exactly what I want. Even when you're a grump." She turned her head briefly to press her lips to the hollow of his throat. She was quiet for a moment, then smiled and added, "I'm not very good at being ... you know, fancy. But for you, I can try." |
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| Elliott Fix | Nov 4 2011, 03:48:13 PM Post #18 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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"Don't even," Elliott told her. "Everything looks fancy at St. Margaret's. You could wear a green dress if you wanted and it would probably compliment the stained glass. Don't even think about it right now," he advised, then kissed the top of her head. "Just lie here with me and relax." |
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| Briar Fix | Nov 4 2011, 07:24:30 PM Post #19 |
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Kelci; muggle
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The problem was, now that she had started, she couldn't stop thinking about it. On the other hand, there probably wouldn't be a wedding for a while, anyway. And she'd hardly had time to sit all day. Briar closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, "Are you going to stay here tonight?" |
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| Elliott Fix | Nov 4 2011, 07:50:37 PM Post #20 |
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*Kara; s:c | w:p
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His heart broke a little that she had to ask. He'd been a coward and a jerk. He'd been tired and afraid and he'd felt alone and scared and he couldn't sleep next to her when he wasn't sure if she still wanted to be with him. So the past two nights, he hadn't. As it turned out, he couldn't sleep without her, either. He hugged her tighter and buried his face in her hair. "Absolutely." |
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