* watching the shadows // SAM

[MARLEY NIKOLAI DAVID]

Marley couldn’t decided what was better, being back in Europe, or being in Canada. It was weird how homesick he was for a country that wasn’t his homeland. He’d been born in London, in a downtown, average hospital, but before he’d really known what was happening he’d been wrenched from his mother’s arms and shoved into Windsor. Windsor was a lovely place to grow up, but between that and London he travelled too much. Not including global promenades. Perhaps it was just that, that he wasn’t wholly a prince that made them so tiring. He’d never had that power hungry gleam in his eye to wear the crown his father was so eager to wrestle from his mother. Of course, he never did get the crown… He’d died unfortunately… From hemophilia. Far too common in that bloodline, hell, he had it. He hated that he had it but dealt with it. IMarley’d gotten stitches as a child for the smallest things. He had pills and infusions to help and all that but mostly he just had to wear his bracelet and be careful. His father was an idiot. But back to homesickness… Weird that he would miss those snowy hills of Canada (despite the lack of like towards snow) more then the castled walls of Windsor.

Spain was a whole other place… But there was a small spice that reminded him of home. Not just because home was close… But there was just a hint to the culture he’d grown up with. That and there were other people there from England and the UK. It made it homely… But was England really his home? He pushed all the mental banter away quickly, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. It didn’t matter one way or another to him. He was in Spain now, teaching and he was enjoying it. He was enjoying it right? Of course I am. It’s what I wanted, right? Teaching… he answered himself, shrugging. It amused him that his thoughts were with a Canadian accent. He felt his lips upturn at the edges into a small smile. Yeah. Canadian accent. How many Canadians had tried to hit him for saying they had an accent. And how many months did he spend just practicing it without adding too many weird words.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing along the street. It was the off season, so the usual little boutiques were mostly closed down but there were a few stubborn ones that hung around all year. Not that Fermentera was extremely popular by any means, but they did get enough of a tourist income. It was chilly now, not cold. Not compared to the mountains in Canada. Snowboarding. Did he ever miss that. He hated snow with a passion beyond words… But once he’d gotten the hang of snowboarding, he’d loved the sport. Far better then the sports he’d been taught in Windsor… He glanced to the side, smirking slightly as he slipped by a small little tented shop where a woman was just starting to put out her wears. He let his fingers glide over the table before snatching up one of the bracelets sitting there. He moved to walk away but the little old lady caught his wrist and uttered a few low curses in Spanish. Marley knew enough from growing up to know most little ol’ ladies wouldn’t speak that way… And handed the jewellery over without a word. She grunted and he backed away quickly. No special treatment there…

He smirked though a little more as he turned his back, rubbing his wrist. Woman had claws… Once he turned the corner he reached in his pocket and pulled out another bracelet, grinning from ear to ear. He had sticky fingers still. He tossed it in the air once then caught him, humming merrily under his breath. And then. He saw her. A few feet ahead, blonde hair and all. He did dig his blondes… But a blonde in Spain? He couldn’t really see her, but she seemed to old to be a student of Sir. Charles… And he was sure she wasn’t staff. That meant tourist. Excellent. He hitched his navy coat’s collar up, running a hand through his slightly messy hair and practiced his flirty grin for a moment. Once set, he slipped over to her, grabbing one hand quickly. “Miss, did you happen to drop this? You must have because only someone such as beau-” He asked, letting his British accent curl from his teeth like a born natural… Which he was. Only to stop harshly and blink as he saw the face of the woman. “Sam?!” He stuttered, still with his accent hitching along. His jaw dropped a little as his eyes widened. How could h forget her face? But why on earth was she in Spain?

[/justify][/blockquote]

CREDS:

[/size][/color] Me!
SONG:[/size][/color] Terrified., Katharine McPhee
TAG:[/size][/color] Sam!
OUTFIT:[/size][/color] Too lazy…
WORDS:[/size][/color] 813
[/right]

SORRY FOR LACK OF COLOR. KINDA ACCIDENTLY FUCKED THIS UP!

[SAMANTHA ABIGAIL WALKER]

So low, but still breathing. Funny how you show you care.

Is hell still beneath me? Or am I already there?

[/size][/color]

It had been an interesting morning to say the least. Samantha Walker had been acting a tad flighty since she’d set down in Spain a few days earlier. It was great to be somewhere with the heat, since Canada was currently facing a snow storm that was not too uncommon. However, the fact that it had been hitting the West coast as she finished the trip plans for her journey across Europe when the snow had started to fall was reason enough to brag to her friends where she was going. The slight chill was perfect reason to wear her jeans and light jacket, even if the jacket was already stifling her. She didn’t feel like taking it off, walking down the streets and eyeing the carvings in her pamphlet. She doubted that any of them were actually easy to see, but she had some stuff in her pack just in case she could get a hand on some of the artefacts. It wasn’t going to happen, but she was always prepared. She was actually signed up for a tour of some ruins in Italy when she got there. But Italy was so far away, and Spain was right here. She sighed, glad that she was free for the day to explore as much as she wanted. She was actually on an island now, something with an ‘F’. She should have known the name, but all that was important to her was the shopping. There was so much culture in just one small grouping of stands, the beadings and patterns that had probably been around hundreds of years before the generations before her. She bent over one stand, examining the vibrant beads and before turning to slowly pick one up. It wasn’t beaded like the rest, but was a golden colour. She cocked her head, in slight awe at the artistry. It was lovely, but way out of her price range. Bargaining was better over smaller items and, with that, she placed it down again and kept moving.

The market place that she was in seemed a little bleak, with only a few of the stands open. There seemed to have been a few more outside, but those stands had greater prices than these ones did. It was probably aimed at the people who actually stopped and stared for a few seconds before picking it up and buying it on the spot. Usually, there was a promise from the vendor as well. Come here, over here. This is the last one! Get it before someone else does! That lady over there wants it too. Come on, amiga; buy this one! It as like walking through the mall near Christmas. Sam shuddered lightly in memory. Those people were insane. They both seemed to fit with each other, the Spanish vendors and the Canadian annoyances. She turned to another stand, eyes falling on a belt. Belts seemed to be a weakness, seeing as she reached out to touch the slightly faded leather. The turquoise beads stood out against the silver background and Sam froze. That was all she needed, to blow her money in Spain before even managing to get out of one of the first markets. She turned away, striding to an area where she could judge if she was going to spend her money and on what.

With how she’d be in Italy, she bet that she’d better not even bother with the belt or anything in Spain. Other than food. And a place to stay. In fact, maybe it would be better if she just left Spain now and not waste her money on trinkets. She sighed, brow furrowing as she weighed her options. The belt would be lovely, but she would probably never wear it. She could always get another one like it on another trip… The bracelet was more than the belt, but would be worn more often. On the other hand, she didn’t need any of it. But there was a difference between not wanting it and not needing it. She wanted both of them, but she didn’t want to dole out the cash. It was going to be a dilemma for her. Rolling her shoulders lightly, she was forced out of her thoughts, whipping around as someone grabbed her hand. The smooth British accent hit her ears and she swung an arm around to grab the pepper spray from the water bottle slot on the outside of the bag, whipping it around before freezing comically. The spray bottle was outstretched, directly pointed in the face of someone who knew her name. Head cocking, she felt her eyes widen. “Marley? What are you doing here in Spain? With a British accent?” A sexy British accent, she thought to herself. She felt her ears turn red at the thought, thanking her stars that she’d worn her hair down today as she slid one strap of her bag down to replace the mace. Standing tall once more, she raised a brow at the man. He looked a little different, older and with an almost authoritative air around him. She cocked her head, only saying, “You cut your hair. It was cuter when it was long,” before clamming up and waiting for a response.

[/justify][/size]

tagged ;; marley
notes ;; yay! finished!
words ;; 875
music ;; brave new world, hedley

[/color][/font]

[MARLEY NIKOLAI DAVID]

The last thing Marley had been expecting was to see Sam. Or so, that was his first thought upon seeing her. However when he found himself almost nosing with a can of pepper spray his opinion changed. The last thing he’d been expecting was to get sprayed with pepper spray by Sam Walker. Luckily though before he had to worry about what would happen if he got a face full of the stuff she pulled it away, blinking as surprised as he was. Understandable. After he left Canada he hadn’t exactly specified where he was going. He hated leaving but another guy on campus, Daniel Shawn, had figured out who he was and threatened to let the whole campus know. At that time he also was invited to Sir. Charles. It had been an easy choice to run… He’d said he was going to travel for a bit, that he had no particular place in mind… So It wasn’t like she had followed him there. Part of him wished she had though. Hell, he was a bit of a charmer, he knew that… But he’d never tried so hard as he had with Sam… But she was either too oblivious to see it or not interested. He blinked again, still trying to figure out if he was imagining her. Nope. Each time he blinked she was still there…

What was he doing in Spain. Easy enough question… No need to lie. And she did call him Marley, not Martin, so that meant that Dan had kept his mouth shut. “I know not how I came to find you, but may I just say… Hi. How you doin’?” He said, grinning. He tried quickly to cover up his accent as he did his time in Canada but part of it slipped through. Mostly in his vowels. He mentally punched himself for it. He’d never told her he was from Britain, but with the possible rumours she might have heard he wanted her to remain oblivious to that fact. “Heh. I’m teaching. Y’know, putting that major in biology to use. Sir. Charles Academy, just up that hill and about an hour’s drive.” He said, shrugging his shoulders as if it didn’t matter. He glanced at her, raising a brow. Damn. She looked exactly how he remembered her… Her hair might have been longer… Or maybe it was just that it was down. She’d nearly always had it up in a bun the time he knew her. He’d taken joy in poking pencils and pens into it when he sat behind her in math and science lit. That was when he’d first met her. Two months later she was teaching him how to ride a snow lift.

“My… Hair? He asked, confused for a moment before recalling the curls he’d donned in Canada. All the better to blend in with. He’d looked way younger with them. Overall they’d covered him well, he almost looked like a different person with them, that and the hats and sunglasses… He’d been a little less reliant on the glasses and hats as time went on. But at first they’d made him feel safe. After all, he’d been a royal family member in a university with no protection. He didn’t want people to know where he was, or who he was. He wanted a normal life… With normal, curly, scraggly hair. But he’d had to sheer it off for his father’s funeral, his first real reappearance as Prince Martin. He was a Prince after all… Even if many of his kingdom disliked him, he was their blood prince. Another reason not to take the throne. He was scared of assassination. But as long as his grandmother breathed there was no worries about whicjh brother would rule. “Oh yeah… It was, wasn’t it. Wait, cute?” He asked, blinking again. Was she blushing? He wasn’t sure… Could have been the early evening light for all he knew. Still, the thought that she’d thought he was cute definitely caused a little subconscious peacocking. His chest swelled slightly as he watched her, still leaned over to her backpack. Then again… Cute wasn’t exactly what he was going for… Handsom, attractive… Hot? Nope. He got cute. Fantastic.


“What are you doing here? Spain’s pretty far from home, don’t you think?” He asked her, one side of his lips quirking to the side. Oh man. She still had those eyes. Blonde hair and blue eyes wasn’t his usual thing, he’d normally have taken a brunette over a blonde in a heartbeat… But there was something about Sam that just attuned all focus on him. Hell, he’d even forgotten about the stolen bracelet in his hand. He just stood there, looking like a complete fool. Surprise was still plastered on his face, as well as that doofus grin of his and a small amount of puppy-dog wonder. How the hell did a annoying British kid like him know this girl? He could tell that was what the locals would think. He pulled his gaze away from hers quickly, glancing past the dirt on the road to the nearest vendor as if it’s wears were really interesting… Even if they weren’t.

[/justify][/blockquote]

CREDS:

[/size][/color] Me!
SONG:[/size][/color] Terrifed., Katharine McPhee
TAG:[/size][/color] Sam!
OUTFIT:[/size][/color] Too lazy…
WORDS:[/size][/color] 870 [/right]

[SAMANTHA ABIGAIL WALKER]

So low, but still breathing. Funny how you show you care.

Is hell still beneath me? Or am I already there?

[/size][/color]

It had been ages since she’d seen Marley. He’d just up and transferred schools for some reason, not that he’d told her why. She had wondered why he’d left until she decided that it was really none of her business why he’d decided to transfer. Daniel had tried to say that he’d just run away from Canada and back home because he was a pansy. Her fist had almost broken his nose, and her eyes still blazed when she thought of him. If there was one trait that Daniel had possessed, it had been his pompous behaviour. He didn’t hide the fact that he hadn’t liked Marley and it had led to Sam ignoring his existence for the rest of his time at school. Once he’d graduated top of his journalism class, he’d asked her to be his date to the convocation. She’d taken pity on him, until he tried to get fresh with her at the ceremony. This time, she’d actually managed to break his nose before storming out of the hall. The faculty had been a little unhappy with her, but they’d forgiven her when she’d graduated two years after. Daniel was one of the reasons for the quick departure, besides the weather. He was one of the big reasons. Her new job was out of BC, her stuff already at her parents’ house to be moved when she got closer to home. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, smiling at Marley and trying to decide if hugging him was a good thing to do in the middle of this square. She decided that it wasn’t worth it. They hadn’t seen each other for a while. It might be awkward. On the other hand, it could work out and it could be a good hug between old friends… She tensed at the thought and then felt a wave of relief as he distracted her with a comment, as he always did.

Her smile grew at the comment and she placed her right wrist over her mouth as she laughed at him. “I see you’re still the same old Marley. Do those lines work here? They haven’t worked in Canada in years,” she said, shaking her head good naturedly. The jokes had been a key part of their friendship. Not that she made them, cause she never really remembered jokes. It was like accents. Speaking of accents, she couldn’t help but notice that his accent had all but disappeared. She felt a touch of disappointment in her stomach. There was nothing better than a British accent. Not that she could pull one off. If there was one thing that Samantha Walker failed at, it was accents. She’d tried once, but her British accent had turned out to be a mix of Irish, Scottish and Australian. It had amused Marley when she’d tried, she remembered that. But the elusive British accent… Even having heard it once from him, she found herself missing it now. However, before she could make a comment about it, he’d mentioned that she’d said his hair was cute. It had been cute. Those floppy curls had always been adorable on him. His short hair was quite sexy, though. She felt her ears heat up again at her thought, turning to swallow the comment as she watched an interaction beside her. “It was cute,” she protested with another laugh. “It’s sexy now,” she muttered as she leaned down to brush a fleck of dust off her jeans. There. She’d said it. His hair was sexy. If he didn’t catch that, it was too bad for him. But it was said out loud. That was what counted… Right?

“What am I doing in Spain?” she asked back, standing up once more and scratching the side of her head. “I decided that it was time to backpack across Europe. You know, live the dream,” she finished, tucking her hands into her pockets and bouncing lightly up on her toes. “Good timing for me too. It’s getting cold at home. It hit zero when I was leaving! Perfect for a trip. Besides, I just had to get out of town. It was almost smothering me,” she said, voice quieting over the last sentence as she stilled her bouncing and shrugged. She wondered if he’d be able to see through her as well as he had. She didn’t really want to talk about Daniel and his… Well, it had been a long year for her and she’d been ready to just get out of the whole situation. What could she say to Marley that wouldn’t result in a problem? She set her jaw, resolving to never tell him. Ever. There was no need for anything to be said about it. Coughing lightly, she hitched her bag up on her shoulder and cocked her head lightly. “So, how do you like it over here in Spain? Better than Canada?” she shifted a little, feeling strangely nervous for the answer. Was it better in Spain? Maybe that’s why he’d left. Canada had gotten boring. Why did this bother her? It had nothing to do with her and she mentally kicked herself for even thinking about it.

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tagged ;; marley
notes ;; yay! finished!
words ;; 850
music ;; brave new world, hedley

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[MARLEY NIKOLAI DAVID]

The sight of Sam was wonderful in itself… A familiar face for one, and one that was pretty damned beautiful at that. But with the sight of her face, and the sound of her voice so many memories came flooding back. College days, studying in his room, her sprawled out on his bed and him on the floor beside her. Or the days they chose the library and got kicked out for laughing too loud. Or the many trips out to snowboard. Well, she skied, but he snowboarded. Him falling on his face and her laughing at him before she’d help him up. The Walker cabin, so toasty and warm. He’d always slept on the couch, but there were odd times where they’d stay up so late they’d both fall asleep on the couch and he’d wake up with her touch against any part of his body. Her hand on his back, her back against his, her head against his chest. He’d always politely move… But the memories still flashed. It was hard not to have gotten awfully attached to her in more then a friendly way. He shook the thought away quickly. New times, new days and all that. Hell, Shaw had probably moved right in when he’d left. Everyone assumed they’d get together but Shaw liked her. It was only natural for the assumption to now be that he’d gotten what he wanted. Marley out of the way. Marley just hoped that Sam was a little better then an arrogant ass like Daniel Shaw.

“Afraid not… My lines never seem to work anywhere. I think it maiy be a hint. Or the possible language barrier between me and the Spanish.” He said then grinned. “Just kidding, I translate for them… Still doesn’t work though…” He informed her. It was weird how fast it was like old times. His stupid lines that just came out when he was around her. Then again… That had never been instant… Only after his freshman year ended. That summer he’d grew from that timid guy who had no idea what to expect in Canada to a suave, totally awesome guy with an attitude that nobody could match. And that was when he became friends with Samantha Walker. Crazy, really. After the mishap in freshman year he was surprised she gave him the time of day to be honest.

“Well I was pretty adorable back then.” He joked, shrugging modestly at her continuation of his hair being cute. He heard a mumbled of something else but didn’t quite make it out. That and he was distracted by his own brain trying to figure out how to grow his hair out again. It’d take a little while… If she thought it was cute though it was worth a go. Skip the gel and shit everymoring, he was going for the curls again.

He’d never known her dream was to backpack across Europe… But then again, he had made some silly roadtrip plans with her in College. Never did happen sadly. He couldn’t remember, but he was pretty sure a Europe trip was never something he’d agreed to. He didn’t want her to know he was Prince Martin. “But I thought I was the wuss that hated snow and cold?” He teased, his lips pulling back into a grin. His signature, totally Marley grin. “Smothering you? How so? Work and parents?” He asked, raising a brow curiously. He didn’t wait for her to start talking, instead he casually snatched up the fingers of one of her hands, pulling here from the street towards where a lonely little bench sat, a few feet away. He plopped down, crossing one leg over the other knee, letting go of her hand. He rested his arm along the back of the bench, gesturing for her to sit down beside him with another grin. “Tell me all about what’s the going-ons in Canada since I left.” He requested, letting his hazel-brown gaze crawl up to meet her sapphire eyes.

Her question kind of made him think for a moment. Better? In some ways. Like weather. And culture. And pollution… “No way. Y’know, might not be a true Canadian. But I think it was more home then anywhere else was. This place is nice, warm and beautiful though. Even I’d admit that much.” He answered finally, shrugging his shoulders once. He was trying to be nonchalant. He was also fighting to keep his accent away. He’d worked so hard to get rid of it… Only to move back and force it on himself again. And now he was trying to cover it again. He knew it would blow up in his face. Eventually. Then again, he hoped not. Telling her he was from England was a bad idea. It wouldn’t take long for her to realize who he was. Especially if she’d already seen pictures of him anywhere. He was actually quite amazed she didn’t know already.

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CREDS:

[/size][/color] Me!
SONG:[/size][/color] Terrifed., Katharine McPhee
TAG:[/size][/color] Sam!
OUTFIT:[/size][/color] Too lazy…
WORDS:[/size][/color] 813 [/right]

[SAMANTHA ABIGAIL WALKER]

So low, but still breathing. Funny how you show you care.

Is hell still beneath me? Or am I already there?

[/size][/color]

She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Marley until just then. The friendliness had always come easy for the two of them, even if Sam had to start their friendship off by decking him and almost giving him a concussion. It was brought up once in a while, one of those, ‘Oh, that’s a great story for a dinner with friends!’ stories that she had stored away. Her personal favourite story like that was the first time they’d hit the slopes. After the typical, “Be SAFE, kids!” from her mother and the “If you’re going to party, wrap the banana!” from her father, Sam had gotten to watch Marley learn to snowboard. It had been a fantastic day, what with Marley face planting in the snow more times than they could count and the snowball fight they’d waged against a few kids who stayed across the hill. The next few times they’d been allowed to stay alone, and it was always the same thing. Face planting and snowballs. Her stories at these… Friendly dinners, tended to be the ones where Marley was face first in the snow and she had unclipped her skis quick enough to sit calmly on his back and wave at everyone else as they passed by. It happened far more often than anyone would have expected, actually. After the unfortunate meeting (seeing as Marley’s pride had been a little… Bruised), they’d become quick friends. When he’d left, it was like losing a limb. Not that she told him that, of course. She’d told no one that. It was her own little secret, just how much she missed him. Hell if she was going to tell him now. It would go straight to his head and she’d never hear the end of it.

“Finally, you accept the truth! You have a surprising lack of smoothness,” she teased, raising both brows with a smirk. If she admitted to herself that he was quite charming, that wasn’t a bad thing. Feeding the ego was much worse than anything else. An egotistic Marley meant there would be bragging and possibly a call placed to Max from Sam asking how to get him to shut up. Marley would probably kick her ass for even thinking about Max’s methods. She smoothed the smirk into a small smile, cocking her head at him. It was absolutely astounding how much she’d missed him. There seemed to be one central point in her thoughts right now. Marley. Sam felt the heat rise again, but quickly turned to glance over at a newly set up table, the bracelets glistening in the light. The heat dissipated, much to her relief. The debate about purchases had vanished as soon as she’d seen… How much they were. She tried to weigh options, but the low touch of an accent touched her ears as Marley moved back onto the topic of his hair. She didn’t look at the broad concept, just spoke absently. “You were really cute in general back then.” As soon as she’d realized what she’d said, she felt her ears warm. “Like when you see a kid, and you can’t help but comment on how cute he or she is,” she said quickly, voice tapering off near the end as she kicked herself for even treading down that road.

“Oh, there is no doubt that you’re the bigger wimp here, Marley. But, you know, everyone needs a break from the cold,” Sam said rapidly, trying to pull the topic off of her absent admittance of her thoughts on Marley. “And you know that I can’t pass up the history over here. Might wanna take some of it in before I head home and get to run a museum, never to return to Europe again,” she said lamely, shrugging her shoulders with a smile. She froze at his question of her smothering. She should have known that he wouldn’t leave it alone once he’d heard about it. At the small moment of panic that was fluttering in her stomach, she felt him pull her over to a bench. She couldn’t help the small laugh before she almost twirled down onto the bench. Purely out of habit, she leaned against the other end of the bench and stretched her legs out over his bent one, her ankles crossing and positioned against his foot. Thank God for his question, because she could avoid explaining her being smothered. “Going-ons? Well, Max and Jill hooked up. Like you called it. Uh, Steve and Jodie broke up and Jodie got with Rob. Steve grabbed Amy and got a black eye for it. I graduated, got a job. I punched Daniel. Twice. Cause he’s an ass. I think I broke his nose. Max also beat the crap out of him. Uh, not much else. They all graduated with me. Max is heading to California with Jill. He got a job, you know? Everyone else scattered across Canada, mainly to Ontario. That’s it. I think,” she finished her speech with a frown, brows coming together as she raised her eyes to think about it she was leaving anything out. She felt a bright smile form as he talked about Canada, glad that he’d liked it there. She nodded at his response, leaning her head backwards and looking at the sky. “I agree about the weather, 100%. Still gotta say that snow is the best, though. You can’t argue it. You been boarding since you got to Spain? Like, on breaks or anything? Or are you that teacher that’s always in the classroom, making sure everything’s done tidily?” she asked, resting her shoulder against the bench a few inches from his hand, patiently waiting for an answer.

[/justify][/size]

tagged ;; marley
notes ;; holy muse batman. o.o
words ;; 937
music ;; brave new world, hedley

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[MARLEY NIKOLAI DAVID]

Lack of smoothness. If only she knew... He’d gotten his wrists slapped plenty of times for getting all too cozy with the students before. It wasn’t his fault that he was normally quite a flirt... A lot of it just came naturally and he actually didn’t mean it flirtingly. It was a problem... Then again, it was usually the American tourists that fell over themselves to drool on his shoes. It was the accent, or that he was certain. It was funny how they loved it... The whole Prince thing would have been a perk had he let them know. He could have been the next Henry the 8th if he’d really wanted to. His great, great, great, great (more greats?) uncle of something. Still, he’d tell Sam about that the next time he shouted “I’m a prince!” to the next passing attractive girl to get attention... Which would be never. Hell, he’d always had an issue giving other girls attention when Sam was around. Not that he didn’t eventually get better when he realized she’d have zero interest in a dork like him. Snow bunnies, other students at school and whatever else he passed, he’d practiced his flirting. Always out of the corner gauging Sam’s reaction to his obvious flirting. Sometime he came up on top, phone number in hand. Other times a slushy to the face. In any case, jealousy was never in her face. Sadly. “I’m as smooth as a chunk of sandpaper.”

Marley felt his ego swell slightly. Cute in general? Yeah, ego boost. Until she finished the statement. A little kid? He was cute like a little kid back in the day? Fantastic...That was just what he wanted to hear from the most gorgeous girl he’d ever met. ‘yeah, you used to be adorable, just like that little kid over there.’... Oh the irony. He felt his ego deflate and imagined it making the same sound as a deflating balloon. “She? So I used to resemble a young, adorable little girl? Or boy...? So a feminine little boy? Good thing I got a hair cut then...” he replied, trying to make it seem like the comment hadn’t deflated his ego. He held himself high, raising a hand to pat his messy hair. Normally he’d have brushed it and flattened it, spiking the bangs up a little. Today? Not so much. He’d just rolled out of bed onto his feet and hit the day. He ran his fingers through the dark locks, trying to somewhat tame them to an acceptable rate. He was so focused on that, he completely missed the flushing of her ears, even through her loose hair.

“Run a museum? He asked, blinking. The rest of what she said went slightly unheard as his ears attuned sharply to that. He knew that history and dead people were kind of her thing... But running a museum? He’d never seen her as the stuffy lady that lived in the dusty, quiet world that was a museum... At least the ones he’d seen in her home. The Natural History Museum was full of life and noise, so much more so then the few Canadian museums he’d visited. “Aren’t you a little... Well... Young? Not to sound ignorant... But there’s so much more for you to do before you settle down at the head of a life like that... So much responsibility...” And he couldn’t help but be struck as the end of her statement rang through his head. Never again return to Europe? Well wasn’t that depressing... Not that he’d expected to see her there period... But now that he had, the thought of never seeing her after was kind of... Sad. It was like when a father got a kid a puppy for Christmas, only to get rid of it a month later because of allergies. “Never coming back? Not even to visit ol’ Marley?”

Max. Oh Max. Marley grinned at the mention of his past college buddy, probably his best friend. Sure, the nerd had forced plenty of awkward challenges or initiation on Marley... But after that freshman year the two had been close. And he was perfect with Jill, the two would happily play TRON: EVOLUTION and HALO into their eighties. “Rob? Really? He deserves to live forever alone.” Marley scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Jill and Max get married? I still sometimes email him, but we don’t really talk much.” Marley admitted somewhat sadly. Max had graduated before him and left for Ontario. A couple years later, Marley left for Spain. He paused for a moment, containing the utter loathing he felt towards Daniel Shaw. His eyes darkened a little, though a glimmer of admiration shone through soon after. “Only you would deck a bloke.” He chuckled, rolling his eyes. He felt his jaws clench a little at the British slur but hoped to brush it off as he continued, “And of course Max would have your back. What Shaw do this time?” He asked, barely holding back the venom in his tone. If there was anyone he wanted to punch in the face. It was Daniel fucking Shaw.

“Boarding? Where? Switzerland?” He chuckled softly, raising a brow her way. He drummed his fingers against her leg as it was propped over his. Such a casual and usual thing. He missed it. “I hate snow and you know it. It’s cold, it’s wet and it ruined the roads six months of the year...” He muttered, immaturely scowling at the memories of driving in the snow. “I’m more the teacher that takes his students on beach trips and settles down the parties. I’m not the professional guy you’d think I was by my prim and proper speech patterns and ways of moving about.” He chuckled.

[/justify][/blockquote]

CREDS:

[/size][/color] Me!
SONG:[/size][/color] Terrified., Katharine McPhee
TAG:[/size][/color] Sam!
OUTFIT:[/size][/color] Too lazy…
WORDS:[/size][/color] 972 O.O[/right]

[SAMANTHA ABIGAIL WALKER]

So low, but still breathing. Funny how you show you care.

Is hell still beneath me? Or am I already there?

[/size][/color]

She let out a full laugh at his comment. There were times in school where’d he’d tried to suave, usually ending up with him getting what he wanted or him getting hit. Usually, the girl would turn at look at Sam, as if to judge her reactions to her friend flirting with them. As amusing as his flirting was, she’d always been nonchalant. He liked the girls, always with a hint of pride when he came back over to her and fanned himself with her number. Anytime that he hadn’t gotten pounded was a good time. She liked the girls for the most part, even if the slight looks that she got sometimes were odd. She didn’t really pay any mind, even if she did feel the slight twist in her stomach when Marley had all but skipped back with his new number. She didn’t identify it as anything, just said that she was hungry or thirsty or that she needed to get studying. As the laugh died down, she reached over to lightly shove him, shaking her head. “Smooth as sandpaper indeed. You did have your moments, though. Especially that one time, you remember; when you got us out of trouble with the RA. I told you sneaking out was a bad idea! Even if that concert had been totally worth it.” She smiled, the slight rush of more memories bringing her mood up even more. Maybe that was just the feeling of being around him again… But she was sure that it was the memories. Yup. Had to be the memories.

The blonde tensed slightly, looking apologetic as the matter of his hair came up again. She hadn’t meant it like that. She wasn’t even sure why she’d tried to justify her thoughts with that reasoning. It wouldn’t come out wrong if she said that he had been attractive. It wouldn’t have been a lie. She knew that he was attractive. In fact, she had known it quite well. He was devilishly cute, as Jill had teased her one night. There was too much focus on her studies, though. She didn’t get distracted. It was one thing that Samantha Walker had prided herself on, it was that she didn’t get distracted throughout school. However, would she had been lying to say that she’d never looked before? Of course she had. They’d been almost inseparable, friends since the last of the initiations that Max had told Marley he had to accomplish. Sam knew that was why he’d done it, she’d even laughed about it. But she couldn’t deny that he was strikingly handsome. She’d keep that to herself, though. It was better for everything that way. Still… She had to fix her mess up, to try and make him feel better. “Aw, don’t beat yourself up. With the long hair, you were really attractive. Trust me; I know what I’m talking about. I heard most of the girls complaining that you’d left the school. No more eye candy for them,” she said with a bright smile, moving a hand to rub at the back of her neck.

The museum had been a touchy topic with her parents as well, who couldn’t understand why she had to just up and leave British Columbia. She had her reasons and, besides, this was a good change for her. She’d volunteered during the summers at the museum near the school, trying to get used to the idea of working in that kind of an environment. They had actually recommended her to the new museum, encouraging her to give it a try. Anything would have worked. As long as she was out of BC for a while. A long while. She shifted her eyes for a moment, almost feeling that he thought she couldn’t have possibly run it herself. Too young? Maybe. But that wouldn’t stop her. She liked the idea. Liked the history. Liked the amazed looks that people had when they’d found something out they hadn’t known. “I just wanted to. I mean, it’s not that I’m fully running the museum. I’m the new head of the Archaeological wing. I get to tell people about what I learned. It’s dumb, but I wanted to be able to give kids the chance to see what I know. It’s about sharing it with the world, you know? Just trying to give back what I got, I guess,” she trailed off, moving her hand down to twist the ring on the pointer finger of her opposite hand. It was a nervous habit, one that she didn’t show that often. She couldn’t explain it, but she wanted him to understand why she was so thrilled at this job. As he repeated her last comment, she managed a smile, still twisting the ring. “Of course I’ll try to come and visit you,” she promised, smile growing. “But would you even want me here? I’d tell your students too much stuff about you!” she teased, sticking out her tongue.

Returning to the topic of old friends made her smile, rolling her eyes at the comment about Rob. “Since when has Jodie ever had a good taste in men? She was the one who went out with Wendell that one time. He lit her hair on fire, remember him?” she shook her head. “I give them a few months. At most six.” At the mention of Jill and Max, Sam’s smile grew soft, remembering the long conversation she’d had with Max a few weeks before she’d decided to leave. “Max actually has the ring. He planned the whole thing out. They’re moving to California, and he’s proposing at the airport. Or, so he thinks. You know how he is. He can never stick to his plan,” she said good naturedly, shaking her head fondly. “I’m sure he’d love to hear from you. You should totally get on that.” As he brought up Daniel, Sam stubbornly crossed her arms with a scowl. “You don’t want to know anything about what he did. Just be happy knowing that Max gave him a black eye and broke his jaw, while I broke his nose,” she assured him darkly, shaking her head with anger.

She smirked at the idea of hitting the Swiss Alps to go skiing and snowboarding. “You know, if you ever do plan for heading out there, call me. I’ll totally call in sick for a week to join you,” she said with a laugh, rolling her shoulders to get a crick out. Her back had gotten tense since she’d started her last year, the stress getting to her. She had taken to yoga and things like that to try and relieve it but had gotten off track when exams rolled around. It had gotten worse, but she didn’t do anything about it. Sam relaxed again at the comment about snow, chuckling and leaning forward to poke his shoulder as she spoke. “Excuse me, but I did the driving. You’re just a wimp. Wimp, wimp, wimp. You miss it and you know it. No snow days over here, right?” she leaned back, smirking to herself. He probably didn’t miss it. She was the one who loved the snow. Always had, always would. Though the idea of taking a class to the beach for a party had its perks as well. She was enjoying the thought far too much and she blushed lightly. “Beach, huh? Sounds like fun.” she said before letting out a loud laugh at his comment about proper movement. “You’ve gotten to be less clumsy over here? I didn’t know that the heat could cure that!” she teased shifting to hide the large grin behind her hand, blue eyes sparkling with laughter as she waited for a reaction.

[/justify][/size]

tagged ;; marley
notes ;; i kind of went overboard. >.>
words ;; 1290
music ;; brave new world, hedley

[/color][/font]

[MARLEY NIKOLAI DAVID]

“Ah, but Sam there is a huge difference between being suaver (is that a word?) then sandpaper at moments and being able to persuade people to let you out of trouble. I’ve always been a manipulative little bastard. Blamed everything on my litter brother...” Marley chuckled, grinning widely. Not just at his own wit, but more at the fact that Sam’s laugh was echoing in his ears. It was a beautiful sound, call him a complete panty-sniffer (he really needed to stop watching Misfits), but it was true. The sound of a nice laugh was a sound that could always make him smile. The familiar trill that was Sam’s was just far, far better in it’s own way. Hers wasn’t obnoxious or loud. It was... Perfect. It was a nice sound, pleasant. Even people that didn’t know her had agreed when he’d complimented it behind her back. Or she’d been complimented by waiters out and about. She brushed it off as them trying to get tips, but silently Marley had always agreed. She was beyond beautiful, she had a wonderful laugh and a gorgeous smile. How on earth she remained single for so many years was beyond him... Oh yeah. SCHOOL. She was a very focused individual. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s good music. And musicals. Before you hit Canada again you need to go see Wicked in the West End.”

Attractive. And his ego grew a little more swollen again. Soon it would be that balloon that a kid blew up, deflated, blew up and deflated that popped in their face. He didn’t want to know what a popped ego was like... He felt his lips pull back a little. Not in a smile, nor a grin. Bur more of what one would call his ‘roguish smirk’ or something. That handsome smile guys liked to do when in flattering attention. And he was being flattered. He was going to admit, being called handsome or attractive was a far nicer compliment then ‘you’re hot.’ Especially when he was almost thirty... The reminder almost made him cringe. He was old. “Eye candy, huh? Not exactly what I remembered... I remember quite firmly getting a few girl’s beverages dumped over my head. Besides, my charming personality must be better then my looks. I am almost thirty.” He said, admitting it aloud. The thought still made him want to cringe. No wonder his country was so pissed. He didn’t act like a prince, was only half prince and wasn’t even married or dating seriously. What could he say? He got bored...

“Give back... I know that one...” He muttered under his breath, not intending her to hear. She wanted to give back and run part of a museum. He was supposed to give back and run a country... Not exactly the same thing, but the comparison was enough for him to fight off the urge to cringe. But almost the minute that feeling came he replaced it with the mental image of having her in England. Having her there would almost make it all bearable. He could easily use his sway to get her into the Natural History Museum, then it’d be like old times! Only... They weren’t fresh twenty-year-olds enjoying life... This was the real world, despite his attempts to hide from it. He shook the thoughts away, grinning at the mention of her visits, well that was nice. He pulled his arm around her shoulders, giving her a quick, one armed squeeze before he reached forward with his free hand to grab hers. Pausing her ring-spinning. He’d seen enough of that in college, mostly before tests. “Nervous, Sam?” He asked her, arching a brow curiously. He’d have responded to her telling his students stories... But for one they probably already knew a good chunk of those stories... And two, her nervous habit caught his attention.

“Jodie definitely never has... And Wendell was a complete asshole. I hated that guy... Punching him was more then great.” Marley grumbled. Yeah. Sam had given a tip to a waiter that Wendell felt didn’t deserve it. So he’d pocketed the money himself. Marley had missed that dinner out, but had more then given Wendell a piece of his mind afterwards. “I give him four. And I give Max a year before he actually does it.” He added, shrugging slightly though a smile replaced the momentary ‘Wendell scowl’. Max. That lunatic and Jill deserved each other. Speaking of which, he made a mental note to call Max when he got back to the school. Why not offer them some congrats if they were engaged by now, and offer to visit. Hell, he’d fly ‘em out here if he had to. The thoughts broke off. Max was not a fighter, he was only a fighter on his games. For him to break someone’s jaw was a serious matter. “What did he do?” He asked again, his smile fading as fast as it came. This time it wasn’t a scowl that replaced it, just a cool expression of intense curiosity and anger.

“I’ll call you the minute I head up there to snowboard. We can go together. It’ll be like old times, except with bigger mountains and more snow.” He said, grinning. “I’ll probably fall on my face again more... Kind of rusty... Actually, very rusty, not a lot of skiing in on a Spanish island like Fermentera... If you know what I mean. Wiindsurfing though...” He dramatically ‘ow!’ed when she poked him, pulling his arm from the back of the bench to rub the spot she poked gingerly. He smirked a little, replacing the arm a second later, letting his fingers brush the back of her neck as he passed it. “I am a wimp. I’ll admit that,” admit that, but not admit that when he lived in England he never drove. Ever, and learning on snowy Canadian roads had been a little beyond terrifying. He hadn’t liked snow to begin with... But icy roads had doubled that dislike into loathing.

“Parties on the beach are pretty good. It’s like flashbacks to college the whole time. Except with more accents.” He replied to her, grinning. He loved them , they were always fun. He wasn’t exactly right in the middle of the party, but he wasn’t like the other teachers that would sit there and say “SHHHHH!” the whole time. He’d talk to students and was more of a student at those points then a teacher. He always enjoyed them, they seemed to enjoy them too. Which was why he kept them up. Until he got in trouble... Then he’d wait a little then redo it again the next month. He [was the Prince of England, who the hell was going to do more then slap his wrists. “Heat. Yeah. You’d be amazed that it can heal almost anything. Even the clumsy behaviour you know from Marley David. I swear, I don’t fall on my face over nothing anymore.” He joked, rolling his eyes. “Though it makes it not possible to use the line ‘I think I just fell for you’ a little null now that I’m not actually falling anywhere...” He added, giving a wink. He let the fingers of his free hand curl casually over her knee. Most would think he was making a move, but he wasn’t, it was just the way he was. The way they were. It was part of their friendship. Hell, they’d slept in the same bed a million times when skiing where they had to rent out a room. Why pay more for two beds, or two rooms. They spent more time out of the room, and it was never awkward to crash on the same bed. They were usually to tired to even say goodnight before they just turned into the dead.

[/justify][/blockquote]

CREDS:

[/size][/color] Me!
SONG:[/size][/color] Terrified., Katharine McPhee
TAG:[/size][/color] Sam!
OUTFIT:[/size][/color] Too lazy…
WORDS:[/size][/color] 1316... It’s on![/right]

[SAMANTHA ABIGAIL WALKER]

So low, but still breathing. Funny how you show you care.

Is hell still beneath me? Or am I already there?

[/size][/color]

“That is true, there is a difference. But when the RA is attracted to you and you kiss her hand and tell her that it will never happen again, you’re being suave,” she said with a smirk. The comment about the RA was actually true. Molly had been madly attracted to Marley; everyone could tell that it was true. She always had a huge smile for him, or a sultry wink. It was amusing beyond all belief to Sam, mainly because she got to hear the lovely comments that Molly had for Marley after he’d left. Comments on his face, his hair and (most seriously, in Molly’s eyes), his ass. She’d said that she had never minded having something good to look at and, much to Sam’s embarrassment, said that Sam had to have agreed. There had to be a reason that Sam spent so much time with him. The look that she got from the girl had pushed her to make an excuse and race out of the RA’s room as quickly as possible. Molly had since married, so Marley was perfectly safe from Molly’s advances. “However, if you break a vase that has been in your family for years and blame it on your little brother, you’re just being mean to him,” she added with a raised brow and a slight smirk. Sam knew how it was, the bothering of her cousins combining to form the idea of sibling blame. It wasn’t the same, but it was close enough. She chuckled at the last comment, the other brow slowly rising at his comment. “Well, if you claim your musicals are so good, why don’t you come with me? You can explain your accent on the way to the show,” she teased, wiggling her brows and thinking about the idea. Musicals were fun… Provided that she had enough money left when she went through Britain. It was last on her list and that brought her smile down a little, brows furrowing slightly. What if she couldn’t afford to see a show? Would there even be tickets left for her to see one? So many questions, so few answers. If there was something that she didn’t like, it was not getting answers.

The reminder of the drinks in the faces made Sam smile against her every other thought. She remembered that. Always remembered the snobby faces of the girls. She’d be the first to his side, usually pulling her sweater off to wipe it off of him. It stung her pride when it happened, and she usually found the girl after to give her a taste of Sam Walker’s anger toward them. The smile that he’d give her when she tried to save his pride had always encouraged her to help him out. That smile always made her stomach flip, because his smile was one of the most attractive things about him. She loved to see him smile, had missed it when he’d left. “They just didn’t understand what you were all about. And they all apologized, didn’t they?” She raised a brow, cocking her head to the side in question. She thought that they had, because she had informed them that they were rude and that an apology would be nice. At the comment about his age, she burst into a huge smile. “That’s right! You’re old now! Us youngings are still out on the town. Oh, I think I see a gray hair!” she said, leaning forward to poke at his hair. It was still the dark brown she remembered, with some curls still visible. She loved a guy with curly hair. She had loved his curls. She froze slightly, slowly retracting her hand and leaning back with a slight blush touching her cheeks.

She missed what he said, but heard the sound of a mutter and furrowed her brow. “What did you say?” she asked, head tilting as she blinked. She hated missing things, usually occurring in classes when she was writing her notes out. Hand cramps had been common, surprisingly, as she tended to grip her pen tightly when stressed. But she also missed a lot when Marley spoke sometimes. He’d mutter things, then say the customary ’No, I didn’t say anything.’ lie. However, her mind drifted, revolving around the idea of the museum once more. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to do it, more that she didn’t want to come off as a complete failure at the job. She wanted this to work for her. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself in the new town. She didn’t… Want to ruin it. Then, as he put an arm around her shoulders, she felt almost as if a weight was lifted. She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder and looking down at the cobblestones. As she felt him grab her hand, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Nervous? Pah, what would give you that idea?” she asked, letting out a low laugh before sighing. She launched into the rest of her comment before she could stop and edit herself, something she rarely did. “I’m always nervous before this stuff. You know that. I just… Don’t want to fuck this up, you know? Leaving BC and hitting a new town? I don’t want to be that kid who doesn’t fit in. Lame, I know. But I just don’t want that,” she admitted quietly, leaning against Marley and taking another deep breath. It seemed like old times, telling him what was bothering her and knowing that he’d give her the answer that she needed to hear.

Wendell. Even the name made her grimace now. He’d been dating Jodie for quite a while in college. He’d always rubbed her the wrong way, what with his comments and his… Just him. It was weird; she’d never been that adamant about disliking any of Jodie’s other boyfriends. However, when Sam and Jodie had gone out for a dinner to talk over a test and he’d happened to come along with Jodie. Their food came late and there was a mess up with water. It happens, right? Well, Wendell saw it as a personal affront to himself that it was not to his satisfaction. Seeing him take the tip she’d left had her steaming. Once she’d told Marley after returning from beating the punching bag in the gym, he had shared her disgust. It wasn’t that they didn’t want Jo to be happy; they just thought that Wendell was a douche. Sooner than later, Jo had found out as well and had broken up with him on the spot. “Four? And I thought I was being mean. They’re passing three soon, so we’ll have to count down the days,” she smirked, then let it soften at the mention of Max and Jill. “I hope the idiot actually tells me so that I can get time off to go to the wedding. Although, I’m not sure what to expect at their wedding,” she said, chuckling good naturedly. The two geeks were totally in love with each other, never really that far away from each other. It was touching and hilarious. Suddenly, she found the good mood at the mention of Jill and Max fade merely at the sound of Daniel’s name. She ground her teeth together, turning to stare at the market with her face set. “He didn’t do anything that we didn’t take care of. You don’t have to worry about it. He got his comeuppance.” she said, tone flat. There was really no need to discuss him and his stupidity. Daniel was an ass, everyone knew it. There was no need to bring it up again. He was not that important. Nothing he did mattered. At all. Ever.

She nodded at his comment, smiling brightly at the idea of boarding on the Alps. “You’d better call me. I’d hate to miss out at the chance to hit the slopes with you again! For old times’ sake,” she stated, trying to imagine what the Alps would be like. Better than the Rockies, that’s for sure. For someone who lived out there, she turned on them quickly. Not that it really bothered her, cause she’d always dreamed of skiing in the Alps. Never did she think that she’d be going with Marley… And that boosted the excitement. Not because it was Marley, but because it was Marley. They’d gone together before. It was purely for old times. At the comments of face planting and windsurfing, Sam raised both brows. “So, you’re gonna face plant and you’ve windsurfed? Man, I wanna learn how to windsurf! You wanna teach me while I’m here in Spain?” she asked, cocking her head questioningly. Windsurfing? That would be fun. Maybe more fun than watching Marley fall on his face in the snow. Probably not, but it could come close. At his dramatics, Sam smiled. Silly Marley. Always overacting the smallest things. Then, as his fingers brushed the back of her neck, she felt a tingle race down her spine. Her ears coloured again, and she felt the muscles in her back relax. She moved her free hand, scratching at the base of her ear slowly and almost gasping at the heat in her ears. What was wrong with her? This was all because of Marley. She almost missed the comment about him being a wimp through the reaction to the heat, coughing and replying with a slightly choked out, “Aw, but it’s okay that you’re a wimp. You’re my wimp. My terrified of snow, scared of winter, pissy at cold wimp,” before she finished the almost hacking cough and kicked herself mentally for being an idiot.

“Well, next party, I want to come! Provided you can talk me out of visiting Italy on my tour, I could stay a few weeks here in Spain,” she bribed, cocking her head with a grin. She’d love to have a night on the beach. Memories of the group of them sitting on the beach, usually with a bonfire in the middle came to the front of her mind. It had always been fun, the stories and the laughter of the group being the glue of the friendships. They’d had good times on the beaches in BC, swimming and frolicking before watching the sun set. She shuffled a little, getting comfy as she listened to him speak on the heat curing his clumsiness. She faked a disappointed look, jutting her bottom lip out. “Little Marley doesn’t fall on his face anymore? That’s too bad, cause the klutz was always charming to me. You always had the best lines for when you managed a stunt like that. It was really cute. But, you’ve lost that now.” She shrugged her shoulders, wrapping her arm around the top of the bench, brushing it against his arm for a quick second before settling in again to listen. It was amazing how quickly she’d gotten back into the patterns with him and just how relaxing it was to her.

[/justify][/size]

tagged ;; marley
notes ;; you are seriously going to kill me. i'd kill me too.
words ;; 1806
music ;; brave new world, hedley

[/color][/font]

[MARLEY NIKOLAI DAVID]

Marley felt his lips pull back a little more at further mention of the RA. The edges of side twisted a little, just out of his own little cockiness. It was true... The woman had quite taken a fancy to him, and he used that to his advantage. Could one blame him? Nobody liked getting in trouble so when he could get out of it, he did. It was as easy as that. “So if you’re admitting to my being suave, does that mean you’ll admit that I am... Or at least was a rather devilishly charming fellow?” He asked her, raising one brow ever so slightly as his smirk grew into more of a grin. “I mean, only a really charming guy could get himself and his favourite girl out of trouble all the time.” He added, as if to try and convince her. How many times had he pulled strings? He didn’t know. But when a casual wink was all it took to get out of pretty much anything he did abuse it. His one moment of returning to his roots in that life, when he got what he wanted that way. Mostly though, he hadn’t been as bad as he could have. “And I’ll have you know I never broke any vases. I have always been a totally graceful guy on my feet.” He chuckled. He chuckled for two reasons. One being that he was always a klutz, that much Sam knew so he was expecting a laugh out of her for that. Also, because what he first said was true. He never did break any vases... Because most of them were treasures of the country and hundred s of years old. Break one of grandmother’s vases in Windsor and you get more then a slap on the wrist. Grandmother would probably have beat him with a broom or something. Not fun... Plus he’d always been expected to behave so well... Even if he was basically a kid torn from a little home in London while eating his cereal and watching a cartoon to suddenly become a Prince. It wasn’t easy to change so he’d made extra effort to be good. “Hm What accent? And... Y’know... England is a bit of a trip away... Maybe we could handle it on a weekend. Fly in quick and get me back in tie for my Monday lecture.” He chuckled. Of course... That probably wasn’t true. If he took her to London, he’d want to do more then that. But he didn’t exactly intend to take her near his family or countrymen.

Oh she smiled at the memories of beverages hitting his face. Another blow to the ego. But he smiled, despite that. At least he could laugh at the past, it probably had been a pretty funny thing to see. Anyone getting a drink to the face. “Some of them did apologize... And others even let me take them on a pity date afterwards, just to be polite.” He joked, rolling his eyes. Of course most hadn’t cared to say sorry, and he wasn’t a fool about pity dates. After all, he knew exactly what he was worth. And had he mentioned that he was the Prince of England to any of those girls, given them a second to google it and waited... They would have jumped back and agreed to marry him, nevermind date him. He would wait. Then again, maybe that was just the thing. Through every rejection (drink included or not) Sam was always the one to clean him up and stand him back on his feet. She’d stained how many sweaters helping him clean off (despite his attempts to keep her off him and his staining messes), or patted his back when he got chewed out and told him he was better then that. Maybe that was why he couldn’t ever keep his eyes off her. Couldn’t even stay away for more then a day before he had to leave. “Gray hair!?” He yelped, breaking out of his thoughts at those two words. He realized she was teasing and calmed down the moment she prodded his hair. He relaxed his shoulders and felt his ears warm up a little at the contact. However that was nothing to the blush that erupted on her cheeks as she froze and pulled her hand away. He wanted nothing more then to catch it and tell her not to worry about it. But his words got stuck and his hand refused to move. No. She wasn’t....Was she? “I don’t have any... Still as fetching as always” He mumbled, smiling slightly.

“Nothing.” He replied quickly to her question of what he said. He hated those sharp ears sometimes. Luckily they never heard what he said, but they always seemed to hear his mumbles. She wasn’t supposed to, hence the mumbling! He always chose to avoid repeating, and she seemed to accept that. He felt his smile soften a little as her head nestled in against his shoulder, just like old times. When they were sharing a seat to study, or watch the latest episodes of the TV shows she liked and forced upon him. He looked down at her, feeling his smile grow a little as he inhaled the scent of her shampoo. Did she still use the same kind, even now? It seemed so. Somethings never changed... He eyed her hand as he gently held on to it, raising a brow at her words. He gently weaved his fingers between hers, keeping her from resuming that nervous habit as she spoke. “Why on earth would you be nervous? You’re incredible at everything you do, which is probably the other reason we got away with so much back then. You fit in everywhere you go, and you’re too much of a perfectionist to make any outstanding mistakes. Take a breather and relax, you’ll do fine.” He told her, shaking his head a little. How could someone so good at what they did doubt themselves? And really, not to seem overly shallow, but with a face like hers it wasn’t hard to fit in places. He had to use his charm more then his looks, but it was the same idea. Working at a museum with a bunch of stuffy old men wouldn’t be hard for someone who had those looks. All she’d have to do was bat an eyelash and they’d forgive anything or do anything.

Marley let the topic of Jodie and her mishaps go. Why? Because discussing Wendell was the last thing he wanted to do with the short time he had with Sam. Wendell was an ass, and he’d got what was coming to him. Marley had never really hit anyone before Wendell, but if you stole from Marley’s girl, things defiantly would go bad for you. But Max and Jill? That topic was acceptable. Hell, the two met because of Marley and Sam’s friendship, so if they were getting married it was definitely all of Marley’s business. “I’d say I hope I’d make it, but since I haven’t spoken to him in ages I really don’t think I’d be invited. Take lots of pictures for me, yeah? He spoke, giving a pleading grin. “As for what to expect... Star Wars theme. He’ll be Han, and she’ll be Leia. Just you wait. Best man will dress up as Luke, and the maid of honour will be Chewbaking or whatever the hell that furball’s name is.” He teased with a bark of laughter. However, after speaking he realized that it was probably a thing that could happen... Max and Jill just weren’t the people that would have the normal wedding. The most normal Marley was tie-dye theme. Max almost always wore flip-flops for crying out loud. Or had. Who knew what had changed. “I understand that you two gave Shaw what was coming to him. But I would like to know the trigger...” He uttered in a more quiet tone. Quiet. That meant annoyance. That was how one could tell Marley was getting angry. He didn’t explode often, he just got quiet. Slow, cold anger. Rage was rare.

“For old times.”He agreed in terms of hitting the slopes. “Just because I’ve windsurfed doesn’t mean it’s anything like snowboarding... And of course I’ll teach you if you’re that interested in it. It’s a lot of fun once you get it.” He said, grinning despite the inner squirm of guilt he felt. To be honest, he really shouldn’t have been doing either sport. Any sports... Not with his blood problems the way they were. But he felt there was no point to half living. If he bled out tomorrow from windsurfing, so be it. He wasn’t going to sit on a chair his whole life in fear like his father. His concern for himself vanished as he heard Sam cough. He looked down at her, raising a brow slightly. “Hey, you okay?” He asked calmly, though a small part of his brain was slightly alarmed at the sudden hacking sound emerging from her throat. What could he say, overreacting was his middle name. Normally he was all about dramatizing his life, so when it was already full of drama, he tended to overreact. Hence running away to Canada... He let go of her hand, leaning forward a little to make sure she wasn’t turning purple or something like that. It wasn’t like she had been coughing before so he was pretty sure she wasn’t sick...

”You want to skip out part of tour to hang here and party with my students? he chuckled, highly amused. For one, the request was amusing in itself. And for another thing, he wasn’t sure how his students would react to Sam... A completely strange Canadian girl... Who they’d probably call American and get chewed out for. “How about this... If you stay, we can have our own parties on the beach too, with little fires and marshmallows and all. Minus the snow of course.” he tempted, feeling the back of his neck warm up as her body shuffled in closer to his. She had always fit perfectly under one arm like that... He let his arm slide off the back of the bench, letting it once more curl around her shoulders lightly. “Me falling over my own feet in the hallway was charming? Really? Most would call it embarrassing. The line’s were a learned feature to try and cover up that embarrassment.” He said, but despite his defence on his clumsiness he was grinning. She called him cute and charming. You’d think by his reaction that he was a high school student, not a twenty-seven year old college professor. But everyone was entitled to their moments. “I do lack it now. See, back then I was allowed to be just clumsy ol’ Marley. Here I kind of want what little respect I can get from my students. Falling on my face doesn’t drive respect, y’know? he added in his own self defence. Then of course there was the whole fact that he was a Prince... He had to kind of live up to that now and then. “But come to the beach for our own personal catch up party and I’ll fall on my face just once for you, okay?” He offered, stifling a soft chuckle as he rolled his hazel-brown eyes.

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CREDS:

[/size][/color] Me!
SONG:[/size][/color] Terrified., Katharine McPhee
TAG:[/size][/color] Sam!
OUTFIT:[/size][/color] Too lazy…
WORDS:[/size][/color] 1917 [/right]

[SAMANTHA ABIGAIL WALKER]

So low, but still breathing. Funny how you show you care.

Is hell still beneath me? Or am I already there?

[/size][/color]

Admitting what she said was like admitting defeat. There was one thing that Samantha Walker hated more than anything else, it was being defeated. That’s why Jill and Max tended to not let her play video games, because she threw the controller on the ground when she’d lost. However, admitting defeat to Marley was a whole other thing. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would rub it in her face all the time. Just for a few weeks before his mind went onto something else and he left it. When he asked if she would admit to him being devilishly charming, she felt part of her mind say, ”Yes, Marley. You were and are even now devilishly charming…” while the only thing she actually did say was, “Maybe used to be. Now I’d have to say that you’ve lost the charm. It’s moved to a slight cockiness.” Her eyes sparkled with a withheld laugh, waiting to see his reaction to that. However, she felt a slight heat on her ears again as he referenced his favourite girl. She thought it could have been her, seeing as it was the two of them that tended to sneak out at night, be it to get groceries or just to go to the beach. Usually, Jill or Max would let them back into the dorm, but there were times when a professor had been grading things and just happened to spot them. The casual lies to the teachers came from Marley, who subtly hinted that there were still students out on campus or, if it was a woman professor, that she looked amazing that night and that Marley had convinced Sam to come out and see what a lovely teacher looked like. Surprisingly, most of them fell for the lies and the two had laughed their way back to the dorms. “Favourite girl, huh? I’ll have you know that it was usually you who got us into trouble in the first place, Marley David! I do nothing wrong, not at all,” she said with a teasing grin. The grin grew a little as she laughed at him defending his clumsiness. “If you broke no vases, what did you manage to break at home?” she asked, the laugh dying off a little as she cocked her head in question. She knew that the most common thing that she’d broken at home was glasses. Putting them away, pouring a drink, just opening the cabinet door; Sam had broken them all in the same basic manner. There was a reason for plastic glasses, but the Walker’s had loved to have glass. And Sam broke most of them. At his comment regarding England and his accent, Sam felt her brows rise. The accent had actually gone away… Unless she’d been imagining it in the first place. Just a weekend visit? She frowned and then snapped her fingers. “What if we go over the summer? I hear Buckingham is even open to the public in the summer! Let’s make a trip out of it! What do you say?” she asked, hoping that he’d agree. The history was rich in England and she did want to go visit with Marley. Now that she thought about it, it wouldn’t be worth it without him around.

Her brows furrowed with anger at the front of her mind now. Those bitches had said they’d apologize and, when she’d seen Marley, he’d always been smiling. Those girls were going to get a piece of her mind when she got back. Or… Maybe not. But she’d never be pleasant to them again. How dare they? She unfurrowed her brows suddenly, wondering why she was getting so worked up in this. It wasn’t as if she was the one who had faced down the drinks or had to go out with the girls who had rejected him so rudely. “Those bitches!” she cursed, crossing her arms with a huff. “I ought to give them a piece of my mind for being so rude. When I spoke with them…” she cut herself off, eyes widening slightly. She’d never told him that she’d had heated discussions with the girls. Mind racing, she managed to come up with, “At least the ones in my classes. When I spoke with them I said that they were just plain assholes.” she frowned again, wondering if she was just digging a hole. Her sentence had picked up near the end, the tone almost questioning as she finished speaking. This time, for the first time, she heard his mumble as she tucked her hands into her pockets. She smiled lightly, shaking her head fondly at him. “You’re gonna have some sooner or later. And fetching? I wouldn’t go with fetching to describe you.” After speaking, she bounced on her toes nervously with her smile still in place. Fetching was not what she would have said. It wasn’t a lie. More like… Dangerously attractive. Something that she would never say to his face. It was for gossiping with Jill behind his back.

The rush of heat that touched her cheeks when he intertwined their fingers was thankfully hidden as her face was on his shoulder. She just stared at it for a second. It was a normal thing for them, to hold hands… But this time felt different. She’d never blushed at it as fiercely as she was now and she was thanking every form of higher power that she knew of that he couldn’t see her face. And when he spoke… She felt the nerves slip away. He always seemed to have that affect on her. He was the one who calmed her down; he was the one who somehow managed to get her out of the dorm when she was stressing herself out. She’d never really thought about it that much before, just how much he relaxed her just with his presence. And he still knew what to say. She let a shaky breath out, raising her free hand to rub at her ear. Still hot. Damn it all. She sighed, inhaling him. He’d always smelt perfect, a smell that had lingered in her room for a few months after he’d left. She never really knew how much it worked to keep her nerves at a minimum, just the smell of him. She could only hope that she wouldn’t say something overly stupid to him, now that her mind was focussing on him. “You always know what to say, Marley. Thanks. You know, this is what I missed the most. Having you around to talk to. It wasn’t the same after you left.” she spoke rather quietly, but hoped that he heard what she’d said. That didn’t sound too stupid. She was telling the truth. She had missed him. Of course she had. He was her best guy friend. The guy that she’d turn to when she needed a hand. Having him leave… She hadn’t felt the same until right at this moment. She grumbled to herself, cursing the inner thoughts of her head.

The conversation about Jill and Max brightened her smile. The two of them had been together for a while now, having started dating a few months after Marley had left for… Well, Spain apparently. She’d have to tell them that. Max would probably kick Marley’s ass for not having called or told him anything and Jill would roll her eyes and ask Sam what they’d talked about. As for the wedding… “Max will invite you. Either that or you can be my date to the wedding. They’d love to see you,” she said with a grin, cocking her head to the side. Would he join her at the wedding? She’d just have to force him. Blackmail him. There was plenty of dirt that she had on him from school and, worst case-scenario, she could always just pout and give him the puppy-dog eyes. She’d gotten whatever she wanted with those eyes for the longest time and Marley was just one more person who fell for them. At the mention of a Star Wars theme, she dramatically sighed and leaned her head back. “That’s right! Oh, Lord. I almost forgot about that. That means that they’ll make me sit through all of the movies again. I don’t want that to happen! But it probably will,” she said with another sigh, rolling her eyes good naturedly. At the continued questioning about Daniel, Sam noticed that Marley’s voice had dropped to a quieter pitch. She grimaced, not wanting to tell him and rile him but, not wanting him to get annoyed at the continued questioning over what exactly had happened. “He just said some things that Max and I found highly offensive. And he kind of crossed a line, so we showed him back over the line with a warning to never even approach it again,” she said, nodding at her response. That would work for him… She hoped. It was the truth. Perhaps without the words that he’d uttered and the moves that he’d made, but it was the truth. Hell if Daniel had done it again. It was the past. No one needed to know about what had gone on. Besides, Marley might have hopped on a plane to head back to Canada and kick his ass and Sam did not want him to get fired. He seemed to like it over here.

“Of course I’m interested! I’ll probably kill myself while trying it out, but I’m sure that you’ll be a good teacher. You’d save my ass if I fell off the board, right?” she asked, cocking her head. It was a valid question. She had never liked the idea of deep waters, but she loved to be on top of the elements. Maybe that was why she liked skiing so much. You were always on top of the snow… Unless you were learning or something. You always had to keep yourself focused on the task at hand and how it would end if you made even one slip. She doubted that it would be a disastrous ending for herself, but she did want to give it a go. As she coughed, she cursed herself. Inhaling at her heated ears had made her choke. What was that about? She grimaced, nodding her head through the coughs and giving a half hearted thumbs up as she took a breath. Curse her. What the heck was she doing? She was coughing over her own responses to Marley. She shifted her mental cursing to him. How dare he have hair that was highly touchable? How dare he have that sexy British tone? How could she come over here and just see him and have near heart failure. He was Marley, for Heaven’s sake. Just Marley. Her best friend. Her sexy, attractive best friend. She swallowed, sitting up and turning to grab a water bottle from her backpack. There was a slight tickle at the back of her throat but she took a swig of water and stifled it. No more coughing. No more choking. She sat back with a huff, twisting at the top of the bottle before turning to look at him with an apologetic look. “No, I’m fine. Sorry about that. Guess I inhaled wrong,” she stated quietly, still spinning the cap of the water bottle.

At his question, she nodded. Of course she’d skip part of her tour. Now that she thought about it, she could probably be bribed into missing all of her tours and just staying in Spain for the duration of her trip. Except for their trip to the UK, of course. But other than that, Spain was nice. It had history. She could visit a lot in Spain, or she could just stay here. On this island. With Marley. She placed the water bottle down to touch the back of her neck, fingers cooling off the rush of heat to her cheeks. “Yeah, of course I’d miss part of my tour. Parties are where it is, old man,” she teased, pulling her hands back around her body to her lap. She tucked the fingers into the palm of her hands, trying to heat the tips. They were never this cold. There must have been something wrong with her. Maybe she was sick. A teasing voice popped up from the back of her head, singing a quiet song until she squished it back. She smiled at the idea of the two of them having a beach party. “Just like old times. Bonfires and everything,” she said with a laugh. Snow would stay in Canada, luckily. Or unluckily. There was always cuddling with… No. No. She cursed her head for heading off in that direction. As his arm settled over her shoulder, she shifted closer still with another laugh. “Yeah, I always thought the falling was cute. Who always helped you up?” she froze a little at her question, wondering where it had even come from. She had usually helped him up. It was nice, so she did it. She sighed sadly at his comment of not being clumsy any more. It had been endearing to her, watching him fall and then helping him up. But he was right. Not falling probably offered him respect from his students. At his offer of blowing all smoothness by falling on his face, just for her, she smiled. “The great Marley David. What are you going to say when you fall? That you’re falling for me now?” she teased, patting his leg. “You don’t have to embarrass yourself like that. I’ll be fine with just catching up. But you have to bring the firewood!” she stated with a large grin.

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tagged ;; marley
notes ;; -dies- too... much... writing...
words ;; 2246
music ;; brave new world, hedley

[/color][/font]

[MARLEY NIKOLAI DAVID]

Marley felt his smirk grow at her words. Cocky, huh? He’d always been cocky… Sort of. Okay, he hadn’t. When he’d first met her he’d been rather shy and a wee bit self conscious, he’d still been paranoid about being on his own so far from home with the constant threat of being recognized on his shoulders. After a while he’d gotten a little more cocky, but not in an obnoxious, overzealous manner… More a playful and stupid manner. He was still that guy. “Oh yeah? Me? Cocky? I don’t think so, I am the most modest guy in the history of modest guys.” He said simply, raising one brow to match his still growing smirk. There was a teasing, laughing sparkle in her eye that caught his attention and he found his gaze fixed on hers. Gosh did she have pretty eyes… He had to force his mind elsewhere as she continued speaking and despite himself he felt that was rather difficult. Sure, he’d always known how pretty she was, how perfect she was. Hell all the guys he knew had told him that they couldn’t believe she hung around with him. After all, he and Max weren’t exactly the coolest guys around… Sure, Max was into the scene, he knew the parties and shit. But the Star Wars shirts and Guitar Hero battles had dropped him low. Marley being his roommate and closest friend, got the same treatment. “One, yeah. Favourite girl. And second… Okay, I’m definitely guilty on the front of getting us into trouble… Won’t even try to argue with that one.” He admitted, rolling his hazel-brown eyes with a bark of laughter. “What can I say? Always had a knack for defying authority.” He added with a shrug. Oh yeah… You have no idea… he added mentally. His grandmother and father had possibly been the most powerful figures he’d known growing up and he’d turned his back on them… Speaking of his grandmother…He pondered her question of breaking things. Mostly things that his grandmother had ripped his head off over… The joys of living with her. “My grandmother always used to get angry that I’d put my feet on things more then breaking things. Though I never was good at washing plates… Always broke them when they slipped out of my fingers and hit the sink/” He answered with a wince. Sure, he hadn’t exactly liked washing dishes, but even princes got in trouble and had punishments for their bad doings. For him, it was dishes. Then as if to mock his memories of running free through Windsor castle or through the garden of Buckingham Palace she mentioned the very place in his head. He blinked and stumbled for a response for a moment. “Really? Buckingham? I don’t think… I really find… It’s boring!” He blurted with a cough. He took a second to compose himself then coughed again “Sorry, I just mean, London isn’t all that great. It has perks but um… Not that great. No. Italy is much better. Or Scotland.”

“Woah… Bitches? Since when does Sam Walker swear?” Marley asked, blinking in surprise to hear the cuss uttered from Sam’s lips. She’d never been a pure at heart little girl who gasped at the mention of ‘oh crap’ but she hadn’t been the one to swear a ton either. Especially over something so stupid. Honestly, sure, then the girls had bothered Marley, but now? He hardly cared. That was far behind him and he’d moved on. Though, her concern was endearing. He raised a brow however, finding his interest in her endearingness being replaced with curiosity. She’d spoken to them? “I never needed you to fight my battles for me… Rejection was rejection…” He said quietly, furrowing his brows a little. That was probably the reason a lot of them said no… Because they all thought he had Sam as his little body guard. Hell they were probably in hysterics that she’d gone to protect his dignity. He felt fairly embarrassed and stupid… So much for it being in the past, a closed chapter. Then again… She had meant well… he couldn’t hold that against her… Could he? No. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, more that he wouldn’t… College was like what he figured high school would have been like. And despite all the bad things that happened, with him and his friends, Sam had always been there. Even if she’d been a bit overprotective obviously… Not that he was much better. It was only fair to let her have a few overprotective moments. He let it go though, no since clinging to that. Old and gone. “I’ll take later rather then sooner. Nobody wants grey hair before they get married… And I am fetching. I’ve been told that by a duchess of York.” he said cockily with a smirk. Though the minute the words were out of his mouth he regretted it. He hadn’t wanted to mention that at all… He really needed to control his mouth. Sure he had the accent covered again, but letting shit like that slip was unacceptable. Then again, he would have bet that any of the dukes, or counts or other political imbeciles he knew would say that she was just as fetching. Issue was she’d never spoken to them… Now he had to think fast and come up with a story for that… He really hadn’t wanted to lie to her…Then again, he was sure there was a slight chance she’d think he was joking. He hoped for that situation.

Marley knew it was completely ridiculous to wish for a moment not to end. But there was something about that exact moment… Maybe it was the familiar weight of her back against his chest, her head against his shoulder… Or maybe the fact that her small, soft, tremendously warm hand fit so perfectly into his… Maybe the fact she was there at all…Or perhaps any combination of those things… But it made him want the moment to last longer if not for ever. Forever didn’t actually exist, so he just hoped that he could get away with dragging the moment out longer. He told himself it was that he missed her, missed this… But part of him gave a Adam Baldwin grunt at that and he knew part of it at least was that he was reacting to his feelings for her. He could feel every curve that she had against him, the faint beating of her heart both in her wrist and through her back. He could smell the faint smell of her shampoo and soap. She was never one to drench herself in perfume and he was fine with that. Yeah. This moment could last. But the silent part ended fairly soon as she spoke up. Her words made him smile softly, turning his gaze down to the top of her head (which was all he could see from that angle). “You were always pretty good at knowing what to say too. And I didn’t exactly want to leave, especially after I left… I missed you a lot.” He replied slowly and quietly, his fingers tightening ever so slightly around her hand. He brushed his thumb against the back of her hand then realizing what he said choked a little in silence, and froze as his ears flushed. “And Max and Jill, the school. Hell I even missed that obnoxiously loud Impala that Tom owned.” He added quickly, louder then the comment before. He swallowed roughly, and resisted the urge to pull his hand away sharply. He was definitely over stepping boundaries by saying stuff like that. Hell, even if she did want to try more then friendship there was the fact that they lived how far away? And though he came off as a charmer… He wasn’t up for a fling with Sam… No matter how tempting it might seem at a moment’s glance. He just had to keep any of the locals off her, that would suffice. That and spend as much time with her as he could while she was there… Then he’d watch her leave like he’d left her. How did she not hate him?

Max… Marriage. Somehow the image didn’t fit. Even if Max had matured a lot in the last year Marley had been there. He’d gone from being that nerd that Marley knew and loved to someone who was going somewhere with his life. Managing a Best Buy fresh out of college? Then of course he’d gotten out of that to work for Microsoft. At least, that was the last Marley had heard, in the last few emails he’d sent Max... Too long ago apparently. “Your date for the wedding, huh? Something tells me if you’re as close to Jill as you were back in the day you’ll be a Bridesmaid and therefore expected to escort one of the groomsmen.” He informed Sam, smiling slightly. Part of him was teasing, that much could be taken from the tone of voice he used, the slight spark of humour in his eyes. But part of him was serious… Not that he knew a lot about weddings… Part of him also didn’t want to go back. As much as it would be great to see Max, after consideration he wondered if that would just make coming back difficult. It was hard enough as it was to leave British Columbia to go to Spain… Seeing all of that again… He didn’t want to leave it again. “I was joking Sam. Though Max might be completely up for Star Wars as the theme something tells me Jill would put her foot down at the idea… Put her foot down hard. But you’ll end up watching those movies again anyway.” He chuckled, rolling his eyes. He could completely see Max wanting a Star Wars theme… Or an Alien vs. Predator theme… Max might have matured but Marley was pretty sure deep down that old Max was still there. Marley wasn’t usually someone to let things go. But obviously something happened with Daniel Shaw and Sam wasn’t about to squeal about it. It bothered Marley because normally she would have told him anything… Now it had been a while but she seemed to treat him the same now as she always had. So the lack of trust on this topic was making him rather angry. But he decided not to press it. Not to even reply to the statement again. He just nodded sharply. What he wasn’t going to tell her was that he’d ask Max. They were like brothers back in the day, so Marley had a feeling after a few messages he could get it out of his short friend. Then bring up the wedding, and see how catch up went from there. It was a shame that Max didn’t know about Marley’s fame, Marley would have paid for a honeymoon for them.

Marley couldn’t believe that Sam wanted to actually learn windsurfing… Then again, she had convinced him to take up snowboarding… So slightly extreme sports seem to be her thing. His too… Despite what should have been flags to not do that. Hell, with his blood he should have been playing chess and knitting, not snowboarding and windsurfing. But he’d rather go windsurfing at twenty-eight then spend his life indoors and die dusty at eighty. “Well… The whole literal catching wouldn’t really be possible considering we’d be in the water… But figuratively speaking I would definitely catch you.” He told her, grinning widely as he looked down. There was definitely something appealing about the thought of the warm water, a board and Sam in some sort of bikini. He felt his ears light up again as he scolded himself for being so shallow… But he had taught the sport before and he’d definitely have to help her balance and what not. And the idea of that close contact was definitely appealing… He just had to make sure he didn’t get hurt, he didn’t want her to panic if he was late on his infusions or medications and started bleeding out. “Oh… Alright. Choking on air, huh? And you made fun of me for tripping over air. We’re one in the same.” He chuckled a little, though part of him was definitely disappointed when she moved away from him to grab a water bottle. Damned water bottle… he watched her take a drink, his concerned expression fading to one of slight amusement at his own words. His gaze moved from her face, down to her fingers as they twisted the cap. Nervous again was she? He watched her thin fingers for a moment, wondering how someone could be attracted to someone’s hands. Hell everything about her attracted him. From her eyes to her voice to her imperfect smile. Some would say her teeth weren’t pretty, but to him they were endearing. He didn’t think she needed to hurt her mouth to make them completely straight. He liked them. And her hands. And her lips. And her hair and everything. He pulled his gaze up sharply, pushing the thoughts aside for what had to be the millionth time. “All good now?” He asked, finding his voice a little weaker that it had been a moment earlier. He cleared his throat, smiling.

Marley nearly chuckled as he was assured that Sam would miss the rest of her trip to stay in Spain. Was it for him? Or for Spain. Part of him wanted to say him, but despite his outer cockiness, he was pretty sure it couldn’t be just him… He wasn’t that great of company. “Old man, huh?” He asked, cocking one brow slightly as a slight smirk raised to his lips. “I prefer the thought that I have wisdom, rather then age.” He shot back, lifting his chin slightly to a more regal pose. Hell, he was barely as regal as he could be. You never saw royalty slouch. “Old times. They were good, eh? He said, a little quieter as his mind flashed on some of the better parties they’d had in college. Not that he and Sam ever went to the extreme ones where everyone passed out by the end of the night, but the common room of their dormitory had hosted enough drinking and games to be enjoyable. The only thing that could have made those old times better were if he’d stayed… “Falling… Cute? Really? I would have thought it was embarrassing, truth be told. But I suppose you were always there to help me up and keep me from tripping again for the next few minutes.” He admitted, smiling slightly as his eyes softened. It was true. In more then the literal tense, Sam had always been there for when things got tough. When he was scared or hurting from home he knew he could just hug her and it would instantly stop bothering him. She might not have known why he as hugging her, and simply brushed it off as a friendly greeting. But everything she did had meaning to him. Sure, he and Max had been close, but he’d had something with Sam that was different. He wouldn’t ever be able to describe it… But it was there. He might have thought after time it’d burned away, but every moment he spent with her now caused it to glow a little. “Falling for you, huh? I’d come up with something else…. Because I think I already did that.” He said, uttering the second sentence under his breath in a tone she couldn’t possibly make out. He smiled quickly though, brushing it off. “I think we’ll collect driftwood actually. The salt water makes the fire burn odd colors.” He informed her, still beaming.

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CREDS:

[/size][/color] Me!
SONG:[/size][/color] Terrified., Katharine McPhee
TAG:[/size][/color] Sam!
OUTFIT:[/size][/color] Too lazy…
WORDS:[/size][/color] 2653
NOTES:[/size][/color] -dies-[/right]

[SAMANTHA ABIGAIL WALKER]

So low, but still breathing. Funny how you show you care.

Is hell still beneath me? Or am I already there?

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She burst into laughter as he denied the cockiness, almost expecting him to have posed after speaking. “Modest, Marley? Is that what they’re calling it nowadays in Spain? Back home in Canada, we still call it cockiness,” she informed him with a sweet smile. The cockiness had never really stood out to her. It seemed like a Marley trait, getting used to the school and getting used to having her as a friend. He’d always been the more openly outgoing of the two, while she definitely needed time to get the feel of the land before she made her own quirky nature known. As he agreed with the favourite girl comment, Sam couldn’t help but send a smile out. Of course, smiling at that to him was weird, so she directed her gaze to one of the merchants who was staring at the two. Meanwhile, her head was all but singing to her. She told it quite rudely to shut up. There was no need for the foolishness of that. She’d been his friend. That’s it. Friend. Nothing more, nothing less. They’d had a hell of a time convincing people of it, but they bought it. For the most part. There were still people who had seen her around town, watched her work and then asked her about Marley. It had made her heart twist back at home, seeing as he’d been gone long enough for her to have mostly gotten to telling Jill and Max almost everything that happened, but she had still been kind of closed off. Not really to do with him, of course. That was insane. It wasn’t always about Marley, she told herself quite straight up. Not everything had to do with her rather attractive and charming friend. Poppycock. That was just… Wait. Had she just said poppycock to herself? Maybe she was losing her mind. That would explain a lot of things. She shook herself out of her thoughts just in time to hear him speak on defying authority. She rolled her eyes good naturedly. “In your defence, you are rather stubborn. I can’t see you ever following rules. You keeping jobs astounded me,” she finished off, tone joking. But it had been weird. He did have jobs heading through school. Everyone did. However, he always managed to get through them with the sarcastic undertones that friends could make out, the eye rolls at the customers who asked the silly questions. He did make a fair amount of money. Enough to have been free to head up for weekends to Sam’s parents’ cabin and ski or just escape the school atmosphere. She grimaced at the thought of breaking dishes. They had that in common, the destruction of seemingly innocent dinnerware. Nothing was safe. “Look at you. Marley David, killer of chinaware,” she said teasingly, making a face at him with a laugh. His protests against seeing England knocked her back a bit. She’d always thought that London would have been fun to see, what with the royalty just a few feet away at points in time and the rich history of the area… But, if he thought that it was boring, she’d have to see it herself at a later date. She tried not to show her disappointment in her comment, but found herself speaking in a quieter tone than before. “Oh, okay. Well, I guess that we’ll have to go some other time. But I could take Italy. There are gondolas! I hear it’s customary for them to sing to people when they’re on the gondolas. That would be fun!” Not as much fun as England, but she’d take what she could get.

“Lot’s changed since you left. Can’t always describe something to people without throwing some vulgarities into the mix, can I?" Her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest, her jaw jutting out almost like a child that got her hand caught in the cookie jar. She hadn’t sworn when Marley had been around, actually. Now that she thought about it. Huh. That was weird. She had tended to think that swearing was for the girls who had huge problems that were just unbearable. But this was getting uncomfortable. She’d never told him that she had spoke to the girls. It wasn’t that she thought he couldn’t handle himself… It was more that she didn’t want them to think that they could treat everyone like that. There was no need to be overly rude. Sure, rich parents meant that they could get what they wanted, but there had to be some standards. Somewhere. Maybe a little closer to home than he’d thought initially… She felt her cheeks start to heat all of a sudden and she froze. “I didn’t want them to think that they could do that to people! There was no need for it. I shouldn’t have done it, but I just got so angry that they thought that they could just be rude to you! You deserved so much better than them,” she said with a shrug. It was true. He did deserve better than them. Those girls thought that they could get everything on a platter. Life wasn’t like that. Not for a lot of people, at least. But she’d felt the need to tell them to back off. Besides, it always made you smile when they came back to say they were wrong. The smile was always able to twist at my heart, she thought to herself before tensing slightly and arguing with her inner voice. There was no thinking of Marley like that. None at all. That was insane. Needless to say, she was quite happy when he spoke again. She abandoned her thoughts with great enthusiasm, only to furrow her brow and smile at his statement. “You look fine, Marley. Your hair is perfectly… Wait, Duchess of York?” she let a small giggle out, raising her brows. Had he really said Duchess of York? That was insane. Spain must have been a better place to see those who were more fortunate than her. Higher up the social scale, that was what he needed. But a duchess? Weren’t they sometimes rude? She had no idea. It wasn’t like she was anywhere near that level of society. The only duchess that she’d ever hung out with was Alex’s cat. Strange name for a cat, by the way. Especially a male cat. However, she couldn’t deny that she was curious now. “When have you met the Duchess of York? Do you get them coming around here often or something?”

“I never knew what to say. I suck at that. You missed me? Why? I’m nothing special.” Was it pathetic that she felt her smile widen as he said that he’d missed her? It wasn’t that she’d wanted him to miss her. Pfft. That wasn’t it. But the fact that he was over here, in Spain, with all the gorgeous Spanish girls and one of the Romance languages spoken often made her feel a touch of pride that he’d missed her. Mind you, he might have been losing it. Instead of hearing the smooth Spanish from a brunette was probably better than hearing the same thing from a Canadian. The English language was boring. However, Sam and learning a new language tended to not go hand in hand. That was neither here nor there, though. She watched as his thumb rubbed the top of her hand and her smile dropped into a gentle smile. She had always known that he was amazingly attractive and he had a great personality on top of it. Just her kind of guy. But he was Marley, and that was not something that she’d thought about her best friend. No way. Yeah, nu uh. Nope. She set her jaw a little, getting a touch of disappointment in her stomach as he added that he’d missed everything else as well. Of course he had. She wasn’t anything special, just his friend. Duh. She had to let a laugh out as he mentioned Tom and his car. Tom had loved his car, even named her. She couldn’t remember the name, just remembered the laughter. “Tom sold the ‘Pala, you know. Bought himself a guitar. He’s not that bad, actually. He mainly hangs out with Lisa now, and she loves the guitar. Don’t tell him, but she loved the Impala as well,” Sam said, laugh carrying on through her words before coming to a sighed end. Tom and Lisa were adorable together. She smiled a little brighter at that, There were a lot of people who’d gotten together in college. Sam had been the one in her group of friends that had never really gone out with guys. There had been Bryce for a few months, before he’d gone insane and had kind of dropped off the face of the Earth. Then of course, Daniel for a couple of dates. But he was totally not even worth being mentioned. He kind of… Was a douche. But that was getting off topic and that was not what she wanted to do right now. Especially not while she was near Marley. Marley who she’d be leaving behind in a couple weeks. Marley who was in Spain. Marley who was not going to be in Canada again. Marley who she should have tried to just not think about. Marley who was clouding her judgement and crowding her mind. What was that about? She was being ridiculous. It was just Marley.

Max and Jill getting married was amazing. They loved each other and they were committed. Provided that the great Maxwell Gomez actually managed to propose, things would go great. They knew that they loved each other. That was what counted. As soon as Marley said that Sam would have to go with one of the groomsman, she groaned and fell back against the bench with a fake sob. “His friends are so weird, I bet that I can bring a date to the banquet after, though. What a present it would be for those two! Oh, you have to come with me! Please?” she finished off by raising her eyes to him, pleading. She didn’t want to have to go with one of the guys from BC. It wouldn’t be as much fun if she didn’t go with Marley. Just as friends, of course. Unless something managed to happen. She wouldn’t have any objections to that… Wait, what was she saying? Friends. Friends. That was all they were. Nothing else. Yeah. Of course. She blinked twice at her thoughts before just lowering her gaze and chuckling nervously. “I mean, you don’t have to. Just send them something, or even just send some congratulations,” she stated with a slow shrug. At the comment of seeing the movies regardless, Sam let an exaggerated sigh out and rubbed her temples. There was something about seeing Max and Jill recite the entire series that made Sam doze off during the movies. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t a fan, she just wasn’t as into it as they were, quite obviously. However, they did love those movies and Sam always liked to see them laugh. The show of annoyance was just that. A show. She’d always been like that. “I can bet that there will be a bit of a war over that. I can’t wait for those movies. It will be a never ending cycle of Star Wars when I get home. Oh damn it,” she said with a fond eye roll at her friends. They tended to get overly excited for the events, planning entire weekends out to enjoy the movies. Sam was usually invited and she always came to watch the movies. At the quick nod of his head, Sam couldn’t help but sigh and scratch at the side of her head. It was good that he dropped it. Daniel was a touchy topic now, and there was a slight harboured hatred between Daniel and Marley that she had known existed for some reason. There was no need to get into the discussion about Daniel and his insanity.

The idea of windsurfing was covering her internal reaction to the idea of being on the water with Marley. It was totally different than skiing or snowboarding. For one, it was a different state of water. Second, there was a different dress code. Three, it was her learning this time. She liked to learn things, but this actually did sound rather amusing and terrifying at the same time. Her reactions overall made her want to bounce. The idea of terrifying herself was always one that she’d liked. Pushing herself was a great thing to do. Even if she was going to kill herself as soon as she set foot on the beach. She’d seen videos of people absolutely biffing it when they went onto the water. She’d probably do worse than that, but she was not about to speak her concerns. Instead, she just sent him a smile just to see that his head was down. “Yes, but figuratively, you’d make sure that I didn’t get myself killed. That’s all I can ask for. Besides, it’ll be payback to me for the whole snowboarding fiasco,” she said with a laugh. It had been fun to teach him to snowboard, but there had been some really amusing events that had gone down on the hill. She was certain that her learning to windsurf would be just like that. She let a slightly pathetic cough out as he mentioned her choking on air, smiling a little at comment about the two of them being the same. She leaned over to nudge him, chuckling even as she took another drink. The twisting of the lid continued, her eyes all but pinned to him. “Sorry about that. And you know that you’re not that clumsy. Just… Well, most of the time, but that’s not the point. Air hurts to choke on! Thanks for the concern, Marley,” she stated with a teasing tone. Him bringing her head up again made her smile brighter. His eyes were amazing. She couldn’t help but look at them, missing what he said even as she cursed at herself for being taken aback by his face. He was absolutely handsome. Spain was good on him, lending a light tan to his skin that had him almost glowing. She heard him clear his throat and immediately extended her hand with the water bottle. “You need a drink? Are you alright? Are you getting sick?” she took on a tone of concern, head tilting lightly to the left as she gazed at him curiously.

“I’ll have to go with age, my dear,” Sam teased, her eyes twinkling at him. In her head, she was all over the wisdom idea. Marley was really the guy who could take charge. He was proving it now, seeing as he was a teacher. The wisdom must have been helpful in keeping his students under control. As Marley spoke of the old times, Sam let out a loud laugh before turning red and covering her mouth. Those parties had been insane. However, there were good games played, great drinks drunk and laughter to be had with everyone. Sam had gone to a few after Marley had left, but there was always that one guy who sat too close to her and tried to touch her ass that had her slowly sneak out and head back to her room to study. She hadn’t really realized that having Marley next to her had made some of those guys back off before making fools of themselves. “Oh, yeah. Our parties were awesome. There was always an issue after the party nights, usually with Derek and Miranda. They should have accepted that they just slept with everyone in the dorm. The fights were huge,” she let off with a grimace, not really feeling like getting into the negative side. She backtracked quickly. “I remember that one night where Max hosted a karaoke battle. I think I won.” Much better. She smiled at him, the memories of school suddenly at the front of her mind. The red stayed on her cheeks at his next statement. She’d just done what any friend would have done. “It wasn’t embarrassing. You just have two left feet, that’s all. And of course I helped you up. You would have done the same for me, Marley. It was hard work to make sure that you didn’t manage to kill yourself when walking down the hall. Anyone would have helped you up.” She shrugged, patting his arm before moving to pull her feet back as someone walked by them. She grinned at him when he said he’d come up with another line, brows furrowing as she missed what he’d said after. “I missed that, sorry. What did you say?” she asked, leaning a little closer as if the words were hanging around in the air and she could catch them. She forgot about that quickly as he smiled that smile again. “Sweet. Sounds like a plan, then. I love seeing the colors in the fire. What can I expect?” she cocked her head in question, her own smile growing as she watched him.

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tagged ;; marley
notes ;; i'm sorry it's long, and i'm also sorry it's late
words ;; 2826
music ;; brave new world, hedley

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