A Wizard Meets the Parents PV Simon Kincaid F

Grandma Ruth, to Simon's surprise, turned out to be his star student when it came to the moonwalk. This was no surprise to AngelFyre as it was Grandma Ruth who had first introduced the move to her some years prior. She had seen Michael Jackson do it in some music video back in the '80s... maybe the '90s... waaay before AngelFyre's time. She was a living museum of pop culture oddities and delights. She could do a spot on impersonation of Woody Woodpecker, could give AngelFyre a run for her money in a hula hoop contest, and could quote every line, from start to finish, of the movie, 'The Princess Bride'. And oh, yeah. She could solve a Rubik's cube in less than 7 minutes.

Soon enough, everyone made their way back to the table, and AngelFyre grabbed her glass of water, and drank a camel's worth. Apparently moonwalking was thirsty work. She asked if anyone needed anything else, and when the answers were unanimously 'No', AngelFyre, for the second time that evening, looked over to her fellow to let him know it was time to ease into Phase 2 of her little plan. Phase 1 had been the sharp, pointed retort to the day's earlier lectures. That was a cutting message to her parents, delivered with her own particular brand of wry humor. This Phase would just be the good-natured dig, driving the point home. But she knew her parents and she knew they would squirm a bit. She also knew they would laugh. Most importantly, they would also relax a bit knowing their points had been hammered home as well.

"If everyone is done, may Simon and I be excused? I want to show him around the rest of the property. We'll gather up the dishes and pile them onto the cart if you would like." When her mother told them that would be nice, both stood and began piling plate upon plate onto the patio cart with wheels.

As she had told him she would, she started humming. The plan was that when she stopped humming, they would break into song.... or was it her song would break eardrums?.... no! No! NO!... it was definitely the former. Barely.

Smiling at him as she picked up her plate, she started humming, and reached over as he handed her his plate as well. Still humming, they cleared their places, and then she stopped. Raising her hand very dramatically and sweeping it through her hair while shuffling her hips and legs, along with her shoulders, to the beat (dancing she could definitely do!), she counted aloud "1... 2... 3..." and then the "singing" began. AngelFyre started playfully, teasing her guy to help quell any nerves he might have: "Hey, Simon. Remember what we were told today?"

I Think We're Alone Now

(AngelFyre would attempt Tiffany's version and Simon would masterfully perform Billie Joe Armstrong's, from Green Day, version )

Children behave
(exaggerated eye roll given)
That's what they say when we're together
(pointing finger directly at parents)
And watch how you play
(walks her fingers up his chest and quick-kisses his lips)
They don't understand
(They shake their heads pitifully & shrug shoulders)

[Grabs his hand and they run to tree behind her father; AngelFyre leans against trunk, out of sight; Simon remains visible until AngelFyre's arm
slowly sneaks out and yanks him out of sight with her]

And so we're running just as fast as we can
(AngelFyre and Simon run to another nearby tree)
Holdin' on to one another's hand
(Simon kisses AngelFyre's hand)
Tryin' to get away into the night
(Both run to another nearby tree)
And then you put your arms around me
(Simon moves close and puts arms around her waist)
And we tumble to the ground
(Both move out of sight behind tree trunk)
And then you say

I think we're alone now (alone now)
There doesn't seem to be anyone around
(AngelFyre can be heard giggling, squealing his name playfully)
I think we're alone now (alone now)
The beating of our hearts is the only sound

Look at the way
(They both peek their heads out from behind the tree)
We gotta hide what we're doin'
(kisses his cheek before they disappear again)
'Cause what would they say
(Oh, we know what they'd say)
If they ever knew?
(They step out, shaking their heads 'No' while waving index fingers in a 'No')

And so we're running just as fast as we can
(AngelFyre and Simon run to another nearby tree)
Holdin' on to one another's hand
(Simon kisses AngelFyre's hand)
Tryin' to get away into the night
(Both run to another nearby tree)
And then you put your arms around me
(Simon moves close and puts arms around her waist)
And we tumble to the ground
(Both move out of sight behind tree trunk)
And then you say

I think we're alone now (alone now)
There doesn't seem to be anyone around
(AngelFyre can be heard giggling, squealing his name playfully)
I think we're alone now (alone now)
The beating of our hearts is the only sound
(They step out from behind the tree and simply hold each other close)

***************
Once the song came to an end, they both laughed and Simon kissed the top of her head. Her parents and Grandma Ruth were all three quick to laugh and then to applaud. Her father's eyes were smiling, and then he spoke up as the two made their way back to their seats," Point made, lass. Point made, but the restrictions still remain for now."

"We know, Daddy. But you cannot expect us not to bristle just a little," she said with a glint in her eye and turned to smile at Simon, as they both went about collecting the dishes once again. "I promise we will do our best. We will. But what I cannot... and will not promise... is perfection. But we will be mindful of your wishes. I promise."

The two then carted the dishes into the kitchen, rinsed and loaded them into the dishwasher, and headed out, hand in hand, into the starlit night.

Glad to have him all to herself once again, she was thrilled when he told her he loved her ridiculousness. When she laid down next to him in the grass, Hillary towered over them momentarily and then leaned down to snuffle a couple times in AngelFyre's ear before going to explore anything that captured her fancy. It tickled a bit and made AngelFyre laugh.

"I am glad you do love my ridiculousness because I am afraid, for good or bad, there is a lot more of it in my future. Stick around long enough and you are bound to get dragged into it every now and again," and she smiled widely while looking up at the night's carpet of stars.

She listened as Simon spoke of his mixed feelings about nighttime, and squeezed his hand before bringing it to her lips for a soft kiss and then resting it on her belly, covering it with both of her hands. She idly started caressing the top of it with one of her thumbs, thinking about what he had just said.

"It is funny to me how much I have always loved the nighttime. Maybe that is because of my insomnia, but probably not. Things just seem less harsh to me in the cover of night. I know I am luckier than you in that I have more freedom of movement and choice than you when it comes to daylight, but I have always preferred the night. I mean, just look at that sky, Simon. I cannot think of anything more beautiful than a starlit night like tonight. It is perfection." They lay there in silence, enjoying the quiet and the beauty, and then she laughed a little.

"God has a great sense of humor. I mean, just think of the irony. Your girlfriend lives in the sunniest part of Scotland! The sunniest! Of all the people you could be with, you chose someone so geographically unsuited to your needs in a few respects. That tickles my funny bone every time I think about it... now. I used to worry about it a lot, but being here has not been the worst thing, has it? I know country life will never do for you longterm, but a sprinkle of it here and there could be doable hopefully, right?"

She did not move to look at him as she asked because honestly, she was 99% certain of his answer, but if that 1% was where he fell, she would have some deep soul searching to do. Simon thrived in the city, and she could happily do city life, too, but this place grounded and charged her soul. She could never leave it completely behind.

"Would it surprise you to know that after learning of your dhampirism, and even before the Valentine's Day Tea Party changed your relationship status, I had started collecting ideas of places and things to do at nighttime. There is a surprising amount to do. Things I never knew could be done at night, like snow skiing. Snow skiing, Simon! I mean, how great is that?" Now she turned her head to look at him.

"God, in addition to having a sense of humor is also so loving. I mean, your girlfriend is awake almost as much as you are. Would you have ever thought to have a companion so similarly inclined? I confess to thinking I never would. But think of all the extra time that gives us! It would almost be like cramming two lifetimes into the one we are given, and we will be so much less lonely in those wakeful hours." She smiled and sighed deeply. "Perhaps you do not get lonely during those times, but I do sometimes. Just knowing you were there would be enough in most instances. Your music and reading would not be interrupted... much," and she chuckled as she rolled back onto her back. "Sorry. Maybe too much information, but nighttime has become more of an interest to me lately for obvious reasons."

"I want to show you something. It is where I was going to take you this afternoon before we got happily distracted with our swim. It might be even better now that it is dark. In fact, I know one aspect of it you will likely have a greater appreciation for because of the darkness."

Rising, she reached out for his hand and they headed toward the western valley. This is where the stables and barn were, as well as their in house veterinary clinic. She walked him past all of that and led him to the statuary trail. It was a wonderful walk. The temperature. The moonlight. And the fire breathing dragon. "We would have come upon this earlier today, coming from the opposite direction, but now you get to see it in the dark. Everything happens for a reason, right?" And she smiled up to him. "I chose this statue fountain when I was six. Mom and Dad gave me the choice. I was not all that in to dragons, and neither could figure why that particular subject was my choice, but it felt right to me at the time. It was almost like like I knew I was going to have a dragon-obsessed boyfriend one day," and she laughed. "Welcome to the non-restricted, non-magical, non-secret Statuary Forest, home to the McCubbin dragon."

AngelFyre lay restless in bed most of the night thinking about her day with Simon. He had been in Stenton close to 30 hours at this point, and as her father had warned her, it was going by too quickly for her liking. But she knew there was no amount of time she could ever spend with him that would slake her desire to do so entirely, so they had determined to eek out every second they could. Three days could be their eternity or it could be their blink of an eye. She was praying for the eternity.

The dance under the stars the evening before had been magical. The setting was gorgeous and they just fit together so well. They had from the very start. Perfect was the only adjective that could describe the evening for her. While Simon's excitement over the McCubbin dragon was substantial and a delight to see, she was pretty certain nothing compared to the heart palpitations she experienced when he told her he could not imagine anyone better suited for him. **Swooon**

That moment had been replayed in her mind all night long. She could still so clearly see the look on his face before he pulled her close to him and whispered those words softly into her ear. She could still feel his breath move past her ear and track down her neck, sending a series of delicious shivers down her spine. And his voice. AngelFyre could still hear him telling her again and again when she closed her eyes. There was nothing he could ever buy her that would be as precious as the memory he had given her last night.

Before they headed back to the house, AngelFyre took his hand and walked him to the opposite side of the dragon. She had him stand there momentarily as she reached down to pick up the rock. Earlier on their tour of the house, she had mentioned her heart rock collections were scattered all over the property. One such display, her favorite one actually, was displayed by the dragon. When she turned back to him, she held as perfect a heart shaped rock in her hands as she had ever found. Again, she had never understood her desire to keep this particular rock, her very favorite, in this particular place, but the desire to do so had always been overwhelming. Now she thought she knew why.

This night.

This moment in time.

This very particular boy.

"I do not know if you have ever been to a Jewish cemetery, but if you have been, you probably noticed few, if any, flowers on the graves. What you likely noticed instead was an abundance of small stones on the gravestones. The Jewish community has nothing against flowers, per se, but the thinking, or so some say, is that flowers are a metaphor for the brevity and frailty of life. Stones, however, are a better representation of the permanence of memory because stones do not die. I have always loved that custom and the thought behind it."

"Our few hours together last night in the treehouse and this whole day, Simon, even given its shaky start, have been the very happiest of my life. Everything and everyone I love most in the world has been with me today, and you got a dose of all of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And you are still here. Standing in the moonlight after singing a ridiculous song with your ridiculous girlfriend, and looking more handsome than a body has a right to, telling me I am perfect."

AngelFyre stepped closer to him, and smiled as she looked up into his beautifully dark, dhampir eyes. She brought her hands up and offered him the heart-shaped stone and maybe the permanence of his own memories. "I love you, Simon. Forever and always."

The plan for this morning had been determined last night at dinner. She, Simon, and her father were going to go dirt biking after breakfast. That was aces by AngelFyre. Anything that got her two favorite fellows together and bonding could be nothing but good news. She had told Simon last night before they parted that she would meet him at breakfast on the patio after she had completed her morning chores for her motley McCubbin misfits. They were in no way perfect, but their imperfections just continued knitting her heart together in surprising ways.

AngelFyre had gotten out of bed at 4:30 am and had showered and readied herself for the day. She thought about the evening before and smiled for the millionth time. She had not slept. How could she? Then she reached for her brush and started brushing her long locks when she became aware of the smile on her face. It was not even 5:00 am and already that boyfriend of hers had her smiling. She looked in the vanity and marveled that she could be this happy. She had always been a happy girl, but this was a different level kind of happy. She reckoned she smiled almost as much as her fellow did these days…almost.

Then the thought struck her that she and Simon had only been a couple for less than two weeks at this point. Twelve days to be exact. How was that even possible? It felt like so much longer, but in the best possible way. If she was this happy now, in so short a time, would that happiness only grow or would it hit a level and stabilize? Worse yet, would it peter out and simply die? No. Something in her told her it would definitely not die and that there was so much to look forward to with the handsome hunk just 12’ below her now.

She smiled again. He was just twelve feet away. But it was 12’ too far. Still, unflagging joy could not be quelled and her silly side got the better of her. Doing her best impersonations of a contestant and of Alex Trebek on JEOPARDY!, AngelFyre launched into her own particular brand of fun.

“AngelFyre Physiology for $400 please, Alex.”

“Her brain thinks of Simon Kincaid and her lips do this?” challenged Alex in his measured cadence, his accent almost completely devoid of his Canadian upbringing.

AngelFyre’s hand rapidly squeezed her sponge blender about seven times before she heard Alex call her name. She nodded her self-satisfied victory to her two opponents, Rudyard her plush Tiger and Denali her plush bear before quickly answering “What is smile, Smile, SMILE, Alex?!?” she said aloud and dissolved into a fit of giggles.

Still giggling, she looked in the vanity and was just about to put her hair in its standard ponytail for chores, but she knew Simon liked her hair down so much better, so she opted not to do so. She did not expect to see him before getting back here and cleaning up before breakfast, but one never knew. Better to be prepared just in case.

She finished brushing her hair and looked down at Hillary. “Come on, girl. It is time to feed the crew and then we feed us.” Hillary cocked her head to one side and then to the other and looked as if she were going to bark, but AngelFyre put her finger to her lips and her gentle giant contented herself with massive tail thumps. She reached down and patted her head and gave her a couple of scratches behind her ear. If Simon had been asleep, those thumps probably changed that.

**************

An hour later, AngelFyre was heading back to the house to get herself cleaned up. Hillary was running ahead of her, bounce chasing who knows what, but she was determined to catch it, whatever it was. AngelFyre just stopped for a moment, enjoying the cool air and the glimpse of the pinks and oranges reflecting in the river. She sat down for a moment in the dewy grass and took it all in.

She loved this place. She loved it as much as she knew Simon loved London. She knew he would never come close to feeling about it as she did, but she sat for a moment and prayed that it was not an altogether completely distasteful place to him. She knew she could never live without him… so London was going to be her future someday… but this place was her touchstone. She could not live without it either… at least not permanently.

Standing again, she challenged Hillary to a race back to the house. “First one there gets a bowl full of kibble and some bacon strips.” Hillary’s eyes were dancing and she was circling in anticipation. “Ready. Set. G — Hey! You big stinker,” AngelFyre just laughed. This was their daily ritual. Hillary always cheated, but even if she did not, she would still win by a mile.

**************

Stepping out onto the patio after cleaning herself up and feeding Hillary, AngelFyre was pleased to see everyone already there, talking and laughing. She greeted everyone with a cheery “Good morning, my Fab Four,” but her eyes immediately went to Simon… as did she. He was standing with a pitcher of water in one hand and a smaller pitcher of pineapple juice in the other. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a gentle squeeze knowing he could do nothing, but that was part of the fun. As she hugged him, she looked over at her father, who just rolled his eyes, shook his head, and then smiled.

“Hey! What is this? Making my fellow work for his meal?” She snickered a teasing smile at her father, and briefly squeezed Simon a little more tightly before releasing him.

"You know better than that, Lass. He volunteered,” and Iain McCubbin smiled. “Claimed not to be hungry. Something about the anticipation of the bike riding ahead,” and he grinned at her, motioning for her to sit down. AngelFyre obliged, but not before reaching for a couple of bacon strips to give to a very patient Hillary, sitting off in the grass. Simon set the pitchers down after pouring some pineapple juice for Grandma Ruth and took his seat beside AngelFyre.

Because she was using her hands to gather a scone with clotted cream along with the fruit compote bowl, she decided the next best way to connect with him was to hook her ankle around his. Her father may not like all of the kissing, but there was just a feeling of impossibility that came with the thought of being in Simon’s presence and not touching him. She looked over the rim of her water glass and smiled at him. God, he was so handsome.

As Simon and her father discussed the basics of motorcycling, AngelFyre ate as quickly as she could without embarrassing herself, or more importantly… her mother. She was a diligent chewer of her food, but a little less chewing happened this morning in favor of getting a move on to the garage. This was going to be a great morning.

Twenty-five minutes later, all three were suited up and ready to head out to the track. AngelFyre was surprised to see that the three cycles had already been loaded onto the flatbed, so all they had to do was get there. Her Dad and Simon had been busy themselves that morning, loading everything while she was tending to the animals. Excellent. She hoped it was some nice one-on-one bonding time for the two.

“He will insist on riding with you around the track for the first go. It is a safety thing. He did it with Kendric and Ainsley as well. I suspect you are going to be his star pupil, after moi, (after me) that is,” and she hip checked him while laughing. “The first go will be to make sure you know how to handle the cycle. The second go he will likely let you ride solo, but he will ride point around the track so that you can concentrate on the track itself. As the morning progresses, and his and your comfort levels increase, the real fun will begin. More speed and maybe even some racing.” She lowered her sunglasses and raised her eyebrows up and down rapidly a couple of times.

“You might be hot stuff in the air, my dove, but terra firma is your wolf’s domain. I race hard and I race to win. Be prepared.” And when her father was not looking, she quickly leaned up and kissed him softly. "Have fun, Handsome!"

“Okay, lad. The track is marked with bright yellow tape around tree trunks along the way. Look for those at first and you should be fine. Soon enough you will probably learn the track and not even need them.” Then, rubbing his hands together, pure glee written all over his face, Iain McCubbin looked at the two of them. “Are we ready then?”