Saving David Beckham PV AngelFyre Finished

AngelFyre awoke early. She was not too surprised to have slept as it had been a couple of days since she had slept at all. She honestly wished she could sleep more when away from Simon. It made time go so much more quickly. She had had a dream about him though. Those were usually delicious. Usually.

In this one he had a twin sister, and she had snowy white hair, cerulean eyes rimmed in dark turquoise, and more than anything, she detested AngelFyre. Her name was Catherine, and much as AngelFyre tried, Catherine would not be swayed from her dislike. AngelFyre could have adjusted to that with little angst but for the fact that Simon seemed to be persuaded to take his cues from his sister. A showdown of sorts took place, or would have, if AngelFyre had cared to stick around for it. She was not going to engage with Catherine for Simon's affections. He either wanted her or he did not. As she was leaving, Simon seemed confused as to why, and she just stared at him sadly with her head held high, but she leaned up to deliver a final goodbye kiss.

"If I really have to explain it to you, I truly do not belong here," and by "here" she meant his heart and patted it one last time as well before turning to leave. She did not expect to hear him call her back, but she hoped against hope he would. What she heard, instead, was his mint-colored door softly close behind her and the lock click.

She willed herself to wake up then. Her mind's voice had been telling her to wake up and just at the moment her pain would have been unbearable, she did awaken. But she was still shaken and she really still wanted to cry. It was a completely cruddy dream and not at all the way she wanted to start her day. She lay there for a few minutes and tried to decipher if there was some meaning to it at all. She, of course, chalked it up to yet another sore point that had started to fester over Adrian Hawthorne.

Unbelievably, AngelFyre had actually determined a while ago that she was jealous of Simon's father. She had not told Simon of this because what would the point be in doing so? If she wanted to hear the real life equivalent of his door closing behind her, sure, she could spill out proof of her pettiness to him, but that she definitely planned not to do. She was most assuredly still scared of the "man" and the danger he posed to Simon, but how could anything she say to him ever mean anything if he knew she was also jealous of the time he spent thinking, talking, researching, and planning all things Adrian Hawthorne? Now it was moving beyond all of that to visits. Not meetings, but actual visits.

Had Simon ever looked that excited to visit her? She shook her head and scolded herself. Stop it right now, AF!

She sat up in her bed and brought her knees up to her chest. Hillary began to thwack her tail at the movement, but settled back down quickly to get a few more zzzzzzs. It was early, even for her gentle giant.

AngelFyre had prayed and prayed that the jealousy leave her, that Adrian do no harm to her love, and that Simon soon find out what he needed and wanted to know so that his focus could finally turn from that man. How spoiled could one girl get anyway? Plenty, apparently. AngelFyre was not exactly certain when it had been determined in her mind that she and Simon would be together every school break, but she had flipped that switch to the ON position somewhere along the way and was both sad and embarrassed to have to turn it OFF now.

Ugggggh. Get over it already, AF. You have a rich life, too, outside of Simon. Go dig in those mines while you still have the chance. Grandma Ruth is the motherlode right now and you know it. You also know Simon is devoted to you, whether glued to your hip or not. Stop acting like a baby and start acting like the almost 13 year old are.

And with that, she got up and dressed herself for her morning chores. "Come on, Hillary! Come on, girl! Time to feed the menagerie."

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

After feeding Donkey Yoti and Calvin Coolidge as well as the rest of the motley misfits, she happily mucked out his stall, along with Goliath's and Red's. Then she found Hugo, their on-site veterinarian, in the dispensary. AngelFyre spent some time tagging along with him as he administered the morning meds. Tallulah, one of the Highland cows, had an infection in a hoof, so AngelFyre was happy to distract her with fresh Timothy hay while Hugo jabbed her quickly in her haunch with an antibiotic cocktail, laced with a mild pain killer. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. She did not even seem to notice the jab, and that made both AngelFyre and Hugo happy.

"So, Hugo. How are the wedding plans coming along? June is not that far away. I saw Kalinda yesterday and she is pretty calm," and AngelFyre smiled broadly and made a show of looking down at Hugo's feet. "I see no signs of frost bite so may I safely assume you do not have a case of cold feet?"

"Cold feet? Me? Hardly," and he chuckled. "I chased after that lass for three years. After catching her, I'm not bloody likely to throw her back," and they both laughed. "Aye, June is almost upon us, and just between you and me and anyone else I can get to listen to me, it can't get here soon enough."

AngelFyre grinned at seeing Hugo so happy, and together they finished doling out the medications and charting vitals. It was a good morning for animals and humans alike. Everyone was doing well and they all seemed content. Hard to ask for more, and AngelFyre would not... she would simply say her silent thanks for peace on the sanctuary and head back to the house to feed Hillary.

It was a big day, today. Her folks had planned a party to celebrate her 13th birthday. She would be at Hogwarts, of course, for the actual anniversary of her birth, but that mattered to her only because she would at least get to see Simon, since, unlike today's festivities, he would be present then.

Her mother told her yesterday that Kendric had been invited, and surprisingly, had accepted. If his attitude was still as chilly toward her as it had been at Christmas, AngelFyre wished he, like Simon, would stay home. The way Simon felt about Kendric probably made it a good thing for sure that he had desired to spend his break in England. It was, after all, supposed to be a happy birthday and not a slap happy day, and AngelFyre giggled at her silly wordplay as she raced Hillary back to the house.

"Ready for some bacon, girl? First one ba-," and she stopped because, like every single morning, Hillary always cheated and took off before the metaphorical pistol shot, the official start to the race, was even ever fired. And just like every other single morning, it all made AngelFyre laugh heartily.

Right, then. Bacon for her dog and a shower for herself. Then she would see if her handsome hunk was available for some video chat. She might not get to be with him, but she was still determined to see him.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Iain McCubbin greeted everyone jovially as first Maggie, and then Simon, clambered out of the taxi with a pet carrier. He took note immediately that Maggie Kincaid was not the smiling, happy woman he had met nearly 8 months earlier, and he wrapped her in a reassuring hug as she needlessly apologized for the timing.

Please, no need to apologize at all, Maggie. Your timing is quite perfect, actually, though I understand completely how the reason for your being here is disheartening," and he patted her gently before directing her attention to Hugo. "Maggie Kincaid, I would like you to meet the best veterinarian in the whole of the UK, Hugo Kidd," and he smiled down upon Maggie. "I do not exaggerate when I say that. Hugo is a miracle worker and an animal whisperer, or so AngelFyre tells me," and he chortled. Then looking to Hugo he stated, "Hugo, this is Maggie Kincaid, and the strapping lad holding the carrier is her nephew, Simon Kincaid."

Hugo, Maggie, and Simon all exchanged pleasantries, and Hugo did his best to reassure her that he would do everything humanly possible for David Beckham, even joking that he would now be able to add a stint as a sports medicine practitioner onto his curriculum vitae (aka CV, "course of life" in Latin or job résumé). "I received the medical records from your Emergency vet, and while the situation is dire, I tell you now that there is good reason to have hope. Diabetes in cats is very treatable," and he smiled at her as he then reached out to take the carrier from Simon. After a quick examination, he noted the cat was dehydrated and that was the first thing to be dealt with as he walked the carrier over to a golf cart. I need to get him down to the clinic now, but you are free to ride along, or I can find you later and update you."

Maggie looked first to Simon and then to Mark, but remained silent. "You go ahead, Hugo. If Maggie wants to be down there, I will see that she gets there. No worries." He once again smiled reassuringly at Maggie and then turned his attention to Simon, offering his hand. "Hello, Simon. Good to see you, lad. Yes, yes. She is at the party - you will likely find her down near the stables. We are having a... a... " and he scratched his head, looking at no one in particular. "I am not entirely sure what to call the theme, but it is supposed to be reminiscent of the western barbeques Grandma Ruth used to host on her ranch back in the States. Go on with you now. I will make certain your bags get to your guest room. It will be the same as you had before."

As Simon made a dash towards the stables off to the west, a very fitting direction given the party theme, he heard Aunt Maggie introduce Mark to AngelFyre's father. "Nice to meet you, Mark. We will be setting you and Maggie up in the guest villa, which is in exactly the opposite direction Simon is running now, so you can have some peace and quiet away from the noisy celebration if that suits your needs more in this moment."

***********************
AngelFyre was having an absolute blast, mostly because Grandma Ruth seemed to be having a great day. In the days since she had been home on break, they had been doing all kinds of cooking and crafts in preparation for today's party. A lot of the prep had been done long before AngelFyre had returned home, but the last minute details were what was left to do, and it had been so much fun. When her mother had written asking what theme she would like for her birthday party, AngelFyre owled back that a hoe down, BBQ, square dance kind of thing that Grandma Ruth often talked about, and clearly missed, is what she wanted. And so it was.

Her father and Hugo had rigged up a chuck wagon and set up hay bales all around the barn and the stables for seating. The bales were covered in colorful horse blankets or quilts, and some even had saddles on them for a more padded and elevated bit of seating. Padded fold out chairs had been placed around the area as well for those who wanted more support. AngelFyre knew what a sacrifice all of that had been from her father as he was terribly allergic to hay, but he had plied himself with allergy medications for the past week, and seemed to be doing okay. He was miserable the first day or two after physically moving the hay bales, but that had all pretty much passed now. He was particularly proud of the dance floor. It had been constructed of wooden pallets and had been beautifully lined with milk cans and barrels and planters full of all kinds of spring wildflowers and grasses, adorned with horseshoes and harnesses and twine.

AngelFyre had just that morning completed the wheels to the chuck wagon. She and her mother had earlier in the week opted to simply cut out wheels from butcher paper and attach them to the chuck wagon with tape, but AngelFyre found she had more time since everything else was done, so she took a couple of hula hoops and wrapped them in long strips of the butcher paper that had been cut on he bias. She covered sticks in the same paper and glued them on as spokes. The first wagon wheels would have been fine, but these were much nicer.

She had finished and then helped with the remaining refreshments. Her first job was to draw two black ovals on the bottom of the cups, having them look like pig snouts. Such a simple little thing, but it absolutely delighted her inner child.... her much younger inner child. While she was doing that, Grandma Ruth was placing all of the votives in the mason jars that her father and Hugo would later string up over the dance floor and around the party staging area. Her mother was working on the jean's pocket menu that would be hung up on the chuck wagon or on display where everyone would be getting their plates and cutlery.

It was expected to be quite a large turnout as so many of the kids AngelFyre had gone to school with had been invited and, of course, their parents and the whole village of Stenton. Her father had had a big pit dug and they had been preparing and slow roasting pigs for days. A series of large smokers and grills were also set up for Grandma Ruth's brisket and ribs. This was the only part of the party AngelFyre had a hard time with, but she would say nothing as it meant so much to Grandma Ruth. Still, her vegetarian self had to come to grips with the fact that not everyone saw the world as she did. That was part of growing up, too.

Welcome to your teen years, young Miss.

So, that was how her morning and early afternoon had been spent; with family and friends and having a grand time, and yes, missing you know who. She was currently hopping and participating in a potato sack race... and in a stiff competition with Ainsley for second place behind Liam Wilkerson... when she took her eyes off the FINISH line and stopped dead in her tracks, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her. Just about the time she was ready to convince herself there was no way it was Simon, Hillary leaped up from the sidelines and bounded off towards him.

It is him. Simon is here. He is really here!

Well, if Liam Wilkerson and Ainsley Grandin thought they were going to best the birthday girl...they absolutely were and she could not care less once she laid eyes on Simon. She dropped the potato sack and immediately began to kick her feet free so that she could run towards him as fast as she could, which was actually pretty darn fast. Liam did not precisely register what was happening, so he stopped momentarily in his tracks as AngelFyre zipped right by him on one side, leaving just enough of an opening for Ainsley to hop right past him on his other. They apparently battled it out for 1st, but Ainsley beat him out in the end. It was a much talked about and hotly contested ending to the race and was spoken of amongst their group of friends for years. AngelFyre, of course, never witnessed the ending to the race as she was halfway to greeting her other half.

By necessity, Simon had had to halt his progress towards her because a rather insistent Irish wolfhound was circling him and crying her happiness at seeing him. As she was fast approaching, AngelFyre commanded, "Sit!" and Hillary immediately obeyed, at which point Simon was free to turn just in time to catch her as she leaped into his arms and glued her lips to his.

"YOU are the best birthday surprise EVER!" and she continued to smother his face in kisses, laughing the whole time.

"Howdy yourself, pardner," she drawled back at him, while tipping her very real straw hat to his imaginary one and smiling that wide, effervescent smile of hers that only he could bring out in her. Her hand was instinctively reaching for its place in his as his other was ministering to the equally needy Hillary. The last thing in the world she had expected today, or any day during this school break, was to see Simon, so AngelFyre was just beside herself and bursting with questions.

She found she had to ask none of them as Simon told her right out of the gate the real reason for the visit... an emergency veterinary visit. He had told her in their video chat early that morning about David Beckham, but he had neglected to mention that he would be bringing the sick kitty here. It did not phase her one bit that Simon was only here because of an emergency. She would happily and greedily take any opportunity to be with him.

"I am so sorry for the circumstances that actually brought you here, but I am glad for David Beckham's sake you all did make the trip. If anyone can save him, I promise Hugo will, or in the alternative, make him as comfortable as possible until the end. My money is on saving him though," and she leaned over to give him a soft, but lingering kiss on the lips. After stepping back she stated honestly, "I am so happy to see you, Simon. I was not fibbing. You really are the best birthday surprise."

She turned around and guided him towards the festivities. The great potato sack race commotion was in full swing by the time they reached the group. Liam was laying out his objections, most vociferously, to the judge, and Ainsley was doing the same. Ainsley stopped almost mid-sentence as AngelFyre and Simon approached the group. A look of shock at first lived on her face, but when her questioning eyes met AngelFyre's sparkling ones, a slow smile made an appearance and she nodded at her friend most approvingly.

Liam was still yammering on, pleading his case for a re-match, when the judge turned around to see what it was that had so caught Ainsley's attention. It was then that Simon and Kendric would meet for the second time in their lives, and it would go no better than their first. Kendric blinked a couple of times at the couple but said nothing. His eyes darted to AngelFyre, but she missed the flash of anger that crossed them before it was subsumed by the pain that quickly colored them.

Kendric raised a hand behind him, implicitly signaling to Liam to silence himself, which he reluctantly did. When he he began to speak, he turned back to Liam. "Oi, Liam. The lass beat you fair and square. It was all yours for the taking, yeah," and then Kendric turned back around, facing Simon and AngelFyre once again, "but you took your eyes off the prize." He was looking directly at AngelFyre and a resigned sadness undergirded his tone. Then he moved his gaze to Simon while finishing his final proclamation to Liam, yes, but there was no missing that the message had been one he had had to put into practice himself, but on a grander scale. "Take your bruised ego and go nurse it like a good lad. The world, you will find, will continue to spin on its axis. The better man, errrm, girl won. It happens. Just ready yourself for the next battle and visualize your success."

Liam stormed off, feeling most unsatisfied with the final outcome. His retreat left Ainsley, Kendric, and Simon and AngelFyre alone for the moment. Feeling the air thick with tension, AngelFyre cleared her throat and grabbed Ainsley's hand, ignoring Kendric for the moment. "Ainsley, I am pretty certain you well know by now this is Simon Kincaid, my incredible boyfriend." She knew those last three words would eat Kendric up, but she did not utter them to be mean-spirited. She uttered them because they were the truth and because that is who Simon was to her, and she was proud of that fact. The smile upon her face at finally being able to introduce her childhood friend to her favorite person in the world was bright and large and joyful. "Simon, I am most pleased for you to meet my best childhood girlfriend, Ainsley Grandin, newly crowned Potato Sack Race Champion, apparently," and she laughed. Still looking at Ainsley, she added, "Lucky for you... and for me... Simon arrived when he did. I was just about to overtake Liam myself. I had the win in the bag, pun definitely intended," she teased her friend.

Stepping off to the side so Simon and Ainsley could exchange a few words, she moved closer to Kendric, making no eye contact with him whatsoever. When the initials were over, AngelFyre looked to Simon and said, with a hopefulness she prayed would be met in the moment by the two boys present, "And Kendric, of course, you have already met."

She watched the two and held her breath. She hoped that, unlike at Simon's birthday celebration, there would be no fireworks today at hers.

She exhaled more easily after hearing and watching Simon. Kendric was still prickly over the whole situation and while he had agreed to come to her birthday party, believing that Simon would not be there, things were showing signs of getting rough around the edges again for him and AngelFyre. He had been one of the first to arrive that afternoon, and it would have been horribly awkward at first had it not been for Ainsley showing up with him.

Ainsley knew the whole story, from AngelFyre's perspective anyway, and was sympathetic, even given the enormous crush she had had on Kendric since forever. AngelFyre had never pressed her friend to know whether Kendric had spoken up to Ainsley about anything having to do with the one stolen kiss, an attempted second kiss, a declaration of love, and then what essentially amounted to bailing from their friendship altogether. If he had told Ainsley anything and asked her not to repeat it, AngelFyre could respect that. Plus, she did not want to put Ainsley in a worse position than she was in currently. It could be no fun stuck in the middle of two feuding best friends. Or were they former best friends? Were they even still friends at all? The thought that they might not be even that any longer made AngelFyre want to cry any time she thought upon it. She honestly did not know what they were to each other any longer. Kendric had stopped voluntarily speaking to her altogether since last August, and on the one occasion he found he had to, at Christmas, he was dismissive and incredibly hurtful.

So, when her mother told her yesterday that Kendric would be coming to the party, AngelFyre was unsure how to feel about it. Cautiously optimistic is where she finally landed. When she had opened the door and saw him standing on the landing with Ainsley, she smiled immediately at them both. It was such a familiar sight. Ainsley flew into her arms and hugged her tightly, bestowing her with an enthusiastic "Happy Birthday, AF!" but Kendric was stiff and reserved. AngelFyre looked at him looking at her while she was still in Ainsley's embrace, and she lowered a hand and outstretched it to him. He looked at it for a second and she saw his immediate impulse was to take it, but he quelled it quickly.

She blinked back the sting and the tears and buried her face in Ainsley's hair, forcing herself to concentrate on the friend who was acting like a friend. "I am so glad to see you. You have no idea how much I have missed you. Now you cannot call me the baby any longer. I am a bona fide teenager just like the two of you," and she laughed. "Come in. Come in. There is so much to do and to talk about and to tell."

Kendric had not even crossed the threshold before the snark came out. "If the "so much to talk about and to tell" has to do with Simon Kincaid, I'll take a hard pass, thanks," he muttered quietly, but not too quietly for AngelFyre to hear as he was stepping foot inside. Hearing his tone and his hurtful words, AngelFyre put her hand up in the universal sign meaning "STOP" and deftly positioned herself directly in front of him, preventing his entry into the home he had always been welcome in until that moment.

She quickly turned and told Ainsley that her mother and Grandma Ruth were in the kitchen and could use some help if she would not mind. "I want to speak to Kendric for a second and will be right with you shortly," and then she stepped forward, forcing Kendric to back up and move to the side as she closed the door behind her.

She had spent the better part of a year hurt and feeling bad for him, thinking that somehow he would come around and see the value in their friendship, but he was clearly nowhere near that spot. With that one comment alone Kendric had managed to ignite all of her fury and impatience in the moment, and she was having none of it.

"Well, if that is how you feel, you are more than free to turn around and high tail it back home. No one is forcing you to be here, least of all me. In fact, I do not want you here if this is how you intend to treat me. I am done with the emotional abuse, Kendric. I do not deserve it. You know I do not. I am sorry that your are hurt - ...." and he scoffed at that and brushed his wrist in the air as if to say she was crazy. Before she could finish her sentence, he looked her straight in the eyes and interrupted with a forceful, "I'm not hurt!" and then more softly as his eyes moved down to stare at his feet, "I'm not." She knew him well enough to know that was a lie. She also knew he was choking back a lot of emotion, so she moved past him to sit on the stone steps.

She said nothing and just looked out to the river. It was just a few seconds before he took a seat beside her. "Who you are to me... who you have always been to me... is more precious than I could ever put into words. I know you feel that. And I also know that the feelings were returned. I am sorry, Kendric, that my happiness has brought you pain. You have to know it was not my intent to ever hurt you. I knew for quite some time that you liked me as more than a friend, but I never had those kind of feelings for you. In fact, you know I never had them for anyone, until...." and she stopped short of saying Simon's name. No point in adding fuel to the fire.

"I am sorry," and she swallowed hard, but not because she was choking back tears but because she had come to the end of feeling guilty about feeling happy, and Kendric needed to know that. "I am sorry that you cannot bear to be around me and my happiness. My happiness does not have to come at your expense, you know? That is a choice you are making. If I mean so much to you, you need to figure out how to deal with the fact of Simon, because, Kendric, he is going nowhere anytime soon. I love him. More than anyone on the face of this earth, I love him. That I cannot help, nor do I want to, not even for you, my friend. Not even for you."

They both sat there for a minute or so, looking out towards the river. It was soft and surprising, but Kendric apologized, not with words, per se, but by punching her softly in the shoulder. It was what they did, what they had done for years, to show affection or to say I am sorry. It caught her off guard and she turned to him to find his eyes brimming with tears, but a smile was trying to take up residence on his lips. She snickered a bit and made a fist of her own and then punched him back in his shoulder. They did that a couple of times more and then he finally did apologize. "I am sorry. I'm more sorry than you know. I've missed you, too, and I don't want to keep fighting with you."

"Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but you were the only one fighting here," she said as she got up, smiling at him. "Come on. There is still a ton of stuff to do before folks show up in a couple of hours," and she started to make her way to the door.

"Oi. Wait up, AF. I need to know something." and he paused until she paused and turned to look at him. "Rumor has it that Simon will not be here today. Is that true?"

AngelFyre, admittedly, was taken aback by the question, but she could well understand the place it was coming from quite honestly. She narrowed her eyes a bit as she considered her response. "That is true. Simon will not be here." She continued to look at him evenly with no discernible emotion on her face. "But why, exactly, is that important? If my answer had been yes, he will be here, would that mean that you would not, because I have to say, that does not feel like progress to me. That kind of behavior is not a longstanding basis for a friendship if I have to keep you both separated, now is it?"

"Maybe not, but it is what I can handle right now. Baby steps are still steps, right? That leads to progress if stepping in the right direction, right?" he asked plaintively.

She sighed and smiled at him. "Yeah, they are and yes they do. Now come on! There is work to do and a party to enjoy."

********
Coming back into the here and now, she had to smile. As usual, she could not have been more proud of Simon. He had no idea what he had walked into, but he knew he had walked into something. He had not made it a secret with her of what he thought of Kendric, but because he loved her and knew she loved Kendric, he wanted her to have her friend in her life. Of the two, he was definitely being the bigger person here, but he also was not the one with the broken heart. It has to be easier to be the bigger person when you are not the one hurting. Or maybe not. Kendric could be such a pill sometimes, but Simon was generally patience personified. And today that showed.

She caught Simon's eyes and mouthed a 'thank you' to him as he tried to diffuse the situation with Kendric. "Simon's visit is a great surprise. He and his Aunt are here because his Aunt's cat, David Beckham, is in poor health and they wanted to give him every chance possible. It is certainly and unexpected, but wonderful surprise to have him here," and she left Kendric's side and moved back over to Simon's, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Ainsley had been silent, watching and listening to the whole proceeding with an eye mostly to Kendric. "I am very glad, for AF's sake, Simon, that you were able to come, though I am sorry to hear about David Beckham. Great name, by the way," and she giggled. Then she looked to Kendric who was being uncomfortably quiet.

He finally stood and looked up into Simon's eyes. Simon was tall for his age and Kendric was just the opposite. In fact, AF was even taller than Kendric now. He cleared his throat and like Simon had just done, Kendric did his best at attempting politeness and civility. It was harder for him. He felt betrayed and lied to, but AngelFyre could see he was trying. "Yes. I'm well. Hope the same for you. And yes, it is a grand party for a grand girl, indeed," he stated with 50 shades of irritation colored into every syllable. Then quickly turning to Ainsley, he remarked he might be feeling a little hangry and wanted to know if she wanted to go get some food with him.

"These two do not need eyewitnesses to their tender reunion," and as soon as he said the words, he winced visibly, shrugging his shoulders up into his neck. "I -... I -... and he sighed, looking to AngelFyre. "I'm sorry. Again. I'm hangry." Turning then to Simon he surprisingly apologized to him as well. "I have begun to work this out with AF, but I owe you an apology for kissing your girl. I have no excuse, no good one at any rate, but I don't want to lose my friend and I sure do not want to make trouble for her either, so I hope you and I can maybe have a re-start and attempt to put the past behind us? No need to respond right this second. I'm going to go eat." And just like that, he motioned for Ainsley to step in front of him and off the two went, headed for the chuck wagon.

"Gee, bet you are thrilled no end to be here right now, eh?" and she leaned into Simon, wrapping his arm around her. "I honestly never expected that you would get an apology from him. Did you?"

And before he could answer her, Grandma Ruth, standing near the line of smokers and plates piled high with brisket, caught sight of him and called out his name, beckoning him over to her, smiling from ear to ear. "Simon, my boy! How is the cat?" David Bowie isn't it?" and she grinned and winked at him after smothering him in a tight hug. Craning her neck around, and seeing no female adult in the general vicinity, she asked him, "Where is your Aunt Maggie? I've been dying to meet her," and she snorted laughter at her macabre little joke. Simon was at first taken aback, but he had been around AngelFyre's Grandma Ruth enough to know it was just who she was. This was not a woman who was going to waste a single minute wringing her hands over what was coming sooner than she, or any of them, would have liked. Unable to help herself, AngelFyre laughed out loud. "Grandma Ruth, you are a card. Now do not scare my fellow away. He might worry your particular brand of dark humor is catching and then where would I be?"

And before anyone could say anything, Kendric spouted off with, "No worries there, AF. I may be warming the bench in the minor leagues now, but one day I hope to get to the show. If a pinch hitter is ever needed up at bat, I'm your lad." He stopped forking food into his mouth and looked at them. "I'm kidding. I'm KIDDING! I swear."

He was laughing happily while taking a mouthful of his brisket, but she and Simon just looked at each other, not knowing exactly what to make of it at all.

Ainsley, to AngelFyre's great amusement, seemed to be having a hard time keeping her eyes off of Simon. She would not be the first girl to fall under his spell, nor would she be the last. When she finally peeled her eyes off of him, she looked to AngelFyre and put a hand to the side of her mouth and silently formed three letters "O M G". AngelFyre softly chuckled while widening her eyes and only nodded her head a couple of times in acknowledgement.

Linking her ankle around Simon's, she smiled at him as he mentioned Stenton. "I am glad you think it is a beautiful little village. I have always thought so." Then turning to her friends she told them all about his whirlwind tour. "I am not sure what fascinated him more, the tour of Mr. McGregor's garden or discovering that his British self had a clan tartan that was being proudly displayed in Mr. Simpson's shop window. A very green tartan at that."

Kendric had pretty much been looking only at his plate, but the mention of the tartan caught his attention and had him look up. He politely wiped some of the barbeque sauce off of his lips and his fingers from the ribs he had been devouring before speaking. He actually smiled, and for a change, it looked to be one of his normally friendly smiles. "I remember that. I had been helping him in his shop earlier that week and he asked me to help him get the display window set up," and he laughed, looking at the both of them and then to Ainsley. "He had said that a very fine young lady had wanted to surprise her boyfriend with his "clan" tartan," and Kendric raised his hands to make air quotes when saying the word clan. "I had no idea that he was speaking of AF as he never divulged the fine young lady's name, but I do remember putting the kilt on the window dummy was more difficult than putting one on myself. Very different perspective as everything was opposite."

Kendric got silent for a few seconds, a smile still resting on his lips. "I figured it out a couple of days later when we met," and he turned a friendly gaze to Simon. "It's a nice tartan. Green. AF loves green, so it also has that going for it. Have you ever worn a kilt before, Simon?"

Ainsley interjected at this point with a tease. "Rumor has it that AF is dying to see you in one, because..." and she let that "because" hang in the air, causing AngelFyre to widen her eyes and stare hard at her, shaking her head in small, rapid fast movements which looked more like little tremors at that moment than anything else, but Ainsley just looked at her and plowed on anyway, "because she has long worried that her Adonis of a boyfriend is actually bow-legged!"

When AngelFyre heard bow-legged, it took a moment for relief to wash over her as she had feared Ainz was going to spill one of her deepest desires. Yes, it was true that she wanted to see Simon in a kilt one day, but that one day just so happened to be their wedding day. That was not anything they had spoken of, and she was honestly not sure at all how her London Town fellow would feel about such a thing. Thankfully, it was not a worry she had to confront right then.

When she knew she was safe with her "secret", she snickered. "Oh, that. Pffffft. I found out a long time ago he suffers no such affliction. It was that night we went skinny dipping in my dream that it all became clear to me," and she raised her eyebrows at her two friends sitting across from her before everyone broke out into happy laughter. With her ankle still hooked around his, she also then took the opportunity to place her hand in Simon's.

"He actually has attractive legs. Honest he does," and she smiled delightedly into his eyes, knowing full well that the adjective he himself used to describe them was "sexy". She could not disagree with his assessment at all, but not everything had to be shared with everybody.