Posts by Samoan

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Smiling up at him, Sarah felt a bit sorry for the man as he mentioned an empty house that he would be returning to shortly. "What? No girlfriend or anything?" It was meant to be teasing but she couldn't help but be curious about this man who had captured in attention in a way no one had in a long time. It wasn't like she'd be dating him or anything, but that didn't mean she couldn't think about it in her free time. Not letting any of this show on her face, she smiled coolly as he looked at her with a similar interest. He really was rather beautiful in the moonlight...

"I will be working tomorrow," Sarah answered, her tone a bit amused as she shifted on her feet, "and the next day and every other day they're open. I work every day, though not usually from open to lose." When she'd first started working in the bakery, hours every day had seemed like an impossibly intimidating task. Sure she'd been looking for a way to get out of her house, but working all day every day seemed excessive. Of course then she'd actually gone in for work and met Carter and the two had hit it off right away. In just a matter of days, Sarah had realized just how much more she enjoyed being at work then at home. At the bakery she could decorate cookies an cakes and practice making sweets like she'd done with her sister in London. She could banter with Carter or with the customers and to top it all off, she got paid to do things she loved. It really was the best deal she could've been given and she'd been sure to hug Jabari around the neck the next time she'd seen him.

As they came to the edge of the walkway that would lead up to her house, she stopped and turned to face him. "Well, this is me," she said, gesturing up at the decent sized house. It was pretty big for one person and empty as her cell phone contacts, but it was a beautifully built house. "Thank you again for walking me and- oh! Your jacket!" Quickly sliding the overcoat off of her shoulders, she handed it back to him. "I'd invite you in, but the whole place is kind of a mess and I have to work in the morning. And I'm sure you'd like to go get some sleep, yourself." She felt her face heat up a bit as she rambled. Taking a breath, she steadied herself before looking back up at him and smiling. "Good night, Cole." She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek before turning and quickly climbing up the stairs and disappearing into the big house.

Flipping on the light switch as she entered the house, she only made it a few steps before a shadowy figure stepped out of the living room and scared the life out of the young woman. Reeling back, Sarah didn't even managed to scream as she brought her hand up to her chest in fright. Immediately the man stepped forward and raised his hands innocently and she recognized him. "Jabari! You scared the devil out of me!" she scolded as the tall, dark-haired man made sure she knew he wasn't a threat. "You are happy to see me then?" he asked, his voice rumbling as he opened his arms for her to fall into his embrace. She hugged him for a long time before pulling back and looking up at him with fear and concern she hadn't properly felt in nearly four years., "Tell me everything."

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As things got more heated, Scott found himself fighting the urge to lay her out on the couch and just take her there. It didn't help when she pulled his hips to hers. Groaning a bit at the contact, he kissed her a bit harder before breaking away. Being this close to her was dangerous, especially when it was just them there to know what went on in the little house. Still, as she responded to his comment, Scott couldn't help but smirk, looking down and watching as her fingers trailed a devious line over the buttons of his shirt. "Oh-ho," Scott teased, leaning in and stealing another small kiss, "trouble happens to be my middle name." Holding her fast, he looked down in his eyes, a bit of challenge glinting in the green of his irises.

While Scott certainly wanted to go all the way with her right then in there, he knew they shouldn't. He'd never been the kind of guy to jump straight into bed with a girl and while he felt like he'd known Sierra for ages, the reality was they still had a lot of getting acquainted to do. Leaning in, he kissed her again, gentler this time, lingering. He raised his good hand and ran his fingers through her hair, resting his hand at the base of her skull as he held her close. A few moments later, he broke away from her and straightened up. "We should probably talk about sleeping arrangements before we get too carried away here," he said with a sigh. He considered moving away from her, but continued crowding her space, hoping he was making her as flustered as he felt in the close proximity. Reaching up again, he played with her hair, carefully twisting it around his finger. "I only have the one bed up in my room but the couch upstairs pulls out into a sleeper. What do you want to do?" The tone of his voice was a bit suggestive, especially with him standing as close as he was. Unable to resist, he leaned in and kissed her again, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before pulling away again. Wow did he want her.

Scott couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered by the dynamic that had so quickly developed between them. Sure he'd always been confident with women, but Sierra just fit so well with him. She was so quick to joke with him and she wasn't afraid to take charge and take what she wanted. He admired that in her so greatly and it only made him want her all the more. As his hands reached out and found her hip again, he looked down at her with a gentle smile, his eyes seeming to memorize her face. She really was so beautiful and Scott desperately hoped they were able to keep this fire between them burning. If they played their cards right, this relationship could be something breathtaking and Scott personally couldn't wait to see it.

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A crooked grin tugged at Scott's lips as she declared a desire to sleep with him. If only she knew how bad he wanted that too. Taking a step back, he reached out for her and pulled her up from where she leaned against the back of the chair. "If that makes you a bad person then I suppose we're in the same boat," he replied coolly as they made their way towards the stairs. As the neared the kitchen, he broke off to grab a box of clear plastic wrap before leading her upstairs. and into his room. The sight of his bed instantly made his body feel a hundred pounds heavier as a wave of fatigue washed over his body. Shaking himself a bit, he glanced at her with a raised brow as she started forming her question. For a moment he tried to hold back his grin, but as she rambled on, he couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh. The booming noise bounced around the room for a minute before he was able to calm himself back down.

Shaking his head, Scott continued grinning. "I think I'll manage," he assured her, relieving her of the responsibility of seeing him near naked. "That's why I grabbed this." Raising up the seran wrap, he smirked at her. As long as the wound on his arm didn't get wet, he wouldn't get in trouble with the doctor tomorrow and he wouldn't have to go back to the sling. Dropping the box on the table near the bed, though, he ran a hand through his hair. "I will abdicate my turn in the shower to let you go first, though." As she leaned in and pulled him close to her again, Scott let out a content sigh and smiled down at her and returning his hands to her hips. He was so much taller than her at his astounding 6'4 height, but she still just fit against his body so well and his hands felt like they belonged wherever he placed them. She was perfect.

"I might just like to see what you're like when you're actually coming onto me," he teased, loving the way her blush crept into her face and the tips of her ears. After a moment, he released her and shook his head. If they didn't get a grip soon, it'd be dawn by the time they got to sleep. Stepping away from her, he glided across the room to his dresser and pulled out an old grey t-shirt with a faded blue University of Montana symbol on the front. Turning back to her, he lifted it up and smiled apologetically. "I've got a t-shirt you can wear, but as for everything else, I'm afraid you're on your own. You may be able to find something of my sister's in the bottom drawer in the bathroom, but I haven't checked in in a while." Stepping forward, he invaded her space again before holding the t-shirt between them to give to her.

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It was obvious that the fire was getting worse as the heat continued to rise to the higher levels. Part of Oliver wanted to take off some of his gear and just lay down for a bit, but he knew that fatigue came from the flames around him and that caving to that feeling would very quickly leave him just another body at a burn site. Pushing through the aggressive wave of heat that was pushing down on him hard, He forced himself to make it to the window. He was just leaning in to smash it open when he thought he heard something on the other side of the wall to his left. Freezing, he listened closely, his heart pounding in his chest., The second he realized that there was still someone trapped in this place, he knew he couldn't just leave them.

Protocol would've probably suggested Oliver make it back to a teammate and share what he was planning on doing, but there was no time for that and Oliver had never really been one for following the rules anyway. Clicking the button on his walkie, he did try to relay his position and his discovery to the rest of his crew outside the building, but only static and broken speech made its way back through to him. Cursing, he re-hooked the device to his coat before backtracking slowly to the hallway. As he moved, the entire building seemed to creak and groan, threatening to crumble and crush them all at any moment. Down the hall a ways, burning chunks of wood caved in part of the sixth floor, blocking any hopes of escaping that way if it came to it. As he got closer to where he'd heard the voice, a real sense of nervousness filled his chest. He'd fought plenty of fires since joining the force nearly six months earlier, but this one felt different... heavier, if that made any kind of sense.

Following the path of destruction, Oliver found a door frame full of burning junk that had obviously caved in recently. He stopped to examine the wreckage for only a moment before he heard the voice in the next room, closer than it'd been before. Throwing caution to the wind, he made his way across the broken wood and debris and into the room. As he stumbled into the large, smokey hotel room, Oliver saw a sight that chilled him to his bones despite the ever rising temperature around them. There, under a chunk of fallen debris was a young woman, still alive if barely conscious. Forgetting to mind the soft spots in the floor, Oliver rushed forward and knelt next to her. "Ma'am!" he exclaimed as he ripped off his glove and reached down to check her pulse. "Ma'am, just hang tight! I'm gonna get you out of here!" Regardless of his better judgement, not to mention the fact Cap would have his helmet for this, Oliver began working off his oxygen mask before pressing it to her face. Immediately the heat rushed over his face and he realized just how little oxygen was left in the room. Coughing and covering his mouth with his arm for a moment, he examined the debris that trapped her through the haze of the fog. After just a quick second of thinking about it, Oliver reached down and started trying to pull the debris off of her. The chunks of wall that had fallen were heavy, but slowly he was able to lift them off and drop them to the side. When he was finished, he returned to her side, putting a gentle hand on her back. "Okay! It's off! Do you think you can walk?" The building groaned beneath them again and Oliver looked up in concern. They didn't have much time.

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Some time while Sierra was in the shower, Scott changed into a t-shirt and some thin, cotton pajama pants. While he waited, he leaned back against his pillows against the headboard and try as he might, he just could not seem to keep his eyes open. It had been such a long day and he was so tired and before he knew it, his eyes were closed and he laid slumped against the cushions. By the time she came out, he could hardly be considered sitting anymore and he would've probably continued sleeping had she not started talking and brought him back to. Blinking, he rolled his head a bit and looked at her sleepily. As her face broke out in blush again, he couldn't help but grin, himself. Yawning, he scooted over on the bed and made room for her. "Get over here..."

The idea of trying to get up to go shower was suddenly lost on Scott as Sierra crawled into bed next to him. He could just shower in the morning like he usually did... it wasn't like he had gotten that hot tonight... at least not from the temperature outside. Pulling her close to him, he sighed contentedly. It was a bit hard to believe that this woman was still so new in his life when she fit up against him like she'd been born to lay right there. As they spooned, Scott laying on his right side so that his injured arm didn't take the brunt of his weight. Playing with her hair a bit, he gently kissed her shoulder as he fought to stay awake. "Thanks for coming home with me," Scott whispered quietly to her.

If he'd been in a more awake state of mind, he might've taken advantage of this moment, but after the long day and the promise of another early morning, he just couldn't muster up the energy to do anything more than what they were doing. Admittedly, it was probably for the best that he was too tired to go any further with this relationship, tonight, but the thought still crossed his mind as his eyelids drooped closed and his soft, warm breaths came out in little puffs over her cheek.

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My next post is gonna have to do with Scott working on the ranch and meeting up with his mom's new business partners, so feel free to let Sierra explore the house and grounds a little :) Free reign

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Sleeping with her that night was arguably the best night's sleep Scott had ever had. As per usual, though, the night was over too soon as the sunrise shone through the window, waking him as it always did. While he would've loved to sleep in, he had a lot of work to do before he could get into town to go see Sutton in the hospital. Of course, that didn't stop him from waiting in bed a little longer, watching Sierra as she slept, curled up with her head resting gently against his chest. She looked so peaceful and he couldn't help but think about how lucky he was to have this beautiful, incredible woman in his bed. He hadn't even had to convince her and while nothing had happened, he felt more intimate with Sierra in that moment than he ever had with Ann Claire or any other woman he'd been with. Smiling at the thought, he brought his hand up to brush a strand of her dark hair off of her face.

He wasn't sure what it was that woke her, but a few minutes later, her eyelashes fluttered and she seemed to catch her breath before blinking her beautiful green eyes open and looking up at him. Scott had never seen anything so beautiful. When she yawned a sleepy good morning, he chuckled deeply in his chest, still looking down at her with a grin. "And to you as well, Sleepin' Beauty," he replied, his tone deep and gravelly as his voice had yet to completely wake up yet. As she leaned up and kissed him, he leaned his head back and groaned a bit. When she settled back down, he dropped his head and shook it with a grin. "Sweet Moses how I would love to just stay here with you all day..." he mumbled, bringing his hand up to gently rub her jaw with his thumb. Leaning in, he pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. "I have to get out and do some chores this morning... I want you to stay here and get some more sleep or whatever you want to do. Make yourself at home."

Forcing himself to get up, he grunted and groaned as he did and his body was sure to let him know he had, in fact, been hit by a horse just a few hours before. Rolling his shoulder, he rubbed his good hand over the bandaged area of his arm and sighed. Before he could convince himself to lay back down and go back to sleep, he stood up and made his way over to the closet on the wall. Grabbing a pair of jeans out of the dresser inside, as well as a fresh pair of socks, he made his way into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change pants. While he wasn't necessarily self-conscious of her seeing him half naked, it felt more appropriate to change in the bathroom this morning. When he was done, he walked back out, greeting the rest of the room with a yawn. Running a hand over his face and then through his hair, he came down from the mighty yawn before looking down at her in his bed again and smiling. "I'll be back in about an hour. There's stuff in the pantry downstairs if you're hungry and the bed is yours if you wanna go back to sleep." Leaning down, he stole a quick kiss before making his way towards the door, pausing only to turn back with one more piece of advice. "If you do get up, you should go out to the back porch... You won't regret it." With a wink, he disappeared downstairs before making his way out to the truck to begin his chores.

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long post // more drama ^_^

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As Scott drove away from the house, he made a mental list of everything he needed to get done. On top of his normal chores, he'd be handling Sutton's responsibilities as well, a fact he knew their hen, Sunshine wouldn't be thrilled about. Pushing the cranky chicken to the back of his mind, he sighed and blinked some of the sleep out of his eyes before pulling up in his normal parking spot by the big house. If he timed everything right, he could be done and showered by the time the new ranch hands showed up. He'd woken up to an additional text from his mother saying that some representative from some big city was coming over to check out the horses and see about going into a breeding business with the family. Thunderbolt and Dragonfly were a couple of strong, healthy horses who would be high on anyone's list of potential breeders and they had a few other horses in the stables that would make for good show horses. Selling and breeding thoroughbred ponies was a lucrative business and if they grew up and raced well, then that meant more business for the ranch and that gave them better means to take care of their animals as well as the people in town when needed.

Despite the stiffness in his left arm, Scott went about his chores as normal, not losing too much time as he went. The only thing that really slowed him down was feeding the horses as he had to collect a new bale of hay to their stables. Scott was on strict doctor's orders not to do any heavy lifting, but the doctor had known when he'd made the suggestion that Scott wouldn't be able to follow it. As he replaced the hay in Thunderbolt's stable, he felt the strain on his arm and the pain showed in his face. By the time he'd finished this chore, Scott was drenched and smelling considerably more ripe than he had at the beginning. Backing up, he ran the back of his right hand across his forehead, smearing sweat and dirt across his face and sighing. "Alright fellas... bon apetite..." Shaking his head and rubbing his sore arm, he adjusted his black cowboy had before making his way back out into the yard. The next order or business would be collecting eggs and Scott dreaded this chore like nothing else.

For as long as he could remember, Scott had been sure that the chickens had it out for him. When he was a kid, they'd come after him, chasing him around the area nearest the house. It probably had to do with the fact that he and Jamie had spent much of their free time chasing the birds and trying to catch them, training for some other fair sports games. Their mom had always been quick to scold them for bothering the hens, claiming that stress made them lay less. Either way, Scott figured they laid about the same, they just hated him. As he'd grown, the chickens hadn't become more fond of him. He suspected they could sense his avid dislike for their species and they felt likewise about him. It was either that or they were passing gossip down through the generations as chickens came and went, silently plotting his downfall. Of course, the poultry loved Sutton. The kid never had any trouble going into the chicken coup and collecting the eggs, talking to the birds as he went. Scott didn't know how he did it, but as he approached the hen house, he shook his head and sighed. Time to feed the demons and collect their eggs.

Stumbling back out of the hen house, Scott cursed the chickens out and spit feathers out of his mouth. Mumbling obscenities about the birds as well as what kind of tasty treats he'd rather see them as, he rubbed his fingers over the few red peck-marks that coated the back of his hand. Finishing up Sutton's chores, Scott finally made his way up to the house and let himself in before removing his boots and hat at the door. It was eerie standing in the big house without anyone else home. Normally, his mother would be in the kitchen and the smell of fresh eggs and bacon would be wafting through the house. Today, the house was dead silent with only the sounds of birds chirping outside the windows and the distant sounds of the ranch waking up outside the doors. Discarding the eggs on the kitchen table, Scott made his way upstairs to finally take the shower he very much needed. Wrapping clear wrap over his bandages, he let himself into the shower before closing his eyes and letting the hot water wash away the tension and stiffness in his bones. He thought about Sierra waiting back in his house for him and grinned into the water. By the time he was finished drying off and dressed, he heard a car door shutting down below. Deciding to abandon the button up, he made his way downstairs in a fresh pair of jeans and a crisp grey t-shirt. Slipping back into his boots, he made his way outside to meet the new hands.

Scott informed the new workers how to take care of the horses during the day, when to let them out and where, as well as when they'd be responsible for putting them back up in the afternoon. He had just finished informing them of the trick latch on the corral gate when dust billowed up from an approaching pickup truck similar to Scott's. Turning his attention back to the workers, Scott finished going through their responsibilities with them before sending them off to train or care for the horses. He turned around just in time to see the driver of the truck step out. Instantly, his blood ran like ice. Adjusting her own cowboy hat, the one Scott had given her during their sophomore year of high school, Ann-Claire Baker smirked when she saw Scott and then made her way over. "Well howdy there, stranger," she greeted sweetly, her drawl coming out plain and clear. "Your mama didn't tell me I'd be dealing with you this morning." Scott bit back a few nasty words he wanted to share with her and shook his head. "Yeah, she didn't tell me you were the one coming out to check out the horses either." Unable to hide his frustration, he dropped his gaze for a moment before looking back up at her flatly. "So, I'm guessing this is your elaborate idea to get back into my family's good graces? Partner up with us and start breeding horses together and then slowly inch your way back in?" Ann-Claire rolled her eyes and waved off his comments like gnats. "Don't be dramatic, Scotty. You and I both know I settle for nothing less than the best. Besides, my daddy and your daddy were close friends all those years ago. This was really their idea, years in the making." Putting a hand on her hip, she raised a cocky brow at him. "So are you gonna keep pouting or are you gonna show me around?"

The tour was as close to torture as Scott had ever experienced. She'd been here hundreds of times back then but she still insisted on him showing her around the grounds. He'd finally drawn the line when she suggested he give her a tour inside the house. "Look, AC. I've got to get back to my house and get Sierra so we can go see my brother in the hospital, so if we could just wrap this up-" She raised a hand to stop him and he knew he'd made a mistake by mentioning Sierra. "Wait. You mean the city mouse from the pizza place? Oh, Scott, you can't be serious. She is so not your type!" She stepped forward and reached out to touch him but he quickly stepped back, leaving a wide space between them. "Don't you pretend for a second you know me. You and I may have been something at one point, but we're a long way from high school now and I'm not the same stupid kid I was back then." Biting back anger, he glared at her coldly. "And don't you dare go after Sierra. She's got nothing to do with you so you just take your flying monkeys and keep away from her, you hear?" Rather than making a big fuss or getting offended, Ann-Claire simply rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever, Scott. Just know that you're making a huge mistake and when you realize it, you'll come crawling back to me on your hands and knees, begging me to remind you what it's like to be with a real woman. Tell your mom we'll be in touch." Before Scott could say anything else, she turned and made her way back to her truck, gliding as she went. He waited until she pulled out before turning back to the truck.

By the time he made it back to the house, his stomach was growling but his mood had mellowed out again. As much as Ann-Claire got under his skin, he refused to let her get under his skin and he'd be damned if he let her come between him and Sierra in anyway. Opening the door, he let himself in before looking around the room to see if he saw her. His first order of business would be to find Sierra and kiss her long and hard to get the nasty aftertaste of his ex-girlfriend out of his brain. His very next task would be to whip up something for breakfast, seeing as he was starving and he hadn't eaten anything since their snacks at the rodeo the night before. Deciding to leave his hat on, Scott kicked off his boots by the door before cupping his hands around his mouth. "Sierra?" he called, not sure whether she was upstairs or outside or somewhere else in the house where she may not hear him.

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sorry it took me so long to respond! it's been a super busy day! tomorrow and thursday may be pretty too because my sister's graduating and my mom needs help getting her kindergarten classroom ready for school to start back!

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Leaning against the door frame of the back door, Scott grinned down at Sierra where she sat, admiring the mountains. As she noticed him standing there, she said a quick goodbye to her sister before hanging up the phone and smiling up at him with that breathtaking smile that always stopped him in his tracks. Pushing off the door, he stepped forward and took her up in his arms. "Nice glasses," he commented as she buried her face in his chest. As they turned and walked back into the house, Scott stifled a yawn. It was still so early in the morning, but he could've easily gone back to bed and slept all day. With that not being an option at the moment, Scott, simply brought his free hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Everything's good. The chickens still hate me and the horses eat like, well, horses... but the new ranch hands are getting started today and everything's great." As they made their way into the kitchen, he felt his stomach growl again.

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he moved over to the fridge to collect some breakfast makings. Collecting some bacon and a few eggs, Scott got to work preparing them some food. "My arm is pretty stiff," he admitted as he put the bacon on to start frying and worked to prepare them some eggs. "I thought a hot shower would help but I'm just a little sore." He was sure that lifting the heavy hay bales hadn't helped him but he had a job to do and he couldn't let a little cut stop him from working. He decided to leave that out as he scrambled the eggs and worked at adjusting the simmering bacon. Within a few minutes, the whole house was filled with the delicious smells of breakfast and Scott was sure his stomach was going to mutiny.

"There is another thing you should know," he decided with a sigh. He didn't want to tell her, but it'd be better for her to not be surprised. "My mom's new business partner... it's Ann-Claire and her father." As disappointing as he knew that news would be to Sierra, it wouldn't hold a candle to the way he felt about it. Finishing up breakfast, he evenly distributed the food on the plates before turning and handing her one. Grabbing his coffee mug, he moved over to the table with her and sighed. "When she moved off for college, I hoped I'd never have to have anything to do with her again. I should've known better." Shaking his head, he tipped his hat back and rubbed a hand over his face. Finally, he sighed and straightened up. "But enough about Ann-Claire and her tendency to show up at the worst times." Raising his coffee mug to Sierra, he offered a gentle grin before bringing it to his lips and sipping the warm caffeinated liquid to wake himself up as he ate.

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Gonna timeskip to morning! Hope that's okay!

Also, sorry I was so absent today! The next few days are gonna be kind of hectic so I may not have a chance to get on the site, but I'll be back as soon as things start to calm down again! :)

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Sarah was virtually a zombie at work the next morning. She hadn't slept much, staying up late to talk to Jabari. He'd told her that there had been an attack on her sister a few days before Jeremiah had showed up in the states and Sarah had nearly panicked. Her sister was reportedly okay, though she was in a hospital in London. Like everyone else, Cordelia believed that Sarah had died in a fiery car crash at the bottom of a ravine outside the city. However, as they talked Sarah realized that Jeremiah must've figured it out and thought her sister would know something. Knowing that Cordelia had been hurt because of her made Sarah almost physically sick. Jabari had tried to convince her that Jeremiah might be in the states to start up business here, but it was a big deal for the head of an empire to show up to do business in person.

"Whoa! Sarah! Gloves!" Carter caught her by the wrist as she started to reach into the oven without mitts on. Snapping out of her daze, she reeled back, pulling her arm from his grip and looking back at the oven in surprise. She'd just tried to take a pan of cookies out of the oven with her bare hand and if Carter hadn't been paying attention, she would've burned the fire out of her hand. Holding her hand close to her chest, Sarah caught her breath, closing her eyes to get a hold of herself. When she opened them again, she saw her boss and friend staring at her in concern and confusion. Putting his hands on his hips, he watched her carefully. "Care to tell me what's going on with you today? That's the third time in the last hour you've done something like that." Jolting a bit as she came out of her mind, she brought a hand up and rubbed it over her face. "Geez... I'm sorry, Carter. I'm just out of it today. I didn't sleep well and I feel like I'm just really scattered." Softening his gaze a bit, Carter turned and pour Sarah a fresh cup of coffee before pushing it into her hands. "Take a break and drink this, okay? It'll give you another few minutes to wake up."

For a second, Sarah thought about arguing, but judging by the look on his face and the tone of his voice, Carter wasn't going to take no for an answer. Thanking him for the coffee, she sighed and turned to head back around the bar to a little booth table nearest the wall and the entrance to the bar. Getting comfortable, she decided to pull out her phone and start playing some game that would let her take her mind off of her stressful night. Of course there was no video game in the world that would distract her from the fact that her sister could've been killed because of her. After a minute, Sarah had lost the game and the words 'game over' blinked on the screen repeatedly. She stared down at the message as though it were directed specifically at her. She was so distracted by the coffee and the blinking that she didn't hear any customers coming into the bakery.

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lol, no worries! i enjoy changing things up from time to time ^_^

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Scott chuckled at Sierra as she talked about being more prepared to spend the night in the future. He cocked an eyebrow at her confidence but just grinned and shook his head as he followed after her. "Honestly, Jamie doesn't even wear the stuff down here. She's got some clothes stored up at the big house so you're more than welcome to these." When she teased him about the scratches on his hand, he rolled his eyes. "Cursed birds," he mumbled as they made their way to the kitchen and he started making breakfast. When he really got into it and she apologized for not even thinking about making something up for them, he just shook his head.

"Hey, you're a guest. You don't have to worry about making food or anything." He focused on the cooking for a moment before she came up behind him. When she wrapped her arms around his waist, he couldn't help but grin. Unfortunately she took her hands off of him when he mentioned Ann-Claire... understandable, but unfortunate. Turning to look at her, he watched her reaction and saw the hundred different thoughts run past her facial expression. Switching the burners on the stove to off, he waited for her to say something. When she finally did speak up, Scott had to put forth every bit of restraint he had not to let out a harsh laugh at her question. "Do you have to worry about the woman who dumped me in a hospital bed the day after I broke my back?" He watched her backpedal from the question almost immediately and shook his head as he pushed off the counter and walked over to her.

Gently bringing a hand up to her face, he ran the back of his fingers down her cheek and tilted her jaw up to look at him. Staring down into her eyes, he tried to express the genuineness of his next words through every bit of himself. "Sierra, you have nothing to worry about from Ann-Claire or anyone else. You're the girl I've got my eyes on and that's not gonna change any time soon." He continued standing close to her, his free hand on her waist as he was very clear in his response to her question. "You've been hurt before and I get that. But you have nothing to worry about. Trust me." Leaning forward, he gently took her lips against his own, trying to emphasize his point before stepping back and grabbing their plates. "Besides," he said as he made his way to the table, "I don't let just any woman come and sleep in my bed with me." Winking at her, he tried to get her to smile again as he sat down at the table.

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frickin love that movie! i've been wanting to watch it again but i haven't had time

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As Sierra relaxed Scott relaxed, settling into his seat at the dining table and digging into his breakfast. The coffee really helped to wake him up and the food quickly silenced the growling in his stomach. All of that combined with the company sitting with him at the table made for a pretty satisfying breakfast. Scott only paused in his assault on his breakfast when her phone came to life on the table. Raising an eyebrow as she immediately silenced it, he watched her curiously. He didn't want to push her, though he was curious as to what might've made her hang up so quickly. "Everything okay?" he'd asked, only to nod slowly when she explained. "I won't mind if you answer the phone," he offered, but closed his mouth when she went on to explain why she wasn't answering.

Catching his breath, Scott leaned back in his chair a bit before blowing air out of his mouth. Looking up at her, he considered her question. "I mean, they are your family too, right? Even if you don't go back to live in New York, you've got to go and see them." Glancing back down at his almost empty plate, he moved a bit of egg around with his fork, thinking of what his mama would do if he up and moved to the city. After she had him committed to a mental institute for drastic out of character activity, she'd probably be pretty torn up by him just leaving and then deciding not to come back. "I think you should just tell her you don't know when you're coming back yet... and if you do decide that you're going to stay, that would be news better delivered in person anyway." Hoping he hadn't overstepped, he returned his attention to his food, working at finishing it off in a couple of decent sized bites.

It wasn't hard to pick up on the fact that Sierra was still bothered. She wasn't really touching her food and the look on her face spoke volumes about how she really felt about this whole situation. "Hey..." he said softly, reaching out and taking her hand. "Are you gonna be okay? Do you want me to take you home so you can talk about this with Natalie or something?" He didn't know what exactly to say or do to make her feel better and he wondered if talking to family wouldn't be something better for her in this moment.

ooc:

I'm so excited to be back with these characters! Tomorrow, when I'm more awake, I'll read back over our previous responses, but I def wanted to get something up here tonight ^_^

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As they watched the movie in peace, the feeling that something was bugging Anora was really starting to become prominent in his mind. Glancing down at her, he saw here glancing at her phone and frowned a bit to himself. She was looking for a message from that jerkbag, Ryan... Raising his gaze back to the movie, Ben resisted the urge to shake his head or roll his eyes. Ryan was an idiot and a bully and Ben wasn't really sure what his best friend saw in the guy. She didn't even really seem happy with him most of the time... If she'd been happy, then Ben wouldn't have minded her relationship. Well... he would've minded it, but it wouldn't have been as bad as long as she was safe and happy. But it didn't take a genius to see that Ryan wasn't the one for someone as amazing as Anora and if Ben could just get out of his own head, maybe he'd find the courage to tell her that some day.

Her question caught Ben off guard as her tone shifted to something more serious. As the question processed, he stared at the screen, but the second the words connected in his head, his brow knit together and he looked down at her, his hand stopping where it rested on Cocoa's back. "What kind of question is that?" he asked, not accusing her in any way, but genuinely wondering where such a thought could've come from. It wasn't a far stretch to guess that whatever was bothering her came from her own personal Voldemort, but Ben bit his tongue before he could ask any specific questions. "Anora..." he said before sighing, forgoing their normal nicknames, "No. If I say I love someone, those aren't just words. If you truly love someone, then you don't try to hurt them. I don't care what the circumstance is. If you can control this aspect of what you're doing then you do everything in your power to keep the person you love safe." As she sat curled up next to him, he couldn't help but feel the powerful urge to wrap her up in his arms and hold her close. When she was with him, he would do anything for her. The mere idea that anyone could be hurting her made Ben's blood boil.

Grabbing the remote, Ben paused the movie and his tongue got the better of him. "Nora... are you okay? Is there something we need to talk about here? Cause you know I'm always gonna listen to you." Straightening up a bit, he tried to get her to look at him. Cocoa groaned a bit as she was disturbed by her movement, but she simply stretched her little puppy limbs before falling straight back to sleep. Keeping his full attention on Anora, though, Ben looked into her eyes, searching for the truth she was too afraid to say. He wanted to take her pain and if talking was the only way to do that, then he'd never stop talking.

ooc:

well I'm so glad you're back and we get to continue this adventure with these babies! <3

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If Anora thought for a second that Ben couldn't tell when she was lying, then maybe she hadn't been paying attention for the last twenty or so years of their friendship. He'd always been able to read her like a book and now was no different. As soon as he sat up and looked at her, though, he knew he'd made a mistake. They might've been closer to each other than anyone else in the world, but Ben knew that Anora still didn't like dumping her problems off on him. The moment she started pulling away from him, he knew the conversation was over for now. "Come on, Sunshine," he called after her as she stood and excused herself from the room, still trying to convince him she was fine all the way. When he heard the bathroom door in the hall shut, he knew he'd lost her. Sighing, he leaned back into the couch and brought both hands up to rub over his face and through his hair. Looking down at Cocoa, he saw the young retriever looking back up at him with her head tilted as if to ask you just had to open your big mouth, didn't you?

"Yeah, well I didn't hear you saying anything to stop me," he grumbled back at the dog before standing up off the couch to go refill their snacks. As he moved, Cocoa groaned and stretched again as she had before and Ben could just imagine her saying, what, were you not listening? Rolling his eyes at the imaginary conversation with his dog, Ben made his way into the kitchen and opened up the pantry to find some more snacks. They hadn't made it too far into the movie yet, but they were sure going through their snacks like they'd been there for days. As much as he hated it, they'd have to ask Ryan to bring some more sweets whenever he made his next grocery delivery. Ben paused at that thought, considering whether he'd have Ryan bring them new food every week or starve. "Starve... definitely starve," he mumbled quietly to himself as he reached up to the top shelf to find a can of chocolate and cinnamon sticks to bring back with him. As he turned to back out of the pantry, he noticed Cocoa standing in the door, ears raised and tail wagging curiously as she begged her owner for something to munch on, herself. Shaking his head, Ben chuckled. "Guess I should've seen that coming."

Making his way back to the kitchen, he dumped the new snacks on the table before turning back and putting a little food in the puppy's bowl. Immediately, her tail started wagging faster and she jumped as she ran over to the bowl and started to dig in. "Don't say I never did anything for you," Ben teased as she lost herself in the food. Collecting the rest of the food, he headed back to his spot on the couch. Settling back in, he was just getting his phone out to scroll through it when the door in the hall opened again and Anora emerged from the bathroom. He turned his head and watched her as she padded back into the room before lowering herself onto the couch. Admittedly, Ben's heart clenched a bit when she left some space between them and he cursed himself for opening his stupid mouth to begin with. Still, he forced a smile when she said she was ready to continue with the movie and deciding not to push her anymore for now, he just pushed play on the remote again and sighed, resting his face in his hand as he slumped on the couch again.

ooc:

oof, sorry for inactivity, my sister just graduated and i was trying not to die of heat stroke

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Sticking to his plan of not pushing her, Ben simply nodded and offered a lopsided grin when she promised to have a conversation later on. "Okay, Sunshine," he said softly, playing the movie before slumping down to get comfortable again. Honestly, not having her next to him was driving Ben crazy and making it a little bit more difficult to actually get comfortable, but she had chosen to move away from her and he wouldn't ask her to move back. It was frustrating being stuck in the friend zone of their relationship. For years Ben had been in love with her and yet, nothing. Of course she didn't owe him anything for his friendship, but he wanted her to know how much he loved her. He wanted her to know that no matter what, he would never do anything to hurt her. If only he were better with words, maybe he could express those feelings to her in a way that made sense... Maybe she'd leave Ryan and realize that the person who really loved her was right there in front of her all along...

So caught up in his own thoughts, Ben almost missed it as she commented on the replenished snacks. "Huh? Oh! Yeah... I figured we were running a bit low, and it was still so early in the movie so..." he shrugged, biting off a chunk of one of the chocolate sticks. As she joked, Ben smiled more genuinely, glancing over at her. "Well yeah," he teased back, looking over at her with his mischievous hazel eyes. "What else am I supposed to do for food when we run out and Ryan can't get to us? If I've got you fattened up, I can just eat you." It was a lame joke, but the poor kid committed to it. Watching her for a reaction, he gently reached out and nudged her with his foot. "I'm just kidding. I'd never eat you. You'd probably taste funny anyway." Winking at her playfully, he turned his attention back to the movie, taking another bite of his snack stick.

As it registered to Ben what Anora had asked him, he raised a brow at her curiously before smiling softly in her direction. "Of course, Sunshine," he answered, raising his arm to make room for her directly next to him again. "There'll always be room for you on my side of the couch." Part of him hoped she would understand the sentence the way he meant it, but he knew she would translate it as another friendly statement. Ben was stuck in the friend zone and no amount of flirting would change that. As Anora moved back towards him, Cocoa jumped back onto the couch in between them, stumbling a bit before tripping over Ben's lap and getting stuck on her back between the cushions. The whole thing happened so fast that it took a second for Ben to process. But when he did, he smiled and laughed, a genuine noise that bounced around the small flat before he could reach over to help remove Cocoa from being trapped between the cushions. "Clumsy dog," he teased, shaking his head. "Always getting herself into trouble." Turning his attention back to Anora, he nearly caught his breath when he realized how close she was. sorry for the bit of powerplay or whatever here ^_^"

ooc:

oof! sorry, i've been having a hard time actually writing lately ^_^" plotting, i've had no problem with, but actually writing has been stumping me!

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Finishing off his breakfast, Scott settled into his chair for real this time and listened as Sierra talked about her brother back in New York. So far, he hadn't heard her talk much about her family in the city and he wondered what they were like. Any time she had mentioned them, she'd kind of rushed through that part of the conversation and he just really hadn't had much chance to pick up any details about them. If the timing had been better, he might've asked her about them now, but she still seemed bothered and he didn't want to push her until she was ready. Instead, he sat quietly and listened as she talked about how she felt now, there, in Montana. He smiled a bit as she joked about having never planned to stay here and yet, now she couldn't imagine leaving. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he didn't want to think about her leaving either. The thought scared him.

"Your brother should come visit sometime," Scott suggested. "You could show him around and introduce him to country life a little bit. Maybe he'd like it and move out here, himself some day." Part of his tone was joking, but he just wanted her to feel better. When she looked up at him, he couldn't help but smile and raise a brow at her. He squeezed her hand back. "I'm glad you feel at home here," he said genuinely, keeping her gaze until she looked back down to finish her food. Eventually he let go of her hand and stood to start cleaning up any unnecessary plates and utensils. He was making his way towards the sink when Sierra sidled up next to him and slipped the plates out of his hands. Again, his brows raised as she claimed she would be doing the cleaning since he'd cooked for them. Scott simply chuckled and shook his head before gesturing to the sink with an expression that said: be my guest.

Scott kissed her back, tasting the bacon on her lips as he pressed against her harder for a moment. When she pulled back, that crooked, goofy grin spread across his face again and he shook his head. He watched her make her way over to the sink for a moment before following her, plucking the first plate from her hand as she went to set it in the 'rinse' side of the sink. "The least I can do is rinse for you. We split the work and we'll be done faster." Bumping her with his hip, he winked and went to work rinsing the dishes. When she asked about Sutton, his face fell a little and he sighed. "She said he had a bad night but he should be able to come home later today or tomorrow. Sutton doesn't like hospitals very much so I imagine he didn't sleep well..." Shaking his head, Scott placed the second plate on the drying rack and sighed in frustration. He hated that he couldn't be there for his little brother but Jamie had already texted him that morning and said she and Mark would bring breakfast over when they went to visit, giving Scott time to take care of things on the ranch before heading out to see Sutton. "I figured we could go up and see him after we get things straightened up around here. I'll need to drive back up by the farmhouse to make sure the new hands aren't having any trouble, but we can do that on the way out."

ooc:

Sorry for inactivity! My muse has been super low today!

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Trying not to sit stiffly in the aftermath of the moment they'd just shared, Ben stared at the television, not paying a single bit of attention to their favorite wizard and his raggedy band of friends. Despite knowing better, Ben's mind whirled with the possible meanings of what had just happened. He'd seen something in her eyes when they'd sat there staring into each other's eyes, but there was no way it was what he wanted it to be. For too long, Ben had been head over heels in love with this girl, but she'd always chosen someone else over him. There was no reality where they ended up together because their friendship meant everything, and yet... there had been something in her eyes. For just a second he'd seen... what? Realization? Surprise? Whatever it was, it was different than what he was used to seeing in the gaze of his best friend and the one thing he knew for absolutely certain was that they could never talk about that moment ever.

Eventually reminding himself that moving and breathing were normal functions for semi-healthy humans, he brought his left hand up and ran it through his hair before dropping it to Cocoa's back and gently scratching at the scruff behind her head. The retriever puppy yawned and leaned into his hand a bit as she slowly started to fall asleep again and Ben felt himself relax a bit more as he smiled at her. Cocoa may have been an accidental find, but he never missed a chance to appreciate the fact that she was in his life. Glancing back up at the tv screen, he sighed and relaxed a bit more, trying to forget about the moment he'd shared with Anora as he watched Harry catch the golden snitch and win the quidditch match for Gryffindor.

"Do you think Quirrell had any control while Voldemort was attached to his head or was it like posession? I guess maybe it wouldn't have been too hard to convince Quivering Quirrell to agree to a trial run with the dark lord if power and recognition were his reward, but he just doesn't initially seem like the kind of guy who would want to straight up murder a twelve year old." Trying to break the ice, Ben decided to bring their analysis of the movie back, hoping Anora would feel more comfortable allowing them to move past the awkward, highly charged moment he knew they had just shared.