Boy King

                      She didn’t have to work if she didn’t want to, that was a blessing and a curse that came with Scott. For the first few weeks, she found it helpful, allowing her to set up the house as she pleased and discover what little towns laid near by. Eventually though, she started to go stir-crazy, and was now on the quiet hunt for at least a party time job to occupy her for the winter. Taking clippings from the paper and hoarding her options, right now she had the choice of being a receptionist for a family practice in town almost forty minutes from here, or a store clerk for an old gentleman who made his own custom furniture. The jobs both diverse from what she was used to, Emily was nervous about contacting both of them. So she sat on it for the time being instead.

                      Still, she’d already accomplished the biggest and most traumatic move of her life, so moving to the country was a piece of cake, so to speak. And she liked the privacy the most, knowing it made Scott happy too. Now if she could convince him to expand her collection of canines, that would be another Christmas miracle. 

         “Oh, you didn’t….” She chuckled, feeling flattered even if it was a make-believe scenario.

“I did.” He said with a rather convincing faux nod. Despite her being awake now, and the next phase of Christmas was getting up to open presents, he sank down into the bed, an arm wrapping around her torso, pulling the girl to his body. It was still strange, no matter which way he thought about it. He loved her, he loved her more than he’d ever hated himself, and he still wasn’t sure what the emotion was. All he knew was he could look at her and feel complete, and that was what he needed, everything else was second. Everything else he could do without. 

“He just, he rose a pretty good argument, and if someone has a better argument than me, then who am I to say no?” He cocked his head to the side, a hand delicately running up and down her arm. “The old man knows good kids.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, “and the strangest part was not one of the dogs barked at him. Traitors.” He sighed, though, it was just Barney and he never had shown any sort of brute strength other than suffocating whoever was sitting on the couch, then Tyson, and well-- he was an idiot from the start. 

Scott sighed a happy, content sigh as he looked at the brunette, “We could go out there and see what’s there.” He said, wiggling his brows a bit, “or we could stay here forever.” He emphasized that option, more than the other. “It’s cold outside. Well, everywhere that’s not here.” he said, wrapping his other arm around her, entrapping her in a bear hug. “I told everyone to go to Derek today if they needed something. I am taking the day off--” The first day off he’d had in what felt like years, certainly the first one since they’d been together, “so it’s just me and you today. We can do whatever you want.” 

                  With a gentle pressure to her side, Emily stirred. Eyes cracking, the first thing she noticed was the fluffy white frame around the window outside that overlooked the back yard. Winter in the States had never exactly been her favourite thing, given that it held memories that still hurt to think about sometimes. The catastrophic storm, pneumonia, her aunt’s funeral, Audrey’s death, the hospital…. But that didn’t deter her spirit for Christmas. That was then and this was now. She’d spent a lot of the week wrapping Christmas presents with extreme care and over the top decorations, she’d pressured Scott into helping her decorate the biggest, grandest tree he could find, enjoyed the annual Christmas markets, bought too much eggnog and now, snuggled into fannel blankets with a lump of fur at her feet, Christmas had never felt better. Ring on her finger, husband beside her, and a growing family of furry children — Emily had everything she’d ever wanted and more.

                  Rolling over, she pushed hair out of her eyes and smiled sleepily.

         “Did Santa come?” She mumbled, smoothing a hand under her cheek against the pillow. “Or did you scare him off?”

It was never a forever decision. Anywhere he stayed, anywhere he went, everything had an expiration date. It came with the lifestyle, and that was something he had come to terms with. Asking her to marry him-- god. He was scared. It was the first time he could think of that he was scared of losing anything. Her saying yes, scared him even more. Yet somehow, the days came and went and everything kept going. The world kept spinning, and temporary decisions were just that, Emily however, was something that was more than permanent. She’d been the best decision he’d ever made, one he kept making day after day. When it was time to leave Lanford well-- even that decision he met with pause. He knew it was where she belonged, but he couldn’t stay. Asking her to leave, finding a new adventure with her, seemed right. He didn’t much fancy doing anything unless he knew she was going to be there at the end of the day, no matter what it was. 

He’d already been out to feed the menagerie of animals they’d started collecting since the move, and he’d done so without waking her. Outside however, was colder than he’d bargained for. No matter where they were, or what they were doing, the one thing he would never get used to was the cold. Despite his trying to be the definition of silent, as soon as he was back under the blanket, as if on cue, she rolled over, and he was faced with a sleepy smile, one he couldn’t get enough of. 

“You know.” He smiled back at her, a hand reaching out to her cheek before he moved over, pressing a good morning kiss to her lips, “I tried to scare him off. The whole idea of a fat guy sneaking in the house in the middle of the night to eat all my cookies then leave just never sat well with me.” He smiled at the brunette before offering up a half-hearted shrug, “but he told me you were just too good this year and deserved all the presents and how could I argue with that?”  

“This is a sidewalk? Free for every person to walk on? Sorry kid, you’re not the ending destination.” 

“No problem.” He said with a small condescending smile. With little thought, he took his hand and patted her thigh. To anyone else it looked like they were friends, but he knew she’d know the difference. “So how have you been?” 

“There’s a lot of people who could find lots of ways to do lots of things. It’s just-- how far you want to go, and I promise, you really don’t want to shine the unshineable shoes.” he said with a shrug before shaking his head, “I mean, yeah, a little.” 

         The smile turned into a laugh as he hugged and released her. Folding her arms, Emily put on a small facade. “I want in, 50–50. Then we’re cool.”

“You have half?” he looked at her astounded. Like she’d just said the most impressive line of curse words known to man. “That’s like-- like you’re asking for half of everything I own!” He faked shock, going along with his joke, “Jeeze, might as well like, be married to you.” he shook his head with a laugh, taking a step closer to her so he could wrap his arms around her, “You’ll never know where all my secret hidey-holes are. I’ll never tell you.” Which was clearly a lie. After all, he’d already told her one. It was a long time ago so maybe she didn’t remember, but he wasn’t going to refresh her memory now. If for nothing more than ruining his perfect joke. 

“That’s how you plan to pick up women?” Scott asked, almost astounded, “You steal their phones and hope they find you to give them back, then they’re almost trapped in conversation?” Scott held his hands up in surrender “More power to you.” Even if he did think it was excessively creepy. 

coincidence was a tricky fellow. his eyes narrowed and concentration peeked, he stared at the phone, the blinking screen and default background screaming at him after every incorrect password he typed. “shit,” he muttered, turning the phone over in his hand, the standard black case doing little to peak his interests. sighing, he shook his head, “this isn’t my phone,” he confirmed, clutching it in his grip. “hey, uh… anyone got an iphone with a black case? i think ours were switched,” he proclaimed, unabashedly, gesturing with the phone still clutched in his grip.

“I do have an iphone, but that isn’t mine.” He fished his his from his pocket, “I don’t use a case. I think they’re a waste of money.” That and he only used the thing to talk to his wife. All the real communication was done on other phone, so this one got the lightest load. “How did you get your phone switched up?”