#para 009

Mercedes had been up since about 4AM.  She had enlisted the help of Stevie to get Sam’s jeep keys so she could get in to install all his Deadpool themed gear she had gotten for him for Christmas.  Red and black seat covers with Deadpool floor mats, steering wheel and tire covers.  Red was his favorite color and Deadpool was his fave Marvel character, so hopefully he’d really like it all.  She still had two more presents for him at the house, but this was the big one.  

Since the families were so close, they always had a Christmas day lunch were they got together and exchanged gifts and had a nice meal.  Usually they all ended up in the den laughing as they played either Uno or some other game.  It was a great time and Mercedes had always looked forward to it.  This would be the first time in awhile she and Sam had both been able to be here at the same time.  She was sure she’d be able to stay on her best friend behavior since their parents would be right there, and the last thing she wanted to do was give any of them ideas.  Having Royce circling around waiting for her to slip was bad enough!

Today had been one of the best Christmases Sam had had in a long time. He hadn’t been home to Lima in almost two years.  So spending time with his family had been amazing, but he’d also gotten to spend a lot of time with Mercedes, and even though he thought this every single time they were around each other recently, he was just so happy to have her back in his life. It was almost weird how he’d seen and talked to Royce a lot in the time since they’d broken up to the point where the two were the best of friends, but he’d managed to avoid her in all of that time. There had been no overlap until recently, and a part of Sam wondered what would’ve happened if they hadn’t gone on that road trip over the summer and how lucky he was that he had gotten over his pride and decided to go.

Now, however, his parents had sent Stacy and Stevie to watch a movie in a different room, and even though that was normal, he had a sudden feeling of dread tugging at him. He looked to Royce first who was kind of shooting Mrs. Jones a weird look. Then he looked at Mercedes, but she seemed just as lost as he was. So he had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t think he was going to like it.

Something was definitely up, and Mercedes was not liking the change in the vibe of the room.  The parents were all looking some kind of way, and it made her chest feel tight.  She shot Sam a concerned look, hoping they weren’t about to receive some horrible news.  When her father cleared his throat she knew for sure she wasn’t going to like whatever came next.

“Sam and Mercedes, we’re concerned about the behavior we’re seeing from the two of you.” Anthony Jones began. “For several months now you two have been seeing each other pretty frequently, but we’re supposed to believe that its 100 percent platonic.”

Royce’s mouth fell slack.  He made sure to stay as quiet as possible, or he knew he’d get banned from this conversation, and he was not about to miss this for anything.  He looked over at Sam, waiting for his buddy’s face to turn red from either embarrassment or anger.  His sister was looking at dad like he had lost his mind.

“I didn’t realize reconnecting with one of my closest friends needed parental approval,” Mercedes said in disbelief.  She knew her dad was still a little salty about the non-wedding, but this was a whole new level of too much.

Sam was honestly shocked that they were bringing this up. He’d been certain that he was going to hear bad news, but this? This was annoying, and he slouched in his seat, sighing in annoyance until his mom shot him a look for being disrespectful. He forced himself to sit up straight and cleared his throat. “We expect you to believe it because it’s true. Why would we lie about that? Even though we’re both adults that don’t live at home…” He couldn’t resist adding that last part in petulantly.

Amberley Evans held up her hand, sensing that this might turn ugly fast with her oldest on the defensive, she shook her head. “Yes, you are adults, and that is perhaps why this is even more concerning. We raised both of you with more common sense than you seem to be using currently. You can’t pull the wool over our eyes. We’re your parents. We’ve known you since the day you were born, and I and your father, Sam, have noticed very similar patterns in your behavior recently. Now look me in the eye and tell me nothing, but innocent, wholesome fun has been going on between the two of you since you got back from that road trip.” She paused to study her son’s face because she knew he wouldn’t be able to meet her gaze. And when he didn’t, she nodded. “Exactly as I thought.”

Sam’s jaw clenched. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t look his mother in the eye and lie. He never had been able to, and right now, even with everyone’s eyes on him, he couldn’t do it. He crossed his arms over his stomach and glanced at his dad for help, but none came. “Even if it’s not 100% wholesome fun, that doesn’t mean we’re not still just friends.”

“No, what it means is you two are trying to fool everybody and yourselves.” Lori Jones had a calm voice as she addressed the duo.  “That is not going to lead either of you down a good road.  If you want to be together, then be together. But don’t walk around here acting like you two are only best friends when you’re acting exactly like you did when you were a couple in high school.”

Mercedes put her hands inside the front pocket of the Titans hoodie she was wearing, balling them up into fists as she bit on her lower lip to keep herself from going off.  “So this little get together is about what Sam and I, two grown people, do?  Y’all seriously had a parents only meeting to discuss what was going on between us?  And then you decided that we needed to be sat down and scolded like kids?  And here I thought that since I pay my own bills and make my own money that how I spent my very limited down time, and who I spent it with was really no one else’s concern.”

Lori raised her eyebrow at the tone in her daughter’s voice and the look she received made it very clear that she needed to take the sass right out of it.

Royce was discreetly checking his pockets to make sure he had his car keys on him, because at the rate this was going he was going to have to whisk one of them out of there real quick.  Sam and Mercedes had always been those friends that would get mad if someone messed with the other for any reason.  Mercedes almost went out on the football field during a game once because a player got in a cheap shot on Sam.  And right now, they were both going into defense mode.

Sam had opened his mouth to agree with Mercedes, but he saw the look on her mother’s face, and he bit his tongue. “Well, is that it? You got us together to tell us we act like a couple or whatever?What exactly was the plan after that?”

“Now son…” Dwight Evans began. “You say you’re an adult, and you want to be seen as an adult, but you’re acting like a hot-headed teenager because we’re sitting you down and having an adult conversation with you. And I think you’re partly so defensive because you know there’s some truth to what we’re saying. You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to the people who love you and only want what’s best for you both. And we’re saying that you both need to sit down and have a conversation with each other about your intentions with one another because we all know that things cannot continue on as they are without a whole world of hurtin falling on you too. And we’re trying to spare y’all that.”

Ugh.  Why did Mr. Evans have to have the kind of voice that made everything sound right?  Why did they all want to mess everything up between her and Sam?  They weren’t hurting anyone, except themselves somewhere down the line, but part of her was willing to endure all of it because being with him made her so happy.  Why would they want to take that from her?  Why are they asking them to have a talk that they already know the outcome of, they didn’t need to have the talk, they’d had it years ago.

Right now all Mercedes wanted to do was get as far away from Lima as possible.  This had been a horrible idea and she was wishing she hadn’t come at all.  And yes, that was a childish way to think, but since they thought she was acting like one anyway she might as well go all in.  “Okay, so do we need to update y’all when we have this talk? Or should we just post it on Instagram? I mean, that’s why this is all happening anyway, right?  Because I went to Nashville to visit Sam? We certainly don’t want to leave you guys out of the loop on our non-existent relationship.”

“Young lady, you need to check yourself.” Tony leaned forward and looked at her sternly.  “Five months ago you damn near married some other boy from the neighborhood, now you’re out here flying to Tennessee everytime I turn around. You look like you’re chasing after a boy, and we raised you better than that.”

Even Royce winced at his dad’s words and when he saw Mercedes’ face, he knew it was done.  She was about to do an angry cry, and Sam did not react well to Mercedes tears.  “Hey guys, I think you’ve gotten your point across and these two need to go and have that talk.  I’m going to drive them around in the truck for a bit.” He needed to get Sam out of there before he saw Mercedes’ face.

Lori saw her husband was about to protest, but she looked at him and shook her head.  She didn’t want anyone saying something else in the heat of the moment that couldn’t be taken back, and he’d already said the wrong thing to Cedes, in front of Sam.

Sam winced when he heard Mr. Jones’ words. They weren’t right. He shouldn’t say stuff like that to her. He opened his mouth to protest how the older man had just spoken to the girl he loved. He scratched at his chin when Royce offered to drive them around. He was itching to leave, but he didn’t want to go anywhere with Mercedes and talk about anything. There wasn’t anything to talk about no matter what his dad said.

“Fresh air’ll probably do everyone some good,” his mom added, nodding. She sat back in her seat and ran her hands over her legs. “You kids go for a ride, and have your talk. We will trust you to handle things like the adults you are...I don’t think we need to keep talking about it unless you two feel so inclined. You know where we stand on this issue, and I think that’s really all that needs to be said.”

Mercedes didn’t say another word to anyone as she got up from her chair and left the room to go get her heavy coat and gloves.  She’d rather walk in the cold than have that talk with Sam. She wasn’t having that talk with him no matter what their parents wanted. It was pointless.  They had no idea what was going on!  The Evanses knew what their son wanted in the girl he wanted to date, and they should know that she wasn’t it.  There was nothing wrong with spending time with someone else until his future wife came along, and the fact that someone was her should’ve put their mind at ease, but apparently not.

Royce tilted his head to Sam so he’d get up and follow him.  Mercedes would be halfway down the block if she was doing her mad at the world power walking.  “C’mon, fresh air and non-Christmas music on the best car music system in town awaits.”

Sam stopped for a second. He really wanted to say something about how they’d spoken to her, but he didn’t want to be disrespectful. “Look.” He forced his gaze to her father’s. “I’m not gonna say nothin rude and disrespect you in your house, but Mercedes isn’t just ‘chasing some boy.’ What happened with her and Puck really ate at her soul. It’s not like she just did it on a whim. She’s been hurting, and I’m not saying y’all are wrong, but there’s no reason to hurt her more by treating her like she’s got a train of men coming in and out of her place. I’m just saying.” He didn’t wait for him to reply. He just walked out behind Royce because he was pretty sure that her father would lay into him.

Lori crossed her arms and looked at her husband angrily once Royce and Sam were out of the room.  “You deserved that, and you better be glad Amberley and Dwight raised that boy the way they did or it could’ve been worse.”

“You gonna be alright?” Royce asked him as they headed to the garage.  “If I had known this was what they were going to spring on you I would’ve given you a heads up or something.  At least you and Cedes could’ve prepared a united front.  Granted, you were still outnumbered, but damn, I didn’t expect Dad to go there with Cedes.”  

Sam was usually pretty slow to anger unless it came to those people he cared the most about, and Mercedes was pretty high on that list. He paced back and forth for a moment, counting to ten under his breath. “Yeah well, if he wasn’t your dad, I’d probably have clocked him for saying stuff like that to her. She’s...the last person that needs to hear that kind of speech. She’s hardly out there slutting it up, and even if she was...she’s an adult, and it’s her body.”

“I know. He knows that too, Mercedes has never been one to chase guys. He said something stupid, and believe me, he’s regretting it already I’m sure.” He pushed the button and started his car.  “You wanna ride with me or are you wanting to stoke your anger alone like Cedes is doing?  I’m going to go get her because she’s walking in the cold, probably crying looking pitiful.  And I know the two of you don’t want to talk about what they want you to, but she’s your best girl and I know you don’t want her to catch the pneumonia.”

Royce was damn smooth, Sam had to give him that. He used to be amused whenever a girl would fall for his friend’s charms because he’d known she didn’t actually stand a chance. Sam was no girl, but he sure did know how to get Sam to do what he wanted. He opened the door and climbed inside without a word. He definitely wanted to help Royce find his sister.

He smiled as he got in his truck and headed out of the garage.  “She can walk really fast for having short little legs.”  His sister didn’t get this upset often, she was usually the one calming other people down when they got riled up.  She was a pro at getting Santana to chill, and that was not an easy feat.  “You got an idea on which way she’d go?” He asked Sam.

Sam paused for a moment, running his hand over his chin thoughtfully. “Um...there’s a park around here, right?” He was pretty sure that she liked to go there when they were in high school, but he had no idea if that was still true. He was kind of just taking a stab in the dark with his guess.

“Oh yeah, the dog park.” He nodded his head and began to drive in that direction.  “She probably still wants a dog, but she wants a big one, not those pocket pups she’d have to get living in NYC.” Sure enough, he could see her purple coat in the distance.  “Look at you, still got the Cedes GPS.” He chuckled.

Mercedes was sitting indian style on a bench that faced the dog park.  No one had their dogs here today, so it was very quiet.  She was mentally figuring out how she could avoid her father for the remainder of the holiday.  If it wasn’t for Santana’s New Years party she’d probably get an earlier flight back home.  Especially since she knew anytime she came over to the Evanses they’d wonder if she and Sam had talked. Maybe she just shouldn’t go over there anymore.  Sam didn’t need to deal with that anymore than she wanted to deal with her own parents judgement.

Rolling his eyes, Sam laughed a little. “Hey, give me a second,” he said as he reached or the door handle so that he could get out. He shot Royce a look and closed the door, walking over to where Mercedes sat. “Hey, I heard you like big dogs and cannot lie,” he joked, taking a seat next to her. He glanced at her face then away, taking a deep breath.

Royce gave him a nod of understanding. He’d stay in the truck.  He hated that both parents had dealt the duo the reality blow they hadn’t asked for. He was not a romantic guy, but he would be the first to say his sister and Sam were the epitome of being perfect for each other.  And yes, he could be obnoxious and annoying as hell when it came to them spending so much time together, but it truly came from a place of love and wanting them to actually BE together again.  How could two people love each other that much but refuse to actually admit it to each other? They confused him, a lot, but he still wanted his baby sister to be with the goofy dude that made her so happy that she had cried when he became her boyfriend.

She wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t make it come out of her mouth. “I’d go stay with Santana if she wasn’t staying at Finn’s.” She said softly, her voice sounding rough to her own ears.  “Having a dog would be awesome right now.  He’d keep me company while I’m actively avoiding my parents.”

“I’d offer to let you stay at my house, but my parents would just keep...looking at us.” He shook his head and glanced at her again. “Hey, are you okay? They don’t know what they’re talking about. We’re adults, and the law says we can keep doing what we want. It’s not like they can ground us,” he joked lightly, hoping to make her smile.

She sighed softly, nodding her head. “Are you happy?” She asked him, turning so she could see his face.  There were questions she had kept herself from asking because she didn’t want to know the answers, but this was important.  Sam’s happiness meant more to her than all the love she had for him.  His happiness is what made her keep her selfishness in check, but what if he wasn’t happy?  What if his parents felt the same way her dad did?  She would be absolutely mortified if that were true.  She hated how her father could make her doubt things about herself, and it wasn’t that he was intentionally being a mean and horrible person, but he had a lot of pride in his family and sometimes he put the image he wanted portrayed over more important things. A son that’s a lawyer was something to be proud of in spades.  A daughter that hadn’t graduated college yet, was trying to be a singer, and had canceled a wedding? Not so much.

He hadn’t expected the questions, and Sam blinked slowly, just kind of staring at her a moment. “Um...like happy in general? Or…?” It was important for him to understand what exactly she was asking because he definitely did not want to just go spilling his guts to her about his feelings. Weren’t they supposed to not have this conversation?

“In general,” she clarified.  They were definitely not having a conversation about each other on that level. Once that door was open it couldn’t be closed and she wasn’t ready to hear all the reasons they couldn’t be anything other than what they were now.  She didn’t want there to be another series of years where they conveniently didn’t speak or see each other.  She had her best friend back, and she’d fight to keep him in her life, even at the cost of her own heart.  “You’d tell me if I was getting on your nerves or you didn’t want me to come visit and stuff, right?”

“Ohmygod...Cedes, I...what are you talking about? Of course, I’m happy. I got a good job. I have my own place. I got my best girl back finally. What else do I need?” He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. “You’re one of my most favorite people in the entire world. I’m happy. I’m having fun. Aren’t you? I mean...I thought we both were. Are you feeling...not happy?”

“I was amazing until about an hour ago,” she pouted as she laid her head on his shoulder.  “I always feel like I’m not measuring up to my dad’s standards anyway, but I just felt like that times ten with all the parents there.  It just sucks and I don’t like it.  We enjoy each other’s company, and we’re grown ass adults, let us live.”  

Sam took a deep breath and hugged her to his side. “I don’t think he meant it like that. He didn’t use great words, but to him, you’re still like how Royce sees you. Like a little girl he has to protect...and guys are dicks most of the time. They use girls a lot. So he’s probably just worried. He’s worried that I’m taking advantage of you in your vulnerable state. He probably just didn’t want to say that because my parents were there.” He didn’t know if that was true, but he hoped it was. “Plus, you’re right. We are adults, and if you wanna come visit me in Nashville, I’m not gonna say no. The sex is like...the best sex ever. If I wasn’t so selfish, I’d say I feel bad for all of the guys that haven’t experienced it.”

“He would never say that because he knows better. You’re not that type of guy. If I was still trying to figure myself out like I was after the wedding, you’d still be there for me because that’s the kind of man you are.”  She said confidently.  “They have to let me grow up though, and trust in my ability to handle things as I see fit.  It may not be the way my dad wants, but they’re my choices and my happiness.”  She leaned back and gave him an amused look. “Seriously?  I’m pretty sure folks figuring out we’ve been having sex is what got us into this whole parent intervention.  Apparently we’re not as lowkey as we thought.  Wow, that means we’ve lost our ninja skills, Sammy.”  Because back in the day, they had been sneaky as bandits, and that was when they were being watched more closely because they were teenagers!

“I think it’s just hard. I know it’ hard for me to not think of my sister as a little kid even though she’s like a teenager now. She wears makeup and talks about boys...I’m like ‘no, but you’re six!’ But like I get that she’s not. I just don’t want her to grow up.” He sighed. “You are beautiful and smart. Don’t let him make you feel less than that.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We’re not as sneaky because we don’t need to be sneaky cause we’re grown.” He laughed. “I’m not scared for people to know I’m hooking up with the hottest girl on the planet.”

“She’s still got some years left for you to enjoy.  The one you need to be worrying about is your fast little brother.” She laughed softly. “His girlfriend is absolutely adorable and sweet as can be though, so even if he acts like Royce sometimes, he picks better girls.”  She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. “Hmm, coming from the most handsome, sexy, and lovable man in the universe? I’ll take it.”

Royce was in his toasty warm truck just grinning like a fool at the two ridiculous people sitting outside.  He understood where the parents were coming from in the sense that if you love someone you should just be with them and stop lying to yourselves.  And maybe it was because he was younger, but he also saw Sam and Mercedes reasoning, even though he thought it was bullshit.  She was already making time for him, and yes, it may not be as much as either of them wanted, but that would change in time if he was willing to stick it out.  He was tempted to roll down the windows and start blasting “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo, but he figured he’d leave them alone after the horrendous day they’d had so far.

Sam smiled, feeling like maybe Mercedes was starting to feel better. “Yeah, but I’m going to miss her being small in a weird way. Stevie, on the other hand, is...I don’t know where he gets all of that from. I’m gonna blame Royce even though I can’t prove it.” He glanced back at the older man, wondering what the heck he might be doing in the car. It was the feeling of Mercedes’ arms around him that drew his attention back to her. “I don’t think I’m all that, but if you think that, then I’m feeling myself.”

“He’s already got the Evans looks and from what I’ve seen, heard, and experienced, Evans men know how to woo a lady.” She wrinkled her nose slightly, even though she couldn’t really feel it because of the cold.  “Trust me, most women always do a double take when you’re around, you’re super fine.”  And she meant that too, because she had been witness to all the looks whenever they ventured out of his apartment.  Sam was usually oblivious, but he could be living that Royce kind of life if he wanted to, with different girls every week.  She knew that wasn’t really his style, but the man had options if he ever did decide to see how the other half lived.

“He may have the Evans look, but he refined it the Jones way,” Sam teased, shaking his head. “Your brother is a bad influence on my brother.” He cuddled her even closer and shoved his hand into his pocket. “They can look all they want. I’m probably just looking at you.” He smiled at her, wondering if she knew just how many guys looked at her. He felt really honored to be the one she allowed to be with her.

“My brother is a bad influence on everybody,” she laughed. “But he is a good big brother, when he isn’t driving me crazy.”  She looked up at him and she felt that feeling in her chest.  The one where she wanted to stay in his arms as much as possible.  She kissed his chin, mainly because that’s as far as she could reach without standing on her tiptoes.  “C’mon, we should get in the truck before Royce starts doing something embarrassing, he’s been quiet for way too long.”

With a laugh, Sam glanced over at Royce again before he pulled Mercedes into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. “True, but I just wanna make sure we’re both good with just ignoring our parents and doing what we want?” He grinned down at her and winked. He’d be okay if she wanted to cool it, but it wasn’t his first choice. Still, he was going to leave it up to her.

“We’ve already got some cool time coming, I’m already sad that January is going to be a Sam-less month, but my grown ass self has a lot of school to get ahead on and then there will be show rehearsals for the tour.”  She gave him a slight smirk.  “But that is only going to make your birthday all the better.” She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. “We’re good, Sammy.  Our parents will deal, we’re smart and responsible adults.”

“Sweet honey biscuits, would you two kiss already and put me out of my misery?”  Royce called from the truck.  “Stevie just texted me that they’re about to start playing UNO, and our moms are straight gangstas and kick our dads asses and I want to witness it.”

“You do know it’s weird that you wanna watch me and your sister kiss, right?” Sam didn’t give Royce a chance to think about it before his lips found Mercedes’ in a heated kiss as he bent her backwards. He took his time kissing her and then pulled back with a laugh. “Now we can go.”

Royce let out a loud whistle, a wide, goofy grin on his face. “This is the only time you get a pass, Evans.  Do it again and I’ll make you pay.” He was completely teasing, he liked Sam, plus he made his sister happy.

The fact that she'd been in LA since early this morning and had managed to not completely blow this surprise was a shock even to her. Brittany loved surprises, in fact she lived for them but she also had next to no patience and that wasn't exactly a very good combination and yet somehow here she was, the night of Sam's party hanging back among some of the other guests so that he didn't notice her just yet.

Ever since joining ReunionNow she'd reconnected with Sam in a way that she hadn't exactly expected. She'd meant what she said when they talked a few weeks back, that he was her best friend. Nowadays she found herself talking to him more than anyone even if it was over something stupid like a funny commercial that she saw on TV so of course when Blaine approached her about flying out for Sam's big surprise party she said yes in a heartbeat.

Marley For the past week, Marley and some of the other teachers had been frantically getting the Halloween Festival organized. Marley had hung enough paper ghosts, plastic light-up spiders, and enough fake spider web for a lifetime. But as she took one last overview of the schoolyard, she was satisfied with how everything had come together. There were orange and yellow lights strung around trees, the booths were scattered about, and some even lined the walkways. There were spider webs all over any structural surface that could be found, and the kids' jack o' lanterns that they had carved the day prior were scattered about so that everyone could see them. The kids would be able to go from booth to booth to trick or treat and there would be a Halloween costume parade and contests, as well as many games. It was going to be a very fun night, and Marley was immensely proud of how well everything had come together, even though her brain felt like mush if she stopped moving long enough. Now, though, it was dusk and the people of the town would be arriving soon. So instead of just standing around waiting, Marley took one last sweep through the yard to check on anything and then with a half hour to spare, she ran back inside to change into her costume. She had had the idea in her head for a while, and try as she might she could not shake it from her mind. And the reasoning behind it... well, that's what she was trying not to think about.

Jake Even though his costume was a last minute order from Amazon, he thought that he pulled the 'Prince Charming' outfit off pretty well. Katherine was dressed up as some cat super heroine named Femme Fatale, making Jake wonder if it was appropriate to wear to something for kids. But she had to go to a work party first, leaving Jake by himself as he walked into the Halloween Festival grounds. It all looked amazing, making him smile widely. He fixed the plastic sword at his side and started to greet people. When he came to the old tree where he had hung the bird house, he paused and swallowed past a lump in his throat. Shaking off the feeling, he continued to walk down the sidewalk, smiling politely to everyone he saw and wondering if/when he would come across Marley. He hadn't spoken to her in what felt like years but was only a week. Jake could have gone to Katherine's work party, but he had chosen to come here instead. What did that say about him? He didn't want to take the time to think about it.

Marley After she got her tights, dress, shoes, and red headband on, it was time to do the finishing touches. She put on some mascara and a little bit of lip gloss on her slightly cold-chapped lips. She had worn her hair in a braid all day and now it flowed around her shoulders with a slight curl. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, thinking in the back of her mind that 'maybe he /was/ right', and then rolled her eyes at herself. It was just a costume. But she couldn't stop herself from smiling. How could she, it was Halloween! Now dubbed ready to join the party, she made her way back out through the front entrance to join in with the guests of the party. She received a stream of compliments from parents, other adults, and some of the older kids that knew she had been behind all the planning. She had smiled, thankful for the setting sun to hide her blush from their praise. Marley had made it to the middle of the party to get herself a drink when she was tapped on the shoulder. She was thankful she didn't actually have the drink in her hand yet as she jumped and spun towards her two best friends. “Don't do that!” she chided her taller friend. 'Oh no, you didn't,' Unique responded with raised eyebrows, ignoring her friend's fake scold. 'You're Snow White?' Ruby cut in as Unique was trying to hold back her laughter. They knew exactly why she had picked the costume and she hated them for it. “Not a word,” she warned, pointing a finger at each of them in turn, before spinning back to grab her drink. “And you're Red Riding Hood,” Marley announced to Ruby and then turned back to take in Unique's beautifully outrageous costume. “And you're... someone that could not decide whether to be a fairy or a witch, apparently.” Unique laughed with a nod of her head. 'Why be one when you can be both?' Ruby laughed. 'Well I say all of our costumes fit us perfectly,' she approved with a swish of her cape. And Marley nodded, her head ducking to take a much needed sip of her drink because now her thoughts were turning to him and that would be a very bad thing right now.

Jake All the booths were perfect games for kids to play so that they could win candy. There were a few harder games for adults to play and Jake knew that he would be giving them a shot at one point tonight. All the money went to the school anyway, how could he be against that? He was making his way over to get some apple cider when he saw her. Marley had Jake stopping in his tracks, his heart palpitating. She looked beautiful as Snow White, pulling off the costume perfectly. And to be honest, she looked as if she had stepped off the page from his 'Once Upon A Time' book. Looking down at his own costume, he realized that they were matching characters. He walked up to the table, hoping not to disturb her around her friends as he grabbed a glass of cider. She probably didn't want to talk to him anyways.

Marley Her friends gave her praise as they told her how truly wonderful the whole festival looked. Marley couldn't keep the smile off her face even if she tried. The trio had shifted their position a little bit to the left of the apple cider booth after Ruby had joked that it was ironic that Snow White was drinking apple cider, which had Marley snorting a sip of apple cider painfully up her nose as she choked on a laugh. The cider was warm and it did not feel good going up her nose. After she had recovered, still coughing a little and laughing, they had moved over as to not be in the way of others wanting some. A few minutes into their conversation she heard a chirp in her pocket (thankful she had thought the add one in her homemade costume) she looked at her phone to read a text saying, 'Round up some costume judges.' Marley mentally hit herself because that was the one thing she had forgot to do in the midst of everything. She returned her phone to her pocket and was just about to enlist Unique and Ruby to the duty, but when she looked up they were looking off to their right. “What's up?” she asked, suspicious of their behavior and the feeling grew tenfold when they turned matching mischievous smirks in her direction. Marley could feel her heart rate rising, she hated those smirks. 'I think we just—' Ruby began, but Unique cut her off. 'Don't look now but I think we found your Prince Charming.' She waggled her eyebrows and motioned her head towards where they had previously been looking, fighting giggles. They were the worst, Marley decided, but she looked anyway and Ruby had to lunge forward to catch Marley's cup as it dropped from her fingers. Because there was a Prince Charming alright, but Marley knew that profile anywhere. “Oh crap,” she whispered. She quickly looked away before he could turn his head to see her. “He didn't see me, did he?” Marley asked frantically. 'Do you want him to?' Unique asked amused. Marley widened her eyes at her and gave her an affronted look. 'Girl, we know you still like him. We also know what he did to you. But that doesn't mean you can't talk to him.' Marley turned her look on Ruby and then groaned. She didn't have the strength to deal with it. 'Besides... you guys have matching costumes—' Marley cut Unique off, “Don't you dare say it's a sign. This is just a horrible coincidence.” She sighed, chewing on her lip as she looked back at him from the corner of her eye. What is just a coincidence? Everything that had happened between them, was it all just something that happened? But the fact of the matter is that they had joked about the Snow White/Prince Charming thing and she couldn't just brush that off as a coincidence, right? 'Katherine is nowhere in sight,' Ruby interjected casually and Marley decided she was getting a lump of coal for her for a Christmas present. 'I say you go talk to him. Y'all left things on a bad note, maybe there's a chance y'all can be friends.' And Unique would be getting one too, apparently. But Marley gave in, already feeling the want to see him again winning over as she felt that weird pull towards him strength in her mind now that she wasn't actively ignoring it. “Okay, alright, I'll go talk to him. But if this ends badly, it's all your fault,” Marley told them. She took a calming breath that did nothing to her palpitating heart, feeling the warmth of the cider kicking in with her adrenaline. “But only if you guys promise to be costume judges tonight,” she gave them an ultimatum which they accepted instantly. Then Unique pushed her forward when she just stood there. 'Go get 'em, girl.' And Marley was walking and found herself in front of him, trying to work out how to say hi as now it was as if her mouth wasn't working.

Jake Okay, so did he have to stay where he was and just drink his cider? No, probably not. Did he have to stay in sight of where Marley and her friends were? No, probably not. Was he attempting to listen in on their conversation? Yes. He kept his eyes away from the group, instead greeting the people that came by. 'Jacob, it's good to see you out and about,' Dr. Hopper said. "Hey, Archie," he greeted warmly. "It's been nice getting involved in the town again." Archie reached into his coat and pulled out a card to hand over to Jake, 'If you should ever need someone to talk to, my office is always open. Or we could just go grab a cup of coffee at Granny's Diner. One can never have too many friends.' Jake pocketed the card and nodded, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Enjoy the festival." As Dr. Hopper walked off, Jake was left alone again and was finishing off his drink when he saw Marley jolt forward from a push. He acted as if he didn't see her walking over until she was in front of him. His tongue ran out over his lips, nerves settling into the pit of his stomach. Feeling like getting into character, he set his drink down and reached for Marley's hand, bowing down to press a kiss to her hand before standing up again. "I've tasted the apple cider and I can assure you that it isn't poisoned, m'lady."

Marley The walk over to Jake was like walking into a dream. She felt slightly hazy and the way he turned towards her, it was as if the world slowed down and it was just them. And as he reached out to take her hand, falling into character, it was almost just like they were back in his hospital room, away from the world. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his warm lips on her hand, and all the tension and awkwardness in her body fell away as she smiled at him. She bit back a laugh as he said the apple cider hadn't been poisoned. She could do this. “Well, it is always nice to know a lady has such a nice prince to look after her well being,” Marley replied back with a smile and then asked for another drink, seeing as she left her other one back with Ruby. It was getting cold anyway. “So, Prince Charming, huh?” she said to Jake with a raised eyebrow. This was still a little awkward, really, but Marley wasn't trying to dwell on it.

Jake That smile, god, the way she smiled at him had him feeling as if he really were her Prince Charming. He reluctantly let go of her hand. "It's the least I could do after you saved my life," he told her kindly. He licked his lips once more and looked down at his costume before looking back at her. "It just felt right," he answered quietly. "And you forgot to dress up," he teased. "You're supposed to be someone you aren't."

Marley “You were a dude in distress, I had to help,” Marley said with playful wink. She had thought about the alternative a lot; if she hadn't ran after him, would he have been found in time by someone else? But she couldn't bare the thought of that and quickly curbed the thought in her head. This was the time to be happy, and that was all in the past now. They needed to move forward. She thanked the person running the cider booth as she took the warm cup, welcoming the warmth in his hands. She stepped back from the line and out of the way and watched, mesmerized as Jake licked his lips and then looked down at his costume. She couldn't help but agree with him, he certainly did fit the part quite nicely. He had the regal, handsome aspect down to a tee, she thought to herself as she looked back up to his face, catching the way the orange lights played beautifully over his dark skin. She wrinkled her nose as she rolled her eyes at him, but she was still smiling. “Yeah, well, it was something that wouldn't leave my mind and I didn't have time to think of something else so...” she trailed off with a shrug, giving her cider a sip. Her eyes flickered between his for a moment. “You look good, Jake. It seems life outside the hospital is treating you well?” She ducked behind her cup again after hearing how stupid that sounded out loud.

Jake stepped aside so that they were out of the way of the cider cart. 'Something that wouldn't leave her mind,' he thought. He could certainly relate to that. As hard as he tried to get back to the life he had with Katherine, he couldn't help but feel that he was moving backwards while he heart wanted to run forwards. He ducked his head at her compliment before meeting her eyes again. "I guess you could say that, in some ways things are great," he nodded. "Oh, I got a job," he said proudly, his smile widening. "I'm working at the animal shelter."

Marley frowned at his implication that some parts of his life weren't all that good still, but then her grin widened to reflect his as her eyes brightened. She felt her own sense of pride rise within her to hear and see how happy he was to have a job. “Really? Oh, Jake, that's fantastic news! I'm so happy for you!” she said brightly, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around him in a hug, but instead let her hand brush his arm. It was the safer route. Wow, this past week really had been a long one, and she was still hurt over their last encounter, she had pretty much comes to terms with it now that she could see things from his perspective without her own feelings clouding her vision. “I think that the animal shelter is a good fit for you.”

Jake felt goosebumps rise at her touch, wishing that he could have hugged her but knew they weren't at that place in their friendship (relationship?) anymore. "Thank you, it really is a great place to work," he said, his expression softening. "You could always visit," he suggested shyly. "Snow White is kinda known for her love of animals."

Marley felt the color rise in her cheeks as she looked down shyly. “Well, that /is/ something we have in common, so you may just see me pop in.” She looked back up at him, her nose wrinkled a little again as she sighed. “You're never going let me live this down, are you?” But she laughed and then waved her hand to gesture to his whole being in general. “But honestly, you're looking more and more like Prince Charming the more I'm standing here, so I guess two can play that game.” She wasn't trying to flirt, she really wasn't, but she couldn't help saying something that was true.

Jake "I think you look beautiful," he said warmly, wondering if he was crossing a line. But his heart was choosing it's own path now, though his mind was attempting to remind him of his wife. He fixed his posture and stood with his shoulders back and chin held high. "I do feel pretty good in this get-up," he chuckled. "So-" 'Marley, we still need another judge before we can start the costume contest,' a woman said as she came up and interrupted his conversation with Marley. He ducked his head, feeling shy again as he fixed his cape.

Marley merely smiled at him and then, feeling bold, said, “And you're looking rather charmingly handsome yourself,” because she felt the need to tell him and this was the best chance she had to say when exactly was on her mind and it could still be hidden behind the fact that they were supposed to be characters. She found herself laughing as he straightened his posture and stood tall. She watched the way his clothes tightened slightly on his shoulders and about jumped when they were interrupted. Marley swung her attention to the woman, her laughter cutting off abruptly as she heard Mother Superior's words. “Oh, right,” she responded, feeling like a fool that she completely forgot about her duty. She scanned the area and then looked back at Jake as his elbow brushed her arm to see him fixing his cape. She quickly grabbed his arm and smiled back at Mother Superior. She had wanted to ask him through text earlier in the week, so why not now? “Here's our other judge,” Marley said quickly to the shorter woman with a smile. “Are we starting now?” 'Yes, we are,' she said, looking between them briefly, eyes lingering on Marley's hand still wrapped around his arm, before turning to walk away and Marley let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding before turning back to Jake. “I'm so sorry I didn't properly ask you, I completely forgot I was supposed to get another judge. So, I know it's kind of a moot point now, but would you be willing to help out?” Marley chattered on, taking a huge breath after she was done speaking because she hadn't between words.

Jake looked down at the hand on his arm then back up to Marley, before turning to Mother Superior. He blinked a few times and realized he had been roped into helping out, which he didn't mind at all. His hand came up to rest over hers. "It'd be my honor," he assured her. "You don't have to apologize." His eyes looked between hers, realizing a beat to late that his thumb had been caressing the skin of her hand. He cleared his throat and let go, turning towards the stage only to run into- "Katherine," he said, reaching his arms out to steady her. "Sorry, I didn't see you there," he said. 'It's alright, I just got here. The party at work was a huge bore.' Her eyes turned to look between Jake and Marley. 'What a... coincidence?' Jake cleared his throat. "Yes, coincidence. She and I were just making our way to the costume contest."

Marley relaxed once he said he would love to help. The two stared at each other for a moment, Marley enjoying the feeling of his thumb caressing her hand and hated the fact that she had to lose it when he stepped back. Right, focus, her mind commanded as heard him clear his throat and she blinked. Back to business mode. “So it's just going to be right over there,” she pointed to the stage, looking down to make sure she stepped over the lights on the ground. She almost ran into Jake's back because he stopped abruptly but then she heard a name and a voice and all she wanted was for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She winced at Jake's back, thankful for the slight cover it provided as she schooled her features and stepped out from behind him with a weak smile. She took in Katherine's costume, taking note that it was merely a shiny black cat suit that hugged her body like a glove. Marley felt like a little girl next to her. She fought back the urge to shrink back at the look Katherine leveled on her, feeling her stomach clench. “Jake, here, overheard me trying to find another judge and graciously offered to help out,” Marley interjected with a smile, as polite as always even though her insides were a mess.

Jake 'That's so thoughtful of him,' Katherine said, putting on a smile before taking Jake's arm. 'Let's go see about judging then!' His stomach churned but he put on a smile, it just didn't reach his eyes this time. "Of course. I'll see you around, Marley," he said, looking back at her with an apology in his eyes. This time it really did feel like he was being torn in half. His body moved with Katherine towards the stage while his heart stayed back with Marley.

Marley watched Katherine grab his arm with a grain of salt. She tried to ignore the way Jake's eyes didn't reflect his smile, feeling that original feeling she had the first time she had seen Katherine hug Jake in the hospital. She nodded to Jake as the couple left her behind, but then she got an idea and rushed to catch up on Jake's other side. “Actually, the judges are supposed to gather in the front, /on stage/,” she said, nodding over towards the stage. “So if you'll be kind enough to let me borrow him for a bit, we need to go so they can start. And you know how children get if they have to wait,” she said to Katherine, her smile taking on an edge as she touched Jake's shoulder. She nodded her head again and then began to lead him through the crowd towards the front. “Oh,” she added as an afterthought, turning back towards Katherine with a sweet smile. “Nice cat woman costume, by the way.” And then she was walking away, hoping that Jake was right on her heels.

Jake blew out a subtle breath of relief when Marley cut in with an excuse for him to follow her. "I'll be back, Katherine," he said before turning to follow after Marley. "I hope you know that I can't show any preference for your students," he chuckled as he caught up to her side. "I'll be judging this contest fairly."

Marley let herself have a moment of pride as she saw Katherine's face scrunch up in an affronted look. She probably wasn't Cat Woman, but that's what she looked like. Marley smiled to herself as she took her spot on the stage, Jake standing at her side. She smiled at him and caught both Ruby and Unique staring at them with matching smiles. Unique gave her a thumbs up over Jake's head and Marley turned back to the stage, waiting for the mic. She lent her head towards Jake as he spoke and laughed. “I wouldn't expect anything less,” she said to him. The fact that some of the students were her own was the main reason she wasn't allowed to judge. Instead she was the host. Leroy gave her the mic and she stepped forward to announce to the crowd what would be happening. She explained that each grade would line up so they could parade across the stage in front of the judges. There would be a male and female winner and then there would be a special contest for the adults as well. Marley stepped back next to Jake as she announced each grade to come through and the judges went to work on which students would be the winners with Marley giving them their prize. She smiled and high-fived one of her students as he won one of the contests. Then, when the final student winner was announced, Unique and Ruby quickly came to steal the mic from her. 'Okay, so, next order of business is best couples' costumes,' she heard Unique announce into the mic and Marley's face morphed into one of horror. She tried to get Ruby's attention by grabbing her sleeve, but Ruby ignored her in favor of taking the mic from Unique. 'We had the lovely Mother Superior scoping out the potential couple costumes all evening and we have decided on a few candidates, and yes our very own Snow White is part of this, hence she is relieved of her announcing duties at this time.' Marley glared at her friend as looked down at her feet when the crowd cheered. 'Would our Prince Charming join our Snow White off to the side as we call our other couples, please?' Unique nudged Marley over as Marley stood still in shock.

Jake It was easy for Jake to get into the festivities as a judge and there were some truly great costumes amongst the kids. But what really made him smile was that his personal favorite of the night turned out to be one of Marley's students. She was an elegant host, one that everyone in the audience seemed to like. There was something about her presence that made people look up to her and he could certainly admire that about her. He made sure to clap for every student that one and knelt down to give a hug to a miniature Snow White before she giggled off to join her mother. He was a little surprised when Unique and Ruby took over the mic, wondering who was judging the adults when he didn't have a score card for it. His eyes blinked in shock and he looked to Marley but she was only looking embarrassed. "Of course," he said, stepping over to stand beside her. They could be in a couple's contest without being a couple, couldn't they? His eyes looked out over the crowd and he could see Katherine scowling in distaste with Mayor Mills beside her. He shrugged as if to say it wasn't his choice, but he liked standing up there next to Marley. Jake reached over to loop her hand around his arm so that they could look the part.

Marley She was going to get her two mischievous best friends for this later, she vowed in her head. But she couldn't help but relax when she felt Jake wrap her arm around his, and really they did look good together, that she couldn't deny. She chanced a glance to Katherine in the crowd and a smile came to her face as she wrapped her arm tighter around Jake's, before turning to him. “This is okay, right? Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are,” Marley told Jake as she heard other famous couples being announced to come up. 'Frankenstein and his bride. Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner. Han Solo and Princes Leia. Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney Sweep. Please, take your places on stage.' She kept smiling to look the part, and even though she was completely embarrassed, it felt nice to be able to be this close to Jake again. 'Now, can we have the student winners back up here, please. They will be the judges.'

Jake turned his head to look at Marley, smiling warmly at her. "It's fine, we should have seen this coming. Or at least you should have, you're the brilliant one," he teased. He stood like he felt a prince should and looked over the competition. In his head, he and Marley looked the best together. Dr. Whale just looked creepy as Frankenstein's monster. Somehow, Jake's thumb had begun caressing the back of Marley's hand again as they stood there. He smiled as the student judges walked down the line for their inspection. 'Is that a real sword?' one of them asked. Jake chuckled and shot them a wink, "Now, that would hardly be safe, now would it?"

Marley "Even brilliance can fall short sometimes,” she quipped back with a small laugh as she shifted her feet, leaning into Jake a little more like Snow would in the movie. She looked back at Katherine briefly, smiling to herself as she saw that her glare had intensified. “Katherine doesn't look too pleased, though,” she said with a snort and then watched as the students made their way from couple to couple. They were very thorough judges. Marley felt as if their only competition was Mary Poppins and Bert, because the others had simple store bought, last minute costumes and didn't particularly look the part. Marley was pulled back to the of a child asking Jake if his sword was real. She had to hide her giggle behind her hand at Jake's response. She then felt her dress being tugged on by the other student from the second grade. 'Miss Rose, do you have a bow on your headband?' she asked shyly, trying to peer up at Marley. Marley smiled and knelt down to her level, showing off her headband. “Yes, I do, Sophie,” she said, remembering having the girl in her class last year. “I made it myself,” she added in a stage whisper, winking as the girl's eyes widened in surprise. Marley's own smile widened as she straightened up, waiting for the other kids to do their inspection.

Jake 's eyes fell back on Katherine, the death glare she aimed towards Marley had him feeling protective but it also put his stomach in knots. Why did everything in his life feel like such a battle? He shook it off and turned his gaze back to Marley, smiling to himself. "Doesn't she look like the real deal, Sophie?" he asked the little girl. "Don't tell anybody but I think Miss Rose might be Snow White," he grinned. It was funny how the older kids tried to act so adult in their inspection. One boy even scratched at his chin and nodded in approval of Jake's cape. "I think we're going to win," he said quietly in Marley's ear before turning his attention back to Red and Unique as they brought the kids together for their votes.

Marley narrowed her eyes at Jake a little and shook her head as Sophie looked at Jake shyly. She looked up with a nod at his statement and Marley lipped,“Stop it,” with a nudge to his ribs, all without breaking a smile. 'She's definitely prettier than her,' the little girl said and Marley heart melted. “Look what you've started,” Marley exclaimed in a whisper, but hey she could deny that it wouldn't help with the votes. Then the older kids came by, schooling their features in mock serious faces and they circled them, and Marley just held on to Jake's arm, trying not to laugh. Then it was time for the final vote, and Marley was anxious and really wanted to win. “We better,” she said to Jake. “You charmed the little ones, I think we got this in the bag.” She grabbed his wrist with her free arm as they waited for the verdict, watching the kids talk in a huddle with Unique and Ruby overseeing. Then the two shooed the little ones off the stage and the two oldest were left to announce the winners. 'After inspecting all the couples we have decided on our top three. In third place, winning a container of caramel popcorn: Elizabeth and Will Turner!' The couple stepped forward and Marley pulled her hands away to clap and then back to their previous positions on Jake's wrist and his arm. 'In second place, winning a free car inspection from Marine Garage is: Mary Poppins and Bert! Awesome mustache, dude.' Marley once again clapped and then closed her eyes as she waited for the first place winners would be. 'And in first place, we have a couple that really captured their characters not only in appearance, but in actions as well. It was a pretty unanimous decision, and this couple wins a paid dinner at Granny's. The first place couple is...' The kids bowed their heads together to say in unison, “Snow White and Prince Charming!” And Marley's jaw dropped as she looked at Jake before she yelled with a jump, “We won!”

Jake "You know, I agree with you, Sophie," he said. Maybe he should have looked for a job at the school instead, working in the library or something, he realized. But he was happy at the animal shelter too and he knew that if he was around Marley that much, he wouldn't be able to help himself. "And it seems as if you're all of their favorite," he shot back at her, feeling more secure in them winning. His grip on her hand tightened a bit as they waited. He clapped as third place was announced, nodding his head to both winners. He chuckled at second place and the prize that they got, making him wonder what first place was. And when he and Marley were announced as the winners, his smile came out as a beam that could light up town square. He turned to Marley and enveloped her in a hug. (It was acceptable, he was in character). "Congratulations, Snow White," he said into her ear. A strange wave of deja vu came over him as he said the words but he shook it off and let her go, taking her arm to walk over so they could accept their prize.

Marley she quickly reciprocated the hug, wrapping her arms around him and managed to rest her chin on his shoulder for a mere moment as she squeezed him back. She fought of the urge to shiver at his voice in her ear, feeling his warm breath ghosting over the shell of it that she hadn't realized had gone numb. She felt herself blush as he let go of her and the two walked over the Unique and Ruby to collect their prize. She gave Ruby a hug and when Ruby turned to Jake, she gave Unique one. Ruby was beaming at her and Marley beamed back as she never let go of Jake's arm. “What'd we win again?” Marley said to Ruby over the cheers of the crowd and Ruby brought the mic up to her lips. 'Let's give it up one more time for our winners Snow White and Prince Charming who will, on behalf of Unique and myself, will be sharing a dinner for two at Granny's diner.' Marley should be mad at her friends' but nothing could bring her down from her excitement as she yelled a thank you into Ruby's mic before turning towards Jake again.

Jake waved with warm cheeks towards the crowd, but his favorite part (other than Marley's excitement over winning) was high-fiving the kids that had picked them to win. He made sure to bow to Sophie, shooting her a wink before turning back to Marley. "A dinner for two?" he asked, the prize finally piecing together in his mind.

Marley 'That's right, boo,' Unique interjected from beside Jake as Marley's stomach dropped to her toes. It finally dawned on her the implications of their prize. Oh, crap, this was not good. At Marley's concerned look, Ruby jumped in. 'It was a couples contest, we figured it'd be appreciated...' She trailed off at Unique's sharp look and switched tracks. 'It's only for one night, I'm sure it's not that big of a deal, right?' Ruby looked concerned looking back and forth between Marley and Jake. Marley couldn't help but find Katherine's moving form in the crowd. “It's okay with me if it's okay with you,” she said quickly, looking back at Jake, waiting for the outburst that was bound to happen.

Jake looked between the three women, feeling a little cornered by them all. His eyes turned back to Marley and he had his answer, his expression softening. "It's okay-" 'Jacob!' Katherine called, waiting by the side of the stage. 'They have carmel apples, wouldn't you like to get me one?' she hinted, raising her eyebrows at him. He licked his lips and looked back to the women he was with. "Have a good night, all of you," he said, eyes falling on Marley's last and lingering for a moment before he let go of her hand and turned to meet Katherine. His wife immediately took his arm and practically rushed him towards the carmel apple stand. He knew she was talking to him as she whispered in an angry voice, but his mind was still wondering if Marley being okay with going to dinner meant that she was okay with him again.

Marley You have legs, get your own damn caramel apple, Marley wanted to yell at the woman, but she bit her tongue. Marley gave him a sad look as his eyes lingered on hers. She didn't like the way Katherine treated him... it was like he wasn't her equal and that made her sick to her stomach. She tried to call him back, "Jake, wait-" but her voice died as he was swallowed up by the crowd. 'Tough break, hun,' Unique said as she rubbed a hand over Marley's back in a comforting way. But Marley jolted away from the touch and spun towards her friends. “Is there a certificate or something for the prize?” she asked firmly, looking between the two. 'Yeah, here,' Ruby fished the piece of paper out of... thin air apparently, since Marley couldn't tell where she had pulled it from. She passed the paper to Marley and then Marley was off, sprinting towards the caramel apples booth as fast as possible. She was grateful for the fact that she knew exactly where it was located, having layed out the booths herself. Once she glimpsed a short blond in a black cat suit and a tall, dark, prince, she yelled out after them. “Jake, Katherine, wait!” She ran around in front of them and blocked their path. She shoved the paper into Jake's hand. “Here, go in my place, Katherine. At least let Jake have his prize, don't take that away from him.” The 'too' was silent, but hung like a neon sign in the air to all who knew to listen for it.

Jake 'You're my husband and she goes up there with you just because you were wearing some prince's costume?' "The Prince," he corrected her, handing her a carmel apple but taking a churro for himself. 'That's the important,' she scoffed, taking his arm again. 'You shouldn't have gone up there.' "It was just a silly contest, something for the kids to feel like they had a hand in it," he said. "The only person who doesn't seem to be enjoying themselves here is you. All you need is a few games, many a ride on a pony and you'll feel better," he said, trying to be kind but finding himself annoyed. When he heard Marley calling his name, he stopped, feeling surprised when she slapped the paper into his hand. "That's very kind of you," he said quietly, feeling as if she had left off a word at the end of her sentence. Katherine took the paper from his hand. 'This is wonderful, Marley. Thank you so much for allowing me and my /husband/ to have your prize,' she said in a sickly sweet voice. 'We really should go now. I haven't seen anything yet.' Jake swallowed and took his gaze from Marley to look at Katherine. "Of course. Goodnight, Marley," he said, giving her a sad smile. "And thank you."