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Post by orinocoflow on Dec 17, 2010 22:36:19 GMT -5
ok, decided to post this now because I probably won't have time later. If you haven't read the previous update from last night, do that first! Hope you like it! Paul looked at her as she sat down beside Roger on the warm floor in front of the fireplace and helped him open the presents he had brought, carefully so as not to rip the paper. She was avoiding looking at him, that much he knew, but Roger’s enthusiasm wiped away his worries for now.
Sliding down from the couch onto the floor, he leaned back against it and bent his left leg at the knee, resting his elbow on it while his right was stretched out in a way so that the pressure was off as much as possible. She caught that subtle movement and shook her head in what he knew now as the look that meant that he was trying too hard not to show pain, and he smiled, watching as the fire glinted off her hair, making it glow gold.
Roger was attacking the presents, and when he finally finished with the last one, he turned to his mother and hugged her, and then surprised both of them by wrapping his arms around Paul tightly and leaning on the tenor’s trim body, sighing as he lay his head on his chest and smiled to himself.
“Thank you, Paul,” he whispered, his eyes drifting closed after a long day and a lot of excitement. Hesitating, Paul wrapped his own arms around Roger, holding him gently as the tired boy slept soundly on his chest. When he did not wake up, Paul looked up and found Kathryn sitting there across from him, her eyes bright with tears. Noticing that he was looking at her, she wiped them away quickly, but he reached out and touched her cheek.
“Don’t, it’s all right. You don’t have to be strong all the time,” he said softly, his voice barely heard above the crackling flames. She blinked at him in surprise, but then raised a hand to his and laid it on his rougher one, smiling as the contact was made. Pulling her hand down, he ran his thumb over her knuckles, his warm blue eyes watching her.
How long they sat there, he had no idea, but after some time he felt a light hand on his forehead and blinked his eyes open, scowling at the fire’s flickering light.
“If you plan to sleep like that all night, that ankle will be the least of your problems.” Paul turned his head to look at her where she was standing by his side, but his neck hurt too much.
“And it’s already starting to kick in. Do you want to get him in bed? If it’s not morning yet, of course,” he added with a smile, stretching his stiffening muscles and trying to figure out how he was going to get up without waking Roger.
“Sure. Can you get up?”
Paul nodded uncertainly, managing to get on his knees and tug the boy into his arms, careful not to drop him as he struggled to his feet. Telling his ankle to stop complaining, Paul followed Kathryn into Roger’s bedroom.
A few minutes later, Paul watched from the doorway as Kathryn tucked him in and kissed his forehead, brushing away the unruly hair, and wondered what he had ever done to be given this moment.
Out in the living room again, she eyed him warily, not sure how to ask him. Finally, she just asked him outright.
“Where did you get that scar?”
“Scar?”
“The one on your jaw. It looks exactly like Roger’s, and I was just curious…”
“Oh, I ran into a tree when I was about his age, actually. I had been running with my friends and didn’t see it in time, so I ended up getting a few stitches. Surprising how much damage a tree can do, eh?” he laughed quietly.
Kathryn smiled, nodding, but her expression was distracted. “That’s strange—Roger got his the same way.”
Paul stared at her for a second, amazed. “That is interesting. A bit eerie, I would even say.”
Kathryn nodded. “Well, thank you for the gifts and the late Christmas tree. I don’t know how I can ever match it,” she murmured, looking at the first man who had been good to her in this last, tiring past year.
Paul grinned wickedly. “Those scones of yours are more than enough, let me tell you that. If I didn’t have a reputation of burning something even in a microwave, I would ask for the recipe, but I am sure that I will fail, believe me.”
Kathryn smiled at that. “How do you burn anything in a microwave? Don’t take it the wrong way, but—”
“That’s exactly my point. And I totally understand what you’re trying to say,” he laughed, but then hushed himself with a glance at the closed door to Roger’s room.
“Most of all, I have to thank you for how you were with Roger. I've never seen him take to anyone like that before.”
“You’re welcome,” he said quietly. “Thanks for letting me stay so long, but I should really get going. It’s apparently past midnight, and I should get some sleep if I want to watch the New Year tomorrow.”
“Good night,” she said, walking him to the door, her eye on his limp. “And please have that checked out, because you’ve been limping too long for it to be a normal sprain.”
“Alright, I will,” he promised, giving a small wave as he walked back out into the cold, hunching his shoulders against the biting wind.
Closing the door, Kathryn leaned against it and wept silently for the one thing in her life that had gone right in the past year.
* * *
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Post by celticbear on Dec 17, 2010 23:16:23 GMT -5
Ori! I loved these last two Updates! I'm telling you Paul is perfect Father Material! And when is he going to take Kathryn's advice and get his ankle checked out properly! I'm also telling you how eerie and creepy it is that Paul is so like her late Husband! UPDATE SOON!
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Post by orinocoflow on Dec 17, 2010 23:39:39 GMT -5
*the scar is something he shares with Roger, the son, not the father. But otherwise, he is similar to both of them in one way or another. Not sure where to take this similarity, but added it for effect. Maybe inspiration will hit me later.
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Post by celticbear on Dec 17, 2010 23:49:19 GMT -5
Well Ori it sure makes the Story very Interesting to Read so I hope you continue to come up with more Similarities. UPDATE SOON!
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Post by celticbear on Dec 18, 2010 0:13:07 GMT -5
I saw your post in the PUB! So Update when you Schedule allows it again! I''ll wait patiently and maybe I'll have an Update for you in *Lauren Harkin* and in *Thunder Baby* I'm stuck right now. I HATE WRITERS BLOCK!
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Post by AmbeeBee on Dec 18, 2010 14:52:18 GMT -5
Oh my gosh! How have I not read this yet?! I absolutely love the way you write Paul with Roger, I can definitely see him as a good person with children. Please update this soon, I LOVE it!
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Post by orinocoflow on Dec 18, 2010 20:58:09 GMT -5
Haha, we were in the middle of moving today when I had an idea on how to finish this story, so now am typing it up. CB, your dream has come true--I will post the HEA version first, and then the sad one. This is where the two stroies break apart, so when you read the HEA story, go back up to this point and reread before reading the sad version. Will post ASAP!
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Post by orinocoflow on Dec 18, 2010 23:50:33 GMT -5
This is it!!! Hope you like it, and I will start writing the other version tomorrow...or whenever time allows, but it WILL be up before Christmas! (I hope) Paul shifted from one foot to the other as he knocked, tugging the collar of his coat up and the warm hat down, the scarf looped around his throat. When the door opened and the heat from the fireplace flooded over him, he managed a frozen smile, his gloved hands jammed into his pockets.
“Paul? Get inside, it’s freezing tonight,” Kathryn said urgently, immediately letting him in.
Paul nodded gratefully and slid inside, trying desperately to stop his chattering teeth.
“Aye, that it is,” he murmured, considering whether or not to take his coat off, but he warmed quickly.
“Paul!” Roger crashed into him, his short arms wrapping around his bundled waist, a broad grin on his face.
“Hey, Rog,” laughed Paul, hugging the kid to his side as he limped further into the hallway, unwrapping his scarf as he went. He felt Kathryn's steady gaze on his back as Roger finally released him.
“Thank you so much for the presents! I love the RC car!” His blue eyes were shining with excitement. “Com’on, can you play with me? Please? There are two, and you can have the red one. Please? Please?”
Paul smiled and glanced at Kathryn. “Well, actually, I came here for a slightly different reason, but let’s see if I can squeeze that in, true?” he added with a wink in the boy’s direction. Nodding, the seven-year-old sprinted away into the living room.
Sighing, Paul turned back to Kathryn. “So, how’s today been?” he asked softly. “Do you have anything planned for tonight?”
“No, not really; just the two of us. Why?”
“Well, every year, a few friends and I get together and go to the local pub, you know? Just hang out, celebrate, bring friends, and then after the clock strikes, well, then we hit the Guinness, but that’s only tomorrow, not before midnight. So, I was wondering if you would like to come with me tonight. Kids are allowed until eleven tonight, so Roger can come as well.” He stopped and watched her closely, blue eyes glowing in the firelight.
“Won’t your friends…I really don’t think I can, not just come and crash your party…”
“Oh, no worries; the guys have been pestering me for years that I never come with anyone,” he laughed.
“Well, in that case, my answer depends on two things. One, what does Roger think of this; and two, did you have that ankle checked out?”
Chuckling, Paul bent to move aside his boot's "collar," revealing a white bandage.
“According to the doctor, he said that whoever treated it did so very well, and had I listened to their advice and gone straight away to him, I would not be limping right now. Unfortunately, since I let the sprain just go on and actually managed to aggravate it, I now have to wear this dandy white bandage until it heals, which can be up to a week or two later,” he said with a grin. “I should make a note of listening to you more.”
Kathryn smiled at him. “You definitely should. Don’t hurt it any more than you have already, or that ‘aggravated sprain’ may turn into something worse.”
“Well, I passed one test; now go see what Roger thinks of this plan,” he suggested oh-so-casually, masterfully holding back the anticipation he felt for taking her out for the evening. Roger was sure to agree, right? Right? Paul smiled as she went to talk with her son, hoping that Roger would want to. And sure enough, as soon as Kathryn mentioned that Paul had invited the two of them to spend the eve with them, he jumped up, carefully put the cars away in their box, and ran to get his coat and hat.
“I take that as a ‘yes’ then,” Paul laughed when Roger came to stand beside him. Helping Kathryn into her coat, they left for the pub.
* * *
The two of them had a marvelous time. As soon as Paul came in with his arm around her waist casually, the guys had started cheering and laughing, clapping him hard on the back.
“About time, Byrom!” one called out, raising his glass of cider at the two of them. But then Roger slipped inside and stood between them, looking around in amazement at the festive decorations, and the people crowded in the pub fell silent and stared.
There was an uncomfortable silence, but then a man in his fifties at a nearby table broke it with a light laugh.
“Oh, com’on. What, isn’t our young tenor allowed to bring a couple friends? Come here, lad, sit down,” he said, motioning to Roger. “Let’s get you a cider. Paul, care to join me with your beautiful lady?” he chuckled, pulling up two more chairs.
The tenor hung up their coats and then joined them at the table as the conversations gradually slipped back into full mode and the surprise was taken care off. Someone got onto the stage and began to sing a familiar tune, although off-key.
“Hope your holidays have gone well,” said the man to Kathryn. “M’name’s John MacAodhagáin, and I’ve known Paul since he was about as old as this big fella here,” he said with a smile at Roger.
The rest of the night went well, and Paul even managed to pull Kathryn out onto the dance floor a few times. He was surprised by how well she danced, and several times they ended up being the only ones on the floor as everyone else left and let them take it.
Roger spent almost the whole time listening to John tell stories and legends that he knew from reading or from having heard before. Occasionally, he would surface from the tales and look over to the two of them enjoying themselves and wish that they would go home together. He had never seen his mother this happy, and he really liked Paul.
He is nice, funny, and he knew exactly what I wanted for Christmas. He cut down that tree from the same place as Da had before, and Ma liked him, I can tell. There was no one else that she looked at the way she did at him, even though they had met only a little while ago, just a few days.
Eventually, he realized that John had stopped talking. Looking over, he turned red when he found the man’s green eyes watching him closely.
“You’re Sean’s son, aren’t you?” he said quietly.
“Y-yes sir,” nodded Roger, curious. “How’d you know?”
“Your eyes. Not too many have those eyes, and your father was one of them.”
“What do you know about my father?” Roger asked eagerly. “Can you tell me anything else about him? When’s he coming back?”
A shadow crossed over the man’s face. “Oh, you poor young fellow. You don’t know, do you?” he murmured under his breath. He looked over at the happy couple out on the dance floor, currently sliding across it in a subtle waltz, and then back at Roger.
“Well, where were we in the stories again?” he asked, clearing his throat.
But as he started to talk again, Roger looked over with new eyes to where Paul and his mother danced, watching how close they were, how her hands were on his shoulders and his around her waist, how they quietly swayed to the melodious music, her head gradually coming to rest on his shoulders as her hands lowered to slide around his waist and she sighed, closing her eyes; Paul laid his chin on top of her head, smiling secretly with closed eyes. How content they seemed, and his mother was so at ease with Paul, something that he hadn’t seen her be like with his father, ever.
What had John meant when he had spoken so low I could only hear a few words? What are they hiding? What happened to Da?
As the clock struck eleven beats, the music ended and Paul left the floor with Kathryn. Making their way over to where he sat, they talked quietly between themselves, and Roger almost smiled at the smile on his mother’s face…almost.
“Hate to tell you, but you have to go,” said Paul as he came up, a regretful expression on his face. “Kids can only stay until now, no matter how well they behave.” Nodding, Roger stood up and, thanking John for everything, walked over to the two of them.
“Com’on, lad,” Paul murmured softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. And just like that, Roger relaxed; why he had felt such anger just a minute ago, he had no idea, but that simple gesture told him that he had not been forgotten, that he was still part of the family. Smiling up at the tall tenor, he walked out between the two of them into the night.
“Thank you so much for everything, Paul,” Kathryn said, her eyes shining happily.
“Whoa, whoa, who said anything about this being it?” teased Paul, tugging her over to the side of the empty street. “You think I would let you go away without having watched the fireworks out over the lake?”
Kathryn’s eyes widened as he led them up through the park and over to his car. Helping them in, he drove them up to a tall hill, over-looking everything for miles around…and the lake.
They walked over to a bench near the top facing the lake and sat down, talking in hushed tones until the New Year drew near. Then, he surprised them both again by pulling out three glasses and a small bottle of cider from one of his huge coat pockets.
“May all the evil of the Old Year stay with it,” he murmured as they locked eyes. Roger tilted his head back, smiling when he saw the look on their faces, hoping that this was going where he so wanted it to.
Just as the fireworks hit the sky, announcing the New Year and the bells chimed, Paul said softly, “And now, may the New Year bring better things, hopes fulfilled, and wishes granted. Good luck!” He whispered the last part, his voice almost hoarse. Just before drinking, though, he looked down and smiled at Roger, wrapping his arm around his narrow shoulders and pulling him in closer, his coat warming the boy even more.
This time, Roger lowered his head and leaned on Paul’s arm, drinking the sparkling cider as he felt the two of them lean over him, and he viciously hoped for his wish to come true in this New Year.
And a few months later, it did.
THE END
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Post by celticbear on Dec 19, 2010 0:53:30 GMT -5
Ori! I love it! Thank you for Posting the Happy Ending first! I'm so Glad Paul,Kathryn,and Roger became a Happy Family! And Yes I'll read the nasty Sad ending to this Story! But I'm telling you right now this Version of the Ending is going to be my FAVORITE NO MATTER WHAT! I'm Sorry that's just the way I am! I LIKE HAPPY ENDINGS!
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Post by orinocoflow on Dec 21, 2010 14:17:21 GMT -5
finally got computer time today, but since it's limited, i dont think i'll be able to post the rest of the story until my computer gets set up again. glad you guys liked it!
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