Here's to Another Year

[butterflyfactor]

Layla had found herself suddenly grateful for her excess of time on the island. It allowed her, two days before the fact, to pull together a fairly elaborate mystery starting with an unsigned missive in a mail box in the morning. It lead the protagonist on a lengthy trail across the island's various locals, forced said protagonist to interact with the island's various locals, and finally planted the protagonist at the foot of a bonfire piled high and burning brightly on the beach only to be faced with their closest friends and a modest array of food and drink. There was also Scrabble.

The sky was just starting to purple on the horizon as the sun set, which meant Madrox would be arriving imminently. Unless, of course, Layla's planning hadn't been perfect.

If there's one thing knowing the future would have been really goddamn handy for, it's planning a surprise party. Even with the attention I've paid this thing, there's no guarantee he'll come walking out of trees right on target. Because without knowing, you're just guessing. As if I'm not a poor enough candidate to host a gathering of superheroes, I hate the fact that I don't know how it's going to go, not for sure. But when Jamie does show up, I'm at least going to succeed in not letting all that uncertainty show.

She felt relief when she saw him, instead of the smug pride she would have preferred, but smiled with everyone else and said, "Surprise."

Comments

[howmanylives]

"She put together a whole mystery for me," said Jamie, not knowing how much the others knew about the set-up or if Layla had kept that part a secret. "Sent me on a merry chase around the whole island 'til I ended up here. It was... exceedingly thoughtful. Probably the best gift anyone's ever given me. " He waited a beat, then added, "No offense."

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

"None taken," Rahne laughed, shaking her head. It wasn't like they had much in the way of presents here; she suspected that, in Jamie's position, she'd have felt the same way. Now more so than back in New York, she found it difficult to know quite what to make of Layla, but where a matter such as this was concerned, she felt something vaguely approaching admiration for the girl (who, she remembered, was now older than Rahne herself). Given how @#%$ing dismal Jamie's last birthday had been, that this was so much better was something to be grateful for, no matter who had been responsible for it. "It was thoughtful of her, to put something so elaborate together. She must know ye well."

[howmanylives]

"You... could say that," he said with nod, lips pressing together as he looked away. He supposed that he ought to just come out with it, say what was on his mind, but stating something so plainly wasn't his usual style. On the other hand, he already couldn't help but wonder if Layla was right -- that of course he wouldn't tell anyone that night. "I mean... We've been rooming together for months, right?"

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

“Right,” Rahne answered with a slow nod of her own, the syllable drawn out, brows furrowing. If she were to guess, between an answer like that and the way he glanced away, she’d say that something was up, but it wasn’t like she was in a position to have the first idea what. Maybe its being his birthday was just making him act a bit strange. “Is there a reason ye aren’t looking at me, Jamie?”

[howmanylives]

"No," he said a little too quickly. Rolling his eyes at himself, he let out a forceful sigh, a hint of wry amusement slipping through.

I'm being ridiculous. I'm a grown man, for God's sake... And if Theresa's allowed to get herself involved with some jerk Marine who can't keep it in his pants, then what's going between Layla and I is perfectly reasonable.

"...yes," he amended a few seconds later, glancing at Rahne out of the corner of his eye. "Can I, uh, tell you something?"

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Rahne said, like that ought to have been obvious, the same puzzled look on her face. At least he wasn't going to leave her guessing, something that would have proven entirely too frustrating, and that wasn't something she wanted to deal with, given that it was his birthday. "What is it?"

[howmanylives]

"Over there?" he said after a beat, nodding in the opposite direction of the partygoers. In case her reaction wasn't favorable, he didn't want to risk anyone else eavesdropping.

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

"So much secrecy," Rahne joked wryly, but nodded in agreement, already starting in the direction he'd indicated. Whatever this was, it was looking to be something serious, and she had no reason not to comply with his request. "But over there's fine with me."

[howmanylives]

Jamie led them a good fifty feet away from the nearest person before he dropped down on a conveniently located rock, drawing one leg up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around his knee, then looked up at Rahne for a moment, considering his next words very carefully. In the end, he opted for a vague version of the truth, wanting to test the water first, so to speak, before jumping right in.

"I'm seeing someone."

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

It was about the last thing Rahne was expecting to hear, her eyebrows raising almost immediately with news like that. There was nothing bad about it, of course — on the contrary, especially knowing what he'd told her about the events preceding his arrival, her first instinct was to be glad for him — but all this mystery about it still left her waiting, as if for the other shoe to drop. He had to have some reason for acting like this.

"Oh?" she asked, prompting him to elaborate. "Is this a recent thing, then?"

[howmanylives]

"Not... really, no," he admitted, scrubbing a hand through his hair as he ducked his head, not quite embarrassed, but teetering at the very edge of it. "A few months?"

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

"And ye've waited this long to say anything?" Rahne asked, though she was closer to amused or incredulous than annoyed by that fact, despite the scoff she let out. He was telling her now, and mostly, she was just curious. "Alright, then, so what's the big deal? Ye've been keeping it secret, and pulled me away from the party to even talk about it, so what's going on, Jamie?"

[howmanylives]

"It's Layla," he said in a rush. Not daring enough to want to see her reaction, he looked away, then, his gaze fixed on a point beyond the trees. His fingers curled in his hair, tugging at his scalp, and his foot tapped in a nervous beat. Quieter, he added, "I'm... seeing Layla. That's what's, uh... Going on."

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

For a moment, Rahne said nothing, her face entirely blank as she fought off images of bloodied wedding dresses and mangled bodies, the idea of once again becoming a murderer. Knowing what she knew about their future back home, she couldn't have even said that it was particularly surprising. Layla wasn't a little girl anymore, after all, even if they had first known her as one. To her, it seemed almost ridiculous that Jamie was clearly so nervous about saying anything, even if, by the same token, she could understand why that might be. There was no telling how the others might react. She just had the advantage of knowing that it was going to happen back home.

"That's yuir big secret?" she asked only a handful of seconds later, a smile breaking across her face. "That's... That's good, Jamie. I'm happy for ye both." Letting out a short laugh, she shook her head. "Ye could've said something."

[howmanylives]

The relief Jamie felt in that moment was palpable. His shoulders sagged as he let out the breath he'd inadvertently been holding, and he turned to look at Rahne, a small, tentative smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, though it soon twisted into a smirk at the last of her comments. Letting out a wry, self-deprecating laugh, he shook his head.

"No, I really couldn't've," he said frankly, eyebrows lifting. "The circumstances... I'm the first to admit they look questionable, trust me. But we're both adults and I only ever showed an interest in her in that way when she had, uh..." He coughed. "Things. And the right to drink legally."

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

"Jamie, she's older than I am," Rahne pointed out, unable, still, to keep the laughter from her voice. She saw what he was getting at, of course, but for all the lead in to this, she had expected something far more shocking. Then again, it wasn't as if any of the others had been given visions of Jamie and Layla on their wedding night, nor did they know that he had. It wasn't any reason, though, to make too much of this, the relationship itself not being what was the problem there at all. "So maybe it's... a bit of an unusual situation, but it's not like either of ye had any control over that. As long as ye both are fine with it, so am I, and obviously ye are."

[howmanylives]

"I am, yeah," he agreed with a quick, easy smile, though it was struggle resisting the vindictive impulse to spill the beans about Theresa's unusual situation. In the end, he figured it wouldn't do any good. If her own father hadn't managed to talk some sense into her, he doubted Rahne would be able to -- quoting scripture would probably just drive Terry further into the arms of her bastard of a fiancé. "Not that I have much experience with this sort of thing, not long term, at any rate."

[tearsthrulife.livejournal.com]

"Well, ye've made it this far and she obviously doesn't hate ye yet, so that's got to be a good sign," Rahne pointed out, gesturing back at where the rest of the partygoers still were, a little ways off. "Don't think she would've gone through all this trouble if she did. And to do something so perfect for ye, too."