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]

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."