The World at Her Feet

[Scott Cooper]

Scott looked back at her not sure what she might say but she had the sort of eyes he could stared into all day and never get bored. He tried to hide the look of surprise at her words though he couldnt as he smiled. “Really? You do?” He asked wanting to make sure that he had things right before he let his head get any further.

It felt like a dream when she took his hand as he squeezed her hand right back to make sure it was real. “It will be alright, I’ll make sure it is and you are. It’s not illogical at all, fate is fate and I guess we were meant to meet that night.” He said though he was glad they had he just wished it was for a coffee or something a lot less threatening than kidnapping.

Scott reached out with her other hand to brush his thumb across her cheek as he nodded. “If I ever gave you that impression I’m sorry because I didnt meant to.” He explained not wanting her for a minute to think that he was playing a game of any kind. “No ruse, no game Kelle I like you, a lot and I want this to work out and even if it doesn’t I can at least say I got to spend time with the most wonderful woman in the world.” He said meaning every word.

“I am sincere in this, I wouldn’t have told you what I did if i wasnt. I won’t play games Kelle because you mean too much to me for that. I am sincere, I know it’s a lot to ask you to trust me but please trust that I want this to work out.” He explained, sure it was anyone’s guess if it did work out or not but he wanted it to and that had to count for something.

Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"Okay..."

She nodded slowly, scooting closer, reaching to take his hand. "This isn't at all how I'd pictured things...not that I really dwelt on it, or had any real notions, but...'

Shrugging, she sighed. Love was not something you planned or sought, it just kind of happened...or not...and you took it as it came.

"I don't even know where to start with questions...most I don't think I want to really know anyway...and I don't want to change you, but killing for a living..." Defense was one thing, just...killing....was another, but then Kelle could think of a couple people as she just sat here who could truly use killing to make the World a better place, and that sort of thinking made her head hurt!

"We're kind of Yin and Yang, huh? You the killer, me the healer..."

She looked at him with alarm, immediately wishing she could take that back. "I mean...I didn't mean..."

Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled under his arm. "If nothing else, this is going to be interesting!"

Scott Cooper

[Scott Cooper]

When Kelle took his hand Scott smiled as he realised that his likely wasn’t in a girls imagination of what things might have been like. “No I get what you mean, you thought along the lines of white knight on a horse or a prince. More Disney than anything else.” He said trying his best to smile.

Love had never been something Scott had thought of for years, sure when he had worked in the military there had been a few girlfriends but once his family had been killed. Making that sort of connection became dangerous and now he wanted that connection more than ever. It was strange to think that not too long ago he might have chased the idea from his head but then Kelle came along and things had changed.

And then there it was, killing for a living. Well it was only certain people and the people he did kill weren’t exactly saints. Most likely killers themselves in a way but getting into the reasoning behind it all he doubted would make it any better for her. Too many details to go through and too many bad things to be known first.

Scott saw the alarm in her face immediate as he just laughed off the comment as best he could. “It’s okay, you’re right you are the healer and you’re doing a pretty good job at it.” He said smiling as he felt her rest her head on his shoulder as she snuggled under his arm. “You’re right it will be interesting, you’re a very interesting person who knows about stars, healing people and camping.” He said smiling content at the fact that things seemed to be going as well as he could have hoped for them to.

Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"And you're a sweet-talking fool!" She giggled, then sighed and shrugged. "We'll try...I mean, so far, besides that first date, everything has been perfect. I'd kinda prefer you did something a little less risky..." Both physically and to his soul...

"I just don't want to storm in making demands," she murmured, that was never a good start to anything. "Let's just...finish this, see how it goes..."

At that, she laughed. "God, that sounds so...calculating or something. Anyway, we may as well be sure we can still stand each other after camping together, right?"

On one level, this was going to be terribly complicated, but then, if she really wanted to make a go of it, it didn't have to be, if she could stop over-thinking things.

"An you know I'm a package deal, right? Two dogs, three cats, a lot of chaos..."

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

“Why thank you Ma’am.” Scott replied chuckling as he nodded. “I’m glad you think it’s been perfect so far because it’s been perfect for me too you know beyond the first date that could have gone better. I mean if I had asked you nicely it might have gone better.” Scott said smiling though yes he did feel bad for kidnapping her but he had a need and it had turned out pretty great so far.

“I know I could do something a little less risky and I’m working on it, I just need a few things to fall into place and I will be able to take most of the risk off the table.” He said wanting to explain his whole mafia plan to her but then as she had said previously, did she even want to know. “Kelle you can demand anything you like, I will try and make it happen but I’d like to see how it goes.” He replied.

“Oh sure I mean if we cant stand each other then there’s no point in trying and camping is a sure fired way to make sure we do like each other. Unless you would prefer the wild life to me but yeah I’d like to see where this goes if we can stand each other after camping.” Scott said not really wanting to think about things if it didnt go well. Scott was a great many things but this was the first time he had felt anything for anyone in a long time and he didnt want to ruin it because of a job or anything else that he might do.

“Well you never told me about the package deal part.” Scott teased her smiling, “Two dogs, three cats and chaos... I’m not sure.” He said with fake sigh, “But if it’s for you then yeah I’ll take the package deal as long as you’re okay with my package deal. Chaos and more chaos but other than that no wildlife in my life yet, maybe a goldfish to see how I do.” He said grinning, after all if he couldnt keep a gold fish alive then he really needed to stay away from wildlife just in case.

Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"Oh, the cats will love that!" Kelle laughed. "Their very own play-toy and entertainment in one!" Of course, if he really wanted a goldfish, they could work it out.

"As for chaos, I have a feeling your brand is a bit more...chaotic than mine?" Again, a tease, and not something that really needed to be discussed. Besides, this was all new, they had a long way to go before anything involving personal chaos.

"For now, though, I say we skip dinner and just get to the S'mores...after all, what's the use of being grown up if we can't take advantage of it, right?"

It was time to just set the complicated things aside and see what else there was.

"So, did you camp much when you were a kid? I don't mean the 'Bear Grylls dumped in the middle of nowhere with a toothpick and a band-aid' camping, but...this..." She gestured to their set-up. "Well, not that I ever had a castle as a back-drop, I'd never have left, I don't think!"

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

“No, the cat’s would never catch that fish. Too fast for them. Add some extra fins and a cape and that fish would fly around the bowl.” Scott said grinning though he figured that was the worst idea of a pet to get if she had cats, as would the mouse idea be too. Then again it would occupy them so as long as the fish was fast, it might survive danger long enough to live a happy life.

“I doubt that, people don’t usually rely on me to save them so you get extra chaos points for that.” He said trying to joke about things but as it was, he wasnt in the life saving businesses and it was a rare thing that he had any work like that. Still personal chaos was a while off though they seemed to be getting over the main issues for the day.

“You know I never thought you could get any more amazing until you said that. Exactly grown ups that can have desert before the main and everyone knows desert always tastes better.” Scott said glad to get the main issues that seemed to complicate the rest of life. Even standing in the hotel lobby seemed to have been a while ago now when he had waited to see if he had ruined everything. Then again if he had he had brought it on himself, it wasnt like he had spilled coffee on her favourite dress though that might have been preferable to kidnapping.

“Yeah we did the whole dad drops you off in the middle of the woods, which turns out to be a patch of trees close to home and watches that you dont get into trouble sort of camping. We thought it was great as kids until we figured it out, then real camping after that. Bear Grylls could have taught us a thing or two, like don’t eat all the food on the first day.” He said chuckling as he watched her.

“Well you have the castle now and did you do much camping when you were a kid? Because you seem good at it and not put off by the outdoors either.” Scott said glad that she was okay with camping, sure it wasnt exactly five star glamour but it had its own five star attractions. Like the night sky, great backdrops and of course the added advantages of outdoor everything.

Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"Your dad just dropped you off? That's cold" Kelle laughed. "Well, I guess at least you were close to home." She'd done plenty of sleeping out, especially on nights that there were star showers, and it was something she had loved as a kid.

But she couldn't imagine growing up without proper camping, it had been such a great way to bond with family since there were no luxuries, even showers, and an outhouse was a creature comfort!

"Of course, the setting wasn't nearly so cool! I mean, who knows who's passed this place, maybe even camped outside the walls during a siege, waiting for a sign of submission?"

For, indeed, the ruin looked like it had been through more of a siege than just the effects of centuries of neglect and weather. She gazed at the broken walls for a moment, then stood.

"Can we get inside?" Not that she thought there would be much of anything there. Without waiting for an answer, she started toward the structure, on her own personal siege!

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

Scott nodded to her as he laughed, “Said it was character building, terrifying if you ask me when I was six but then again. I was close to home.” In the beginning Scott had been that kid that panicked about everything, not knowing where to go, not having the right stuff, not knowing what direction home was in. Then he sort of learned that camping was like life, you had what you had and made it work no matter where you were.

Then the luxuries of camping became his mothers home cooked meals the minute they got back. Those were the best and warm too which sometimes fish, beans and rice diet was great but it got old after a few days. “Oh sure I can imagine many battles have been fought against this place. There’s only one or two castles in the UK that haven’t fallen in war times, then again some of them when you see where they are. I’m surprised they didnt just give up then. Especially the beach ones, you know rowing all that way to climb a cliff face and try to break in... nope. Not for me.” He said grinning though sometimes he wondered how they did it given the year dates and the technology available.

Watching Kelle gaze at the broken walls he was surprised when she stood. “Sure we can. It’s not exactly locked...” He said with a grin, the walls practically made it so that you could just walk right into it. “Oh you’re off on your own attack of the place... who will win, Kelle or the castle... my vote goes to Kelle.” He stated as he followed her chuckling. “Can you imagine what this place might have been like in it’s hay day, the people the amount of fires it would need to heat it through.” He said looking around the ruins from the outside.

Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"I know, huh? I guess that's why they had all those servants!" She moved fairly confidently amid the rubble to the path that led across a wooden structure that took the place of what would have been a drawbridge. "A lot of logistics to keep it running." Turning toward him, she walked a few steps backward. "I would have been nobility -- no responsibility for chopping the wood or figuring out how to feed two hundred people...and none of the back-stabbing intrigue trying to claw your way to the top!"

Facing the building again, she scrambled around to the front, where she Moon illuminated the bare stone walls, shining part way into the entrance that had long since lost it's wooden door. Kelle only hesitated a few seconds before going in, glancing quickly to see if Scott was following her.

It was dark, of course, but there was enough light to see that just to the right of the doorway there was a spiral staircase.

"Awesome!" While good sense said that they should wait until morning to do this, she was caught up in the whole experience, and besides, the stairway was narrow and confined, so there was nowhere to go besides up, right?

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

“I guess so, they would have needed them for all the running from one end to the other.” Scott said trying to imagine it but honestly he couldnt. The amount of people required, it was just mind blowing. Scott watched Kelle as she walked backwards over the structure. “Nobility huh, so Queen or princess or duchess?” He asked her grinning, “And hey those nobility, they did all the clawing and scratching you’d have to be fending that sort off just in case.” He said chuckling, honestly how they did it in those days was a mystery.

If it wasnt the illnesses it was the court or the friends or the back-stabbing that never seemed to end. It was maybe easier being the one chopping the wood or feeding two hundred people. “I think I would have been the guy that look after the horses, polished all the harnesses and things. Pretty much stuck in the stables where no one would know or the court jester.” He said grinning watching as Kelle scrambled around to the front of the building.

The moonlight against the stone walls and shining into the entrance look amazing. Even more amazing was the woman he was watching in the moonlight as he smiled. “Right behind you.” He said, “You can see if it’s safe first.” He teased though he watched when she climbed the staircase. He wondered about asking her to stop so they could see where they were going. No he was too caught up in watching her enjoyment over it all that he simply followed her. Scott made sure to keep a hand out for her in case anything happened so he could make sure she didn’t fall.

Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"I'll be careful." Well, as careful as she could be, anyway, and she knew that the chances were good that the flooring wasn't going to be too stable. "It's kind of like those stairs in 'Kidnapped'," she observed, "at the uncle's house or whatever."

There had always been something that intrigued her from that scene...stairway to nowhere in the dark, thunder and lightening. Of course, she didn't want to have anyone fall off, and she hoped this stairway went to the top. No Sarah Winchester mysteries here!

"Stable hand, huh? Then you could cut the cinch for the Royals you didn't like, make it look like an accident..." She winced, realizing that the comment was close to home, but then, if she had to always worry about what she said, she may as well give it up now.

Continuing to the top of the stairs, she was relieved to emerge into the night sky and relatively solid footing. Gasping, she looked around, taken in by the sparkling stars around them, barely dimmed in the moonlight.

"Oh, man, this is incredible!" Belatedly, she took a couple steps away from the landing so that he could come up, too, and when he was beside her, she took his hand, giving it an excited squeeze, glad that she could share this with him.

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

Scott nodded to her when Kelle said she would be careful, the last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt. “Oh yeah, just fingers crossed we don’t fall through it or end up kidnapped by a knight of the round table.” Scott joked though sure that had its own allure, then again kidnapping people had led them there so it seemed to work. Had he known about Kelle he might have even done that sooner though he regretted the effect it had on her.

The never ending staircase to the mystery place. It was a great scene and the idea of it was fantastic. Falling off the end of it or taking that wrong step in the dark. Not so much. Scott laughed when she spoke about cutting the royals cinch and making it look like an accident. He tried not to think much about it and he didnt want her to dwell on it at all. “Sure I would, just need to make sure I wasnt around when it happened and then free and clear. The stable hand knows all... and can cause accidents.” He said grinning at her, well if they couldnt joke about it the conversation might be a little awkward.

It was the very last thing he wanted. Following Kelle up the stairs he couldnt help but admire the way she seemed completely taken in by the sparkling stars. If he could see that reaction forever he would be a very happy guy. “It is incredible.” He said more talking about her than the stars but those were too as he smiled taking a few steps onto the landing. Scott squeezed her hand back as he stared up at the sky. “So which stars are we seeing tonight?” He asked her enjoying her reaction to it all.

Scott Cooper

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

“Oh yeah, just fingers crossed we don’t fall through it or end up kidnapped by a knight of the round table.”

"More than one kind of knight," Kelle muttered with a small grin, relieved that they could quip with each other without being overly self-conscious..

“Sure I would, just need to make sure I wasn't around when it happened and then free and clear. The stable hand knows all... and can cause accidents.”

"Time-delayed broken cinch...now that would be something! And yeah, it's probably better to be in a tavern full of people when it does break!"

“So which stars are we seeing tonight?”

"Same as last night, only just not so far along..."" Grinning, she glanced at him them back at the sky. "There, the North Star," she pointed out, "and the Little Bear...Draco wraps around there." Her finger traced the line of the Dragon. "The bright star is Vega, and..." she leaned back to look high overhead at the Swan, "Cygnus again..."

Smiling, she leaned into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. "How could someone who gives the stars be all bad? We'll figure this out, Scott..."

Despite the harsh truth, she earnestly wanted to give this a try, to start fresh and...

Movement on the ground caught her attention and she gave Scott a light nudge, nodding that way. There were three she could see, men, by the way they moved, and not moving like casual travelers...

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

Scott laughed hearing about more than one kind of knight. “Sure but the sword swishing ones from the books, in the shiny armour and white horses coming to save the day... kind of the best ones.” He joked though really books were the only place he had found those sorts. It was nice to be able to joke about things without that awkward pause when people realised what they had said.

Kelle knew who he was and what he did, while it wasnt exactly funny there was no point in hiding from it. “Yeah I mean the stable guy always gets the blame, then to the gallows and I don’t fancy any of their ideas of a town square death. Just need to make sure the tavern says I was there all day and it was the other guy that did the work on the horses.” He teased as he stared up at the night sky listened to Kelle tell him about the stars.

He laughed as he nudged her lightly; last night had to be the single most best night of his entire life as he glanced where she pointed out the North Star. Scott tried to steal a few glances toward her smiling as he listened to every word she said about the Little Bear and the Dragon. It was easy to see how she loved the stars and he was glad that he could still share that with her after last night.

Scott dared to wrap his arms around her lightly when he felt her head resting on his shoulder. Scott was about to reply to her though all he managed was a smile and a nod before the movement on the ground distracted them. He wanted badly to figure it all out and for things to work between them but he knew better than to rush it. After all he wanted her to be comfortable with what he did to a point and understand that he wasnt about to lie to her over it unless he felt he had to for her own piece of mind.

Feeling Kelle nudge him Scott glanced over at the three men. It was easy to see that they weren’t the travelling type and they didnt seem all too friendly to him either. Then again he couldnt exactly say the same for himself. Scott raised a finger to his lips as he motioned to Kelle to move back into the shadows of the castle wall, or what was left of it there. He could feel his hold on her turn from relaxed to protective. Scott never took his eyes off the three men as he watched them wondering what they would do. It would tell him if they were lost and looking for help or up to no good.

Kelle Lindsay, EMTP