The World at Her Feet

[Scott Cooper]

[googlefont="Oswald"][googlefont="Allura"][googlefont="Abel"]

IN THE HEART

of the jungle

Scott smiled and listened, he had been brought up on the English Saddle, anything else to him was foreign and riding usually meant dressage in an arena or if he was lucky it was a trek through fields. After a while, between the other things he had been doing what started as a hobby for a five year old fell to the way side. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy it he just didn’t have much time for it between school and then the military.

He couldn’t help but laugh when she spoke about her mum, it reminded him of his mother. The trips his father took, with him tagging along for shooting or hunting it had been fun. All preparation to follow in the military footsteps but when he was younger he didn’t see it like that. It was all good time spent with his family a family that now he didn’t have.

“So being a vet was your thing.” He said smiling nodding, it seemed to suit her as much as being a paramedic did. ”Dreams can come true you know. For me it was the military and I would have stayed doing that if... well if things hadn’t turned out like they did.” Scott said. Sure if the mission hadn’t gone wrong and their names were leaked and the bad guys went after his family. If that hadn’t happened he would still have been doing what he loved, he wouldn’t have been involved with the mafia side of the family and he wouldn’t have met Kelle. Which was the worst of it, if he hadn’t have met her he would have missed out.

Tag: Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

SWANSKI

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"Yeah, still going to do that once I have the money saved to go to school." Shrugging, she glanced at him, wondering if he'd ever had to worry about things like a mortgage or loans. But then, she inherited so she didn't have a mortgage, and he'd joined the military, so at least some of his education was covered.

Then she wondered if there was a kidnapper/assassin school, maybe in Brussels or some place...'Clandestine Tech'.

She chuckled to herself, then commented, "With no house payments I've been able to set aside some savings, so it's not too far off, and I'm working on the pre-reqs, getting the boring stuff out of the way." She hated math, and chemistry fell into that category, in her opinion.

Reaching over, she gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Personally, I kinda like the way things turned out." Well, forgetting what had happened to his family, so that his road her was torment. She'd probably remember that later and feel like a harridan-bitch!

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

[googlefont="Oswald"][googlefont="Allura"][googlefont="Abel"]

IN THE HEART

of the jungle

Scott didn’t really have to worry about things like that, up until he was a teenagers his rest was paid in chores and after he was military age. He signed up and he paid digs like everyone else did. His education came though the military after that and beyond being a good soldier he didn’t really need to know much else. It was mostly the reason he had to rely on the skills he learned within the military. The skills just happened to be sought after, paid well and he could transfer them until his family got themselves killed and he had to take over a business he wanted out of.

Couldn’t run a mafia with the desire to leave it and he couldn’t leave it to the people he knew would take care of it because after the two of them... they didn’t have anyone else. So he had forced their hand to have child, maybe more than one just to make sure but he had the master plan to hand over to the people that rightfully wanted the business. Scott smiled listened to Kelle. “Well if you need a hand with the payment side... I can help out.” Scott offered smiling.

“It would be clean hard earned money too, nothing... well you know.” Scott explained knowing his had his family money behind him that had nothing to do with illegal gains of any kind. Ironically he hadn’t touched that feeling bad to sully the family name with the life he had now. He laughed and nodded, “I guess that stuff happens for reasons right, without my past as it was I wouldn’t have been in Chicago to meet you.” He said having not much thought about it all in that way. If he hadn’t have kidnapped someone who got hurt, he wouldn’t have needed Kelle and he would have still been in Chicago working on the master plan to remove himself with the least impact possible on the family.

Tag: Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

SWANSKI

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"You know..?" Well, she didn't need to be told, but she still blurted out, "You have 'you know' money?" Although she supposed that wasn't exactly fair, since it wasn't as if he was stealing...but then, the thought of using resources that stemmed from killing...but then, how was that different than a soldier...Scott just wasn't employed by a government, and in all honesty, most governments shouldn't be deciding that sort of thing anyway.

"But, yeah, a loan might be something..." She trailed off a little because her brain was going to the distractions of what, exactly, it would entail to go to school. "I'd love that, really..." Again, her tone showed her distraction, but then she finally relaxed and grinned brightly.

"That would be amazing, really! There's a lot to look into, but I can do that when we get back. For now..." she shrugged, then laughed. "Okay, I'll admit, it's a little strange to have everything coming together, but I like it!"

Pulling her horse a little closer to his, she reached over to take his hand. "Funny how things work out. But...what's in this for you? Besides my charming smile, of course!"

Scott Cooper

[Scott Cooper]

[googlefont="Oswald"][googlefont="Allura"][googlefont="Abel"]

IN THE HEART

of the jungle

Scott smiled and nodded at her words, “Yeah I have money.” He admitted, probably the last thing he should ever say to anyone but it was true. “Though if it bothers you, the legal and illegal is kept worlds apart.” He wasn’t going to go into the whole laundering it, the legitimate business dealings they did have and the darker side to life. All in all it was a shell game of this was here, now there and accounts on top of accounts. Scott however wouldn’t use anything that Kelle was uncomfortable with.

“Sure, however much it takes you have it. No questions asked.” He offered, she wanted to do something and he felt he had taken a lot already from her. A holiday was only the start and if he could do some good with the family money before he stepped back if Alyssa and Michael managed to work out their end of the bargain. He could at least rest up happy and knowing he hadn’t just taken from the world.

“Life has to come together some time and like you said, it might be fate right? Meeting you, to give you something better than a holiday.” He said with a smile as he took her hand and squeezed it gently. “Well for me, I get to know that I traumatised you and then hopefully helped you. Its all I can really ask given what you know already, beyond that I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you too.” He added grinning. “If you’d want that but I can’t make any promises on work or much else yet.” He admitted knowing he had a lot to sort out when he got back.

Tag: Scott Cooper

SWANSKI

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

“Life has to come together some time and like you said, it might be fate right? Meeting you, to give you something better than a holiday.”

"Maybe..." She was still reluctant to believe or accept that she might have such good fortune, but here she was, here he was, and when he took her hand it sent a warm chill through her and made her heart skip.

Maybe this was fate.

“Well for me, I get to know that I traumatised you and then hopefully helped you. It's all I can really ask given what you know already, beyond that I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you too.”

"You don't have to..." Did he just say he wanted to spend more time with her? No strings, no pretenses, just...time? At this rate, the skipping of her heart was going to kill her!

"Yeah, that would be nice," she murmured, her cheeks going red.

“If you’d want that but I can’t make any promises on work or much else yet.”

"I know your work might keep you away." She glanced at him, realizing that she was assuming a lot of what she thought he did based on what she'd heard in different media, which, she knew, was likely very wrong. "I mean, at least I think so...there can only be so many people to...do what you do to in Chicago, right?"

Laughing, she quickly stuck her tongue out at him, but then she became more sober as she pulled her horse to a stop.

"Scott, I don't want any of this out of a feeling of obligation, I want...just for you to want this, just...because...you know?"

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

[googlefont="Oswald"][googlefont="Allura"][googlefont="Abel"]

IN THE HEART

of the jungle

“I know I don’t have to, I want to.” Scott said smiling, he knew he didn’t have any need to but he never really thought he’d meet anyone. Not doing what he did, the way he did it, it wasn’t exactly dinner time conversation and just telling that one someone. Having that one person understand to a point, it felt a lot better than being hidden in the shadows trying to play puppet master for the time he had left. Maybe when they went back home he wouldn’t even be the boss anymore which would be nice and he could just take a back seat and watch Michael and Syri work their magic.

Scott laughed and nodded, “Yeah I don’t tend to make a habit of killing in my own back yard unless I really need to.” Scott said surprised he could actually say those words, unless Kelle was about to reveal she was a fed and he’d just given her the line she needed. “I go on trips sometimes but then again I’m the boss so my hands are usually kept as clean as I want them to be.” He admitted as he laughed and stuck his tongue back out at her.

“I know and I do want this, it’s not an obligation at all.” He said with a smile as he squeezed her hand lightly. “Yes I feel bad about what I did and what I put you through, that won’t change but I’m not here because I’m obliged to be. I’m here because I want to be, this is where I used to call home. My country before everything... went to hell. I want to show you that because I want to not because I feel I have to.”

Scott didnt really do anything he didn’t want to, yes he could be as cold hearted as the next mafia killer. That was given but he didn’t usually let anyone close enough to see him be human. It maybe started out a way to try and make her feel better but getting to know Kelle, it changed to be something he wanted to. Time he wanted to spend with her.

Tag: Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

SWANSKI

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

“I know I don’t have to, I want to.”

"Thank you." Kelle felt a blush come to her cheeks, but she was certain that he was genuine, that he wasn't proposing the offer as a way of making up for what had happened, or that he felt she was charity case, and that made the difference in accepting. And her mind was reeling at the possibility of actually seeking her dream.

“Yeah I don’t tend to make a habit of killing in my own back yard unless I really need to.”

"Well, it does make it easier to bury the bodies!" Kelle laughed, thinking that the conversation had take a macabre turn, but finding that somehow natural for them both, a result of their vastly diverse occupations.

“I go on trips sometimes but then again I’m the boss so my hands are usually kept as clean as I want them to be.”

"So you say!" Kelle wrinkled her nose, but then laughed with him and rolled her eyes. "Keep sticking out that tongue and you're liable to lose it!" Then she sobered a bit and added, "I really do appreciate your offer...a lot." And she might just feel beholding to him, something she actually didn't think she would mind.

“I know and I do want this, it’s not an obligation at all.” He said with a smile as he squeezed her hand lightly. “Yes I feel bad about what I did and what I put you through, that won’t change but I’m not here because I’m obliged to be. I’m here because I want to be, this is where I used to call home. My country before everything... went to hell. I want to show you that because I want to not because I feel I have to.”

"It's an amazingly beautiful place," Kelle commented, looking out over the hills of heather, "it's all that I imagined it would be."

She pulled her horse to a stop, looking at him intently, a bit of a smile in her lips. "Scott, I...you're an amazing person, I feel like we have a connection..." Her nose wrinkled up. "Well, that's kind of cheesy, but if you want, I'd like to..." She shrugged. This was uncharted territory for her. "Anyway, if you want..."

Scott Cooper,

[Scott Cooper]

[googlefont="Oswald"][googlefont="Allura"][googlefont="Abel"]

IN THE HEART

of the jungle

“It does but bodies mean police and I don’t want to explain the bodies. Easier to bury it in the neighbours backyard and hope they don’t notice.” Scott said with a grin, he wasn’t beyond doing that either. Dump a body in the enemy territory and it wasn’t like it directly linked to him. With good enough planning he had done it a time or two he just couldn’t throw everyone that way or they’d get suspicious if they knew what he was doing. Despite the conversation not being sunshine and rainbows, Scott wasn’t against talking about things like that.

It made a difference to know that Kelle wasn’t about to run away from it. He really should have kidnapped her sooner in his mind. “Not entirely clean but I can start to be, from now on.” Scott offered, it wasn’t like he was going to be boss long anyway and taking a slower turn meant that he wasn’t throwing the others in at the deep end with a turf war and a million other issues to solve. Slow and steady wins the race. “I’m glad, it’s there for you any time for whatever you want. No conditions or strings, let me know and you’ll have it.” He said nodding, he hadn’t really offered that to anyone before.

Beyond the mafia that was, the offer of anything that was close to what he was doing. If this was going soft in age he could handle that, it wasn’t the best thing in the world to keep up in Chicago but then they weren’t back home yet. Scott would have to explain things for home but right now, things weren’t going badly in his eyes so he could just enjoy the rest of the holiday as he nodded looking out at the scenery. Another thing he hadn’t done much of until he met Kelle.

Scott stopped his horse alongside hers as he smiled at her. This was the part when reality hit and she told him no, too much and rode off into the sunset and he went home. Even the start of her sentence said as much to him, amazing person but no chance or amazing person but I can’t deal with what you said. Then he froze, if he wanted to? She was seriously asking that. Scott wasn’t an overall romantic but he figured he had been obvious about things.

“I’d love to.” Scott said with a grin, “If you’re happy to, I mean... it know it’s not easy or normal or maybe what you thought but yes. I’d like to.” He said not really sure if he had just answered a question in his head or if Kelle was about to look at him like a three headed alien for his answer.

Tag: Kelle Lindsay, EMTP

SWANSKI

[Kelle Lindsay, EMTP]

"Okay." And to Kelle, that was that. She grinned, nudging her horse into a walk as a gazillion thoughts ran through her head, surprisingly only one having to do with his 'occupation'...At some point she was going to have to introduce Scott to family, but that was a long way off.

Mostly what concerned her was that she really had no idea how to be in an actual relationship, especially with a man who had already done that -- found love, found compatibility, knew what to expect.

But then, she supposed, that sort of thing came naturally, right? Not like there was a manual...Well, there was...were manuals, lots, but she reckoned on how falling in love was an individual thing, different for everyone, unpredictable, and sometimes even wrong.

What she felt for him, though, she knew it was genuine, deep, scary! That had to be right, right?

She shook her head to clear the silly thoughts, then asked, "Do you mind telling me about her...your wife?" Not that she thought of the woman as competition, she just wanted to know what sort of woman had caught his fancy.

"You don't have to, if you don't want." Maybe she was overstepping her bounds?

Scott Cooper