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echoes, silence, patience & grace ([info]fatebites) wrote in [info]halcyon_halls,
@ 2008-06-16 23:23:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:alana, kiernan, sam

Week Twelve: Wednesday
Where: NYC
When: Night
Who: Sam, Alana and possibly Kiernan. Who knows.

This past week had been…interesting. Actually, it really hadn’t been all that bad. Jax seemed to be in a far better mood than Sam could have ever hoped for and Manny…was well Manny so there really weren’t any surprises there. Truth be told the trio didn’t spend much time together and that was fine with Sam. As long as Jax was happy running around with her boyfriend (oooo) then that was all that mattered. It actually gave Sam plenty of time to meet up with some old friends and catch up on her HBO shows. Oh yeah, she was definitely a wild one.

It took a lot of willpower on her part not to pick up her cell and call Easton every five seconds. She missed him something fierce but the last thing she wanted to do was smother him when they had just decided to try again. And thank goodness for that or else Sam would have been drowning her sorrows in the mini bar and whatever ice cream she could get her hands on. Her ass and thighs were definitely thankful. But enough about that.

This week was definitely set up to be better than the previous. Sunday had brought the arrival of Alana and Kiernan for the two or so hours that he had between flights. Sam really tried not to let things be too awkward between them and focused more on Alana’s questions than anything else. And boy was she full of them! Nonstop chatter bug that was for sure.

The first two days they had spent together had consisted of a lot of sightseeing and shopping. Alana was growing out of her clothes again and what better place than NYC to replenish her wardrobe? It didn’t hurt that a couple of Sam’s friends were managers and even owners of clothing stores. Hello, discounts! But of course no amount of shopping could hold a candle to where they were headed for tonight.

Alana had been practically bouncing off of the walls all day and Sam was afraid that she might burst if time didn’t pass quickly enough. Fortunately she managed to keep Alana from completely losing and before she knew it, they were exiting the theater. “So, what did you think of Dora?”

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[info]grumpypants
2008-06-19 01:23 am UTC (link)
This whole trip thing was just... too much! Alana hadn't really believed her dad when he'd said that she was going to spend a whole week in New York, let alone the whole week with someone else. For not having seen her father all that much in the first five years of her life, this last year... had brought all sorts of dad interaction. A fact that made Alana happy, though if she had it her way... she'd have lots of mom and dad interaction.

It wasn't the same without mom but she knew that she couldn't change that fact. Luckily for everyone involved Alana was a happy go lucky sort of kid. She had fun doing most things. Including Dora the Explorer! Always Dora the Explorer. She actually hadn't even known there was anything like a show with her absolute favorite Dora. Dora was beyond cool and she'd asked her dad for a Dora birthday and here Sam had taken her to Dora even after all the shopping they'd done. Daddy would have never lasted that long with all the shopping AND Dora. He always said his head was going to explode.

"LOVED IT!" Came Alana's immediate response as she bounced along next to Sam. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a purple ribbon that matched her dress wrapped around the hair. "I love love love love love Dora!" Alana continued making her point more than clear that she adored the show that Sam had taken her too. It had been the absolute best way to spend her birthday. At least she couldn't think of too many other ways that could top this. At least ways that were possible. She was a creative girl and could undoubtedly come up with other ideas given the right amount of time.

She had manners though and her mom's voice in the back of her head prompted Alana to tug at Sam's hand. "Thank you for taking me. Did you like it? I don't think Daddy would have liked it though I wish he'd come. Buuuuut I guess it's okay." Alana continued right alone. Chatterbox really had been the best way to describe her.

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[info]fatebites
2008-06-19 01:49 am UTC (link)
Alana might have been having the time of her life, but she definitely wasn't alone. The mere presence of the little girl had brightened Sam's entire week and had actually helped her feel more like herself. Alana was just like a breath of fresh air and Sam appreciated all the time she got to spend with her. Of course her own biological clock ticking probably didn't hurt matters with all of the one on one time but whatever. Kids weren't going to be in her future any time soon so she would just live vicariously through Alana whenever she got the chance. Or something. Yeah.

Sam grinned as Alana bounced along and sang the praises of Dora. "Good! I'm glad." Not that she had doubted the awesomeness that was Dora but it was nice to hear that Alana had enjoyed herself and had a good time. And oh, there were ways to top it. Well, maybe not top, but definitely make for the perfect ending. Hee! Alana had no idea what was coming and Sam was so excited!

When she felt the tug on her hand, she glanced down and then smiled as Alana thanked her. "You are very welcome my dear." The thought of Kiernan having to sit through the Dora show made Sam chuckle and shake her head. "I'm sure he wishes that he could have been there too. But don't worry, you can tell him all about it when we get back and make him watch the DVD we picked up." Never ending Dora the Explorer on stage! Oh Kiernan, you were in for a treat!

"You know, I hope you aren't tired because we have one last stop to make before we head back." Sam led Alana down to the corner and then hailed a cab. "Hop in Kiddo." Once they were settled in, Sam gave the driver an address and off they went! Fortunately their destination wasn't too far off and they were pulling down the street in no time. "Drop us off in the back if you wouldn't mind." The cab pulled around and drove down the alley and after paying the man, Sam led Alana out of the car and up to a steel door. "You ready for this?"

Three knocks were given and while they waited for the door to open, Sam instructed Alana to close her eyes. "No peaking." Sam was practically bursting with excitement and grinned rather foolishly when her friend finally opened the door. The one good thing about Sam being the social butterfly that she was, was that she knew a lot of people who knew about a lot of people. One of her closest girlfriends from back in college just happened to be dating the General Manager for FAO Schwarz. Sam was practically giddy as she led Alana inside, and once they made their way to the center of the store, she stopped. "Okay, open your eyes."

Right there in the middle of the awesomeness that was the toy store, was a table with a cake but not just any cake. That's right, a Dora the Explore cake! And THEN around that was the entire tutu couture line the store had to offer so that Alana could take her pick of whatever she wanted. "Happy Birthday Alana."

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[info]grumpypants
2008-06-23 02:12 am UTC (link)
She was kind of torn. Being away from the school and immersed in a whole bunch of new things was more than fun! SO much fun that she almost didn't realize how much she did miss her dad. Sam was really good at keeping her busy and always having loads of fun things to do. That and she was just really fun in general to be around. And pretty. And nice. And definitely someone her dad should hang around more. Maybe he'd smile more and not be quite so grumpy. Though Alana wasn't so sure that would ever happen. She didn't really remember her dad not being grumpy. Then again she didn't have a ton of memories of him from before they came to Halcyon. But he hadn't been nearly as grumpy then if she thought about it long and hard.

But at the moment she couldn't even really think about her dad. Not with so much Dora fun on her mind. Except for the fact that she wouldn't have minded him being there so much. Even if he probably would have hated it. "Oooh you're right. He's SO going to have to watch it with me. Right when I get home!" Maybe she'd remember that, maybe not. Hopefully not for Kiernan's sake. He'd have to watch the dvd sooner or later that was for certain.

Alana craned her neck up at Sam. "Me tired? NO WAY!" To illustrate that point, a skip entered Alana's step and she swung Sam's arm. She had energy at the moment but sooner or later, probably sooner rather than later, she was definitely going to crash. Hopefully it was once they got back to the hotel. Six year olds could be heavy when they were dead weight! "Where we going?" She asked as she hopped into the cab as instructed by Sam. There were many more where's following that as the cab worked it's way through the city. Alana wasn't always known for her patience. Especially now!

She tried her best to follow all of the no peeking instructions, she had to squeeze her eyes shut real tight and even put her hands over them to keep her desire to peek in check but she managed. If only for a few seconds before she was finally given the okay to open her eyes.

And she had to be in heaven!

It was definitely kid fun overload. Like a sugar high times 10. Alana didn't even know where to start, taking in the whole toy store and then the stuff in the middle. And...

"WOW!" Alana ran forward to the cake. "SAM?!" She turned and looked back at her. "For me? It's Dora and and..." her head was definitely going to explode as she danced around the table, hands pressed flat to the top as she jumped around getting the best look at everything possible. She had to stop and look back at Sam, she really didn't even know where to start. She was going to need some help!

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[info]fatebites
2008-06-23 02:25 pm UTC (link)
No one could ever say that Sam didn't know what she was doing when it came to small children. Back in the day she had watched her fair share and the number one thing she came away with was to always keep them busy in the absence of a parent. Sure Alana liked spending time with her, but they were also in a brand new city and Kiernan was many miles away with no real means to suddenly appear if Alana decided that she needed him right that very second. So jam packed days of fun until the kid passed out for the win!

Sam was probably just as excited as Alana was when the little girl finally opened her eyes. There had been a great deal of planning put into this whole event and Sam was a little relived when Alana had such a great response to the whole thing. Whew. "Yep! All for you," she smiled. Alana was really too cute for words right at that very moment and she couldn't help but wish that Kiernan had been able to see it. OH RIGHT, the camera. She knew she was forgetting something.

Her digital camera was pulled out of her purse and she snapped a few quick pictures while Alana looked at everything with wide eyes and a goofy smile. "Hmm, I think we should do the cake first and then you can pick out which outfit you want to take home." There were six candles already in place on the cake so Sam grabbed the book of matches that was on the table and got busy lighting them. "Happy birthday to you...."

After her not so completely terrible singing, Sam raised her camera up once again got ready to snap a few pictures. "Don't forget to make a wish!" Wishes were important things to make when blowing out candles you know. Once Alana had extinguished the flames like a birthday veteran, Sam got busy with cutting a few slices for them. "So have any of those ballerina costumes caught your eye yet?" she asked as she handed Alana a plastic fork.

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[info]grumpypants
2008-07-07 02:33 am UTC (link)
There had been a couple of times, in those minutes right before she fell asleep that Sam had almost been gifted the 'I miss my daddy' waterworks. But the moments had always passed and sleep had always claimed her first. Busy tired little girl FTW! She really was having a fantastic birthday, the best a little girl could ask for. Though if she could ask for anything else... there was no denying that Alana would have wanted her mom AND her dad to be there. But Sam was making it hard to remember that all the time.

Alana's face kept up the wider than possible grin as Sam lit the candles on the cake. She waited for all six candles to be lit and for the birthday song to be sung before screwing her face up in thought. Candles were serious business and so were the wishes attached. The wax was starting to melt down the side of the candles before Alana puffed her cheeks up, leaned forward and blew as hard as she could manage. She put all six out thank you very much.

"I didn't forget to make a wish don't worry Sam. Mommy always made sure I made a wish too and last year mine came true. Daddy came home from work. This year better come true too!" She added her fingers already itching for a plate of her own cake. Plate in hand she took Sam's suggestion and began to wander toward the ballerina costumes. This was an important decision too! And a hard one with so many choices.

Alana was so completely absorbed with her costume selection that she certainly didn't hear the sound of a package being left at the door that the pair had come through. She wouldn't have heard it regardless with her human ears. But there was the definite sound of wrapping scraping on ground, followed by a soft rap on the door.

Hmmmm.

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[info]fatebites
2008-07-07 11:58 am UTC (link)
"Hey good job!" Sam cheered while clapping. "Someone is obviously a profession candle blower outer." Sam had been one too once, but then those blasted things had just kept multiplying and she nearly had to hyperventilate to get them all out. Ugh, and now with her new wereness she was going to have to deal with even more down the line! That was a scary thought.

Sam tried to not let her face fall when Alana talked about Kiernan being her last birthday wish. One on hand Sam wanted to beat him for Alana to have to make that wish in the first place and on the other...Well, if she were Alana she would be wishing for her mom to come back and it just wasn't fair that if that was the case, that it wouldn't be coming true. No need to think on that now though, Kiernan could worry about that next year.

Alana might not have heard it, but Sam definitely had and it caused an uneasy feeling to settle in. Her friend was upstairs in the main office and it was so late that there couldn't have been any deliveries scheduled. "You stay here and keep trying to decide," she told Alana as she moved to grab her purse. "I need to go check something real quick. No leaving this spot, okay?" After Sam made her promise not to stray from the costume selection, she pulled out her handy can of mace and headed for the back door.

To say that Sam had been a little paranoid since Kiernan had told her about the shady people that may or may not be trying to kill people would have been accurate and there was no way she would be taking any chances with Alana. The door was pulled opened slightly and her first thought when she saw the present was "bomb" or something equally horrible. Fortunately her keen hearing didn't pick up any ticking sounds but her eyes did catch sight of something moving in the shadows and hey, cue the mace. "I don't know what sick game you're playing but you can just back off!" she yelled as she sprayed in a sweeping motion.

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[info]grumpypants
2008-07-07 01:35 pm UTC (link)
She could beat Kiernan all she liked, it wasn't as though he hadn't done enough of that on himself. For all his lack of caring to the outside world he did. He'd hated the fact that his work had kept him away for so much of Alana's early years and he really wasn't the best at remembering that he had all the time in the world with her now. Somehow that didn't seem like a fair trade off.

Alana barely noticed when Sam told her to stay and keep trying to decide. She was knee deep in costumes and was only making the decision harder for herself. Though she had at least weeded out three of them. That was a start. "Okaaaay Sam!" She called as she seemingly disappeared into a mountain of tulle. There was no way Alana was moving and she certainly wasn't concerned about any possible shady people outside the door.

Sam apparently was though and if it weren't for the flurry of mace being sprayed just outside the door, Kiernan would have been proud. Teach him to be that dad who was unwilling to entirely let go and despite his better judgment and current issues he hadn't been able to get on that flight back to Halcyon. Instead he'd holed himself up in a hotel and checked on Alana nightly. From afar, never enough to cause Sam to notice. Until now it was. He just hadn't been able to resist leaving a gift for Alana.

"For the love Sam..." Kiernan's voice finally broke through the darkness. "You can stop spraying." Vampire or not, he could already start to feel the tingling numbness in his tongue from the mace as far away as he was. He so wasn't moving closer until it aired out.

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[info]fatebites
2008-07-07 01:53 pm UTC (link)
Sam would have been perfectly happy not knowing about any shady people at all. Okay that was a lie but at least she was making sure that Alana stayed in one piece during the trip. That little girl was something else and she'd be damned if she let anything happen to her on her watch. And maybe a picture or two of Alana being engulfed by tulle was taken before she wandered away. Too cute.

While Sam had absolutely no experience dealing with shady people, she had taken that one women's self defense class back in college and knew how to get down to business with her can of mace. Oh yeah, she was a total bad ass. Watch out.

Now Sam didn't honestly believe that mace would stop anyone looking to really cause some harm but she was hoping it would distract them long enough for her to kick their ass or grab Alana and run. While the running scenario was far more likely to happen, she was willing to at least give the ass kicking a try. Well, that was until she heard Kiernan's voice. What the hell?

"Kiernan?!" Chocolate eyes went wide as she peered into the dark and saw none other than Grumpy himself standing there. Oops. "What the hell are you doing here? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" If there hadn't been a cloud of mace between them she would have ran over and smacked him around a few times. Jerk. Couldn't he use FedEx like everyone else? Why did he have to go and be all creepy stalker guy?

"You might as well come in now," she said as she put the cap back on her mace. "I'm sure Alana would be thrilled to see you." Sam? Well Sam was still slightly irritated that he had freaked her out like he had and instead turned and headed back inside. Jerkface.

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[info]grumpypants
2008-07-07 03:48 pm UTC (link)
She wasn't the only one that would have preferred to never have known about any shady individuals. Kiernan would literally give his right hand (learn to write with his left in a heartbeat) if he could go back and erase the connections to these particular assholes. But he couldn't and even if he could change his entire past... he wouldn't want to give up the work he'd done. He just wished that it had turned out differently. That those who deserved to pay the price for their actions... had.

It was all water under the proverbial bridge. Unfortunately the water didn't seem to be going away as fast as Kiernan would like. It seemed to linger and the very least he could be happy about was the fact that Sam had taken what he'd said seriously. Even if it meant mace in his face.

He really hadn't wanted to give himself up. Life would have been easier if he'd never had to let Sam know he'd tagged along the whole trip. Harder on him to watch Alana from a far, especially right now with the peek he had inside the toy shop. But it was far less complicated that way. He didn't exactly have a choice now, not with Sam staring at him and looking... less than pleased.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to leave..." he inclined his head toward the brightly wrapped package at Sam's feet. "For Alana. I hadn't intended to interrupt." Yeah he felt sheepish and he looked it, well if you got past the coughing that was still plaguing him from the leftover mace fumes.

Kiernan didn't take that step towards the shop, instead he remained just where he was and it wasn't due to any clouds of mace between them. "Is that really the best idea. I can still walk away and you can just tell her that I left the gift with you before I left New York." He meant was it the best idea of her to let him in. Weren't they under a no contact order?

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[info]fatebites
2008-07-07 04:03 pm UTC (link)
Kiernan probably couldn't go through life without having everything being completely and utterly complicated. Hell, even before the whole vampire thing Sam would have bet that choosing what cereal to eat was a lengthy and drawn out process. Lucky Charms or Cheerios? If he had that marshmallow goodness would it effect his game later on? Cheerios would help lower his cholesterol though they weren't nearly as delicious. Decisions, decisions.

"You mean that you didn't trust me and decided to spy on us," she countered. Because if he hadn't felt the need to follow them he would have sent the gift via air mail or given it to her before he headed back home. Not that she could really blame him because if she were in his shoes she probably would have done the same thing but that didn't mean that she wasn't going to give him crap for it.

His words caused her to stop and sigh and then roll her eyes. "Kiernan," she said as she turned to look at him. "She only turns six once. So get your ass in there and make it the best birthday ever." So maybe it wasn't the best idea on her part but this was Alana's birthday and she deserved to have her dad there. Sam knew all too well how badly it sucked to not have her dad there during birthdays.

"Alana! Your dad is here to see you!" Guess he had no choice now. Oops. "And he brought a presssseeeennnnntttttt!"

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[info]grumpypants
2008-07-07 09:11 pm UTC (link)
Possibly. He may have a knack for complicating matters and some of it was probably intentional. He had always been a contrary child and it had followed him through to adulthood. He'd never been one to take the easy route and that wasn't changing now. Logically speaking he should have mailed a gift or left it was Sam before he jumped on a flight back to Halcyon but the fact of the matter was that he hadn't. There was no changing that now.

The sigh that escaped Kiernan's lips was audible in the quiet space between the two of them. "It had nothing to do with me not trusting you Sam." And for once it hadn't. It had far more to do with the fact that he'd found that leaving Alana was far harder than he'd ever thought possible. If it had been anyone other than Sam he would have stayed but... given their past he couldn't. But that didn't mean he had been able to leave. "You've done a great job with her." He added, by way of a compliment. Of sorts, this was Kiernan afterall.

Kiernan raked a hand through his hair as the burning sensation in his face began to subside. Far quicker than if he'd been human thankfully. He'd been trying to make the best of the situation. Ensure that Alana enjoyed her birthday and getting to share it in some way with her. He'd been the one to fuck everything up when it came to Sam, Alana wasn't going to suffer for that. His lips pursed together slightly as she told him to get inside the toy store. "Fi-" he had only gotten halfway through his agreement when she managed to pull out the card that sealed his decision.

Alana had a tutu already around her waist when she heard Sam's voice. The words didn't make sense at first but then she smiled ear to ear. It really was all about the birthday candle wishes! She pushed to her feet immediately, the costumes taking second fiddle to the prospect of her father. She tore across the store spotting Kiernan as he stepped into the doorway. "Daaaaadddddyyyyyyy" the call was long and drawn out before she was launched at him all arms and legs. Good thing he had quick reflexes or they might have both been bowled over. He caught her easily though and held her up close to his chest. "Happy birthday sweetheart."

Kiernan pulled his head back slightly to look at Alana then over to Sam. "Have you thanked Sam for all this," he glanced out at the store and the set up. "Looks pretty fantastic to me. Where were you guys at?"

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[info]fatebites
2008-07-07 09:51 pm UTC (link)
Sam shook her head. "It's okay, it makes you a good dad." Regardless of what the real reason had been, it showed that he cared and that was one thing that Sam could appreciate. Now if he had verbalized not being able to leave his daughter then that would have earned him even more points because her father had just upped and left. Bitter? Yeah, but mostly hurt. "I've tried but I could never replace you." Cause really, who could replace the grumpy old vamp? Pfft, no one.

A laugh sounded from Sam's lips as Alana went all super hero and practically flew through the air. Who knew that the kid could jump like that? Quick, someone sign her up for some basketball lessons or something! It was pretty amazing just how much Alana's face had lit up when she saw her father. The cake and Dora and the costumes just couldn't compare to daddy grumpy pants. It was sweet.

"Of course she has," Sam smirked from her spot off to the side. "She is one of the politest little girls I know." Well Sam knew all of one at the moment but compared to the ones she had done some babysitting for Alana was certainly at the top of the list. "We were just about to eat some Dora cake and Alana was going to pick out her outfit which it looks like she's already started on. Why don't you run over and finish getting dressed so that you can show your dad?"

Once Alana had run off again, Sam turned and gave Kiernan a soft smile. "I think you just made her night."

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[info]grumpypants
2008-07-09 03:16 am UTC (link)
Kiernan had never actually been able to verbalize anything that actually gave him bonus points. To do so... would probably have caused his head to spin around and maybe some green pea soup flying out of his mouth. Not a desirable outcome. Instead his explanations were always left with the bare minimum. He needed some kind of translation device to help out in situations like this. "Fairly certain that being here in the first place would have made me that but..." he waved the comment off with a slash of his hand. His parenting abilities weren't something he was entirely comfortable discussing. His head canted to the side and a wry smile actually started to cross his features. "I don't know about that..."

He almost went on, to actually say all the ways in which she had come damn close to making Alana forget everything that happened in the last year of her life. But said little girl was flying towards him before Kiernan could even get that far. There were moments where he really did forget just how hard this all was. Moments were he actually just enjoyed the too sweet smell of Alana's shampoo or the way she just held onto him so tight as if he could actually make all the bad things in the world go away. This... totally one of those moments.

Kiernan smiled at Alana. "Glad to hear you remembered all that. Because this is a pretty nice spread she has set up for you." Alana could only happily agree. "OOOOH Daddy but you missed Dora and the whole show and Sam said there's a dvd so you can watch it with me and it'll be aaaalmost like you were there." Alana quickly added as she wormed her way out of his arms and jumped her way over to the cake and to the costumes as Sam had suggested. "But Sam I can't decide!" She tried to protest but quickly lost herself right back in the pile of costumes. This time she started sorting them. Lining them up by some list of requirements that only Alana knew.

Kiernan watched her run off toward the costumes, the cake waiting until he was done and he was honestly struck by how much Sam had done for her. No relation and still... kindness like that wasn't something he had known a great deal of in his life. His wife, yes. Perhaps his parents in their own way when they remembered. A mentor or two at the academy but it wasn't the same. He turned slowly toward Sam. "I think her night was already made Sam..." His features were uncharacteristically soft. Like his features, his actions were apparently uncharacteristic as well... he moved and put an arm around her shoulders to... what was that? Hug her? No way.

"Thank you Sam."

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[info]fatebites
2008-07-09 01:00 pm UTC (link)
Whoever could come up with such a device for the males species would be richer than Bill Gates, no question. Too bad Sam wasn't electronic savvy or she would have been all over that patent. Not for the money mind you, well maybe a little, but more to make the world a better place. That Sam, she was a giver. Wait, was that...was that a smile? Well color Sam shocked. Smiles from Kiernan were few and far between so she was actually pretty impressed with herself for possibly contributing something that would have brought it about. Weird. "I'm just good at keeping her busy," she smirked in reply. "Though, I do know way more about Dora than you do."

It was sweet watching the moment Kiernan shared with his daughter but after a minute Sam diverted her gaze elsewhere because she almost felt as if she was intruding. That was a few moments of family time and they didn't need an audience. Besides, it was a painful reminder that once upon a time she had had the same thing with her father and that wasn't something she liked to think about.

Sam smirked. "A DVD that you can watch over and over and over..." That Kiernan, he was one lucky guy! Sam had even been sure to buy two copies just in case something "happened" to the first. Heh. "Hmm, well try to narrow them down to two and we'll go from there." Then if Alana couldn't decide from that...then maybe she would just need them both. It wasn't like Sam was opposed to the idea because lord knows there had been times that she had to buy two pairs of shoes just because she couldn't decide which one she liked better.

A slow nod was given as she cocked her head to the side, dark eyes never leaving Alana. "Yeah, I think I did okay." Sam had been too wrapped up in trying to figure out Alana's system to notice the move at first, but man even if she had been paying attention she wouldn't have seen that one coming. Never in a million years would she have thought Kiernan would have shown his appreciation through more than some sort of grunt or shrug so...wow.

"Any time." Since this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, Sam threw her arms around him and gave him a nice squeeze. Sam was a hugger and who was she to turn down the elusive Kiernan hug? Okay maybe she should have because of what had happened but the moon wasn't full and they were just friends and that was that. She was sure, however, to make sure that it didn't last too long to make either of them uncomfortable. "So, you ready to push some cake around on a plate?"

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[info]grumpypants
2008-07-10 06:57 pm UTC (link)
Clearly someone needed to be putting some research time into this whole idea of male translators because at this rate in the world very little of what guys like Kiernan actually thought was being communicated. And in Kiernan's case next to nothing. But for the time being the world was just going to have to reply on Kiernan to cough up the info... so basically there would be a lot of waiting and frustration going on. Business as usual. "And are you proud of this Dora knowledge?" He asked lips that were already curved into a smile, quirked almost into a smirk. Woah there Kiernan. Don't hurt yourself.

He was proud of himself, that he'd been able to hold back his groan of... less than happiness. A dvd that he could watch time after time... "Too kind Sam, really." The emphasis was put on the really. Alana didn't seem to notice she already had her eyes on the prize aka the costumes that she was going to have to pick. Such a hard decision! "Okay two it is. You'll help me pick then right Sam?" Alana called out over her shoulder as she picked up two of the tutu's that she was having a hard time narrowing it down between. Hmmm what color to go with? What kind of dress up did she fell like playing most.

Lord help Kiernan when she got old enough to be really into shoes. He was in for a world of hurt not only on his credit card bill but with his sanity.

He was a little shocked at his own action. Voluntarily showing an act of kindness or emotion? Not Kiernan. But here he was slinging an arm around Sam and going for the hug of thanks. Of course she didn't let him make a quick get away, instead she made it a full on hug. Okay maybe he didn't hate it. He did appreciate everything she did for Alana. She didn't have to, certainly didn't have to after the mess he'd made of their friendship... but she did regardless. Alana needed it and it was something that he just couldn't quite provide no matter how hard he tried. "Thank you..." he said earnestly just over her head before the hug was ended.

"Cake. Cake sounds good." He said finally moving his legs forward. Good thing it took a lot more for his muscles to ache or the hours he'd spent crouching around New York City really would have gotten to him by now. "Alana, you decided yet? Or is Sam going to have to help you? She can while I cut cake."

Of course Alana wanted help! At least from Sam she did. Daddy had... yicky taste in clothes. He'd wear the same thing everyday if he could. BLECH.

Alana held up two of the costumes. "HEEELP!"

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[info]fatebites
2008-07-10 07:20 pm UTC (link)
Sam was pretty sure Hell was getting chilly by the moment. Not only was the guy smiling, but he was being playful and joking around! Well, or as close to that as Kiernan got. "Yes, actually I am," she said with a nod. "You never know when such knowledge could come in hand." For example, take saving Kiernan's ass by giving Alana the most awesome birthday EVER! So really, he should be stoked that Sam watched Dora. What? She couldn't be the only one.

Her nose scrunched as she grinned. "Anything for you!" Next thing on her list to pick up was a singing Dora doll that Alana could carry around with her everywhere! Or maybe just a portable DVD player? Oo, that way Dora could stalk him wherever he went! Hrm. "Of course. Just let me know when you're ready." Sam couldn't wait for the day that Alana got interested in shoes because she would be there to show her the ropes! Faux leather would just never do and there was a certain quality in a pair of heels one had to look for first. Important stuff you know.

Crouching? Seriously? He really should have just called and asked to hang out. Dork. Sam grinned as they both moved forward. Alana just looked too cute standing there looking all distressed. Though, if she would have known what the little girl was thinking about Kiernan's taste in clothes, she would have to disagree. Sure he only wore button downs and slacks all the time but they fit him well and were good colors. Not that she noticed how nice he looked or anything. Pfft.

"Well hmm." Dark chocolate colored eyes shifted between the two costumes. "That's a tough one." Sam moved closer to get a better look, reaching out to examine certain parts before she circled around a time or two. "I think..." she said as she took a step back once more. "That you should have both because I can't decide." Her smile reached her eyes as she looked down at Alana. "That work for you?" Besides, little girls needed lots of dress up clothes or they would grow up to be Jax. Kidding. Kind of.

Cake was eaten and Alana was allowed to run around the store and play with all the displays for a while before it was time to call it a night. Sam left the taxi hailing to Kiernan and helped Alana carry her bags of goodies while managing to bring the leftover cake. A woman of many talents she was. Luckily for everyone, the hotel was only about a twenty minute drive away and it didn't seem like it had been all that long before they were finally walking into the suite she and Alana shared. Yeah, Sam had gotten hooked up by her friend, no question.

"So are you going to go camp out with binoculars across the street or are you going to not be retarded and stay with us?"

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[info]grumpypants
2008-07-11 02:13 am UTC (link)
True enough. Sam's Dora knowledge had managed to come in handy. There was no denying that fact. However, Kiernan had no intention of learning as much as she did no matter how many times he had to sit through whatever dvd's had been tucked into Alana's bags. He'd watched hours of other shows and yet could barely remember the names. There was one plus to his selective memory. Though it did cramp his birthday planning style. Damn.

The smile that was a bit of a freak of nature remained on his face the rest of the evening. It was hard not to smile when Alana's face was so lit up over everything. She deserved this right now and as much as it bothered him that he couldn't have pulled this off on his own... he was just too grateful that Sam had been able to to really get his panties in a bunch over it. Perhaps later, but not now. With the announcement that Alana could get both costumes she ceremoniously donned both of them at the same time making a wing and tulle chaos. Alana of course didn't seem to mind as she made her way out of the store, stomach full of tasty birthday cake and out to the cab.

A cab that Kiernan insisted on paying for because it was quite literally the least he could do at the moment. He fully intended to help offset whatever costs he could. If Sam would even let him. The steady movement of the car had the usual effect on Alana, well maybe the sugar crash had just as much to do with it but by the time they arrived at the hotel, Alana was slumped against Kiernan's shoulder. He carried her up, following Sam to the room. He hadn't gone as far as to find the exact room they were staying in, he did know the hotel though. He may or may not have had a room in a hotel down the block.

Alana was transported to the bed. The wings and tutus removed begrudgingly before she was all curled up beneath the covers, favorite stuff animal in hand.

"Stay with the two of you?" Kiernan replied, sliding a hand through his hair. "Somehow that doesn't seem like the world's best suggestion. I should just go back to school, you're doing wonderful with her and it's only a few more days..." though a few days kind of felt like a life time. "And I'm not being retarded... for the record." Yeah, he had to add that in.

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[info]fatebites
2008-07-11 01:29 pm UTC (link)
Kiernan could keep his money because this had been Sam's gift to Alana, she didn't need to have anything off set or repaid. Now if he wanted to buy her a box of those Godiva chocolates or something, well, she wouldn't protest. Mm, she loved those things, especially the ones with the pecans and caramel! Man, those babies were almost better than sex any day. Not that she was thinking about sex. Moving on.

Alana looked like a little angel when she slept and it was too cute how she fought the removal of her costumes even in her half comatose state. Little kids were pretty amazing. Cue the roll of her eyes as Kiernan tried to make things even more awkward. Good job. "And how exactly do you think she's going to feel when she wakes up and sees that you're not here?" Sam was good at keeping her busy but the disappointment the next morning would be a hard one to fix. "Besides," she said as she moved back into the main area and over to the fridge to grab some water. "It'd make me feel better if you stayed." What? Knowing that there were baddies out there who would potentially try to hurt Alana hadn't exactly put Sam at ease. In fact, she was up several times a night just to double check the locks on the doors.

Sam smirked. "Yeah actually, you kind of are." Maybe retarded wasn't the best word to describe it. Ridiculous? Maybe ridiculous could work too. "Come on, the couch folds out and there's plenty of room here." She did have a freaking suite for just her and Alana. "And it's not like the moon is going to suddenly become full so as long as you can keep your hands to yourself, we won't have a problem." Oh yeah, she was teasing him because she was just so irresistible and all.

Dark eyes watched him for a moment before she headed for the door leading to the room she shared with Alana. "If you aren't here in the morning we'll both hate you forever." The look she gave him was stern with a little humor mixed in. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some snuggles to take advantage of before we have to go back. Night Kiernan." And with one final smirk, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

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